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杯水舆薪
杯水舆薪
杯水舆薪
杯水舆薪
杯水舆薪
杯水舆薪
杯水舆薪
杯水舆薪

杯水舆薪 — “A cup of water to put out a cartload of firewood”

杯水舆薪 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an utterly inadequate measure or effort that is insufficient to resolve a major problem; a futile attempt; a drop in the bucket”. Literally, “a cup of water to put out a cartload of firewood”.

Frequency

杯水舆薪 Pronunciation and Pinyin

杯水舆薪 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
杯
bēi8cup or trophy
水
shuǐ4water, liquid, river, juice
舆
yú14carriage, public, land
薪
xīn16Firewood for passing on tradition

Example Sentence with 杯水舆薪

面对如此巨大的挑战,我们这点微薄的投入简直是杯水舆薪,根本无法解决问题。
Faced with such an enormous challenge, our meager investment is like a cup of water to put out a cartload of firewood, utterly insufficient to solve the problem.

Idioms Related to 杯水舆薪

Synonyms of 杯水舆薪

  • bēi杯shuǐ水chē车xīn薪an utterly inadequate measure

Antonyms of 杯水舆薪

  • chuò绰chuò绰yǒu有yú余more than enough

More idioms starting with 杯

  • bēi杯zhōng中zhī之wù物alcoholic beverages
  • bēi杯zhōng中wù物alcoholic drink
  • bēi杯zhōng中shé蛇yǐng影frightened by imaginary dangers
  • bēi杯quān圈zhī之sī思Longing for one's deceased mother
  • bēi杯gōng弓shì市hǔ虎imagining dangers from groundless suspicions
  • bēi杯gōng弓shé蛇yǐng影imaginary fears cause self-fright
  • bēi杯yǐng影shé蛇gōng弓scared by imaginary fears
  • bēi杯cán残zhì炙lěng冷leftovers from a meal
  • bēi杯shuǐ水zhī之jìng敬a humble token of respect
  • bēi杯shuǐ水zhī之xiè谢a meager token of gratitude
  • bēi杯shuǐ水lì粒sù粟meager amount of food and drink

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Questions about 杯水舆薪

What does 杯水舆薪 mean?

杯水舆薪 (bēi shuǐ yú xīn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an utterly inadequate measure or effort that is insufficient to resolve a major problem; a futile attempt; a drop in the bucket”.

How do you pronounce 杯水舆薪?

杯水舆薪 is pronounced bēi shuǐ yú xīn in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 杯水舆薪 literally mean?

Literally, 杯水舆薪 means “a cup of water to put out a cartload of firewood”. It is used to mean “an utterly inadequate measure or effort that is insufficient to resolve a major problem; a futile attempt; a drop in the bucket”.

What is the Chinese definition of 杯水舆薪?

比喻力量微小,无济于事。同“杯水车薪”。

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