博学多才
博学多才 (bó xué duō cái) literally means “extensive knowledge and talents” and expresses “versatile and learned”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning.
Also searched as: bo xue duo cai, bo xue duo cai,博学多才 meaning, 博学多才 in english
Versatile and learned
Pronunciation: bó xué duō cái Literal meaning: Extensive knowledge and talents
Origin & Usage
Broad learning (博学) and many talents (多才) — the Book of Jin applies it to Xi Shen, whose range across subjects was the thing contemporaries remarked on. The compliment is specifically about breadth. Chinese has separate praise for depth, and this is not it: the phrase suits the person who is genuinely competent across several unrelated fields, and would be faint praise for a specialist. It survives mainly in formal contexts — references, introductions, obituaries — and sounds slightly grand in ordinary conversation.
Examples
English: "Her extensive knowledge and skills made her a valuable team member"
Chinese: 她博学多才，深受大家喜爱
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about wisdom & learning
才疏学浅
cái shū xué qiǎn
Humble self-assessment
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博古通今
bó gǔ tōng jīn
Wise and learned
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见多识广
jiàn duō shí guǎng
Broadly knowledgeable
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旁征博引
páng zhēng bó yǐn
Backing a case with wide-ranging citation
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博闻强记
bó wén qiáng jì
Knowledgeable and retentive
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学海无涯
xué hǎi wú yá
Learning is limitless
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邯郸学步
hán dān xué bù
Lose abilities through misguided imitation
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学以致用
xué yǐ zhì yòng
Practical application
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 博学多才 mean in English?
博学多才 (bó xué duō cái) literally translates to “Extensive knowledge and talents” and is used to express “Versatile and learned”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.
When is 博学多才 used?
Situation: Her extensive knowledge and skills made her a valuable team member
What is the pinyin for 博学多才?
The pinyin pronunciation for 博学多才 is “bó xué duō cái”.