Tā de fāmíng qǐchū wúrénwènjīn, duōnián hòu cái huòdé rènkě.
His invention was ignored at first and only recognized years later.
Tips
history
The idiom comes from a passage in the Tao Te Ching era literature. 问津 literally means 'to ask about a ford/ferry crossing', implying nobody even bothers to inquire about a place or thing — let alone visit it.
memory
无 (no) + 人 (person) + 问 (ask) + 津 (ferry/ford) = 'No one even asks for directions there' — meaning it's utterly disregarded.
