池沼物

chízhǎowù

phrase

Meanings

1 a person of no great ambition; one content to stay in a small pond
2 a creature of the pond, someone stuck in obscurity

Characters

creature; thing

Examples

HSK 7-9

他不甘做池沼物，终于离开家乡去大城市闯荡。

Tā bùgān zuò chízhǎowù, zhōngyú líkāi jiāxiāng qù dàchéngshì chuǎngdàng.

Unwilling to stay a creature of the pond, he finally left his hometown to make his way in the big city.

HSK 7-9

以他的才华，绝不是池沼物。

Yǐ tā de cáihuá, juébù shì chízhǎowù.

With his talent, he's certainly not someone who'll stay stuck in a backwater.

Tips

memory

Compare 池中物 (same meaning, more common). Both come from the old image of a fish or dragon too big for a small pond; if the creature is 非池中物, it's destined for greater things.

Stroke Order

池 chí

沼 zhǎo

物 wù