Meaning:

    This is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine herbal balm used to treat many minor problems such as mosquito bites, nausea and stuffy nose. But the ointment cannot cure real illnesses, just soothe certain symptoms. Therefore, people use the term to refer to people regarded as a jack of all trades. World of Warcraft players also use the term to refer to a fighting strategy that focuses on striking and ignores defense. The strategy is recommended for new players because it’s simple, effective and can be the one solution for all situations.

    Example:

    A: 我们部门的小李要休假了，能不能让你那边的小王过来帮帮我们？

    Wǒmen bùmén de xiǎolǐ yào xīujià le, néngbùnéng ràng nǐ nàbiān de xiǎowáng guòlái bāngbāng wǒmen?

    Xiaoli in our department is off on vacation. Can you send Xiaowang to help us out?

    B: 我们这段时间也很忙，你能不能找找其他人？

    Wǒmen zhèduàn shíjiān yě hěn máng, nǐ néngbùnéng zhǎozhǎo qítā rén?

    We are short of hands too. Can you find someone else?

    A: 还真想不到合适的人选。小王这样的万金油不好找啊。

    Hái zhēn xiǎngbùdào héshì de rénxuǎn。Xiǎowáng zhèyàng de wànjīnyóu bù hǎo zhǎo a。

    No one else comes to my mind. It’s not easy to find a jack of all trades like him.