I can see the dust raised by people and horses in front of me, but I can’t catch up.
It is a metaphor for being far behind and far behind. It is also used to express self-effacement.
Idiom Pronunciation:
望尘莫及
wàng chén mò jí
Origin:
《后汉书·赵咨传》：复拜东海相，之官，道经荥阳。令敦煌曹皓，咨之故孝廉也，迎路谒候。咨不为留，皓送至亭次，望尘不及。
Story:
During the Southern Dynasty of China, there was a man named Wu Qingzhi in Song Dynasty who was very talented. Wang Yigong, the governor of Yangzhou at that time, was particularly appreciative of Wu Qingzhi and asked him to work as a secretary-like staff member. When Wang Yigong encountered any problem in his official work, he would ask Wu Qingzhi for advice before making a decision. Later, when Wang Yigong was killed by the emperor for his official duties, Wu Qingzhi felt ashamed, thinking that his lack of talent and poor support had led to this unfortunate result. So he found a place to live in seclusion, and lived a life of farming and poetry, determined not to come out to be an official again.
Soon after, a man named Wang Kun became the governor of Wu Xing. He had heard of Wu Qingzhi’s reputation, so he decided to ask him to come out and take up the official position of “Gong Cao”. However, Wu Qingzhi did not want to take part in political activities anymore. Therefore, even though Wang Kun offered very generous conditions, he failed to convince him. Wang Kun was not willing to give up easily, so he looked for an opportunity to talk with Wu Qingzhi again about being an official. Wu Qingzhi said to Wang Kun, “I have always been a dull person, and I really don’t know anything about the rules of the government. If you still want me, that is like putting a bird in the water and keeping a fish in a tree!” After Wu Qingzhi finished speaking, he ran away without even saying goodbye. Wang Kun hurriedly followed after him to catch up. However, after he left the house, he saw a lot of dust in front of him, and Wu Qingzhi had already disappeared.
According to the Book of Later Han – Zhao Zizhi’s Biography, Zhao Zizhi was appointed as the “East Sea Minister” and passed by Xingyang on his way to work. The magistrate of Xingyang, Cao Song, waited for him at the intersection and greeted him with all sincerity, and asked him to stay in Xingyang for a while to talk with him because they knew each other. But when Zhao Zi saw Cao Song, he left without even getting off the car. Cao Song wanted to see him off to the ten-mile pavilion outside the city, but Zhao Zi’s car was moving very fast and he was out of reach in a few minutes.
Similar Idioms:
- 不可企及
