站不住脚 zhan bu zhu jiao untenable

Explanation

比喻论点、说法等经不起推敲，不能成立。

It means that an argument, statement, etc., cannot withstand scrutiny and is not valid.

Origin Story

话说很久以前，在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一位老木匠。他技艺精湛，名扬四方。一日，他接到一个重要的任务，为村里新建的庙宇雕刻一尊巨大的神像。老木匠为此精心准备，日夜赶工，终于雕刻完成。然而，就在神像即将安放在庙宇中央时，村长却发现神像的底座似乎不够稳固，站不住脚。经过仔细检查，发现底座的结构存在缺陷，木材选材也略有不妥。老木匠意识到自己的疏忽，懊悔不已。他连忙重新设计底座，选择更坚固的木材，并加固了神像的支撑结构，最终确保神像稳如泰山。这件事情让老木匠深刻认识到，任何工作都必须扎实可靠，否则就会站不住脚，最终导致失败。从此以后，老木匠更加注重每一个细节，一丝不苟地完成每一项任务，他的技艺也更加炉火纯青。

huà shuō hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, zài yīgè piān pì de xiǎo shān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi lǎo mù jiàng. tā jì yì jīng zhàn, míng yáng sì fāng. yī rì, tā jiē dào yīgè zhòng yào de rèn wù, wèi cūn lǐ xīn jiàn de miào yǔ diāo kè yī zūn jù dà de shén xiàng. lǎo mù jiàng wèi cǐ jīng xīn zhǔn bèi, rì yè gǎn gōng, zhōng yú diāo kè wán chéng. rán ér, jiù zài shén xiàng jí jiāng ān fàng zài miào yǔ zhōng yāng shí, cūn zhǎng què fā xiàn shén xiàng de dǐ zuò sì hū bù gòu wěn gù, zhàn bù zhù jiǎo. jīng guò zǐ xì jiǎn chá, fā xiàn dǐ zuò de jié gòu cún zài quē xiàn, mù cái xuǎn cái yě luè yǒu bù tǒu. lǎo mù jiàng yì shí dào zì jǐ de shū hū, ào huǐ bù yǐ. tā lián máng chóng xīn shè jì dǐ zuò, xuǎn zé gèng jiān gù de mù cái, bìng jiā gù le shén xiàng de zhī chéng jié gòu, zhōng yú què bǎo shén xiàng wěn rú tài shān. zhè jiàn shì qing ràng lǎo mù jiàng shēn kè rèn shí dào, rènhé gōng zuò dōu bì xū zhá shí kě kào, fǒu zé jiù huì zhàn bù zhù jiǎo, zhōng jiē dǎo zhì shī bài. cóng cǐ yǐ hòu, lǎo mù jiàng gèng jiā zhù zhòng měi yīgè xì jié, yīsī bù gǒu de wán chéng měi yī xiàng rèn wù, tā de jì yì yě gèng jiā lú huǒ chún qīng.

Long ago, in a remote mountain village, lived a master carpenter renowned for his exquisite craftsmanship. He received a commission to carve a massive statue for the village's new temple. He labored tirelessly, finally completing the impressive work. However, as the statue was about to be placed, the village elder noticed the base seemed unsteady, unable to stand firmly. Upon closer inspection, structural flaws and subpar wood were found. The carpenter, filled with regret, redesigned the base using stronger wood and reinforcing the support structure, ensuring the statue’s stability. This incident taught him a valuable lesson: every project must have a solid foundation, otherwise it will be untenable and lead to failure. He became even more meticulous in his craft.

Usage

用于形容观点、说法、计划等不成立、不可靠。

yong yu xingrong guandain, shuofang, ji hua deng bu chengli, bu ke kao.

Used to describe opinions, statements, plans, etc. that are untenable or unreliable.

Examples

• 他的论点站不住脚，经不起推敲。

  ta de lun dian zhan bu zhu jiao, jing bu qi tui qiao.

  His argument is untenable and cannot withstand scrutiny.

• 这个计划站不住脚，需要重新制定。

  zhe ge ji hua zhan bu zhu jiao, xu yao zhong xin zhi ding.

  This plan is untenable and needs to be revised.

Related Idioms

• 经不起推敲

• 漏洞百出

Opposite Idioms

• 站稳脚跟

• 立于不败之地