怀才不遇

懷才不遇
huáicáibùyù
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to have talent but no opportunity to use it
  2. 2 to be an unrecognized talent
  3. 3 to be born in the wrong era

Examples

Tā yīshēng huáicáibùyù, yùyù ér zhōng.
All his life he had talent but no opportunity, and he died in melancholy.
Zài nà gè niándài, xǔduō wénrén dōu gǎntàn huáicáibùyù.
In that era, many literati lamented that their talents were unrecognized.

Tips

history
Recorded in Feng Menglong's Ming-dynasty 《》: 一个个出身享用自家怀才不遇 — describing how one feels watching less talented peers prosper while oneself goes unrecognized.
usage
Used about oneself or others, especially scholars, artists, and capable people stuck in unfavorable circumstances. Often pairs with 郁郁不得 (yùyùbùdézhì, 'frustrated and unable to fulfill ambition').

Stroke Order

怀 huái
cái