Chinese Idiom: 大材小用 To Waste One’s Talent on A Petty Job
"大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng)" literally means "to use big materials to do small things." It is used now to express that talented people are being misused.
Key Learning Point (Preview):
大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng) to waste one's talent on a petty job
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Idiom Story:
Listen to the whole story
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Nánsòng mò, Jīnguó búduàn nán qīn. Xīn Qìjí cānjiāle kàng jīn yìjūn.
南宋 末, 金国 不断 南 侵。辛弃疾 参加了 抗 金 义军。
At the end of the Nan Song Dynasty, the state of Jin invaded many times. Xin Qiji served in the Army.
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Hòulái, tā zài cháotíng lǐ lì rèn Húběi, Jiāngxī děng fǔshǐ.
后来, 他 在 朝廷 里历 任 湖北、江西 等 抚使。
Eventually, he was named governor in charge of the provinces of Hubei and Jiangxi.
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Tā bùjǐn shì ge ài guó yīngxióng, hái xiěle hěn duō ài guó shīcí.
他 不仅 是 个 爱 国 英雄, 还 写了 很 多 爱 国 诗词。
He was not only a patriotic hero, but also a talented poet who wrote many poems based on patriotic themes.
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1203 nián, tā bèi rènmìng wéi Zhèdōng ānfǔshǐ, cháng yǔ àiguó shīrén Lù Yóu
1203 年,他 被 任命 为 浙东 安抚使, 常 与 爱国 诗人 陆 游
yìlùn guójiā dà shì.
议论 国家 大 事。
In the year 1203, the government appointed him as the governor of Zhedong. He often talked about national affairs with Lu You, a patriotic poet.
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Dì èr nián, huángdì yào tā qù jīngchéng, xúnwèn tā duì běi fá Jīnguó de yìjiàn.
第 二 年, 皇帝 要 他 去 京城, 询问 他 对 北 伐 金国 的 意见。
In the following year, the emperor summoned Xin Qiji to the capital to ask him for his advice about the war with the state of Jin.
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Zǒu zhī qián, Lù Yóu sòng tā yì shǒu shī, shī zhōng shuō: Xīn Qìjí zuò ānfǔshǐ tài
走 之 前,陆 游 送 他一 首 诗,诗 中 说: 辛 弃疾 做 安抚使 太
dàcáixiǎoyòng le.
大材小用 了。
Before Xin Qiji went to the capital, Lu You wrote a poem for him. He wrote: It is a waste of talent to have Xin Qiji serve as the governor of Zhedong; he deserves more.
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Xīn Qìjí dàole jīngchéng, huángdì què zhǐ ānpái tā zuò Zhènjiāngfǔ zhīfǔ.
辛 弃疾 到了 京城, 皇帝 却 只 安排 他 做 镇江府 知府。
But when Xin Qiji went to the capital, the emperor made him the governor of Zhenjiang anyway.
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Bùjiǔ, zhè wèi ài guó yīngxióng biàn zài yōufèn zhōng bìng shì.
不久,这 位 爱 国 英雄 便 在 忧愤 中 病 逝。
Soon after, the hero Xin Qiji died in sorrow and indignation as a result of working at a job that did not utilize his talents.
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Nowadays, people use the word "大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng)" to describe the situation where a person is very talented but is not noticed for their talent and as a result their talent is wasted.
Key Learning Point:
大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng): to waste one's talent on a petty job
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"大 (dà)" means "big;" "材 (cái)" means "material;" "小 (xiǎo)" means "small;" "用 (yòng)" means "use."
Examples:
Jié Kè: Ràng tā qù zuò zhè ge diàochá zhēn shì dàcáixiǎoyòng le.
杰 克: 让 她 去 做 这 个 调查 真 是 大材小用 了。
Jack: It is a waste of her talent to have her do such basic research.
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Lǐ Lì: Shì a, tā kě shì ge zuò kǒuyì de réncái.
李 丽: 是啊,她 可 是 个 做 口译 的 人才。
Lily: Certainly, she is so talented in interpretation.
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Ràng yí ge dǒng duō guó yǔyán de rén zuò zhè zhǒng xiǎoshì yǒu diǎnr dàcáixiǎoyòng le.
让 一 个 懂 多 国 语言 的 人 做 这 种 小事 有 点儿 大材小用 了。
It's a waste of talent to leave such trivial matters to one who speaks so many tongues.
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