黄钟毁弃瓦釜雷鸣

huáng zhōng huǐ qì wǎ fǔ léi míng

lit. earthern pots make more noise than classical bells

good men are discarded in favor of bombastic ones (idiom)

huáng

yellow

zhōng

handleless cup; goblet

huǐ

variant of 毀|毁[hui3]

to abandon

roof tile

kettle

léi

thunder

míng

to cry (of birds, animals and insects)