大材小用
大材小用 (dà cái xiǎo yòng) literally means “big talent small use” and expresses “waste talent on menial tasks”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning. It originates from ancient Chinese literature and remains commonly used in modern Mandarin.
Also searched as: da cai xiao yong, da cai xiao yong,大材小用 meaning, 大材小用 in english
Waste talent on menial tasks
Pronunciation: dà cái xiǎo yòng
Literal meaning: Big talent small use
Origin & Usage
This idiom describes big (大) talent (材) being given small (小) use (用) - wasting capable people on trivial tasks. The phrase criticizes poor resource allocation that underutilizes valuable abilities. It appeared in texts discussing governance and personnel management. The idiom values matching abilities to appropriate challenges. Modern usage describes situations where qualified individuals are assigned tasks far below their capabilities, wasting both their potential and organizational resources.
Examples
English: "Assigning a senior engineer to simple data entry is a waste of talent."
Chinese: 让高级工程师做简单的数据录入是大材小用。
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 大材小用 mean in English?
大材小用 (dà cái xiǎo yòng) literally translates to “Big talent small use” and is used to express “Waste talent on menial tasks”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.
When is 大材小用 used?
Situation: This idiom applies when describing situations involving waste talent on menial tasks.
What is the pinyin for 大材小用?
The pinyin pronunciation for 大材小用 is “dà cái xiǎo yòng”.