朽木难雕 — “Rotten wood is difficult to carve”
朽木难雕 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a person who is beyond reform or training due to inherent flaws or lack of motivation, or a situation that is so deteriorated it cannot be remedied; like trying to carve rotten wood”. Literally, “Rotten wood is difficult to carve”.
朽木难雕 Pronunciation and Pinyin
朽木难雕 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 朽木难雕
Origin and Story of 朽木难雕
During the Spring and Autumn period, Zai Yu, a disciple of Confucius, was very eloquent. Initially, Confucius was fond of him, believing he would achieve great things.
However, it wasn't long before Confucius noticed that Zai Yu frequently missed classes. When someone was sent to look for him, he was found sleeping soundly in his room.
Upon learning this, Confucius sadly remarked, "Rotten wood cannot be carved, and a wall of dirt and dung cannot be plastered."
Idioms Related to 朽木难雕
Synonyms of 朽木难雕
Antonyms of 朽木难雕
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fèn粪tǔ土an incorrigible good-for-nothing
- xiǔ朽mù木fèn粪qiáng墙beyond salvage or improvement
- xiǔ朽mù木nán难diāo彫beyond redemption or improvement
- 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 朽木难雕
What does 朽木难雕 mean?
朽木难雕 (xiǔ mù nán diāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a person who is beyond reform or training due to inherent flaws or lack of motivation, or a situation that is so deteriorated it cannot be remedied; like trying to carve rotten wood”.
How do you pronounce 朽木难雕?
朽木难雕 is pronounced xiǔ mù nán diāo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 朽木难雕 literally mean?
Literally, 朽木难雕 means “Rotten wood is difficult to carve”. It is used to mean “refers to a person who is beyond reform or training due to inherent flaws or lack of motivation, or a situation that is so deteriorated it cannot be remedied; like trying to carve rotten wood”.
Where does 朽木难雕 come from?
朽木难雕 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 朽木难雕?
比喻人不可造就或事物和局势败坏而不可救药。同“朽木不可雕”。