朽木不可雕
Chinese
rotten wood; hopeless case; good-for-nothing | cannot; should not; must not | engrave; shrewd | ||
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trad. (朽木不可雕) | 朽木 | 不可 | 雕 | |
simp. #(朽木不可雕) | 朽木 | 不可 | 雕 | |
Literally: “One cannot make a carving from rotten wood.” |
Etymology
From the Analects of Confucius:
- 朽木不可雕也,糞土之牆不可杇也!于予與何誅? [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Xiǔmù bùkě diāo yě, fèntǔ zhī qiáng bùkě wū yě! Yú Yǔ yǔ hé zhū? [Pinyin]
- Rotten wood cannot be carved; a wall of dirty earth will not receive the trowel. This Yu! - what is the use of my reproving him?
朽木不可雕也,粪土之墙不可杇也!于予与何诛? [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Proverb
朽木不可雕
- You can’t teach a student that doesn’t have the aptitude.
Descendants
Sino-Xenic (朽木不可雕):
- → Vietnamese: hủ mộc bất khả điêu (朽木不可雕)
Vietnamese
Hán tự in this term | ||||
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朽 | 木 | 不 | 可 | 雕 |
Idiom
朽木不可雕
- chữ Hán form of hủ mộc bất khả điêu.