瓦釜雷鸣 Wǎ fǔ léi míng Wǎ fǔ léi míng

Explanation

瓦釜雷鸣比喻无德无才的人占据高位，一时威风。

'Wǎ fǔ léi míng' is a metaphor for the situation where incompetent and immoral people occupy high positions and wield power for a short time.

Origin Story

话说春秋战国时期，楚国有个名叫庄生的隐士，他厌恶官场上的尔虞我诈，隐居山林，过着清贫快乐的生活。一天，他听到村里人议论纷纷，说县令大人是个大贪官，鱼肉百姓，横征暴敛。庄生心想：这样的人怎么能当县令呢？这不正应了那句'瓦釜雷鸣'吗？他决定进城去看看这县令究竟是个什么样的人。到了县衙，庄生看到县令大人正坐在堂上，威风凛凛，众官员在他面前点头哈腰，一副奴才相。庄生暗自摇头，心想：这人真是'瓦釜雷鸣'，空有其表，内里空虚。这时，县令大人发现了庄生，问道：'你是何人？为何在此？'庄生答道：'我是个隐士，听闻大人贤明，特来拜见。'县令大人一听，非常高兴，便与庄生聊了起来。庄生与县令谈古论今，谈到治理国家，县令大人却是一窍不通。庄生便借机点拨，但县令却听不懂。庄生无奈，只好告辞。临走时，庄生留下两句诗：'黄钟毁弃，瓦釜雷鸣；谗人高张，贤士无名。'县令读罢，脸上涨得通红，羞愧难当。从此以后，县令大人开始反省自己，不再鱼肉百姓，而是一心一意为百姓谋福利。

huà shuō chūnqiū zhànguó shíqī, chǔ guó yǒu gè míng jiào zhuāng shēng de yǐnshì, tā yàn'è guān chǎng shang de ěr yú zhà, yǐnjū shānlín, guòzhe qīngpín kuàilè de shēnghuó. yī tiān, tā tīngdào cūn lǐ rén yìlùn fēnfēn, shuō xiàn lìng dà rén shì gè dà tānguān, yú ròu bǎixìng, héng zhēng bàoliǎn. zhuāng shēng xiǎng xiāng: zhèyàng de rén zěnme néng dāng xiàn lìng ne? zhè bù zhèng yìng le nà jù 'wǎ fǔ léi míng' ma? tā juédìng jìng chéng qù kànkan zhè xiàn lìng jiùjìng shì gè shénme yàng de rén. dàole xiànyá, zhuāng shēng kàn dào xiàn lìng dà rén zhèng zuò zài táng shang, wēifēng lǐnlǐn, zhòng guānyuán zài tā miàn qián diǎntóu hāyāo, yī fù nú cái xiàng. zhuāng shēng àn zì yáotóu, xiǎng xiāng: zhè rén zhēnshi 'wǎ fǔ léi míng', kōng yǒu qí biǎo, nèilǐ kōngxū. zhè shí, xiàn lìng dà rén fāxiàn le zhuāng shēng, wèndào: 'nǐ shì hé rén? wèihé zài cǐ?' zhuāng shēng dá dào: 'wǒ shì gè yǐnshì, tīngwén dà rén xiánmíng, tè lái bài jiàn.' xiàn lìng dà rén yī tīng, fēicháng gāoxìng, biàn yǔ zhuāng shēng liáo le qǐ lái. zhuāng shēng yǔ xiàn lìng tán gǔ lùn jīn, tán dào zhìlǐ guójiā, xiàn lìng dà rén què shì yī qiào bù tōng. zhuāng shēng biàn jiè jī diǎnbō, dàn xiàn lìng què tīng bù dǒng. zhuāng shēng wú nài, zhǐ hǎo gào cí. lín zǒu shí, zhuāng shēng liú xià liǎng jù shī: 'huáng zhōng huǐ qì, wǎ fǔ léi míng; chán rén gāo zhāng, xiánshì wú míng.' xiàn lìng dú bà, liǎn shang zhǎng de hóng hóng, xiūkuì nándāng. cóng cǐ yǐ hòu, xiàn lìng dà rén kāishǐ fǎnxǐng zìjǐ, bù zài yú ròu bǎixìng, ér shì yī xīn yī yì wèi bǎixìng móu fúlì.

During the Warring States period in ancient China, there was a hermit named Zhuang Sheng who lived a simple and happy life in the mountains, disgusted by the intrigues of the court. One day, he overheard villagers gossiping about the local magistrate, a corrupt official who was exploiting and oppressing the people. Zhuang Sheng thought to himself: How could such a person be a magistrate? Isn't this exactly the meaning of '瓦釜雷鸣'? He decided to go to town and see this magistrate for himself. Arriving at the magistrate's office, he saw the magistrate sitting in court, looking imposing and dignified. The officials were all bowing and scraping before him, like subservient servants. Zhuang Sheng shook his head silently, thinking: This person is a perfect example of '瓦釜雷鸣', all show and no substance. At this moment, the magistrate noticed Zhuang Sheng and asked: 'Who are you? Why are you here?' Zhuang Sheng replied: 'I am a hermit. I heard you were wise, so I came to pay my respects.' The magistrate was delighted and started chatting with Zhuang Sheng. They talked about history and current events, but when the topic turned to governance, the magistrate proved to be clueless. Zhuang Sheng tried to subtly advise him, but the magistrate couldn't grasp the concepts. Zhuang Sheng, resigned, took his leave. As he left, he left behind two lines of poetry: '黄钟毁弃，瓦釜雷鸣；谗人高张，贤士无名。' The magistrate read the lines, his face flushed with shame and remorse. From that day on, he began to reflect on his behavior, stopped exploiting the people, and dedicated himself to the welfare of the people.

Usage

瓦釜雷鸣常用来形容无能的人占据高位，也用来讽刺那些空有虚名的人。

wǎ fǔ léi míng cháng yòng lái xíngróng wú néng de rén zhànjù gāo wèi, yě yòng lái fěngcì nàxiē kōng yǒu xūmíng de rén.

'Wǎ fǔ léi míng' is often used to describe incompetent people who occupy high positions, but also to satirize those who only have an empty reputation.

Examples

• 某些人虽然位高权重，但实际上不过是庸才，这真是'瓦釜雷鸣'啊！

  mǒuxiē rén suīrán wèi gāo quánzhòng, dàn shíjì shang bùguò shì yōngcái, zhè zhēnshi 'wǎ fǔ léi míng' a!

  Some people, though in high positions, are actually nothing but mediocre talents; this is truly a case of '瓦釜雷鸣'!

• 他虽然职位很高，但能力很差，真是'瓦釜雷鸣'。

  tā suīrán zhíwèi hěn gāo, dàn nénglì hěn chà, zhēnshi 'wǎ fǔ léi míng'.

  Although he holds a high position, his ability is poor; this is truly '瓦釜雷鸣'.

Related Idioms

• 小人得志

• 庸人自扰

• 滥竽充数

Opposite Idioms

• 黄钟大吕