朽木糞牆
See also: 朽木粪墙
Chinese
rotten | tree; wood | manure; dung | wall | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
trad. (朽木糞牆) | 朽 | 木 | 糞 | 牆 | |
simp. (朽木粪墙) | 朽 | 木 | 粪 | 墙 | |
Literally: “rotten wood, faeces wall”. |
Etymology
From Analects:
- 宰予晝寢。子曰:「朽木不可雕也,糞土之牆,不可杇也,於予與何誅。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Zǎi yǔ zhòuqǐn. Zǐyuē: “Xiǔmù bùkě diāo yě, fèntǔ zhī qiáng, bùkě 杇 yě, yú Yǔ yǔ hé zhū.” [Pinyin]
- Zai Yu being asleep during the daytime, the Master said, "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?"
宰予昼寝。子曰:“朽木不可雕也,粪土之墙,不可杇也,于予与何诛。” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
朽木糞牆
- a person whose spirit is rotten cannot benefit from education
- an unsalvageable situation
Japanese
Kanji in this term | |||
---|---|---|---|
朽 | 木 | 糞 | 牆 |
Grade: S | Grade: 1 | Hyōgaiji | Hyōgaiji |
Etymology
From Literary Chinese 朽木糞牆/朽木粪墙 (xiǔmùfènqiáng).
Idiom
朽木糞牆 • (kyūbokufunshō)
- A piece of rotten wood cannot be turned into something beautiful. That is, a person whose spirit is rotten cannot benefit from education.
References
- The Kōjien (広辞苑) Dictionary of the Japanese Language, 5th edition, Iwanami Shoten Publishing, Tokyo.