无本之木 A tree without roots
Explanation
比喻没有基础的事物，注定不能长久。
A metaphor for something that lacks a foundation and is doomed to fail.
Origin Story
从前，在一个偏僻的山村里，住着一位名叫阿强的木匠。阿强技艺精湛，但他为人懒惰，从不认真学习新的技法，只依赖他祖传下来的老一套。一天，村长要建一座新庙，阿强自信满满地接下了活儿。他认为自己的技艺足够胜任，根本没必要认真设计图纸和选择合适的木材。他只是按照老方法，草草地完成了庙宇的建造。庙宇建成后，看起来非常简陋，而且地基不稳，就像无本之木，随时可能倒塌。村民们纷纷表示不满，阿强也因此受到了批评，他这才意识到，只有不断学习，打好基础，才能建成坚固的房屋，成就一番事业。
Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there lived a carpenter named Ah Qiang. Ah Qiang was skilled in his craft, but he was lazy and never diligently learned new techniques, relying only on his ancestral methods. One day, the village elder wanted to build a new temple, and Ah Qiang confidently took on the job. He believed his skills were sufficient and saw no need to carefully design blueprints or select suitable lumber. He simply followed the old methods and hastily completed the temple construction. The completed temple looked very simple and its foundation was unstable, like a tree without roots, potentially collapsing at any time. The villagers expressed their dissatisfaction, and Ah Qiang was criticized. Only then did he realize that only through continuous learning and a solid foundation can a sturdy building be constructed and success achieved.
Usage
用于比喻事物缺乏基础，难以持久。
Used to illustrate that something lacks a foundation and cannot last.
Examples
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他的计划完全没有基础，简直是无本之木。
tā de jìhuà wánquán méiyǒu jīchǔ, jiǎnzhí shì wú běn zhī mù
His plan has absolutely no foundation, it's simply a tree without roots.
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这栋楼的地基不牢固，就像无本之木，随时可能倒塌。
zhè dōng lóu de dìjī bù láogù, jiù xiàng wú běn zhī mù, suíshí kěnéng dǎotā
The foundation of this building is not solid, like a tree without roots, it could collapse at any time.