📖 Meaning
Literally meaning to throw pearls and jade at birds. It is a metaphor for a talented person whose abilities are not valued or properly recognized. The phrase laments that great worth is wasted on unworthy or unappreciative recipients.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from a poem by the Qing dynasty scholar-poet Qian Qianyi (钱谦益), titled 'Sending Off Zeng Linhuan on His Demotion and Return Home' (送曾霖寰使君左迁还里). The second stanza reads: 'What harm is there if pearls are thrown and jade is struck? Yet the state's discourse is muddled and quarrelsome—truly saddening.' The image of casting precious gems at birds symbolizes how talent goes unappreciated. Qian Qianyi used this metaphor to console Zeng Linhuan, who had been demoted, implying that even if a worthy person is mistreated, the deeper tragedy lies in the chaos of national affairs.
💡 Example Usage
他满腹才华却无人赏识，不免有珠投璧抵之叹。
Despite his abundant talents, no one appreciated him, prompting a lament of pearls thrown and jade wasted.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 珠投璧抵
- Pinyin: zhū tóu bì dǐ
- Literal Translation: pearl, throw, jade, strike
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4