不成器

bùchéngqì

idiom

Meanings

1 good for nothing
2 to never amount to anything
3 a wastrel; a ne'er-do-well

Characters

vessel; implement; calibre

Examples

他骂儿子是不成器的东西。

Tā mà érzi shì bùchéngqì de dōngxi.

He cursed his son as a good-for-nothing.

这孩子要是再不学好，真要不成器了。

Zhè háizi yàoshì zài bù xuéhǎo, zhēn yào bùchéngqì le.

If this kid doesn't shape up, he really will amount to nothing.

别担心，他只是贪玩，不是不成器。

Bié dānxīn, tā zhǐshì tānwán, bù shì bùchéngqì.

Don't worry — he's just playful, not hopeless.

Tips

history

From 《礼记·学记》: '玉不琢，不成器；人不学，不知道' — 'jade uncarved makes no vessel; a person unschooled knows nothing.' The original image: raw material that fails to become a useful implement.

register

Cutting. Most at home in parental scolding ('你这不成器的东西') and self-deprecation ('我这不成器的儿子').

Stroke Order

不 bù

成 chéng

器 qì