明珠暗投 — “Bright pearl cast into darkness”
明珠暗投 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have one's talents or valuable possessions unappreciated or misused, often by someone who doesn't recognize their true worth; to offer something precious to someone who cannot appreciate its value”. Literally, “Bright pearl cast into darkness”.
明珠暗投 Pronunciation and Pinyin
明珠暗投 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 明珠暗投
Origin and Story of 明珠暗投
During the Western Han Dynasty, Zou Yang initially served under King Liu Pi of Wu. When he discovered King Wu's intention to rebel, he went to serve King Xiao of Liang instead. Yang Sheng held a prejudice against Zou Yang and spoke ill of him before King Xiao, leading to Zou Yang being imprisoned and facing execution.
From his prison cell, Zou Yang wrote a letter to King Xiao of Liang, explaining that if someone secretly cast a "bright moon pearl" onto the road, it would make people wary and cautious, preventing them from approaching it. He used this analogy to imply that his true worth was being misunderstood and unappreciated, much like a precious pearl that, when found under suspicious circumstances, would be shunned rather than treasured.
Idioms Related to 明珠暗投
Synonyms of 明珠暗投
Antonyms of 明珠暗投
More idioms starting with 明
- míng明zhēng争àn暗dòu斗open contention and covert struggle
- míng明yú于zhì治luàn乱understand principles of order and disorder
- míng明rén人bù不zuò作àn暗shì事An upright person acts openly
- míng明rén人bù不zuò做àn暗shì事An honest person acts openly
- míng明rén人bù不shuō说àn暗huà话A frank person speaks directly
- míng明xiū修àn暗dù度openly feign, secretly act
- míng明xiū修zhàn栈dào道，，àn暗dù度chén陈cāng仓feint in one direction, advance in another
- míng明xiū修zhàn栈dào道，，àn暗dù渡chén陈cāng仓feign one thing, do another
- míng明guāng光shuò烁liàng亮Dazzlingly bright and sparkling
- míng明guāng光zhēng铮liàng亮Dazzlingly bright and gleaming
- míng明guāng光zèng锃liàng亮dazzlingly bright and polished
- míng明gōng公zhèng正yì义Open, fair, and just
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Open the tool →Questions about 明珠暗投
What does 明珠暗投 mean?
明珠暗投 (míng zhū àn tóu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have one's talents or valuable possessions unappreciated or misused, often by someone who doesn't recognize their true worth; to offer something precious to someone who cannot appreciate its value”.
How do you pronounce 明珠暗投?
明珠暗投 is pronounced míng zhū àn tóu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 明珠暗投 literally mean?
Literally, 明珠暗投 means “Bright pearl cast into darkness”. It is used to mean “to have one's talents or valuable possessions unappreciated or misused, often by someone who doesn't recognize their true worth; to offer something precious to someone who cannot appreciate its value”.
Where does 明珠暗投 come from?
明珠暗投 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 明珠暗投?
原意是明亮的珍珠，暗里投在路上，使人看了都很惊奇。比喻有才能的人得不到重视。也比喻好东西落入不识货人的手里。