(idiom) literally "rotten wood cannot be carved," meaning a person is so worthless or stubborn that they cannot be taught or improved; used to describe someone who is beyond help or lacks any potential

rotten wood cannot be carved; a person is so worthless or stubborn that they cannot be educated or reformed

rotten wood cannot be carved; a metaphor for a person who is too dull or corrupted to be educated, or a situation that has deteriorated beyond repair

(idiom) Rotten wood and dirty soil; used to describe a worthless person who is beyond help or things that are completely useless. Derived from the [[论语|論語|lun2 yu3]] describing a student who was too lazy to be taught.

Metaphor for a person who is beyond help or a situation that is so far gone that it cannot be repaired; (originally) rotten wood and a wall made of dung