一丝不苟 — “Meticulous”
一丝不苟 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Meticulous”. Scrupulous; painstaking and conscientious; not the least bit careless or negligent. Literally, “Not a single thread of carelessness; not one iota of negligence”.
一丝不苟 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 一yī
- 丝sī
- 不bù
- 苟gǒu
一丝不苟 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 一丝不苟
Origin and Story of 一丝不苟
During the Ming Dynasty, the emperor issued a decree strictly prohibiting the slaughter of oxen for farming, a ban that even followers of Islam had to abide by. One day, the gentry Zhang Jingzhai and the successful candidate Fan Jin went to visit Tang Feng, the county magistrate of Gaoyao. Magistrate Tang hosted a banquet for them.
During the meal, an old man presented Magistrate Tang with fifty catties of beef, which he and several other Muslim followers had pooled together, hoping for a lenient treatment regarding the ban. Magistrate Tang, though usually susceptible to bribes and also a follower of Islam, was hesitant due to the imperial decree. He asked Zhang Jingzhai, "You've been an official before, and this matter concerning the ban on slaughtering oxen is precisely what I need to discuss with you. Just now, some Muslim followers, wishing for leniency, presented fifty catties of beef. Should I accept it or not?"
Zhang Jingzhai shook his head, "Absolutely not! You and I are officials, and our hearts should only be loyal to the Emperor, not to those of the same faith. I recall Mr. Liu in the Hongwu era (referring to Liu Bowen); when Emperor Hongwu secretly visited his home, Zhang Wang of Jiangnan (referring to Zhang Shicheng) happened to send a jar of vegetables. When opened on the spot, it turned out to be a jar of gold. The Emperor was furious and demoted Mr. Liu to the county magistrate of Qingtian the next day, later even poisoning him to death."
Hearing Zhang Jingzhai speak with such conviction, Magistrate Tang couldn't help but believe him and eagerly asked for advice on how to proceed. Zhang Jingzhai said, "Your Honor can make a big show of this matter. Arrest that old man, give him dozens of lashes, then put him in a large cangue. Pile the presented beef on top of the cangue and display a public notice beside it, explaining their audacity and blatant disregard for the law. If your superiors learn that you handle matters with such meticulousness (一丝不苟), then your promotion and wealth will be just around the corner."
Magistrate Tang listened, nodding repeatedly, "That makes perfect sense." He then proceeded exactly as advised.
Idioms Related to 一丝不苟
Synonyms of 一丝不苟
More idioms starting with 一
- yī一dīng丁bù不shí识completely illiterate
- yī一dīng丁diǎn点er儿a tiny bit
- yī一bù不zuò作，，èr二bù不xiū休Finish what you start
- yī一bù不zuò做，，èr二bù不xiū休in for a penny, in for a pound
- yī一bù不yā压zhòng众，，bǎi百bù不suí随yī一The minority cannot prevail against the majority
- yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
- yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
- yī一shì世lóng龙mén门A generation's revered influential figure
- yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
- yī一qiū丘zhī之hé貉birds of a feather
- yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
- yī一sī丝bù不luàn乱perfectly orderly and neat
Questions about 一丝不苟
- What does 一丝不苟 mean?
- 一丝不苟 (yī sī bù gǒu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Meticulous”.
- How do you pronounce 一丝不苟?
- 一丝不苟 is pronounced yī sī bù gǒu in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 一丝不苟 literally mean?
- Literally, 一丝不苟 means “not a single thread of carelessness; not one iota of negligence”. It is used to mean “Meticulous”.
- Where does 一丝不苟 come from?
- 一丝不苟 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 一丝不苟?
- 苟：苟且，马虎。指做事认真细致，一点儿不马虎。