To have exhausted one's literary talent; to be at the end of one's creative resources; to have one's talent withered away.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Southern Dynasties' Liang period, the literatus Jiang Yan was known for his diligence in study and his agile mind in his youth. His literary works were deeply admired by many.
However, after he rose to the position of Guanglu Daifu (a high-ranking official), his writings significantly deteriorated, and his poems became remarkably uninspired.
The story goes that while he was visiting Xuancheng, he had a dream at Yiting where he met Guo Pu, a famous diviner and writer from an earlier era. In the dream, Guo Pu asked Jiang Yan to return a five-colored brush, which was believed to be the source of his literary genius.
From that day forward, Jiang Yan's literary inspiration vanished, and his talent completely ran dry.