📖 Meaning
Refers to a person who is capable of doing only the work of one ordinary individual, lacking any exceptional or multi-faceted talent. It describes someone of limited, unremarkable ability — useful as a single soldier or laborer, but nothing more.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Book of the Later Han' (《后汉书》), in the biography of Feng Yi (冯异传), a prominent general of the early Eastern Han dynasty. When Feng Yi was asked about his own military value, he humbly described himself as being merely 'the use of one man' (一夫之用), insufficient to tip the scales of strength or weakness in any conflict. The phrase later appears in the 'Book of Song' (《宋书》), in the commentary on Zhang Chang's biography, where it is used to contrast ordinary soldiers with generals who command multitudes.
💡 Example Usage
将军虽勇，终不过一夫之用，岂能独当百万大军？
Though brave, the general is ultimately just one man's use — how could he alone withstand an army of a million?
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一夫之用
- Pinyin: yī fū zhī yòng
- Literal Translation: one, man, of, use
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4