贻笑大方

貽笑大方

yíxiào-dàfāng

idiom #53,042

Meanings

1 to make a fool of oneself before experts
2 to be laughed at by those in the know

Characters

cause, leave behind

Examples

HSK 2

不懂装懂只会贻笑大方。

Bù dǒng zhuāng dǒng zhǐ huì yíxiào-dàfāng.

Pretending to know what you don't will only make you a laughingstock among those who do.

HSK 3

这篇文章发表出去，恐怕会贻笑大方。

Zhè piān wénzhāng fābiǎo chūqù, kǒngpà huì yíxiào-dàfāng.

If I publish this article, I'll probably embarrass myself in front of real scholars.

HSK 7-9

我的拙见恐怕要贻笑大方了。

Wǒ de zhuōjiàn kǒngpà yào yíxiào-dàfāng le.

I'm afraid my humble opinion will only make experts laugh.

Tips

history

From 《庄子·秋水》: 吾长见笑于大方之家 ('I would forever be laughed at by scholars of the great Way'). 大方 originally meant 'one who knows the great Way,' hence 'an expert.'

register

Used in formal, self-deprecating speech - often when presenting one's own modest work to a knowledgeable audience. Essentially 'I'm embarrassed to show this to real experts.'

Stroke Order

贻 yí

笑 xiào

大 dà

方 fāng