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器用貧乏 (きようびんぼう, kiyoubinbou) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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よう
貧びん
乏ぼう
で
終お
わっ
て
しまっ
た
。
He handles everything competently, but ended up a jack of all trades and master of none.
People who are jacks of all trades tend to struggle with focusing on one thing.
Kanji 器 utensil, vessel, receptacle 用 utilize, business, service 乏 destitution, scarce, limited Related words 器き 用よう 器用 means 'skillful' or 'dexterous' and is a positive trait, while 器用貧乏 adds the negative nuance of lacking depth or specialization.
万ばん 能のう 万能 means 'all-purpose' or 'versatile' and is generally positive, whereas 器用貧乏 implies a lack of mastery despite versatility.
Etymology A yojijukugo combining 器用 (skillful, dexterous) and 貧乏 (poverty, poor). The phrase suggests that being skillful in many areas can lead to a kind of 'poverty' of true expertise or outstanding achievement.
