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初出茅庐 (chū chū máo lú) — at the beginning of one's career; young and inexperienced

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'just out of the thatched hut' — used to describe someone brand-new to a field, with a slightly self-deprecating or sympathetic tone (often paired with 但 'but…' to highlight hidden talent).

idiom
at the beginning of one's careeryoung and inexperienced

Examples

  • 初出茅庐，。
    Tā suī rán chū chū máo lú, dàn gōng zuò fēi cháng nǔ lì.
    Although he is new to the field, he works very hard.
  • 初出茅庐，。
    Zuò wéi yí gè chū chū máo lú de zuò jiā, tā de zuò pǐn yǐ jīng yǐn qǐ le guān zhù.
    As a fledgling writer, his work has already attracted attention.
  • ，初出茅庐，。
    Bié xiǎo kàn tā, tā suī chū chū máo lú, dàn hěn yǒu cái huá.
    Don't underestimate him — he may be a rookie, but he's very talented.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

初 combines 衤 (clothes) and 刀 (knife), showing the start of making clothes by cutting cloth.

Open 初 →

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎoplant
Sound part声符shēngfú
矛
矛máo茅máo
Same sound today

茅 pairs 艹 (plant) with 矛 as a sound component; the plant part appears in full as 艸.

Open 茅 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 廬; 庐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎngroofed house
Sound part声符shēngfú
盧
盧lú廬lú
Same sound today

The traditional form 廬 has 广, a roofed house, and 盧, a part giving the sound. The simplified 庐 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesLife Stages & Age

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