朽木不可雕也

xiǔ mù bù kě diāo yě

Rotten wood cannot be carved;Decayed wood cannot be carved -- a useless fellow;A useless man cannot be made good;a helpless case;an intractable person

朽木不可雕也

朽木不可雕也[xiǔ mù bù kě diāo yě]

1

朽木不可雕也，粪土之墙不可圬也。（《论语》）

Rotten wood cannot be carved , nor a wall of dried dung be trowelled .
2

你可以教训那个家伙，可是朽木不可雕也。朽木不可雕，最贤良，最肯牺牲的妻子也不可能把一个奥斯华德变成一个阿诺德·贝内特。这个道理朱莉娅懂得太晚了。

Too late Julia realized that the best and the most-sacrificing of wives can not make a silk purse out of a sow 's ear , an Arnold Bennett out of an Oswald .
3

它在一个地窖里还有一座圆雕的耶稣受难像和一个镀金的木雕太阳，都是奇妙无比的东西。朽木不可雕也。坏材料做不出好东西。

It has , also , a crucifixion in high relief , in a cellar , with a sun of gilded wood . These things are fairly marvellous . cannot make a silk purse out of a sow ' ear .