Chinese idiom-qián lǘ jì qióng黔驴技穷

In ancient times, there were no donkeys in the Guizhou province (Qian). A meddlesome person shipped a donkey there by boat, but after it arrived, there was no use for it, so it was left to graze at the foot of a mountain.

A tiger saw this huge creature, the donkey, and was very frightened. It hid in the woods and observed it secretly. One day, the donkey let out a loud bray, which startled the tiger so much that it thought the donkey was going to eat it. Terrified, the tiger fled. But after observing the donkey for a long time, the tiger realized that the donkey didn’t seem to have any special skills.

So one day, the tiger finally approached the donkey and provoked it. The donkey became enraged and kicked the tiger with its hoof. The tiger was delighted, thinking, “So this is all the donkey’s skills!” It then pounced on the donkey, bit through its throat, and devoured its flesh.

This idiom is used to describe someone who has exhausted their limited abilities and has no other tricks left. The donkey in the story, though seemingly powerful, had no real skills and was ultimately devoured by the tiger. This idiom is often used to describe people who appear strong on the outside but have no real talent or ability.