📖 Meaning
A great vessel takes a long time to complete. It describes a person of outstanding talent who achieves success later in life after a long period of development and tempering. It is also used as a comforting remark for someone who has been struggling without recognition.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Chapter 41 of the Daodejing (道德经) by Laozi of the Spring and Autumn period. Laozi wrote that the greatest square has no corners and the greatest vessel is completed late, expressing the Daoist philosophy that the most extraordinary things require time to mature. Over the centuries, the phrase evolved into a metaphor for people of great talent who achieve their accomplishments later in life. It became widely used in Chinese literature to encourage those who face prolonged setbacks.
💡 Example Usage
这位画家四十岁才成名，真是大器晚成。
This painter did not gain fame until he was forty—he is truly a late bloomer.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 大器晚成
- Pinyin: dà qì wǎn chéng
- Literal Translation: great, vessel, late, completed
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4