📖 Meaning
Literally 'a meager skill in one's body.' It refers to possessing some small but practical skill that one can rely on for a living. The idiom emphasizes that even a humble skill is more dependable than passive wealth.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Yanshi Jiaxun' (Family Instructions of Master Yan), written by Yan Zhitui during the Northern Qi dynasty (6th century CE). In the chapter 'Mianxue' (Encouraging Learning), he wrote: 'Accumulating ten million in wealth is not as good as having a meager skill in oneself.' Yan Zhitui, a scholar-official who lived through several dynastic upheavals, warned his descendants that fortunes can be lost but a practical skill endures. The quote became a classical maxim on the value of self-reliance through learning.
💡 Example Usage
他没有高深的学问，但薄技在身，走到哪里都能养活自己。
He has no profound learning, but with a humble skill in hand, he can make a living wherever he goes.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 薄技在身
- Pinyin: bó jì zài shēn
- Literal Translation: meager, skill, in, body
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4