make a fool of oneself by foolish display

make a fool of oneself by foolish display

Bu Gu Lei men, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is B ù g ǔ L é im é n, which means beating Bu Gu in front of Lei men; it means showing off one's ability in front of an expert. It comes from the biography of Wang Zun in the history of Han Dynasty.

Idiom explanation

Bugu: the drum of bumeng; leimen: the name of the city gate of Kuaiji in ancient Zhejiang.

The origin of Idioms

"Don't pass the thunder gate with a cloth drum," says Wang zunzhuan in the book of Han Dynasty

Idiom usage

It is a metaphor to show off one's ability in front of a master. Example: the first fold of Dong Po Meng written by Wu Changling in Yuan Dynasty: "I'm not ashamed to read man TING FANG in front of my brother, but I seem to hold it?