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

Lǎoshī yáo yao tóu, shuō zhè xuéshēng zhēnshi xiǔ mù bù kě diāo.
The teacher shook his head: this student really is a hopeless case.
Gōngsī nèibù yǐjīng làn dào xiǔ mù bù kě diāo de dìbù.
The company has rotted to the point of being beyond repair.

Tips

history
From 《·》. Confucius saw his student Zai Yu sleeping during the day and said: 不可不可 — '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 不可 with the classical particle , or combined with 不可. Modern usage is almost always a harsh dismissal of someone's potential.

Stroke Order

xiǔ
diāo