苗而不秀 — “To sprout but never to flower”
苗而不秀 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sprout but never to flower”. To have great potential or talent but fail to achieve anything substantial. Literally, “sprout but not blossom”.
Frequency
苗而不秀 Pronunciation and Pinyin
苗而不秀 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 苗而不秀
他从小聪颖过人，可惜后来沉迷游戏，最终苗而不秀，令人惋惜
He was exceptionally intelligent from childhood, but unfortunately later became addicted to games, eventually 'sprouting but never flowering,' which is truly regrettable.
Idioms Related to 苗而不秀
Antonyms of 苗而不秀
Recommended tools
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 苗而不秀
What does 苗而不秀 mean?
苗而不秀 (miáo ér bù xiù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sprout but never to flower”.
How do you pronounce 苗而不秀?
苗而不秀 is pronounced miáo ér bù xiù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 苗而不秀 literally mean?
Literally, 苗而不秀 means “sprout but not blossom”. It is used to mean “to sprout but never to flower”.
What is the Chinese definition of 苗而不秀?
苗：指庄稼出苗；秀：庄稼吐穗开花。指庄稼出了苗而没有抽穗。比喻人有好的资质，却没有成就。