屠龙

屠龍

túlóng

verb #30,054

Meanings

1 to slay a dragon
2 (figurative) to pursue a formidable but futile goal

Characters

to slaughter; to butcher

Examples

HSK 6

「屠龙之术」比喻学了无用的技艺。

" Túlóng zhī shù " bǐyù xué le wúyòng de jìyì.

「The art of dragon-slaying」 is a metaphor for learning a useless skill.

HSK 7-9

传说中的英雄去屠龙，最终拯救了公主。

Chuánshuō zhōng de yīngxióng qù túlóng, zuìzhōng zhěngjiù le gōngzhǔ.

The hero in the legend went to slay the dragon and ultimately saved the princess.

Tips

culture

屠龙之术 (the art of slaying dragons) comes from 《庄子》: a man spent three years mastering dragon-slaying, only to find that dragons do not exist. It symbolizes mastering a skill with no practical application.

Stroke Order

屠 tú

龙 lóng