五谷不分

五穀不分
wǔgǔ-bùfēn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 unable to tell the five grains apart
  2. 2 completely detached from practical or agricultural life

Examples

Chénglǐ zhǎngdà de háizi hěnduō wǔgǔbùfēn.
Many children raised in cities can't tell one grain from another.
Tā sìtǐbùqín, wǔgǔbùfēn, zhēnshì bù dǒng shēnghuó.
He does no physical work and cannot tell the grains apart — truly out of touch with real life.

Tips

history
From 《论语·》: part of the farmer's retort to Zilu — 四体不勤五谷不分. The (five grains) traditionally refer to rice, millet, broomcorn millet, wheat, and beans. The phrase came to label anyone utterly removed from the practical, physical world.

Stroke Order

fēn