IdiomDaily Life
Chinese
Chinese班门弄斧 (bān mén nòng fǔ)
Meaning: To display feeble skill before a true master.
Literally: To show off your axe at Lu Ban's gate
Example: “在大厨面前炒菜，我这是班门弄斧。” — Cooking in front of a top chef, I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs.
English equivalent: Teach your grandmother to suck eggs
Equivalents in other languages
English: teach your grandmother to suck eggs
Origin: Lu Ban, of the state of Lu (5th century BC), is the legendary master craftsman of China. The phrase is best known from a poem by the Ming poet Mei Zhihuan on Li Bai's grave, mocking visitors who left verses there: "to come and go writing a poem here is to brandish an axe at Lu Ban's door." It means showing off one's small skill before a master.
More Chinese idioms
- 雪上加霜 (Xuě shàng jiā shuāng) To make a bad situation even worse.
- 五十步笑百步 (Wǔshí bù xiào bǎi bù) Mocking someone for a fault you share, only to a lesser degree.
- 得不偿失 (Dé bù cháng shī) What you gain is less than what it costs you.
- 对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) Reasoning with someone who cannot understand.
- 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) To ruin something by adding unnecessary extras.
- 鸡同鸭讲 (jī tóng yā jiǎng) Complete miscommunication; talking past each other.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Sei un salame You're a clumsy, dopey softie — said with a smile.
- Eres más corto que las mangas de un chaleco You're not the sharpest — a bit slow on the uptake.
- Du bist nicht die hellste Kerze auf der Torte You're a little dim — not the smartest in the room.
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