Shareables · HSK 3 · 文 · Culture
成语 · 对牛弹琴
Playing the lute to a cow — the wrong audience, not the wrong music.
Opens the card studio: pick a size, switch paper or night, add a note of your own, then save the PNG or hand it straight to the share sheet.
对牛弹琴duì niú tán qínto play the lute to a cow — to address someone who cannot follow
逐字 · CHARACTER BY CHARACTER
| Character | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 对 | duì | facing, towards |
| 牛 | niú | ox, cow |
| 弹 | tán | to play (a string instrument) |
| 琴 | qín | zither, lute |
The musician Gong Mingyi played a refined piece to an ox, which kept eating. Then he played sounds like a mosquito and a lost calf — and the ox lifted its head and listened. The music was never the problem.
用法 · IN USE
Gēn tā shuō zhèxiē shì duì niú tán qín.跟他说这些是对牛弹琴。Saying this to him is playing the lute to a cow.
More from HSK 3
- 成语 · 画蛇添足 — Drawing feet on a snake: the mistake of not stopping when you're done.
- 成语 · 守株待兔 — Guarding the stump, waiting for a rabbit — trusting luck to repeat itself.
- 抽象名词与关键概念 · Abstract Nouns & Key Concepts — The 11 words of Abstract Nouns & Key Concepts, with readings.
- 成就、变化与进步 · Achievement, Change & Progress — The 11 words of Achievement, Change & Progress, with readings.
- 身体部位与外貌描述 · Body Parts & Physical Description — The 11 words of Body Parts & Physical Description, with readings.
- 服装与配饰 · Clothing & Accessories — The 10 words of Clothing & Accessories, with readings.
- 认知与交流动词 · Cognitive & Communication Verbs — The 11 words of Cognitive & Communication Verbs, with readings.
- 连接词、连词与关键副词 · Connectors, Conjunctions & Key Adverbs — The 12 words of Connectors, Conjunctions & Key Adverbs, with readings.
A card is one idea. The course is the map they all sit on. HSK 0 through HSK 6 on a mastery-gated knowledge graph: active recall in small steps, reviews timed to land just before you would forget, and speaking drilled from the first lesson. One payment of $49, lifetime access.
Get lifetime access, $49