Meaning:

“Kong Yiji’s long shirt” is a term derived from a short story penned by the esteemed late Chinese author Lu Xun (1881-1936, pen name for Zhou Shuren), which was first published in 1919. The story’s narrator reminisces about Kong Yiji, a pedantic scholar who became the laughing-stock of the tavern where the narrator worked. The phrase “wearing a long shirt” symbolizes the identity of a scholar. Some young Chinese graduates started joking online this year that their multiple degrees had left them overqualified and unemployable so they were left with nothing but the equivalent of Kong Yiji’s long, tattered, academic gown. The evident dilemma lies in the challenge faced by highly educated individuals who struggle to secure a job that meets their expectations, yet are unwilling to compromise their self-perceived value by accepting positions that they deem as undemanding and inadequately remunerated. This term is a metaphor for the predicament of possessing impressive credentials that fail to facilitate employment prospects.

Example:

A: 你哥哥找到工作了吗？

Nǐ gēgē zhǎodào gōngzuò lema？

Has your elder brother found a job?

B: 没有。学历不但是敲门砖，也是他下不来的高台，更是孔乙己脱不下的长衫。

Méiyǒu。Xuélì búdàn shì qiāoménzhuān，yěshì tā xiàbulái de gāotái，gèngshì kǒngyǐjǐ tuōbuxià de chángshān。

Not yet. Education is not only a stepping stone, but also a high platform that he can’t get off, and it’s also a gown that Kong Yiji can’t take off.