簸扬糠秕 — “To winnow and sift chaff and husks”
簸扬糠秕 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to describe oneself as an untalented or unworthy person who occupies a prominent position among more capable individuals, feeling out of place or inferior”. Literally, “To winnow and sift chaff and husks”.
簸扬糠秕 Pronunciation and Pinyin
簸扬糠秕 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 簸扬糠秕
Origin and Story of 簸扬糠秕
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sima Yu invited Wang Tanzhi and Fan Qi for a discussion. Fan Qi was older but held a lower official rank, while Wang Tanzhi was younger but held a higher rank.
They politely deferred to each other, each insisting the other go first.
As Wang Tanzhi walked ahead of Fan Qi, he joked, "When winnowing and sifting, the chaff and husks go in front." Fan Qi retorted, "When washing and rinsing, the grit and pebbles stay behind."
Idioms Related to 簸扬糠秕
More idioms starting with 簸
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 →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →Questions about 簸扬糠秕
What does 簸扬糠秕 mean?
簸扬糠秕 (bǒ yáng kāng bǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to describe oneself as an untalented or unworthy person who occupies a prominent position among more capable individuals, feeling out of place or inferior”.
How do you pronounce 簸扬糠秕?
簸扬糠秕 is pronounced bǒ yáng kāng bǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 簸扬糠秕 literally mean?
Literally, 簸扬糠秕 means “to winnow and sift chaff and husks”. It is used to mean “to describe oneself as an untalented or unworthy person who occupies a prominent position among more capable individuals, feeling out of place or inferior”.
Where does 簸扬糠秕 come from?
簸扬糠秕 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 簸扬糠秕?
糠秕：谷皮和瘪谷，比喻无价值的东西。形容自己不如别人，无才而居前列