hidden gem; unrecognized talent
A yojijukugo (four-character idiom) of Chinese origin, meaning a talented person who remains unknown to the world, like a pearl lost in the vast sea. Rare and literary.
He was a painter who could be called a hidden gem, hardly recognized during his lifetime.
This work is truly a pearl lost in the vast sea; it would be a shame to let such talent go unnoticed.
埋もれ木 refers to buried wood or a person who remains obscure, but lacks the poetic, gem-like nuance of 滄海遺珠.
A common phrase for hidden talent, whereas 滄海遺珠 is a rare, literary idiom.
Standard four-character kanji form for this yojijukugo.
Variant with the particle の inserted, making the structure more explicit.
From Chinese cānghǎi yízhū (滄海遺珠), literally 'a pearl left behind in the vast sea'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is used as a metaphor for an undiscovered person of great worth.