# 江郎才尽

jiāng láng cái jìn

Lose the ability to produce fresh creative work

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Jiang has exhausted his talent

**Traditional Chinese:** 江郎才盡

**Register:** Critical · conversational

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Use to describe someone whose creativity seems spent, especially a writer or artist.

It can be unkind and overstate a temporary creative block; use cautiously about another person.

## Understanding the expression

The expression presents creative talent as something that appears to have run out. Modern use is especially associated with writing and artistic work that no longer matches earlier achievements. It may be used self-deprecatingly during a creative block, or harshly by critics. A few weak attempts do not establish permanent loss of ability. Describe the observed work rather than treating the label as a diagnosis.

## Examples

写不出新故事时，他笑称自己江郎才尽。

### Traditional Chinese

寫不出新故事時，他笑稱自己江郎才盡。

xiě bù chū xīn gù shì shí ， tā xiào chēng zì jǐ jiāng láng cái jìn 。

When he could not write a new story, he joked that his creativity had dried up.

不能因为一部作品不受欢迎，就说作者江郎才尽。

### Traditional Chinese

不能因為一部作品不受歡迎，就說作者江郎才盡。

bù néng yīn wèi yí bù zuò pǐn bú shòu huān yíng ， jiù shuō zuò zhě jiāng láng cái jìn 。

One unpopular work is not enough to say an author has exhausted their talent.

连续几年重复同样的题材，让评论家怀疑他江郎才尽。

### Traditional Chinese

連續幾年重複同樣的題材，讓評論家懷疑他江郎才盡。

lián xù jǐ nián chóng fù tóng yàng de tí cái ， ràng píng lùn jiā huái yí tā jiāng láng cái jìn 。

Repeating the same subject for years led critics to question whether his creativity was spent.

休息之后，她有了新想法，证明自己并非江郎才尽。

### Traditional Chinese

休息之後，她有了新想法，證明自己並非江郎才盡。

xiū xi zhī hòu ， tā yǒu le xīn xiǎng fǎ ， zhèng míng zì jǐ bìng fēi jiāng láng cái jìn 。

After resting, she found new ideas and showed that her creativity had not run out.

## 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=%E6%B1%9F%E9%83%8E%E6%89%8D%E7%9B%A1)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=14&webMd=1&la=0)

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