术业有专攻

術業有專攻

shùyèyǒuzhuāngōng

idiom

Meanings

1 every craft has its specialists
2 different fields have their own experts / each to their own specialty

Characters

to study intensively / attack

Examples

HSK 4

我是学文学的，术业有专攻，工程问题帮不上忙。

Wǒ shì xué wénxué de, shùyèyǒuzhuāngōng, gōngchéng wèntí bāng bu shàng máng.

I studied literature - each to their own specialty - I can't help with engineering problems.

HSK 7-9

术业有专攻，这个问题还是请专家来解答吧。

Shùyèyǒuzhuāngōng, zhège wèntí háishi qǐng zhuānjiā lái jiědá ba.

Every field has its specialists - let's have an expert answer this question.

Tips

history

From Han Yu's (韩愈) Tang essay 《师说》 (On the Teacher): 闻道有先后，术业有专攻，如是而已 - 'Some hear the Way earlier, some later; every craft has its specialists - that's all there is to it.' Han Yu's argument for humility about learning from anyone qualified, regardless of age or status.

usage

A polite way to defer to an expert or decline a task outside one's field. Often used as a humble refusal. Pair with 闻道有先后 for the full allusion in formal writing.

Stroke Order

术 shù

业 yè

有 yǒu

专 zhuān

攻 gōng