A question about “黔驴技穷/qián lǘ jì qiónɡ

[Yezze]

Here is a link to a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xie1rnV59Ro

I watched this and got the basic meaning that the donkey exhausted its tricks, then the tiger ate it.

I am confused as to if there is a moral, or is it just a metaphor that shows what happens when one is at wits end (as in, you would say qian lu ji qiong, when some one has exhausted their skills)? Would anyone mind explaining what they think of it or what the "right" meaning of it is, thanks.

[creamyhorror]

Seems pretty close to the English expression "a one-trick pony", as applied to people with only one (or a limited number of) skill(s).

[rezaf]

it means 没有什么办法了。

[xiaotao]

A person who has exposed his limited ability.

[monsterhaha]

it means sb cannot do anyting to solve some problems

but it is not a good sentence for anyone

[chrix]

I think xiaotao said it best, it's a chengyu, often translated as "at one's wit's end", but it implies that the person wasn't all that able to begin with.