Chinese Language: To Waste One's Talent On A Petty Job

By Author: james toma
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Nowadays, Chinese language becomes more and more popular. China’s economy developed rapidly. On the other hand, Chinese wonderful culture also attracts lots of people.
With a long history which is more than five thousand years, there are many legends and interesting stories. All of them make Chinese learning full of fun and more attractive. Today I will share a Chinese idiom for you. Hope it could helpful to those who learn Chinese online.
大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng) to waste one's talent on a petty job
Nánsòng mò, Jīnguó búduàn nán qīn. Xīn Qìjí cānjiāle kàng jīn yì jūn.
南宋 末， 金国 不断 南 侵。辛弃疾 参加了 抗 金 义军。
At the end of the Nan Song Dynasty, the state of Jin invaded many times. Xin Qiji served in the Army.
Hòulái, tā zài cháoting lǐ lì rèn Húběi, Jiāngxī děng fǔshǐ.
后来， 他在 ...
... 朝廷 里历 任 湖北、 江西 等 抚使。
Eventually, he was named governor in charge of the provinces of Hubei and Jiangxi.
Tā bùjǐn shì ge ài guó yīngxióng, hái xiěle hěn duō ài guó shīcí.
他 不仅 是 个爱 国 英雄， 还 写了 很 多 爱 国 诗词。
He was not only a patriotic hero, but also a talented poet who wrote many poems based on patriotic themes.
1203 nián, tā bèi rènmìng wéi Zhèdōng ānfǔshǐ, cháng yǔ àiguó shīrén Lù Yóu yìlùn guójiā dà shì.
1203 年，他 被 任命 为 浙东 安抚使，常 与 爱国 诗人 陆 游议论 国家 大 事。
In the year 1203, the government appointed him as the governor of Zhedong. He often talked about national affairs with Lu You, a patriotic poet.
Dì èr nián, huángdì yào tā qù jīngchéng, wènxún tā duì běi fá Jīnguó de yìjian.
第 二 年， 皇帝 要 他去 京城， 询问 他 对 北 伐 金国 的 意见。
In the following year, the emperor summoned Xin Qiji to the capital to ask him for his advice about the war with the state of Jin.
Zǒu zhī qián, Lù Yóu sòng tā yì shǒu shī, shī zhōng shuō: Xīn Qìjí zuò ānfǔshǐ tài dàcáixiǎoyòng le.
走 之 前，陆 游 送 他一 首 诗，诗 中 说：辛 弃疾 做 安抚使 太 大材小用 了。
Before Xin Qiji went to the capital, Lu You wrote a poem for him. He wrote: It is a waste of talent to have Xin Qiji serves as the governor of Zhedong; he deserves more.
Xīn Qìjí dàole jīngchéng, huángdì què zhǐ ānpái tā zuò Zhènjiāngfǔ zhīfǔ.辛 弃疾到了 京城， 皇帝 却 只 安排 他 做 镇江府 知府。
But when Xin Qiji went to the capital, the emperor made him the governor of Zhenjiang anyway.
Bùjiǔ, zhè wèi ài guó yīngxióng biàn zài yōufèn zhōng bìng shì.
不久，这 位 爱 国 英雄 便 在 忧愤 中 病 逝。
Soon after, the hero Xin Qiji died in sorrow and indignation as a result of working at a job that did not utilize his talents.
Nowadays, in Chinese language, people use the word "大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng)" to describe the situation where a person is very talented but is not noticed for their talent and as a result their talent is wasted.
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