better to be the head of a small group than the tail of a large one; better to be a big fish in a small pond
Proverb advising that it is better to be a leader in a modest position than a follower in a grand one. The literal image is 'better to be a chicken's beak than a cow's rear end.'
It's better to be a leader in a small company than a rank-and-file employee in a big corporation. Truly, better to be the head of a chicken than the rear end of a cow.
A four-character idiom (yojijukugo) derived from the same proverb, used more compactly in writing.
Standard kanji form of the proverb, using the classical negative imperative 勿れ.
Variant spelling with 勿れ written in kana as なかれ.
A Japanese rendering of a classical Chinese proverb from the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji). The literal meaning contrasts a chicken's beak (a small but prominent part) with a cow's rear (a large but lowly part).