积羽沉舟 — “Even seemingly insignificant matters or minor faults”
积羽沉舟 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Even seemingly insignificant matters or minor faults”. If allowed to accumulate, can lead to severe consequences or ultimate ruin. Literally, “Accumulated feathers sink the boat”.
积羽沉舟 Pronunciation and Pinyin
积羽沉舟 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 积羽沉舟
Origin and Story of 积羽沉舟
During the Warring States period, Zhang Yi, the prime minister of the Qin State, noticed that the vertical alliance of the six states Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei was very strong.
He then resigned from his position and went to the Wei State to serve as its prime minister. He intended to persuade the King of Wei to ally with Qin and withdraw from the alliance. However, the King of Wei did not listen. Consequently, Qin launched an attack.
Zhang Yi warned that if the Wei State ignored these unfavorable factors, it would eventually suffer the fate of 'accumulated feathers sinking the boat'.
Idioms Related to 积羽沉舟
Synonyms of 积羽沉舟
More idioms starting with 积
- jī积bù不xiāng相néng能always been at odds
- jī积xí习chéng成sú俗Long-standing habits become customs
- jī积xí习chéng成cháng常long-standing habits become routine
- jī积xí习jiàn渐mí靡Accumulated habits gradually take hold
- jī积xí习shēng生cháng常ingrained habits become customary
- jī积xí习nán难gǎi改Old habits die hard
- jī积xí习nán难chú除Deep-rooted habits are hard to break
- jī积yǐ以wéi为cháng常become a habit through accumulation
- jī积gōng功xīng兴yè业achieve success through persistent effort
- jī积láo劳chéng成jí疾fall ill from overwork
- jī积láo劳chéng成bìng病fall ill from overwork
- jī积láo劳chéng成cuì瘁become ill from constant overwork
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Open the tool →Questions about 积羽沉舟
What does 积羽沉舟 mean?
积羽沉舟 (jī yǔ chén zhōu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Even seemingly insignificant matters or minor faults”.
How do you pronounce 积羽沉舟?
积羽沉舟 is pronounced jī yǔ chén zhōu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 积羽沉舟 literally mean?
Literally, 积羽沉舟 means “Accumulated feathers sink the boat”. It is used to mean “Even seemingly insignificant matters or minor faults”.
Where does 积羽沉舟 come from?
积羽沉舟 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 积羽沉舟?
羽毛虽轻，积多了也能把船压沉。比喻小小的坏事积累起来就会造成严重的后果。