# 班门弄斧

bān mén nòng fǔ

Show off limited skill in front of an expert

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Wield an axe at Master Ban's door

**Traditional Chinese:** 班門弄斧

**Register:** Modest or critical · conversational

[People & connection](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/relationships)

## When to use it

Use to criticize showing off before someone much more skilled, or modestly introduce your own contribution.

Self-deprecating use is common; directly applying it to another person can embarrass them.

## Understanding the expression

The image places an inexperienced axe user before a master of the craft. Modern use depends heavily on who says it. A speaker may jokingly call their own attempt 班门弄斧 to acknowledge an expert's presence. Applied to someone else, it suggests that their confidence exceeds their ability. It concerns the relationship between performer and audience, not merely being a beginner.

## Examples

在专业厨师面前谈做菜，我有点班门弄斧。

### Traditional Chinese

在專業廚師面前談做菜，我有點班門弄斧。

zài zhuān yè chú shī miàn qián tán zuò cài ， wǒ yǒu diǎn bān mén nòng fǔ 。

Discussing cooking in front of a professional chef feels like showing off before an expert.

他明知对方是书法家，还炫耀自己的字，难免班门弄斧。

### Traditional Chinese

他明知對方是書法家，還炫耀自己的字，難免班門弄斧。

tā míng zhī duì fāng shì shū fǎ jiā ， hái xuàn yào zì jǐ de zì ， nán miǎn bān mén nòng fǔ 。

He showed off his handwriting knowing the other person was a calligrapher, making his display presumptuous.

这只是我的初步想法，在各位专家面前算是班门弄斧了。

### Traditional Chinese

這只是我的初步想法，在各位專家面前算是班門弄斧了。

zhè zhǐ shì wǒ de chū bù xiǎng fǎ ， zài gè wèi zhuān jiā miàn qián suàn shì bān mén nòng fǔ liǎo 。

These are only preliminary ideas; offering them before these experts is a modest amateur contribution.

她请教得很认真，并没有班门弄斧的意思。

### Traditional Chinese

她請教得很認真，並沒有班門弄斧的意思。

tā qǐng jiào dé hěn rèn zhēn ， bìng méi yǒu bān mén nòng fǔ de yì sī 。

She asked for advice sincerely and was not trying to show off before the expert.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E7%8F%AD%E9%96%80%E5%BC%84%E6%96%A7)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=5&webMd=1&la=0)

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