Skip to content

黔驴技穷qián lǘ jì qióngto exhaust one's limited abilities

Not on the HSK 3.0 syllabusidiom

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

黔驴技穷 (qián lǘ jì qióng) means to exhaust one's limited abilities. Literally it means “the Guizhou donkey's skill is exhausted.” Speakers use it when someone has already tried every small trick they have and has nothing left to try, so they can no longer deal with the problem in front of them.

What does 黔驴技穷 mean?

  1. 1.

    to exhaust one's limited abilitiesidiom

Figurative meaning
To exhaust one's limited abilities.
Literal meaning
The Guizhou donkey's skill is exhausted.

What do the characters in 黔驴技穷 mean?

  • 黔short name for Guizhou
  • 驴donkey
  • 技skill
  • 穷to exhaust

Where does 黔驴技穷 come from?

虎因喜,計之曰:「技止此耳!」

— 柳宗元《三戒·黔之驢》 (Liu Zongyuan, Three Warnings: The Donkey of Qian)

The story

The tiger was pleased and, thinking it over, said, “Its skill is only this!”

How do you use 黔驴技穷?

黔驴技穷 can describe someone who has run out of ideas or tricks, usually in a critical tone.

What are some examples of 黔驴技穷 in a sentence?

  1. 他的方法都用完了,已经黔驴技穷。

    Tā de fāngfǎ dōu yòngwán le, yǐjīng qián lǘ jì qióng.

    He has used up all his methods; his limited abilities are exhausted.

  2. 比赛到最后,对手黔驴技穷了。

    Bǐsài dào zuìhòu, duìshǒu qián lǘ jì qióng le.

    By the end of the match, the opponent had run out of tricks.

How is 黔驴技穷 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    这个问题你解决了吗?

    Zhège wèntí nǐ jiějué le ma?

    Have you solved this problem?

  2. Speaker B:

    还没有,我已经试了很多办法。

    Hái méiyǒu, wǒ yǐjīng shì le hěn duō bànfǎ.

    Not yet. I've already tried a lot of ways.

  3. Speaker A:

    还有别的办法吗?

    Hái yǒu biéde bànfǎ ma?

    Are there any other ways?

  4. Speaker B:

    没有了,我真是黔驴技穷了。

    Méiyǒu le, wǒ zhēn shì qián lǘ jì qióng le.

    No, I've really run out of ideas.

Can you use 黔驴技穷 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.What does 黔驴技穷 mean?
  2. 2.Which sentence uses 黔驴技穷 correctly?
  3. 3.Which word fits best? 他什么办法都用完了,真是____。 (He has used up every method; he has truly run out of tricks.)

What should you learn next?

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.