朽木不可雕

Chinese
rotten wood; hopeless case; good-for-nothing cannot; should not; must not engrave; shrewd
trad. (朽木不可雕) 朽木 不可 雕
simp. #(朽木不可雕) 朽木 不可 雕
Literally: “One cannot make a carving from rotten wood.”

Etymology

From the Analects of Confucius:

朽木不可雕也，糞土之牆不可杇也！于予與何誅？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
朽木不可雕也，粪土之墙不可杇也！于予与何诛？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Xiǔmù bùkě diāo yě, fèntǔ zhī qiáng bùkě wū yě! Yú Yǔ yǔ hé zhū? [Pinyin]
Rotten wood cannot be carved; a wall of dirty earth will not receive the trowel. This Yu! - what is the use of my reproving him?

Pronunciation

Proverb

朽木不可雕

  1. You can’t teach a student that doesn’t have the aptitude.

Descendants
Sino-Xenic (朽木不可雕):

Vietnamese
Hán tự in this term
朽木不可雕

Idiom

朽木不可雕

  1. chữ Hán form of hủ mộc bất khả điêu.
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