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朽木不可雕

xiǔ mù bù kě diāodictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. rotten wood cannot be carved (idiom) / fig. you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-ba5921e9e62a812c. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

朽木不可雕 朽木不可雕 [xiu3 mu4 bu4 ke3 diao1] /lit. rotten wood cannot be carved (idiom)/fig. you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 朽
    xiǔ

    rotten

  • 木
    mù

    (bound form) tree / (bound form) wood / unresponsive / numb / wooden

    Mù

    surname Mu

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 可
    kě

    (prefix) can / may / able to / -able / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very / but / however

    kè

    used in 可汗[kè hán]

  • 雕
    diāo

    variant of 雕[diāo], to engrave / to carve / to engrave / shrewd / bird of prey

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.