諺語 · a single proverb
黔驢技窮
Simplified: 黔驴技穷
What does 黔驢技窮 (qián lǘ jì qióng) mean?
黔驢技窮 (qián lǘ jì qióng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the Guizhou donkey has run out of tricks." In use it means: When someone's limited abilities are fully exposed; all bluster, no substance. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "the Guizhou donkey has run out of tricks."
The reading
The donkey was terrifying until the tiger realized it could only kick. Every trick it had was one trick with different timing. Exposure is not the enemy of the skilled. It is the enemy of the person who has been pretending.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Liu Zongyuan 柳宗元, Three Parables 三戒
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 黔驢技窮 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 黔驢技窮 (qián lǘ jì qióng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Liu Zongyuan 柳宗元, Three Parables 三戒. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 黔驢技窮?
In Mandarin it is qián lǘ jì qióng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 黔驢技窮 aloud in Mandarin.