know something of everything but not everything of something(wú shǔ zhī jì)

know something of everything but not everything of something

The skill of the Chinese mouse, Chinese idiom, Pinyin is w ú sh ǔ zh ī J ì. It's the same as "five skills of a phoenix". It comes from Xunzi's persuasion.

The origin of Idioms

Xunzi's persuasion: "a snake flies without feet, and a rat is poor with five skills. "

Idioms and allusions

It is said that in ancient times, there was an animal called the chinchilla. It was shaped like a rabbit, with a flying membrane around its abdomen, a bit like the wings of a bat. It is said that the Chinese hamster has a lot of skills, but he can't master any of them.

Using the ventral membrane, the flying squirrel can fly for a short distance, but it can't even fly past the house; it can climb trees, but it can't climb high, and it can't even climb the top of the tree; it can swim, but it can't even swim through the creek; it can dig holes, but it can't hide its own cave; it can run, but it can't run other animals, and even people can easily catch up with it.

So because flying squirrels learn everything, there is no skill that can save their lives in times of crisis. Xunzi admired the style of earthworms. They had no sharp teeth and strong muscles, but they could eat soil and drink spring water. This was because they were dedicated to their work.

Analysis of Idioms

Five skills of the Chinese hamster

Idiom usage

Be an object; be limited in ability

Examples

Zhang Binglin's Refutation of Kang Youwei's theory of Revolution: "Alas! The "sage of the South China Sea" is good at healing in many ways, but the skill of a Chinese hamster is only five, and sometimes he is poor. "

Chinese PinYin : wú shǔ zhī jì