📖 Meaning
This idiom means to show off one's meager skill before a true expert. It is a variant of the more common idiom 班门弄斧 (showing off axe-play at Lu Ban's door). It satirizes those who presumptuously display their limited abilities before a master of the craft.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from a sanqu suite by Zhou Deqing (周德清) of the Yuan dynasty, titled '一枝花·遗张伯元' (A Sprig of Flowers: For Zhang Boyuan). The passage compares narrow-minded overconfidence to peering at a leopard through a tube, viewing the sky from the bottom of a well, and wielding an axe before Lu Ban's door—mocking the audacity of such ambition. Lu Ban (鲁班) was the legendary master carpenter of ancient China, so displaying axe skills at his doorstep represents the height of presumption.
💡 Example Usage
他在书法大师面前卖弄笔法，简直是运斧般门，不自量力。
Showing off his brushwork before a master calligrapher was like wielding an axe at Lu Ban's door—sheer presumption.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 运斧般门
- Pinyin: yùn fǔ bān mén
- Literal Translation: wield, axe, Lu Ban's, door
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4