immature and inexperienced; not fully developed
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
literally: feathers not yet full-grown; figuratively: immature, inexperienced, not yet fully developed
neutralOriginally describes young birds whose feathers are not fully grown; used metaphorically for people or organizations that lack maturity, experience, or strength.
Zhè这
jiā家
gōng公
sī司
yǔ羽
máo毛
wèi未
fēng丰
，
hái还
xū需
yào要
jǐ几
nián年
de的
fā发
zhǎn展
cái才
néng能
yǔ与
dà大
qǐ企
yè业
jìng竞
zhēng争
。
This company is still young and immature; it needs a few more years of development before it can compete with large enterprises.
Bié别
kàn看
tā他
xiàn现
zài在
yǔ羽
máo毛
wèi未
fēng丰
，
jiāng将
lái来
bì必
chéng成
dà大
qì器
。
Don't look down on him just because he's still inexperienced now; he will surely achieve great things in the future.
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Yǔ羽
máo毛
wèi未
fēng丰
de的
xiǎo小
niǎo鸟
hái还
bù不
néng能
dú独
zì自
fēi飞
xíng行
。
The young bird with immature feathers cannot fly alone yet.