朽木粪土 — “A good-for-nothing”
朽木粪土 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a good-for-nothing”. An incorrigible person; someone utterly useless and beyond salvage or training. Literally, “rotten wood and worthless soil”.
朽木粪土 Pronunciation and Pinyin
朽木粪土 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 朽木粪土
Origin and Story of 朽木粪土
During the Spring and Autumn period, one of Confucius's disciples, Zai Yu (also known as Zai Wo), was very eloquent. Initially, Confucius was fond of him, believing he would achieve great things.
However, Confucius soon discovered that Zai Yu frequently skipped classes. When someone was sent to look for him, he was found sleeping in his room.
Upon learning this, Confucius sadly remarked, "Rotten wood cannot be carved, and a wall made of dung and dirt cannot be plastered."
Idioms Related to 朽木粪土
Synonyms of 朽木粪土
More idioms starting with 朽
- xiǔ朽gē戈dùn钝jiǎ甲poorly equipped troops
- xiǔ朽mù木bù不kě可diāo雕incorrigible or beyond redemption
- xiǔ朽mù木bù不diāo雕untrainable or unimprovable person
- xiǔ朽mù木zhī之cái才a person of no talent or potential
- xiǔ朽mù木kū枯zhū株useless old person
- xiǔ朽mù木sǐ死huī灰utterly disheartened and lifeless
- xiǔ朽mù木shēng生huā花turn from decay to flourishing
- xiǔ朽mù木nán难diāo彫beyond redemption or improvement
- xiǔ朽mù木nán难diāo雕rotten wood cannot be carved
- xiǔ朽tiáo条fǔ腐suǒ索extremely fragile, weak, or unreliable
- xiǔ朽zhū株kū枯mù木old, decaying, and useless
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Open the tool →Questions about 朽木粪土
What does 朽木粪土 mean?
朽木粪土 (xiǔ mù fèn tǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a good-for-nothing”.
How do you pronounce 朽木粪土?
朽木粪土 is pronounced xiǔ mù fèn tǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 朽木粪土 literally mean?
Literally, 朽木粪土 means “rotten wood and worthless soil”. It is used to mean “a good-for-nothing”.
Where does 朽木粪土 come from?
朽木粪土 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 朽木粪土?
朽木：烂木头；粪土：脏土臭泥。比喻不堪造就、对社会没有用处的人。