CHENGYU
江郎才尽(jiāng láng cái jìn)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《南史·江淹传》
MEANING
- Literal
- Master Jiang's talent runs dry
- Figurative meaning
- to have lost one's creative gift
ORIGIN STORY
The Southern Dynasties poet Jiang Yan dreamed that a god took back the five-colored brush he had once given him. After that dream, Jiang Yan never wrote another fine line, and people said his talent was exhausted.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to lose one's touch”
EXAMPLES
这位歌手很久没有新作品了，有人说是江郎才尽。Zhè wèi gēshǒu hěn jiǔ méiyǒu xīn zuòpǐn le, yǒurén shuō shì jiāng láng cái jìn.HSK6
The singer has had nothing new for so long that some say his gift has run dry.
别担心，我不是江郎才尽，只是需要休息。Bié dānxīn, wǒ bù shì jiāng láng cái jìn, zhǐ shì xūyào xiūxi.HSK6
Do not worry — my talent is not exhausted; I just need a rest.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Use it for a lasting decline in creative power, not a single bad day.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01