南郭处士 — “Scholar of Nan Guo (South City)”
南郭处士 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Someone who lacks true talent but pretends to be an expert and gets by, often by being part of a group; a charlatan or an impostor who fills a vacancy without qualification”. Literally, “Scholar of Nan Guo (South City)”.
南郭处士 Pronunciation and Pinyin
南郭处士 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 南郭处士
Origin and Story of 南郭处士
During the Warring States period, King Xuan of Qi was very fond of listening to the sheng (a wind instrument) played in chorus. Nan Guo, a lazy and gluttonous scholar, managed to sneak into the orchestra. He pretended to be an expert, swaying his head and looking knowledgeable, even though he knew nothing about playing.
Not long after, the old king died, and the new king preferred to listen to sheng solos. Nan Guo felt uneasy and guilty. Fearing that his deception would be exposed, he fled the palace overnight.
Idioms Related to 南郭处士
Synonyms of 南郭处士
More idioms starting with 南
- nán南rén人jià驾chuán船，，běi北rén人chéng乘mǎ马different people have different skills
- nán南guān冠chǔ楚qiú囚a captive or prisoner of war
- nán南běi北dōng东xī西all directions; everywhere
- nán南qù去běi北lái来to come and go
- nán南shān山zhī之shòu寿long life like the South Mountain
- nán南shān山kě可yí移Absolutely firm and unchangeable
- nán南shān山kě可yí移，，pàn判bù不kě可yáo摇An unchangeable, firm judgment
- nán南shān山kě可yí移，，cǐ此àn案bù不dòng动This case is final and unchangeable
- nán南shān山yǒu有niǎo鸟，，běi北shān山zhāng张luo罗bark up the wrong tree
- nán南shān山tiě铁àn案a settled and unalterable case
- nán南shān山yǐn隐bào豹wise person living in seclusion
- nán南zhōu州guān冠miǎn冕outstanding talent from the southern region
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Open the tool →Questions about 南郭处士
What does 南郭处士 mean?
南郭处士 (nán guō chǔ shì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Someone who lacks true talent but pretends to be an expert and gets by, often by being part of a group; a charlatan or an impostor who fills a vacancy without qualification”.
How do you pronounce 南郭处士?
南郭处士 is pronounced nán guō chǔ shì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 南郭处士 literally mean?
Literally, 南郭处士 means “Scholar of Nan Guo (South City)”. It is used to mean “Someone who lacks true talent but pretends to be an expert and gets by, often by being part of a group; a charlatan or an impostor who fills a vacancy without qualification”.
Where does 南郭处士 come from?
南郭处士 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 南郭处士?
比喻无真正的才干而混在行家里面充数的人。同“滥竽充数”。