大巧若拙 — “Great skill appears clumsy”
大巧若拙 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “True mastery often appears simple or clumsy on the surface, concealing its profound skill; great wisdom or talent may seem unassuming”. Literally, “Great skill appears clumsy”.
Frequency
大巧若拙 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 大dà
- 巧qiǎo
- 若ruò
- 拙zhuō
大巧若拙 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 大巧若拙
他平日里话不多，看起来有些木讷，但在关键时刻总能提出独到的见解，真是大巧若拙啊。
He usually doesn't talk much and seems a bit dull, but at crucial moments, he always offers unique insights, truly embodying great skill appearing clumsy.
Origin and Story of 大巧若拙
During the Spring and Autumn period, the renowned philosopher Laozi said:
The most perfect seems to have shortcomings, yet its function is inexhaustible. The most abundant seems empty, yet its function is endless.
The straightest seems crooked, the most skillful seems clumsy, and the best orator seems to falter in speech.
Swift movement can conquer cold, and stillness can overcome heat.
Idioms Related to 大巧若拙
Synonyms of 大巧若拙
More idioms starting with 大
- dà大zhōng中zhì至zhèng正utterly fair and impartial
- dà大jǔ举jìn进gōng攻launch a large-scale attack
- dà大yì义lǐn凛rán然awe-inspiring righteousness
- dà大yì义miè灭qīn亲uphold justice over family loyalty
- dà大shū书tè特shū书write about with great emphasis
- dà大shì事bù不hú糊tú涂clear-headed in important affairs
- dà大shì事huà化xiǎo小reduce a major problem to a minor one
- dà大shì事huà化xiǎo小，，xiǎo小shì事huà化wú无reduce big problems to nothing
- dà大shì事qù去yǐ矣Major matters are beyond recovery
- dà大shì事wán完bì毕major tasks completed
- dà大shì事yǐ已rán然The major event is already done
- dà大shì事pū铺zhāng张make an extravagant display for big events
Questions about 大巧若拙
- What does 大巧若拙 mean?
- 大巧若拙 (dà qiǎo ruò zhuō) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “True mastery often appears simple or clumsy on the surface, concealing its profound skill; great wisdom or talent may seem unassuming”.
- How do you pronounce 大巧若拙?
- 大巧若拙 is pronounced dà qiǎo ruò zhuō in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 大巧若拙 literally mean?
- Literally, 大巧若拙 means “Great skill appears clumsy”. It is used to mean “True mastery often appears simple or clumsy on the surface, concealing its profound skill; great wisdom or talent may seem unassuming”.
- Where does 大巧若拙 come from?
- 大巧若拙 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 大巧若拙?
- 拙：笨。指真正聪明的人，不显露自己，从表面看，好象笨拙。