班门弄斧

Pronunciation: bān mén nòng fǔ Literal meaning: Show carpentry to Lu Ban

Origin & Usage

This presumptuous idiom describes displaying (弄) axe skills (斧) before Lu Ban's door (班门), the legendary master craftsman, originating from a Tang Dynasty poem by Li He. Lu Ban, revered as China's patron deity of carpentry, represented unsurpassed craftsmanship. The poet used this image to express humility about his own artistic abilities compared to literary masters. During the Song Dynasty, it became a standard expression of modesty when presenting work before acknowledged experts. Unlike simple terms for showing off, it specifically addresses the presumption of demonstrating lesser skills before true masters. Modern usage describes situations where novices inappropriately display limited abilities to genuine experts, often employed as self-deprecation when offering work in fields with established masters.

Examples

English: "The amateur poet recited his work at the gathering of celebrated writers"

Chinese: 这位业余诗人在著名作家的聚会上朗诵了自己的作品