Definition
黔驴技穷 is a four-character idiom (成语) from a Tang dynasty fable by Liu Zongyuan: a man brought a donkey to Guizhou (黔), where tigers had never seen one and were initially scared. After discovering the donkey could only kick and bray, the tiger ate it. The idiom describes someone whose limited abilities have been fully exposed and who has run out of tricks. Use it when a person, organization, or tactic has exhausted its only skill and is now helpless.
idiom
to have exhausted one's limited abilitiesto be at one's wit's end
Examples
- 黔驴技穷，。Tā nàxiē lǎo bànfǎ zǎoyǐ qián lu: jì qióng, zài yě wúfǎ yìngduì xīn wèntí le.His old methods have long since exhausted their limited effectiveness, and he can no longer cope with new problems.
- 黔驴技穷，。Duìfāng gōngsī yǐjing qián lu: jì qióng, zhǐ kào jiàngjià lái wéichí.The other company has run out of all its tricks and is only surviving by lowering prices.
- ，黔驴技穷。Bié kàn tā yì kāishǐ shuō de tóu tóu shì dào, qíshí hěn kuài jiù qián lu: jì qióng le.Don't be fooled by how confidently he spoke at first — he soon exhausted his limited abilities.
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