戰國時候，齊國的孟嘗君喜歡招納各種人做門客，號稱賓客三千。他對賓客是來者不拒，有才能的讓他們各盡其能，沒有才能的也提供食宿。
有一次，孟嘗君率領眾賓客出使秦國。秦昭王將他留下，想讓他當相國。孟嘗君不敢得罪秦昭王，只好留下來。不久，大臣們勸秦王說：“留下孟嘗君對秦國是不利的，他出身王族，在齊國有封地，有家人，怎么會真心為秦國辦事呢？”秦昭王覺得有理，便改變了主意，把孟嘗君和他的手下人軟禁起來，只等找個藉口殺掉。
泰昭王有個最受寵愛的妃子，只要妃子說一，昭王絕不說二。孟嘗君派人去求她救助。妃子答應了，條件是拿齊國那一件天下無雙的狐白裘（用白色狐腋的皮毛做成的皮衣）做報酬。這可叫孟嘗君作難了，因為剛到秦國，他便把這件狐白裘獻給了秦昭王。就在這時候，有一個門說：“我能把狐白裘找來！”說完就走了。
原來這個門客最善於鑽狗洞偷東西。他先摸清情況，知道昭王特別喜愛那件狐裘，一時捨不得穿，放在宮中的精品貯藏室里。他便借著月光，逃過巡邏人的眼睛，輕易地鑽進貯藏室把狐裘偷出來。妃子見到狐白裘高興極了，想方設法說服秦昭王放棄了殺孟嘗君的念頭，並準備過兩天為他餞行，送他回齊國。
孟嘗君可不敢再等過兩天，立即率領手下人連夜偷偷騎馬向東快奔。到了函谷關（在現在河南省靈寶縣，當時是秦國的東大門）正是半夜。按秦國法規，函谷關每天雞叫才開門，半夜時候，雞可怎么能叫呢？大家正犯愁時，只聽見幾聲“喔，喔，喔”的雄雞啼鳴，接著，城關外的雄雞都打鳴了。原來，孟嘗君的另一個門客會學雞叫，而雞是只要聽到第一聲啼叫就立刻會跟著叫起來的。怎么還沒睡蹭實雞就叫了呢？守關的士兵雖然覺得奇怪，但也只得起來打開關門，放他們出去。
天亮了，秦昭王得知孟嘗君一行已經逃走，立刻派出人馬追趕。追到函谷關，人家已經出關多時了。
孟嘗君靠著雞鳴狗盜之士逃回了齊國。
故事出自《史記·孟嘗君列傳》。成語“雞嗚狗盜”比喻卑下的技能或具有這種技能的人。
growing like a cock and snatching like a dogduring the warring states period（475-221b.c.）,prince mengchang of the state of qi was fond of having various kinds of people as his hangers-on,the number of whom was said to have amounted to three thousand.never refusing anyone who came to hime,he let the talented people do what they could and also offered food and lodging to the mediocre.once,followed by his hangers-on,prince mengchang was sent on a diplomatic mission to the state of qin.attermpting to make him prime minister of the state of qin,king zhao of the state of qin kept hime from leaving. not daring to offend the king,prince mengchang stay here.he is a person of royal lineage,and has feud and family back in the state of qi,how could he serve the state of qin heart and soul?"the king thought it plausible,and changed his mind.he put prince mengchang and his hangers-on under house arrest,waiting to find an excuse to kill them.the king had an imperial concubine on whom he doted most,and he never refused her anything,prince mengchang sent a man to her for help.the concubine promised to help if she could have the unique white fox fur coat of the state of qi as her reward.prince mengchang was troubled,for he had already given it to the king of the state of oin as a gift when he arrived here.just then,one of the hangers-on said,"i can manage to get it ."h " he left immediately.it turned out that this man was a skilled burglar who used to enter horses through the hole for dogs in the wall.he made an investigation first,and learned that the king was too fond of the fox fur coat to wear it and that the coat was kept in the choice storeroom in the palace.eluding the patrol,he found his way easily in the moonlight into the storeroom and got the fur coat out.seeing the coat,the concubine was extremely pleased,she tried every means to talk the king into giving up the idea of killing prince mengchang.the king also planned to give a farewell dinner to prince mengchang two days later before sending him back to the state of qi..but prince mengchang did not dare to wait two more days.mounting the horses,he and his men sped stealthily eastward that very night.it was just midnight when they arrived at the hangu pass（in today's lingbao county in henan province,which was the east gate of the state of qin）.according to the laws of the state of qin,the gate of the pass should not be opened until cocks crew in the morning.but how could they crow at midnight?they were very much worried when they heard a cock crowing.immediately all the cocks inside and outside the pass followed the cock in crowing.it turned out that one other hanger-on could imitate the cock's crow very well,and the first crow was actually his imitation.the guards of the pass felt it very strange to have heard the cocks' crow before they could hardly have had enough sleep.nevertheless,they had to open the gate of the pass and let them go.at dawn,the king of the state of qin learned that prince mengchang and his men had escaped.he immediately sent his troops to chase them.when the troops arrived.he immediately sent his troops to chase them.when the troops arrived at the hangu pass ,they had gone for a long time.with the help of those people who knew small tricks such as crowing like a cock and snatching like a dog,prince mengchang finally got back to the state of qi.this story appears in"the life of prince mengchang" in the historical records written by sima qian.later,the set phrase"crowing like a cock and snatching like a dog" is used to refer to small tricks or people who know small tricks.