微不足道 wēi bù zú dào
too insignificant to mention; negligible
Literally: tiny not worth mention
Tap a character above to see its stroke order and the words it appears in.
Origin
Descriptive; no single source story. The form appears in Qing texts such as Guo Xiaoting's Ji Gong Quanzhuan.
How to use it
Predicate or attributive; neutral, sometimes self-deprecating. Often 微不足道的一点贡献.
Example sentences
Show:
Tap any word for its meaning and pinyin. The chengyu is highlighted.
- 与整个项目的预算相比,这笔费用微不足道。Yǔ zhěnggè xiàngmù de yùsuàn xiāngbǐ, zhè bǐ fèiyòng wēi bù zú dào.Compared with the whole project budget, this expense is negligible.with whole project (attributive particle) budget compare, this (measure) expense tiny not worth mention
- 我做的只是一点微不足道的小事,不值得表扬。Wǒ zuò de zhǐshì yìdiǎn wēi bù zú dào de xiǎoshì, bù zhídé biǎoyáng.What I did was only a trifle, not worth praising.I do (attributive particle) only one-bit tiny not worth mention (attributive particle) small thing, not worth praise
More chengyu about work & money
- 兢兢业业jīng jīng yè yèconscientious and diligent; painstaking in one's work
- 入不敷出rù bù fū chūto spend more than one earns; unable to make ends meet
- 唯利是图wéi lì shì túbent solely on profit; mercenary
- 一掷千金yī zhì qiān jīnto spend money like water; to stake a fortune on a single throw
- 锱铢必较zī zhū bì jiàoto haggle over every penny; penny-pinching
- 日理万机rì lǐ wàn jīto handle countless affairs every day; to be extremely busy with state or business matters
- 白手起家bái shǒu qǐ jiāto build up from nothing; self-made
- 讨价还价tǎo jià huán jiàto haggle; to bargain