pentaphone wǔ yīn bù quán

The idiom explains the five tones: the five levels of the pentatonic scale, Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng and Yu, which are equivalent to 1, 2, 3, 5, 6; since the Tang Dynasty, they have been called He, Si, Yi, Chi, and Gong. Refers to a person's lack of musical ability.

Common usage: Commonly used

Emotional neutral words

Mostly used in spoken language.

Era of production: Modern times

The allusion comes from Chapter 4 of Mo Yingfeng’s "The Song of Generals": "As for Wu Zhong, he is completely tone-deaf."