Meaning of ‘Bull In a China Shop’
The phrase ‘bull in a china shop’ describes someone who tends to be clumsy or reckless with their behavior. Basically, the idea is that a bull, being large and powerful, would cause chaos if let loose in a china shop, a place where delicate items are sold.
Example: He has accidentally dropped four coffee mugs in the past two months. At this point, he’s like a bull in a china shop and needs to be more careful.
Similar Phrases: a wrecking ball in a glass house, all thumbs, butter fingers, having two left feet, like a square peg in a round hole
Related Idioms:
Want to see more common phrases like this one? Browse through our Famous Idioms: Phrases Starting With B page for a list of them.
Origin of ‘Bull In a China Shop’
It’s possible that the phrase a ‘bull in a china shop’ originated from the idea that bulls are clumsy animals. But are they really? Before we get to that, let’s briefly go over this expression’s age. The earliest printed reference I could find is in a book titled Ashburner’s New Vocal and Poetic Repository; a Collection of Favourite Songs and Poetic Fugitive Pieces, published by George Ashburner in 1807. The phrase is listed within as a title to a poem (or song?) on page 161:
“A Bull In A China Shop
You’ve heard of a frog in a opera-hat,
‘Tis a very old tale of a mouse and a rat.
I could sing you another, as pleasant, mayhap,
Of a kitchen that wore a fine high-caul’d cap:
But my muse on a far nolber subject shall drop,
A bull who got into a China-shop.”
Are Bulls Really as Clumsy as People Think?
Many people think of bulls as large, reckless, and even clumsy creatures. So if one entered a china shop, well, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. After all, it’s a big animal in a small shop, surrounded by fragile objects at every turn. What could possibly go wrong? However, would a bull in a china shop really be as bad as it sounds?
On an episode of a MythBusters, a television show that tested myths, they put this everyday expression to the test. They set up shelves inside a bull’s pen and placed porcelain objects on them. Then, they introduced two bulls into the pen—what happened next might surprise you.
Despite weighing up to 2,000 lb (907 kg), these large animals carefully moved around the shelves, avoiding any contact with them. Yes, the bulls did not break a single thing! So I guess this expression isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Example Sentences of ‘Bull In a China Shop
Let’s look at a few usage cases on how to use this and similar idioms in sentences.
Did You Know? People often confuse this idiom as ‘a bowl in a china shop.’
Examples:
1. After nearly knocking over the vase of flowers on the shelf, he apologized and said, “Sorry, I’m like a bull in a china shop sometimes.”
2. When my friend is distracted on her phone in the store, she becomes a bull in a china shop, oblivious to her surroundings.
Examples That Use Similar Phrases:
1. Due to my butter fingers, I dropped the glass picture frame that I was about to hang on the wall.
2. I’ve never been a good dancer; It’s like I have two left feet on the dance floor.
3. I tried assembling the furniture, but I’m all thumbs when it comes to using tools.
See Related Phrases:
Animal Phrases
We have a page filled with animal phrases. It contains a list of all the animal related expressions on this site. So feel free to take a look!