眼高手低 yǎn gāo shǒu dī

to have high standards but little ability

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 56193rd word

Definitions

  1. 1. to have high standards but little ability
  2. 2. to be fastidious but incompetent (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
眼 yǎn HSK 2
eye; crux (of a matter); small hole
高 gāo HSK 1
high; tall; above average
手 shǒu HSK 2
hand; personal(ly); person engaged in certain types of work
低 dī HSK 4
low; to lower (one's head); beneath