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器用貧乏 (きようびんぼう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Meanings 1
noun
jack of all trades, master of none
yojijukugo (four-character idiom)
Describes a person who is competent at many things but lacks deep expertise in any single area, often leading to a lack of outstanding success. Used as a noun or na-adjective.
器き 用よう 貧びん 乏ぼう な 人ひと は 、 一ひと つ の こと に 集しゅう 中ちゅう する の が 苦にが 手て だ 。
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 Similar 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.
