江郎才尽

江郎才盡

jiāngláng-cáijìn

idiom #29,754

Meanings

1 to have exhausted one's creative talent
2 to have writer's block
3 to have used up one's abilities

Characters

river; (here) surname Jiang

young man; a form of address

talent; ability

exhausted; finished; used up

Examples

HSK 5

这位作家连续出了几本烂书，看来是江郎才尽了。

Zhè wèi zuòjiā liánxù chū le jǐ běn làn shū, kànlái shì jiāngláng-cáijìn le.

This author has published several bad books in a row - it seems his creative talent has run dry.

HSK 7-9

很多人担心人工智能会让创意工作者江郎才尽。

Hěnduō rén dānxīn réngōng zhìnéng huì ràng chuàngyì gōngzuòzhě jiāngláng-cáijìn.

Many people worry that AI will cause creative workers to lose their inspiration.

Tips

history

This idiom refers to Jiang Yan (江淹, 444-505 AD), a famous Southern Qi dynasty writer known for his beautiful prose. Legend says he dreamed a man took back a magical brush (神笔), after which his writing became mediocre. 江郎 = 'young master Jiang'.

Stroke Order

江 jiāng

郎 láng

才 cái

尽 jìn