Chinese idiom · 成语

大巧若拙

dà qiǎo ruò zhuō

Meaning

Great skill seems clumsy; true mastery looks simple.

Character by character

大great

巧skill

若like

拙clumsy

Origin and story

From Laozi (Lǎo zǐ). The best craftsmanship appears unrefined, hiding its finesse.