栋梁之材 — “Timber for ridgepoles and beams; pillar and beam material”
栋梁之材 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person of great ability and potential, capable of bearing significant responsibilities; a pillar of society or a community”. Literally, “Timber for ridgepoles and beams; pillar and beam material”.
栋梁之材 Pronunciation and Pinyin
栋梁之材 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 栋梁之材
Origin and Story of 栋梁之材
During the Spring and Autumn period, young Confucius's parents both passed away, and he lived with his half-brother, Meng Pi.
Meng Pi encouraged him to learn how to drive chariots, but Confucius was determined to pursue academic studies.
He aspired to become a true gentleman and a pillar of society. He often said, "A gentleman concerns himself with the Way, not with mere sustenance."
Ironically, it was this very mindset that often led to his talents being unrecognized and his being ostracized wherever he went.
Idioms Related to 栋梁之材
Synonyms of 栋梁之材
Antonyms of 栋梁之材
Recommended tools
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 栋梁之材
What does 栋梁之材 mean?
栋梁之材 (dòng liáng zhī cái) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person of great ability and potential, capable of bearing significant responsibilities; a pillar of society or a community”.
How do you pronounce 栋梁之材?
栋梁之材 is pronounced dòng liáng zhī cái in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 栋梁之材 literally mean?
Literally, 栋梁之材 means “Timber for ridgepoles and beams; pillar and beam material”. It is used to mean “a person of great ability and potential, capable of bearing significant responsibilities; a pillar of society or a community”.
Where does 栋梁之材 come from?
栋梁之材 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 栋梁之材?
栋：脊檩，正梁。能做房屋大梁的木材。比喻能担当国家重任的人才。