朽木不可雕

xiǔmùbùkědiāo
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 rotten wood cannot be carved
  2. 2 someone beyond hope of improvement
  3. 3 a situation past saving

Examples

HSK 7-9
Lǎoshī yáoyao tóu, shuō zhè xuésheng zhēnshi xiǔmùbùkědiāo.
The teacher shook his head: this student really is a hopeless case.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī nèibù yǐjīng làn dào xiǔmùbùkědiāo de dìbù.
The company has rotted to the point of being beyond repair.

Tips

history
From 《论语·公冶长》. Confucius saw his student 宰予 Zai Yu sleeping during the day and said: 朽木不可雕也粪土之墙不可杇也 - 'rotten wood can't be carved; a wall of dung-plaster can't be whitewashed.' A rare outburst of scorn from the Master.
usage
Often extended to 朽木不可雕也 with the classical particle , or combined with 粪土之墙不可杇. Modern usage is almost always a harsh dismissal of someone's potential.

Stroke Order

xiǔ
diāo