不郎不秀 — “Neither 'lang' nor 'xiu'”
不郎不秀 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes someone or something that is neither particularly good nor particularly bad; mediocre or undistinguished; lacking in outstanding qualities or talent”. Literally, “neither 'lang' nor 'xiu'”.
不郎不秀 Pronunciation and Pinyin
不郎不秀 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 不郎不秀
Origin and Story of 不郎不秀
The idiom '不郎不秀' (bù láng bù xiù) originates from historical social rankings. According to Tian Yiheng's 'Liu Qing Zha Ji' from the Ming Dynasty, during the Yuan Dynasty, people were classified into different ranks such as 'lang,' 'guan,' and 'xiu.' Among these, 'xiu' represented the highest tier, while 'lang' was the lowest.
By the Ming Dynasty, the term '不郎不秀' came to be used to describe someone who was neither excellent nor completely incompetent, or 'neither high nor low' in terms of ability or status. It was often applied to individuals who were mediocre, lacking outstanding talent, or those who couldn't achieve great success but also wouldn't settle for a lower position, effectively being undistinguished in a particular field.
Idioms Related to 不郎不秀
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
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Open the tool →Questions about 不郎不秀
What does 不郎不秀 mean?
不郎不秀 (bù láng bù xiù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes someone or something that is neither particularly good nor particularly bad; mediocre or undistinguished; lacking in outstanding qualities or talent”.
How do you pronounce 不郎不秀?
不郎不秀 is pronounced bù láng bù xiù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 不郎不秀 literally mean?
Literally, 不郎不秀 means “neither 'lang' nor 'xiu'”. It is used to mean “describes someone or something that is neither particularly good nor particularly bad; mediocre or undistinguished; lacking in outstanding qualities or talent”.
Where does 不郎不秀 come from?
不郎不秀 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 不郎不秀?
原指不高不下。后比喻不成材。