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 & learning.
Also searched as: da cai xiao yong, da cai xiao yong,大材小用 meaning, 大材小用 in english
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.
When to Use
Situation: Assigning a senior engineer to simple data entry is a waste of talent.
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Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about wisdom & learning
得心应手
dé xīn yìng shǒu
Work with great ease; have complete mastery
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驾轻就熟
jià qīng jiù shú
Be very familiar with; handle with expertise
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Be experienced; find something easy due to familiarity
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游刃有余
yóu rèn yǒu yú
Handle with ease; have skill to spare
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成竹在胸
chéng zhú zài xiōng
Have a well-thought-out plan; be confident
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适可而止
shì kě ér zhǐ
Stop at the right point; practice moderation
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见好就收
jiàn hǎo jiù shōu
Quit while ahead; take profits
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jí liú yǒng tuì
Retire at the peak; know when to quit
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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 theWisdom & Learning category..
When is 大材小用 used?
Situation: Assigning a senior engineer to simple data entry is a waste of talent.
What is the pinyin for 大材小用?
The pinyin pronunciation for 大材小用 is “dà cái xiǎo yòng”.