朽木不可雕

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Chinese

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

Etymology

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From the Analects, Book 5 (《論語·公冶長》):

宰予晝寢子曰:「朽木不可雕糞土不可。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
宰予昼寝子曰:「朽木不可雕粪土不可。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Zǎi Yǔ zhòuqǐn. Zǐyuē: “Xiǔmù bùkě diāo yě, fèntǔ zhī qiáng, bùkě wū yě, yú Yǔ yǔ hé zhū.” [Pinyin]
Zai Yu being asleep during the daytime, the Master said, "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

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Proverb

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朽木不可雕

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