📖 Meaning
Cow urine and horse puffball fungus were once dismissed as worthless, yet both possess medicinal properties. The idiom metaphorically refers to things that appear useless but can become valuable in the hands of someone who understands them. It underscores that true expertise lies in recognizing the worth of what others overlook.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from 'Jin Xue Jie' (Discourse on Advancing Learning) by the Tang dynasty scholar Han Yu (768–824). In the essay, Han Yu describes how a skilled physician gathers and stores all manner of substances—from precious cinnabar and orchid to lowly cow urine and horse puffball fungus—because each has its use and none should be wasted. The metaphor illustrates that a wise ruler or scholar, like a good doctor, should collect and employ talents of every kind without prejudice. The phrase has since symbolized finding value in the seemingly worthless.
💡 Example Usage
牛溲马勃虽不起眼，懂行的人却知道它们各有用处。
Though seemingly worthless, those with expertise know each such thing has its own use.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 牛溲马勃
- Pinyin: niú sōu mǎ bó
- Literal Translation: ox urine, horse puffball
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4