Idiom Explanation:
The talents of Chu are used by Jin. It is used to describe the outflow of talents from one country to work in other countries.
Pronunciation:
楚材晋用
chǔ cái jìn yòng
Origin book:
《左传·襄公二十六年》：晋卿不如楚，其大夫则贤，皆卿才也。如杞梓、皮革，自楚往也。虽楚有才，晋实用之。
Origin Story:
During the Spring and Autumn Period in China, there was a great official in the state of Chu named Wu Ju. Once his father-in-law escaped secretly from the law, and there was a rumor that Wu Ju’s father-in-law had escaped from the law, and that Wu Ju had tipped him off and sent him away. Fearing that the king of Chu would hear the rumors and condemn him, Wu Ju took his family and fled to the neighboring state of Zheng. After living in Zheng for a while, Wu Ju felt insecure and prepared to flee to Jin again. While Wu Ju was about to flee, Wu Ju’s good friend, Sheng Zi, a great official of Cai, happened to be on a mission to Jin. When he was passing through Zheng, he met Wu Ju and asked, “Why did you come to Zheng? What happened?” Wu Ju told Shengzi about his flight and his intention to flee to Jin. He said, “You can go to Jin to hide for a while, but I will make sure that you will return to Chu soon.” So, Wu Ju took his family and followed Sheng Zi to Jin with him.
After finishing his business in Jin, he came to Chu. The magistrate of Chu, Zi Mu, received him and asked him, “Which country do you think is better than the one of Jin and Chu?” He replied, “There are not as many talents in Jin as in Chu, but most of them are from Chu. These people came to Jin because they were not reused in Chu. Many useful talents in Chu were taken away by Jin. Just like Qizi, leather, etc., they were all reused in Jin. Some people say, “This is called Chu material Jin use!” Sound Son went on to say, “Chu did not cherish talents and let them go out of the country, so it fought with Jin and was defeated by Jin several times. This was because a number of people from Chu were advising Jin.”
Zi Mu was astonished to hear this.
Zeng Zi then said, “This time, your dafu Wu Ju had to go away to another country because he was falsely accused by others, and I heard that he has now arrived in Jin as well. Unfortunately, another talent of Chu will be used by Jin, which is a loss to Chu!” Zi Mu felt that Sheng Zi had a good point and immediately ordered Wu Ju to be reinstated and sent someone to bring him back to Chu.
