每天成语
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鸡毛蒜皮

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: jī máo suàn pí
  • English Translation: Chicken feathers and garlic skins (trivialities)
  • Idiom Composition: 「鸡毛」（Chicken feathers (symbolizing something light and worthless)）＋「蒜皮」（Garlic skins (symbolizing something thin and useless)）
  • Meaning: A metaphor for matters that are extremely insignificant, worthless, or trivial, much like chicken feathers or the thin skins of garlic.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「鸡毛蒜皮」 contains the following nuances:

  • Worthlessness and Triviality: By listing items that are essentially 'trash,' the idiom emphasizes that the topic is not worth the time or effort to discuss or pay attention to.
  • Everyday Trifles: It stands in contrast to major affairs of state or serious problems, usually referring to small domestic or social annoyances that are part of daily life.

3. Usage

「鸡毛蒜皮」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Describing conflicts: Used when the cause of a dispute, such as a quarrel between a couple or neighbors, is seen by others as completely insignificant.
    • Example:「这对夫妻经常为了鸡毛蒜皮的小事吵架。」
      （This couple is always arguing over trivial matters.)
  • Judging priorities: Used to advise someone not to get bogged down in minor details when they should be focusing on important tasks.
    • Example:「别再计较那些鸡毛蒜皮了，我们得抓紧时间完成主要任务。」
      （Stop fussing over those trifles; we need to hurry and finish the main task.)
  • Negative evaluation: Used to dismiss someone's concerns or conversation as having no real value.
    • Example:「他整天只关心那些鸡毛蒜皮，从来不考虑长远的发展。」
      （He spends all day worrying about insignificant details and never considers long-term development.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 这种鸡毛蒜皮的事情就不要去麻烦领导了。
    （You shouldn't bother the boss with such trivial matters.）
  2. 生活中充满了鸡毛蒜皮，关键看你怎么面对。
    （Life is full of petty trifles, but what matters is how you face them.）
  3. 大家都很忙，没时间听你讲这些鸡毛蒜皮。
    （Everyone is busy; no one has time to listen to your nonsense.）
  4. 虽然是鸡毛蒜皮的小矛盾，如果不及时解决，也可能变成大问题。
    （Even though it's a minor conflict, it could become a big problem if not solved quickly.）
  5. 他心胸开阔，从不把鸡毛蒜皮放在心上。
    （He is broad-minded and never dwells on insignificant things.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Vivid Imagery: By using 'chicken feathers' and 'garlic skins'—common household waste products—the idiom creates a relatable and down-to-earth metaphor for English learners to visualize.
  • Frequency of Use: This is an extremely common colloquialism in daily Chinese conversation. It is most often used to modify the noun 小事 (xiǎoshì), meaning 'small matter'.
  • Origin: Unlike many idioms that come from classical literature, this is a piece of folk slang that became established in vernacular novels during the Qing Dynasty (清朝).

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

鸡毛蒜皮 (jī máo suàn pí) is a colloquial idiom used to describe 'worthless trifles' or 'insignificant details.' It often appears in the context of domestic disputes or daily chores that are considered petty. It is frequently used in the phrase 鸡毛蒜皮的小事 (jī máo suàn pí de xiǎoshì) to emphasize that a matter is not worth worrying about compared to more important issues.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

jī máo suàn pí
鸡毛蒜皮
Trivial Matters
shēng huó生活zhōng中，wǒ men我们zǒng总huì会yù dào遇到yī xiē一些dà shì大事，bǐ rú比如zhǎo找gōng zuò工作、bān jiā搬家、jié hūn结婚。

In life, we always encounter major events, such as finding a job, moving house, or getting married.

zhè xiē这些shì qíng事情hěn很dà大，wǒ men我们tōng cháng通常huì会hěn很rèn zhēn认真dì地duì dài对待。

These matters are significant, and we usually treat them very seriously.

dàn但shēng huó生活zhōng中gèng更duō多de的，qí shí其实shì是lìng另yī zhǒng一种shì qíng事情。

But more often in life, there is actually another kind of matter.

bǐ rú比如，shuí谁jīn tiān今天wàng忘le了dào倒lā jī垃圾；bǐ rú比如，mǎi cài买菜de的shí hòu时候，wèi le为了jǐ kuài qián几块钱gēn跟lǎo bǎn老板jiǎng jià讲价；huò zhě或者，péng yǒu朋友jù huì聚会shí时，shuí谁duō多shuō说le了yī jù一句bù zhōng tīng不中听de的huà话。

For example, who forgot to take out the trash today; for instance, bargaining with a vendor over a few dollars when buying groceries; or someone saying something slightly unpleasant during a gathering with friends.

zhè xiē这些shì qíng事情hěn很xiǎo小，xiǎo dào小到rú guǒ如果bù不tí提，gēn běn根本méi没rén人huì会zài yì在意。

These things are very small, so small that if not mentioned, no one would care at all.

dàn但zài在zhōng wén中文lǐ里，wǒ men我们yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常xíng xiàng形象de的chéng yǔ成语lái来xíng róng形容tā men它们，jiào叫“jī máo suàn pí鸡毛蒜皮”。

But in Chinese, we have a very vivid idiom to describe them, called 鸡毛蒜皮.

zhè ge这个cí词tè bié特别yǒu有huà miàn gǎn画面感。

This term is particularly visual.

