寧為太平犬，莫作亂離人

Chinese

	peaceful; rather; Ningxia (abbrev.)	because of; for; to because of; for; to; act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become	peaceful and tranquil; peace and tranquility	dog		do not; there is none who	to regard as; to take (someone) for; to do to regard as; to take (someone) for; to do; to make	to be separated by war; to be rendered homeless by war	man; person; people
trad. (寧為太平犬，莫作亂離人/寧爲太平犬，莫作亂離人)	寧	為/爲	太平	犬	，	莫	作	亂離	人
simp. (宁为太平犬，不做乱离人)	宁	为	太平	犬	，	不	做	乱离	人
Literally: “better to be a dog in times of peace than a man rendered desolate by war.”

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bù zuò luànlí rén, níng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bù zuò luànlí rén

(Zhuyin): ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˊ ㄖㄣˊ, ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˊ ㄖㄣˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ning⁴ wai⁴ taai³ peng⁴ hyun², bat¹ zou⁶ lyun⁶ lei⁴ jan⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bù zuò luànlí rén [Phonetic: nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bú zuò luànlí rén]
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˊ ㄖㄣˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: nìng wéi tàipíng cyuǎn, bù zuò luànlí rén
  - Wade–Giles: ning⁴ wei² tʻai⁴-pʻing² chʻüan³, pu⁴ tso⁴ luan⁴-li² jên²
  - Yale: nìng wéi tài-píng chywǎn-, bù dzwò lwàn-lí rén
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ninq wei taypyng cheuan, buh tzuoh luannli ren
  - Palladius: нин вэй тайпин цюань, бу цзо луаньли жэнь (nin vɛj tajpin cjuanʹ, bu czo luanʹli žɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niŋ⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹ li³⁵ ʐən³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: níng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bù zuò luànlí rén [Phonetic: níng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bú zuò luànlí rén]
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˊ ㄖㄣˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: níng wéi tàipíng cyuǎn, bù zuò luànlí rén
  - Wade–Giles: ning² wei² tʻai⁴-pʻing² chʻüan³, pu⁴ tso⁴ luan⁴-li² jên²
  - Yale: níng wéi tài-píng chywǎn-, bù dzwò lwàn-lí rén
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ning wei taypyng cheuan, buh tzuoh luannli ren
  - Palladius: нин вэй тайпин цюань, бу цзо луаньли жэнь (nin vɛj tajpin cjuanʹ, bu czo luanʹli žɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niŋ³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹ li³⁵ ʐən³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)⁺
  - Jyutping: ning⁴ wai⁴ taai³ peng⁴ hyun², bat¹ zou⁶ lyun⁶ lei⁴ jan⁴
  - Yale: nìhng wàih taai pèhng hyún, bāt jouh lyuhn lèih yàhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ning⁴ wai⁴ taai³ peng⁴ hyn², bat⁷ dzou⁶ lyn⁶ lei⁴ jan⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: ning⁴ wei⁴ tai³ péng⁴ hün², bed¹ zou⁶ lün⁶ léi⁴ yen⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɪŋ²¹ wɐi̯²¹ tʰaːi̯³³ pʰɛːŋ²¹ hyːn³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sou̯²² lyːn²² lei̯²¹ jɐn²¹/

Proverb

寧為太平犬，莫作亂離人

synonym of 寧為太平犬，不做亂世人 / 宁为太平犬，不做乱世人 (nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bù zuò luànshì rén)
- 1627, “第三卷　賣油郎獨占花魁 [Chapter 3: The Oil-Peddler Wins the Queen of Flowers]”, in 馮夢龍 [Feng Menglong], compiler, 醒世恆言 [Stories to Awaken the World]:
  
  擔渴擔飢擔勞苦，此行誰是家鄉？叫天叫地叫祖宗，惟願不逢韃虜。正是：寧為太平犬，莫作亂離人。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  担渴担饥担劳苦，此行谁是家乡？叫天叫地叫祖宗，惟愿不逢鞑虏。正是：宁为太平犬，莫作乱离人。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  Dān kě dān jī dān láokǔ, cǐ xíng shéi shì jiāxiāng? Jiào tiān jiào dì jiào zǔzōng, wéi yuàn bù féng dálǔ. Zhèngshì: níngwèitàipíngquǎn, mòzuòluànlírén. [Pinyin]
  Who can endure this trip home, bearing such thirst, hunger, and suffering? They cried to earth, heaven and the ancestors only in the hope not to happen on the Tartar hordes. As it is, better a peacetime dog than a human fleeing war.

Synonyms

寧為太平犬，不做亂世人／宁为太平犬，不做乱世人 (nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bù zuò luànshì rén)
寧為太平犬，不為亂世人／宁为太平犬，不为乱世人