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Definition 2025

朽木不可雕

朽木不可雕

Chinese

		rotten wood	cannot	engrave; shrewd
simp. and trad. (朽木不可雕)		朽木	不可	雕

Proverb

朽木不可雕

You can’t get pete from a tree; You can’t teach a student that doesn’t have the aptitude.

Etymology

From the Analects of Confucius

Literally: One cannot make a carving from rotten wood.

Pronunciation

Mandarin

(Pinyin): xiǔmù bùkě diāo

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄡˇ ㄇㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄉㄧㄠ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
  - Pinyin: xiǔmù bùkě diāo
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄡˇ ㄇㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄉㄧㄠ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sheoumuh bukee diau
  - IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ mu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵/