黔驴技穷qián lǘ jì qióngto exhaust one's limited abilities
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.
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!」
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?
How is 黔驴技穷 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
这个问题你解决了吗?
Zhège wèntí nǐ jiějué le ma?
Have you solved this problem?
- 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.
- Speaker A:
还有别的办法吗?
Hái yǒu biéde bànfǎ ma?
Are there any other ways?
- 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?
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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.