不学无术 bù xué wú shù unlearned and unskilled

Explanation

不学无术，指缺乏学问和技能。

Without learning and skills, it refers to the lack of knowledge and skills.

Origin Story

宋朝名相寇准，才华横溢，但他的朋友张咏却认为他学识不足。一次，张咏给寇准讲了汉朝大将霍光的故事。班固在《汉书》中评价霍光‘不学无术’，寇准听后深感自己也有类似的缺点。他虚心接受了张咏的批评，更加努力学习，最终成就一代名相。这个故事告诉我们，无论取得多大成就，都不能停止学习，要不断充实自己。

song chao ming xiang kou zhun, cai hua heng yi, dan ta de peng you zhang yong que ren wei ta xue shi bu zu. yi ci, zhang yong gei kou zhun jiang le han chao da jiang huo guang de gu shi. ban gu zai han shu zhong ping jia huo guang 'bu xue wu shu', kou zhun ting hou shen gan zi ji ye you lei si de que dian. ta xuxin jie shou le zhang yong de pi ping, geng jia nuli xue xi, zhong jiu cheng jiu yi dai ming xiang. zhe ge gu shi gao su wo men, wu lun qu de duo da cheng jiu, dou bu neng ting zhi xue xi, yao bu duan chong shi zi ji.

Kou Zhun, a famous chancellor of the Song Dynasty, was very talented, but his friend Zhang Yong thought that he lacked knowledge. Once, Zhang Yong told Kou Zhun the story of Huo Guang, a general of the Han Dynasty. Ban Gu, in the Book of Han, commented on Huo Guang as 'lacking in learning and skills'. After hearing the story, Kou Zhun realized that he had similar shortcomings. He humbly accepted Zhang Yong's criticism, studied even harder, and eventually became a famous chancellor. This story tells us that no matter how much success we achieve, we should never stop learning and constantly enrich ourselves.

Usage

形容人没有学问，没有技能。

xingrong ren mei you xuewen, mei you jianeng

Describes someone who has no knowledge or skills.

Examples

• 他这个人不学无术，只会夸夸其谈。

  ta zhe ge ren bu xue wu shu, zhi hui kuakuatai tan.

  He is uneducated and only likes to boast.

• 不要以为不学无术就可以蒙混过关。

  bu yao yi wei bu xue wu shu jiu ke yi meng hun guo guan.

  Don't think that you can get away with it by being uneducated.

Related Idioms

• 目不识丁

• 胸无点墨

Opposite Idioms

• 博学多才

• 博古通今