overestimate one's strength; futile effort against overwhelming odds
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to throw an egg against a stone; to overestimate one's strength and invite self-destruction
literaryA classic chengyu describing a futile effort against overwhelming force. The literal image conveys the inevitable destruction of the weaker party. Variant form: 以卵投石.
Yī一
gè个
xiǎo小
guó国
qù去
gōng攻
dǎ打
qiáng强
dà大
de的
dì帝
guó国
，
jiǎn简
zhí直
shì是
yǐ以
luǎn卵
jī击
shí石
。
For a small country to attack a powerful empire is simply like throwing an egg against a stone.
Píng凭
nǐ你
zhè这
diǎn点
běn本
shì事
xiǎng想
qù去
tiǎo挑
zhàn战
shì世
jiè界
guàn冠
jūn军
，
qǐ岂
bù不
shì是
yǐ以
luǎn卵
jī击
shí石
？
With your limited skills, wanting to challenge the world champion—wouldn't that be overestimating yourself?
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Zhè这
zhǒng种
yǐ以
luǎn卵
jī击
shí石
de的
zuò做
fǎ法
，
zuì最
zhōng终
zhǐ只
huì会
dǎo导
zhì致
zì自
wǒ我
huǐ毁
miè灭
。
This kind of egg-against-stone approach will ultimately only lead to self-destruction.