朽木不可雕
Chinese
| rotten wood; hopeless case; good-for-nothing | cannot; should not; must not | engrave; shrewd | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
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