草台班子

Meaning:

The Chinese term “草台班子” literally refers to a troupe performing on a shabby makeshift stage. It often describes traditional Chinese opera troupes lacking resources and typically composed of a handful of performers. These troupes travel across China, entertaining rural and small-town audiences with modest expectations for any available live entertainment. Metaphorically, it denotes a team with questionable qualifications likely to fail a given task. Recent interest in this term surged due to the popular expression “这世界是一个巨大的草台班子” (pinyin: zhè shìjiè shì yīge jùdà de cǎotái bānzǐ), which cynically compares the world to a vast stage where incompetents and impostors take the spotlight.

Example:

A: 你觉得这部电影好看吗？

Nǐ juéde zhèbù diànyǐng hǎokàn ma？

What are your thoughts on this film?

B: 视觉效果好像大片，但故事东拼西凑，感觉主创是个草台班子。

Shìjué xiàoguǒ hǎoxiàng dàpiān， dàn gùshì dōngpīn xīcòu， gǎnjué zhǔchuàng shì ge cǎotái bānzi。

While the visuals resemble a blockbuster, the narrative feels hastily assembled, suggesting a lack of skill from the cast and crew in crafting a good movie.