杯水车薪

Traditional: 杯水車薪

bēi shuǐ chē xīn

Dictionary entry

lit. a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood (idiom); fig. an utterly inadequate measure

What does 杯水车薪 mean?

杯水车薪 (bēi shuǐ chē xīn) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood (idiom); fig. an utterly inadequate measure

Character breakdown

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杯bēicup · trophy cup 水Shuǐsurname Shui · Shui ethnic group 车Chēsurname Che 薪xīn(literary) firewood; fuel · (bound form) salary

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How to pronounce 杯水车薪

杯水车薪

bēi shuǐ chē xīn

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.