花盆里栽松树，成不了材花盆里栽松樹，成不了材花盆里栽松樹，成不了材

planting a pine in a flowerpot: it can't grow into timber (talent)

Saying俗语俗語

Two-part saying歇后语歇後語 · Rarely used now

Meaning: Says someone will never become a person of real ability, perhaps for lack of room or opportunity to develop.
Wordplay: 材 (cái, timber) is a pun on 才 (cái, talent).

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Simplified: 花盆里栽松树，成不了材
Traditional (Taiwan): 花盆里栽松樹，成不了材
Pinyin: huāpén lǐ zāi sōngshù, chéng bù liǎo cái
Bopomofo: ㄏㄨㄚㄆㄣˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄗㄞㄙㄨㄥㄕㄨˋ，ㄔㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄘㄞˊ

Written with HSK 7-9 vocabulary, at CEFR level C1.

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