班门弄斧 (bān mén nòng fǔ) — to display one's meager skill in front of an expert; to show off before a master

Definition

Idiom: showing off one's small skill in front of a true master (literally 'wielding an axe at Master Lu Ban's door'). Used to humbly admit one's amateur status or to mock someone's pretentious display.

idiom
to display one's meager skill in front of an expertto show off before a master

Examples

  • ，班门弄斧。
    Zài nín zhè wèi dà huà jiā miàn qián, wǒ kě bù gǎn bān mén nòng fǔ.
    In front of a great painter like you, I wouldn't dare to show off my meager skills.
  • ，班门弄斧。
    Tā jū rán zài jiào shòu miàn qián dà tán jīng jì xué, zhēn shì bān mén nòng fǔ.
    He actually started talking about economics in front of the professor — what an amateur showing off before an expert.
  • ，班门弄斧，。
    Wǒ zhǐ shì lüè zhī pí máo, zài zhuān jiā miàn qián bān mén nòng fǔ le, qǐng duō zhǐ jiào.
    I only know a smattering, so I'm showing off ignorantly before an expert — please give me your guidance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

班门Ban's door
班bānBan门méndoor
偏正Modifier + head
弄斧swing an axe
弄nòngwield斧fǔaxe
动宾Verb + object

To 弄 a 斧 at 班's 门 is to display slight skill before a master.

Characters in this word

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

  • 珏珏juépieces of jade
  • 刀刀dāoknife

班 shows 珏, pieces of jade, and 刀, a knife, cutting them into pieces.

Open 班 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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

The form 弄 combines 玉 (jade) with 廾 (hands), showing hands touching or handling jade.

Open 弄 →

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
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
父
父fù斧fǔ
Same sound today

斧 combines 斤, an axe, with 父, which gives the sound.

Open 斧 →

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