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江郎才尽 (jiāng láng cái jìn) — to have exhausted one's literary talent; to run out of creative inspiration

Definition

A literary idiom for a writer who has used up their creative talent — said of an author whose later work falls flat after past brilliance. Neutral in tone, not a harsh insult.

idiom
to have exhausted one's literary talentto run out of creative inspiration

Examples

  • ，江郎才尽。
    Tā zuì jìn xiě bù chū hǎo wén zhāng, zhēn shì jiāng láng cái jìn le.
    He can't write good articles lately; he's really run out of inspiration.
  • ，江郎才尽。
    Zhè wèi zuò jiā duō nián gāo chǎn, rú jīn què miàn lín jiāng láng cái jìn de kùn jìng.
    This writer was highly productive for years, but now faces the dilemma of having exhausted his creative talent.
  • ，江郎才尽。
    Suī rán tā céng shì zhù míng shī rén, dàn jìn zuò yǐ xiǎn jiāng láng cái jìn zhī tài.
    Although he was once a famous poet, his recent works already show signs of depleted talent.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng江jiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

江 puts 氵, the water side, beside 工, which gives a sound; the water part points to its river meaning.

Open 江 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
邑邑yìcounty; town
Sound part声符shēngfú
良
良liáng郎láng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

郎 combines 良, which gives the sound, with 邑, meaning county or town.

Open 郎 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

才 originally drew a sharp peg, not a sprout growing from the ground.

Open 才 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

  • 聿聿yùhand holding a brush
  • 灬灬huǒbristles
  • 皿皿mǐndish

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.

Open 尽 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesLiterature & Poetry

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