志大才疏 — “Great ambition, shallow talent”
志大才疏 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have grand ambitions but lack the necessary talent or ability to achieve them; overambitious yet lacking in capacity”. Literally, “Great ambition, shallow talent”.
Frequency
志大才疏 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 志zhì
- 大dà
- 才cái
- 疏shū
志大才疏 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 志大才疏
他虽然胸怀大志，但做事总是欠缺考虑，被评价为志大才疏
Although he has great ambitions, he often lacks careful consideration in his actions, and is thus described as having great aspirations but insufficient ability.
Origin and Story of 志大才疏
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Kong Rong spared no effort to protect Emperor Xian's interests, often satirizing and opposing Cao Cao's policies.
When Cao Cao issued a ban on alcohol to save grain, Kong Rong wrote essays extolling the virtues of drinking. He even publicly criticized Cao Cao in front of envoys from Eastern Wu, which ultimately led to his execution by Cao Cao.
Later generations commented that he was a person with great ambitions but insufficient talent, unable to accomplish great things.
Idioms Related to 志大才疏
Antonyms of 志大才疏
More idioms starting with 志
- zhì志chōng冲dǒu斗niú牛soaring ambition or towering rage
- zhì志chōng冲niú牛dòu斗To have lofty aspirations
- zhì志tóng同xīn心hé合to be of one mind
- zhì志tóng同qì气hé合share same aspirations
- zhì志tóng同dào道hé合share the same aspirations and ideals
- zhì志zài在qiān千lǐ里Aim high and far
- zhì志zài在sì四fāng方Aspiring to achieve great things far and wide
- zhì志zài在sì四hǎi海Aspiring to achieve great things worldwide
- zhì志jiān坚xíng行kǔ苦firm will, arduous effort
- zhì志shì士rén仁rén人Noble, benevolent, and sacrificing individuals
- zhì志dà大cái才duǎn短ambitious but incompetent
- zhì志dà大liàng量xiǎo小grand ambition, narrow mind
Questions about 志大才疏
- What does 志大才疏 mean?
- 志大才疏 (zhì dà cái shū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have grand ambitions but lack the necessary talent or ability to achieve them; overambitious yet lacking in capacity”.
- How do you pronounce 志大才疏?
- 志大才疏 is pronounced zhì dà cái shū in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 志大才疏 literally mean?
- Literally, 志大才疏 means “Great ambition, shallow talent”. It is used to mean “to have grand ambitions but lack the necessary talent or ability to achieve them; overambitious yet lacking in capacity”.
- Where does 志大才疏 come from?
- 志大才疏 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 志大才疏?
- 疏：粗疏，薄弱。指人志向大而才具不够。