extensive but shallow knowledge

extensive but shallow knowledge

Chinese idiom, Pinyin is B ó é RB ù J ī ng, which means to describe the knowledge rich but not profound. It comes from the biography of Ma Rong in the book of the later Han Dynasty.

The origin of Idioms

In the biography of Ma Rong in the book of the later Han Dynasty written by Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasty, it is said that "Jia Jun is refined but not erudite, Zheng Jun is erudite but not proficient; since he is both refined and erudite, how can I add?"

Idiom usage

It refers to the knowledge or ability of a person. He is a learned but not refined scholar.

Idiom story

Zheng Zhong, a famous Confucian scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty, devoted himself to the study of Zhouyi, Maoshi and Zhouli. He learned a lot, annotated Zhouyi and other works, and gave lectures. After studying Zuo Zhuan, Ma Rong wanted to annotate Zuo's spring and Autumn Annals. He thought that Jia Kui's annotation was precise but not profound, while Zheng Zhong's annotation was broad but not precise.