不管白貓黑貓，捉住老鼠就是好貓 bù guǎn bái māo hēi māo ， zhuō zhù lǎo shǔ jiù shì hǎo māo

results over methods; only outcome matters

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. it doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black; as long as it catches mice it's a good cat (variant of a Sichuanese saying used in a speech by Deng Xiaoping 邓小平dèng xiǎo píng in 1962, usually associated with his economic reforms starting in 1978, in which pragmatism was favored over ideological purity)

Characters

Character Meaning
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
管 guǎn HSK 4
to manage; to be in charge of; to control
白 bái HSK 2
white; bright; pure
貓 māo
cat; (dialect) to hide oneself; (coll.) modem
黑 hēi HSK 2
black; dark; illegal
貓 māo
cat; (dialect) to hide oneself; (coll.) modem
捉 zhuō HSK 6
to capture; to grab; to clutch
住 zhù HSK 1
to live; to stay; to reside
老 lǎo HSK 1
old (of people)
鼠 shǔ HSK 5
mouse; rat
就 jiù HSK 2
at once; right away; as soon as
是 shì HSK 1
to be; is; are
好 hǎo HSK 1
good; well; very
貓 māo
cat; (dialect) to hide oneself; (coll.) modem