扶不起的阿斗 — “Adou who cannot be propped up”
扶不起的阿斗 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an utterly incompetent person who cannot be helped or supported to succeed, no matter the effort”. Literally, “Adou who cannot be propped up”.
扶不起的阿斗 Pronunciation and Pinyin
扶不起的阿斗 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 扶不起的阿斗
Origin and Story of 扶不起的阿斗
During the Three Kingdoms period, after Liu Bei, Emperor Zhaolie of Shu, passed away, his son Liu Shan (also known as Adou) ascended the throne. Despite the tireless efforts of his prime minister Zhuge Liang and other capable officials to support him, Liu Shan proved to be an incompetent ruler.
After Zhuge Liang's death, the Shu Kingdom eventually fell, and Liu Shan surrendered to Sima Zhao, King Wen of Sima.
Sima Zhao once hosted a banquet for Liu Shan, where he intentionally arranged performances and music from the former Shu Kingdom. Liu Shan watched with great enjoyment, showing no sadness or longing for his lost kingdom.
Observing Liu Shan's indifference and pleasure, Sima Zhao remarked that he was indeed 'an Adou who could not be helped up,' utterly incapable of governing a state.
Idioms Related to 扶不起的阿斗
More idioms starting with 扶
- fú扶dōng东dào倒xī西Easily swayed and indecisive
- fú扶yú余hǎi海wài外Distant foreign lands
- fú扶qīng倾jì济ruò弱Help the distressed and relieve the weak
- fú扶wēi危dìng定luàn乱help the distressed and quell disturbances
- fú扶wēi危dìng定qīng倾support the endangered and stabilize the tottering
- fú扶wēi危zhěng拯nì溺help those in distress and rescue the endangered
- fú扶wēi危chí持qīng倾help those in peril and stabilize precarious situations
- fú扶wēi危chí持diān颠Rescue from peril
- fú扶wēi危jiù救kùn困help those in danger and difficulty
- fú扶wēi危jì济kùn困help those in peril and relieve the needy
- fú扶wēi危jì济jí急help those in peril and urgent need
- fú扶wēi危yì翼qīng倾support the endangered and assist the collapsing
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Open the tool →Questions about 扶不起的阿斗
What does 扶不起的阿斗 mean?
扶不起的阿斗 (fú bù qǐ de ā dǒu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an utterly incompetent person who cannot be helped or supported to succeed, no matter the effort”.
How do you pronounce 扶不起的阿斗?
扶不起的阿斗 is pronounced fú bù qǐ de ā dǒu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 扶不起的阿斗 literally mean?
Literally, 扶不起的阿斗 means “Adou who cannot be propped up”. It is used to mean “an utterly incompetent person who cannot be helped or supported to succeed, no matter the effort”.
Where does 扶不起的阿斗 come from?
扶不起的阿斗 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 扶不起的阿斗?
阿斗：三国蜀汉刘备之子刘禅的小名。阿斗庸碌无能，虽有诸葛亮等人全力扶助，也不能振兴蜀汉。比喻扶持不起来的人