不学无术 — “Lacking both learning and skill”
不学无术 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Lacking both learning and skill”. Ignorant and incompetent. Literally, “Unlearned and unskilled; without learning and without skill”.
不学无术 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 不bù
- 学xué
- 无wú
- 术shù
不学无术 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 不学无术
Origin and Story of 不学无术
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Grand General Huo Guang was a pivotal minister deeply trusted by the emperor. Before his death, Emperor Wu entrusted his young son Liu Fuling (Emperor Zhao) to Huo Guang's guardianship. After Emperor Zhao's demise, Huo Guang again appointed Liu Xun as emperor (Emperor Xuan). Huo Guang wielded political power for over forty years, making significant contributions to the Western Han dynasty.
Upon ascending the throne, Liu Xun made Consort Xu his empress. However, Huo Guang's wife, Huo Xian, was a woman who craved wealth and status. She wished to marry her younger daughter, Chengjun, to Liu Xun to become empress.
Seizing an opportunity when Empress Xu fell ill, she bribed a female physician to poison and kill her. When the sinister plot was exposed, the female physician was imprisoned.
Huo Guang was completely unaware of this matter beforehand; his wife only informed him after the deed was done. Huo Guang was greatly alarmed and reproached his wife for such an act. He considered reporting it but could not bear to see his wife punished. After much deliberation, he decided to conceal this heinous crime.
After Huo Guang's death, someone reported the case to Emperor Xuan, who dispatched officials to investigate and handle it. Huo Guang's wife, upon hearing this, consulted with her family and confidants, deciding to gather her clan to plot a rebellion. However, the plan was leaked. Emperor Xuan immediately sent troops to surround the Huo family, and all members were executed.
Ban Gu, a historian of the Eastern Han Dynasty, commented on Huo Guang's merits and demerits in his 'Book of Han: Biography of Huo Guang,' stating that he was '不学无术 (bù xué wú shù), 暗于大理 (àn yú dà lǐ),' meaning Huo Guang lacked education and skill, thus failing to understand the great principles that govern important matters.
Idioms Related to 不学无术
Antonyms of 不学无术
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
Questions about 不学无术
- What does 不学无术 mean?
- 不学无术 (bù xué wú shù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Lacking both learning and skill”.
- How do you pronounce 不学无术?
- 不学无术 is pronounced bù xué wú shù in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 不学无术 literally mean?
- Literally, 不学无术 means “Unlearned and unskilled; without learning and without skill”. It is used to mean “Lacking both learning and skill”.
- Where does 不学无术 come from?
- 不学无术 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 不学无术?
- 学：学问；术：技能。原指没有学问因而没有办法。现指没有学问，没有本领。