五谷不分 — “Cannot distinguish the five grains”
五谷不分 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be ignorant of basic practical knowledge, especially concerning agriculture, due to a lack of engagement in manual labor; cannot tell wheat from beans”. Literally, “Cannot distinguish the five grains”.
五谷不分 Pronunciation and Pinyin
五谷不分 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 五谷不分
Origin and Story of 五谷不分
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius traveled with his disciples through various states.
After facing setbacks in Wey, Chen, and Cai, they got lost after leaving Yeyu.
Zilu went to ask for directions, and upon returning, found Confucius was gone.
He then asked a farmer working in the field.
The farmer said, "One whose four limbs are idle and who cannot distinguish the five grains, who is such a master?"
Zilu realized he had encountered a reclusive sage and had to continue searching on his own.
Idioms Related to 五谷不分
Synonyms of 五谷不分
More idioms starting with 五
- wǔ五shì世qí其chāng昌May descendants flourish for five generations
- wǔ五qīn亲liù六juàn眷all one's relatives
- wǔ五tǐ体tóu投dì地prostrate oneself in admiration
- wǔ五tǐ体tóu投chéng诚utterly convinced and profoundly respectful
- wǔ五hóu侯qī七guì贵high-ranking officials and influential nobles
- wǔ五hóu侯jiǔ九bó伯all feudal lords and regional chiefs
- wǔ五hòu侯là蜡zhú烛extravagant display of wealth and power
- wǔ五guāng光shí十sè色vibrantly colorful and dazzling
- wǔ五diǎn典sān三fén坟ancient Chinese classics
- wǔ五nèi内jù俱bēng崩utterly devastated or heartbroken
- wǔ五nèi内rú如fén焚consumed by extreme anxiety
- wǔ五dōng冬liù六xià夏all the year round
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →Questions about 五谷不分
What does 五谷不分 mean?
五谷不分 (wǔ gǔ bù fēn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be ignorant of basic practical knowledge, especially concerning agriculture, due to a lack of engagement in manual labor; cannot tell wheat from beans”.
How do you pronounce 五谷不分?
五谷不分 is pronounced wǔ gǔ bù fēn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 五谷不分 literally mean?
Literally, 五谷不分 means “Cannot distinguish the five grains”. It is used to mean “to be ignorant of basic practical knowledge, especially concerning agriculture, due to a lack of engagement in manual labor; cannot tell wheat from beans”.
Where does 五谷不分 come from?
五谷不分 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 五谷不分?
五谷：通常指稻、黍、稷、麦、菽。指不参加劳动，不能辨别五谷。形容脱离生产劳动，缺乏生产知识。