📖 Meaning
Describes someone who appears humble, weak, and lacking in ability. It conveys a demeanor of meekness and self-deprecation, often the posture of a scholar reluctant to push forward. Though it suggests incapacity, it can also reflect modest restraint rather than true incompetence.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Book of Rites' (礼记·儒行), a chapter describing the conduct of the Confucian scholar, compiled during the Zhou dynasty. It states that a scholar is slow to advance but quick to retreat, appearing '粥粥' as if without ability. The repetition of '粥' evokes an image of softness and humility. Qing dynasty scholar Fang Bao later used it in a funerary inscription for Yin Yuanfu to describe a self-effacing official.
💡 Example Usage
他表面上粥粥无能，实则胸怀大志，静待时机。
On the surface he appeared meek and incapable, but in truth he harbored great ambitions and quietly awaited his moment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 粥粥无能
- Pinyin: zhōu zhōu wú néng
- Literal Translation: feeble, feeble, without, ability
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4