朽木不可雕 Rotten wood cannot be carved
Explanation
比喻人资质平庸，难以教导；或事物已败坏到不可挽救的地步。
A metaphor for a person whose talent is mediocre and who cannot be taught; or for something that has already deteriorated to the point of no return.
Origin Story
春秋时期，鲁国国君派人去请教孔子。孔子看到鲁国的政治腐败，社会动荡，就对使者说：朽木不可雕也，粪土之墙不可圬也。意思是说，像朽木那样腐烂的东西，是无法雕刻成器物的；像粪土筑成的墙，是无法粉刷成漂亮的。这比喻说一些人顽固不化，难以教化，或者有些事情已经无可救药了。 后来，孔子的弟子宰予贪睡，屡教不改，孔子便感叹道：“朽木不可雕也，粪土之墙不可圬也！”这则故事说明了，即使是圣人孔子，也无法改变那些顽固不化的人。
During the Spring and Autumn period, the ruler of the State of Lu sent someone to ask Confucius for advice. Confucius saw the political corruption and social unrest in Lu and said to the messenger: “Rotten wood cannot be carved, a wall of dung cannot be plastered.” This means that something rotten, like rotten wood, cannot be carved into an object; and a wall of dung cannot be made beautiful. This is a comparison for people who are stubborn and difficult to educate, or for things that are already incurable. Later, Confucius’s disciple Zai Yu slept too much and remained unrepentant despite repeated admonishments, and Confucius sighed: “Rotten wood cannot be carved, a wall of dung cannot be plastered!” This story shows that even the wise Confucius could not change those stubborn people.
Usage
用于形容人顽固不化，不可救药；或事物已经败坏到无法挽回的地步。
Used to describe someone who is stubborn and incorrigible; or something that has already deteriorated to the point of no return.
Examples
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他资质平庸，朽木不可雕也。
ta zīzhì píngyōng, xiǔmù bù kě diāo yě. miàn duì rúcǐ hùnluàn de júmiàn, wǒmen yě zhǐ néng wú nài de shuō: xiǔmù bù kě diāo yě！
His talent is mediocre, he is hopeless.
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面对如此混乱的局面，我们也只能无奈地说：朽木不可雕也！
Facing such a chaotic situation, we can only helplessly say: A hopeless case!