味同嚼蜡 wèi tóng jiáo là Tasteless like chewing wax

Explanation

像吃蜡一样，没有一点儿味道。形容语言或文章枯燥无味。

Like chewing wax, without any taste. Describes language or writing that is dull and tasteless.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个才华横溢的书生叫李白，他写得一手好文章，深受人们喜爱。一次，他应邀参加一个盛大的宴会，席间，一位官员向他讨教写作技巧。李白欣然答应，便即兴创作了一篇文章，这篇文章文采斐然，妙笔生花，引得满座宾客赞叹不已。然而，宴会结束后，李白却发现自己忘记带笔墨，无奈之下，只能用蜡烛代替，写了一篇关于宫廷生活的文章。官员读完后，却觉得文章枯燥乏味，味同嚼蜡，毫无乐趣。他问李白缘由，李白解释说，他当时忘记带笔墨，只能用蜡烛替代，写出来的东西自然不会太精彩。这则故事告诉我们，好文章并非一蹴而就，需要认真准备，用心创作。而那些粗制滥造的文章，自然会让人感觉味同嚼蜡，毫无吸引力。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu gè cái huá héng yì de shū shēng jiào lǐ bái, tā xiě de yī shǒu hǎo wén zhāng, shēn shòu rén men xǐ ài. yī cì, tā yìng yāo cān jiā yī gè shèng dà de yàn huì, xí jiān, yī wèi guān yuán xiàng tā tǎo jiào xiě zuò jì qiǎo. lǐ bái xīn rán dā yìng, biàn jí xīng chuàng zuò le yī piān wén zhāng, zhè piān wén zhāng wén cǎi fěi rán, miào bǐ shēng huā, yǐn de mǎn zuò bīn kè zàn tàn bù yǐ. rán ér, yàn huì jié shù hòu, lǐ bái què fā xiàn zì jǐ wàng jì dài bǐ mò, wú nài zhī xià, zhǐ néng yòng là zhú dài tì, xiě le yī piān guānyú gōng tíng shēng huó de wén zhāng. guān yuán dú wán hòu, què juéde wén zhāng kūzào fáwèi, wèi tóng jiáo là, háo wú lè qù. tā wèn lǐ bái yuán yóu, lǐ bái jiě shì shuō, tā dāng shí wàng jì dài bǐ mò, zhǐ néng yòng là zhú dài tì, xiě chū lái de dōng xi nà rán bù huì tài jīng cǎi. zhè zé gù shì gào sù wǒ men, hǎo wén zhāng bìng fēi yī cù jiù, xū yào rèn zhēn zhǔn bèi, yòng xīn chuàng zuò. ér nà xiē cū zhì làn zào de wén zhāng, zì rán huì ràng rén gǎn jué wèi tóng jiáo là, háo wú xīyǐnlì

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a talented scholar named Li Bai, who wrote excellent articles and was deeply loved by people. Once, he was invited to a grand banquet. During the banquet, an official asked him for advice on writing skills. Li Bai readily agreed and composed an article on the spot. This article was full of literary talent, attracting praise from all the guests. However, after the banquet, Li Bai found that he had forgotten to bring his pen and ink. With no other choice, he used a candle instead and wrote an article about the life in the palace. The official read it and felt that the article was dull and tasteless, like chewing wax, without any fun. He asked Li Bai the reason, and Li Bai explained that he had forgotten to bring his writing tools, so he had to use a candle instead, and the result was naturally not very brilliant. This story tells us that good articles are not created overnight; they require careful preparation and sincere creation. Articles that are poorly written will naturally feel like chewing wax, without any appeal.

Usage

用来形容语言或文章枯燥无味。

yòng lái xíngróng yǔyán huò wénzhāng kūzào wúwèi

Used to describe language or writing that is dull and tasteless.

Examples

• 他的演讲枯燥乏味，简直味同嚼蜡。

  tā de yǎnjiǎng kūzào fáwèi, jiǎnzhí wèi tóng jiáo là

  His speech was dry and tasteless, like chewing wax.

• 这篇文章写得味同嚼蜡，毫无吸引力。

  zhè piān wénzhāng xiě de wèi tóng jiáo là, háo wú xīyǐnlì

  This article is written in a dull and uninteresting way..

Related Idioms

• 索然无味

• 枯燥无味

Opposite Idioms

• 妙笔生花

• 引人入胜