大材小用

Chinese

		outstanding talent; person of great ability	small; tiny; few small; tiny; few; young	to use
simp. and trad. (大材小用)		大材	小	用
alternative forms		大才小用

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): dàcái-xiǎoyòng

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄚˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄩㄥˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): daai⁶ coi⁴ siu² jung⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: dàcái-xiǎoyòng
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄚˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄩㄥˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: dàcáisiǎoyòng
    • Wade–Giles: ta⁴-tsʻai²-hsiao³-yung⁴
    • Yale: dà-tsái-syǎu-yùng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dahtsairsheauyonq
    • Palladius: дацайсяоюн (dacajsjaojun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tä⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ jʊŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: daai⁶ coi⁴ siu² jung⁶
    • Yale: daaih chòih síu yuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: daai⁶ tsoi⁴ siu² jung⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: dai⁶ coi⁴ xiu² yung⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taːi̯²² t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ siːu̯³⁵ jʊŋ²²/

Idiom

大材小用

1. to use a talented person in an insignificant position; to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut

   Synonyms: 大器小用 (dàqì-xiǎoyòng), 牛鼎烹雞／牛鼎烹鸡 (niúdǐngpēngjī)