杀鸡取卵 shā jī qǔ luǎn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to kill the chicken to get the eggs (idiom)
  2. fig. to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs

CHARACTERS

杀 shā kill, slaughter, murder; hurt
鸡 jī chicken
取 qǔ take, receive, obtain; select
卵 luǎn egg; ovum; roe; spawn