Idiom Explanation:
The original refers to the fact that it takes a long time for big material to become a tool. Later, it refers to the fact that people who can take on great things have to go through a long period of training and often become famous later.
Pronunciation:
大器晚成
dà qì wǎn chéng
origin:
春秋战国时期·老子《道德经》四十一章：上士闻道，勤而行之；中士闻道，若存若亡；下士闻道，大笑之。不笑不足以为道。故建言有之：明道若昧；进道若退；夷道若纇；上德若谷；广德若不足；建德若偷；质真若渝；大白若辱；大方无隅；大器晚成；大音希声；大象无形；道隐无名。夫唯道，善贷且成。
story:
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, a man named Cui Yan served as a soldier under Yuan Shao. He liked to learn martial arts as a child, and only when he was 23 years old did he begin to read the Analects of Confucius and Han Dynasty Poems and to seek teachers to study them. As he worked hard, he gradually learned more and more. At that time, Yuan Shao’s soldiers were very brutal, and whenever they passed by a place, they dug up the graves there to expose the bones and robbed the gold and silver treasures from the graves, which was very immoral. When Cui Yan saw this, he advised Yuan Shao not to do so. Yuan Shao thought he had a good point and made him a cavalry captain.
Later, Yuan Shao was defeated by Cao Cao and Cui Yan was taken prisoner. Cao Cao thought that Cui Yan was a talented man, so he did not kill him and made him serve at his side. After Cao Cao followed him, Cui Yan came up with many ideas for Cao Cao. Once, an envoy from Xiongnu came to meet Cao Cao on a pilgrimage. Cao Cao felt that he was not stout enough and had Cui Yan pretend to be himself, while he himself pretended to be a guard. This shows that Cui Yan was deeply appreciated by Cao Cao. When Cui Yan was Shang Shu, Cao Cao wanted to make Cao Zhi his heir, and Cui Yan objected, saying, “The rule since ancient times has been to make the eldest son, so how can you make Cao Zhi?” Cao Zhi was Cui Yan’s niece-in-law, and even though he was a relative he did not show favoritism, and Cao Cao greatly admired him for his fairness.
Cui Yan had a cousin named Cui Lin who was rather introverted and did not like to talk much. As a result, friends and relatives said that Cui Lin was simply too different from Cui Yan. Relatives and friends looked down on Cui Lin, but Cui Yan did not think so. Whenever he came across friends and relatives who compared him to Cui Lin, he told them, “Cui Lin actually has a lot of inner talent, but it’s just that he hasn’t been discovered yet, but someone will surely discover him in the future. Ancient people say ‘big vessels come late’, meaning that it takes much longer to make a big vessel than a small one. By the same token, a small person like me will naturally be known soon. But a big person like Cui Lin, people will have to know him a little later. Therefore, you should not underestimate Cui Lin. Cui Lin will definitely become a great man in the future.”
Later, just as Cui Yan said, Cui Lin was discovered by Cao Cao. Cao Cao appointed him to be the chief official of Yizhou, the royal chancellor, and also served as the secretary-general under Emperor Wen of Wei, and his status and achievements far surpassed those of Cui Yan.
