屠龙 (tú lóng) — (noun) a highly refined skill with no practical application; a useless art
Definition
屠龙 is used figuratively in the idiom 屠龙之术 — a brilliant skill with no real use, like 'slaying a dragon' when no dragons exist. Coined in Zhuangzi (庄子) to mock impractical learning.
noun
a highly refined skill with no practical applicationa useless art
Examples
- 屠龙，。Tā huā le hěn duō nián yán jiū zhè mén tú lóng zhī shù, kě xī háo wú yòng chu.He spent many years studying this dragon-slaying art, but unfortunately it's completely useless.
- ，屠龙。Zhè zhǒng lǐ lùn suī rán jīng miào, què bú guò shì tú lóng zhī jì.This theory, though exquisite, is nothing more than a dragon-slaying skill.
- ，屠龙。Zài shí yòng zhǔ yì zhě kàn lái, tā de xué wèn wú yì yú tú lóng.From a pragmatist's perspective, his knowledge is no different from dragon-slaying.
Appears in
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