南箕北斗 nán jī běi dǒu

the Winnowing Basket in the southern sky, and the Big Dipper in the north (idiom); sth which, despite its name, is of no practical use

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. the Winnowing Basket in the southern sky, and the Big Dipper in the north (idiom); sth which, despite its name, is of no practical use

Characters

Character Meaning
南 nán HSK 3
south; surname Nan
箕 jī
winnow basket
北 běi HSK 1
north; (classical) to be defeated
斗 dǒu HSK 5
to fight; to contend; to struggle