初出茅庐

初出茅廬

chūchū-máolú

idiom #33,478

Meanings

1 freshly out of the thatched hut
2 young and inexperienced
3 a novice; a greenhorn making their debut

Characters

first; at the beginning

Examples

他刚毕业，初出茅庐，难免有些紧张。

Tā gāng bìyè, chūchū-máolú, nánmiǎn yǒuxiē jǐnzhāng.

He just graduated and is fresh out of school — it's natural he'd be a little nervous.

别看他初出茅庐，做事却很老练。

Biékàn tā chūchū-máolú, zuòshì què hěn lǎoliàn.

Don't be fooled by how new he is — he handles things very capably.

这位初出茅庐的导演拍出了惊艳的处女作。

Zhè wèi chūchū-máolú de dǎoyǎn pāi chū le jīngyàn de chǔnǚzuò.

This first-time director made a stunning debut film.

Tips

history

From Luo Guanzhong's 《三国演义》 ch. 39 (Ming): Zhuge Liang has just left his thatched cottage to serve Liu Bei, and on his first campaign he wins a brilliant victory — '初出茅庐第一功'. The phrase has carried Zhuge Liang's shadow ever since.

culture

Because of the Zhuge Liang origin, 初出茅庐 isn't purely negative — it can hint at hidden brilliance about to be revealed. Context decides whether 'green' or 'rising star' fits better.

Stroke Order

初 chū

出 chū

茅 máo

庐 lú