“jī máo鸡毛”hěn很qīng轻，fēng风yī chuī一吹jiù就pǎo跑le了；“suàn pí蒜皮”hěn很báo薄，bō剥xià lái下来jiù就rēng扔le了。

鸡毛 is very light and blows away with the wind; 蒜皮 is very thin and is thrown away once peeled.

bǎ把zhè这liǎng yàng dōng xī两样东西fàng放zài在yì qǐ一起，jiù shì就是wèi le为了qiáng diào强调——zhè xiē这些shì qíng事情shí zài实在shì是tài太suǒ suì琐碎、tài太méi yǒu没有jià zhí价值le了。

Putting these two things together is to emphasize that these matters are truly too trivial and lack value.

tōng cháng通常，wǒ men我们huì会zài在liǎng zhǒng两种qíng kuàng情况xià下yòng用dào到zhè ge这个cí词。

Usually, we use this term in two situations.

yī zhǒng一种shì是dài带zhe着yì diǎn diǎn一点点yàn fán厌烦。

One is with a hint of annoyance.

bǐ rú比如，dāng当nǐ你jué de觉得mǒu某gè rén个人zǒng shì总是jiū jié纠结yú于wú guān jǐn yào无关紧要de的xiǎo小xì jié细节，ér而bú shì不是guān zhù关注dà jú大局shí时，nǐ你kě néng可能huì会xiǎng想shuō说：“bié别zài再wèi le为了zhè xiē这些jī máo suàn pí鸡毛蒜皮de的xiǎo shì小事zhēng chǎo争吵le了。”

For example, when you feel someone is always obsessing over unimportant small details instead of focusing on the big picture, you might want to say: "Stop arguing over these 鸡毛蒜皮 matters."

zài在zhè lǐ这里，tā它dài biǎo代表le了yī zhǒng一种“bù bì jì jiào不必计较”de的tài dù态度。

Here, it represents an attitude of "not worth fussing over."

lìng另yī zhǒng一种qíng kuàng情况，zé则dài带zhe着yì diǎn diǎn一点点wú nài无奈de的zhēn shí gǎn真实感。

The other situation carries a bit of helpless realism.

yóu qí尤其shì是dāng当wǒ men我们xíng róng形容rì cháng日常shēng huó生活de的shí hòu时候。

Especially when we describe daily life.

hěn很duō多shí hòu时候，shēng huó生活bìng并bú shì不是yóu由jīng tiān dòng dì惊天动地de的dà shì大事zǔ chéng组成de的，qià qià恰恰jiù shì就是yóu由zhè xiē这些“jī máo suàn pí鸡毛蒜皮”duī堆qǐ lái起来de的。

Many times, life is not composed of earth-shattering events, but is precisely piled up by these 鸡毛蒜皮.

fū qī夫妻zhī jiān之间de的bàn zuǐ拌嘴，lín jū邻居zhī jiān之间de的wǎng lái往来，shèn zhì甚至shì是zì jǐ自己xīn lǐ心里de的nà那yī xiǎo diǎn一小点jiū jié纠结。

Bickering between couples, interactions between neighbors, or even that tiny bit of inner conflict.

suī rán虽然wǒ men我们cháng常shuō说“bú yào不要zài yì在意jī máo suàn pí鸡毛蒜皮”，dàn但bù dé bù不得不chéng rèn承认，zhèng shì正是zhè xiē这些suǒ suì琐碎de的xì jié细节，gòu chéng构成le了wǒ men我们zuì最zhēn shí真实de的rén jiān人间yān huǒ烟火。

Although we often say "don't care about 鸡毛蒜皮," we have to admit that it is these trivial details that constitute our most authentic everyday life.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你tīng dào听到bié rén别人shuō qǐ说起“jī máo suàn pí鸡毛蒜皮”shí时，bú yào不要zhǐ只jué de觉得tā他zài在bào yuàn抱怨shì qíng事情tài太xiǎo小。

So, next time you hear someone mention 鸡毛蒜皮, don't just think they are complaining that things are too small.

yě xǔ也许，tā他zhǐ shì只是zài在gǎn tàn感叹，shēng huó生活běn shēn本身，jiù shì就是yóu由zhè xiē这些wú shù无数gè个wēi bù zú dào微不足道de的shùn jiān瞬间zǔ chéng组成de的。

Perhaps, they are just sighing that life itself is composed of these countless insignificant moments.

néng能bù néng不能chǔ lǐ处理hǎo好zhè xiē这些“jī máo suàn pí鸡毛蒜皮”，yǒu shí hòu有时候，fǎn ér反而bǐ比chǔ lǐ处理dà shì大事gèng更kǎo yàn考验yí gè一个rén人de的nài xīn耐心hé和zhì huì智慧。

Whether one can handle these 鸡毛蒜皮 well sometimes tests a person's patience and wisdom even more than handling big events.

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