4 characters Idiom and proverb 3 699

From basics to advanced idioms, Chinese study culminates with phrases like 「井渫不食」. Explore their meaning and use in this free guide.

This introduction highlights the idiom 「井渫不食」, with its meaning and examples explained below.

It means that although the well is dredged and clean, it cannot be used for drinking. It is a metaphor for keeping oneself clean and not being known.

The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :

jǐng xiè bù shí

while its Cantonese pinyin is :

jeng2 sit3 bat1 sik6

There are a countless number of Chinese idioms, each with unique meanings and applications. We’ve provided these resources to help guide you as you dive deeper into learning Chinese.