朽木不可雕
Traditional form:
朽木不可雕
Pinyin (reading):
xiǔmùbùkědiāo
Definitions:
- lit. rotten wood cannot be carved (idiom)
- fig. you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
Characters:
- 朽 - decayed, rotten
- 木 - tree; wood, lumber; wooden
- 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
- 可 - may, can, -able; possibly
- 雕 - to carve, to engrave; eagle, vulture
Traditional characters: