一毛不拔 — “Extremely stingy”
一毛不拔 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Extremely stingy”. Unwilling to give even the slightest amount; exceptionally mean or tight-fisted. Literally, “unwilling to pluck out even a single hair”.
一毛不拔 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 一yī
- 毛máo
- 不bù
- 拔bá
一毛不拔 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 一毛不拔
Origin and Story of 一毛不拔
The idiom "一毛不拔" (yī máo bù bá) originates from the Mencius, 'Jinxin Shang' (尽心上), which discusses the philosophical views of Yang Zhu and Mozi during the Warring States period.
Mozi, a prominent thinker and founder of Mohism, advocated for "universal love" (兼爱) and opposed warfare. In contrast, Yang Zhu, a contemporary philosopher, espoused "egoism" (为我), emphasizing the preservation of one's own life and self-interest, rejecting any harm to oneself or others.
One day, Mozi's student, Qin Guli, asked Yang Zhu: "If plucking out a single hair from your body could benefit the entire world, would you do it?" Yang Zhu replied that the world's problems could not be solved by such a small act. Qin Guli then asked, "But if it were possible, would you be willing?" Yang Zhu remained silent.
Mencius later commented on this, saying: "Yang Zi's doctrine is 'for myself'; even if plucking out a single hair could benefit the world, he would not do it. Mo Zi's doctrine is 'universal love'; as long as it benefits the world, even if it means rubbing his head bald and wearing out his heels, he would willingly do it."
The idiom "一毛不拔" later evolved to describe someone who is exceedingly stingy and selfish, unwilling to give up even the slightest thing.
Idioms Related to 一毛不拔
Synonyms of 一毛不拔
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 一毛不拔
- What does 一毛不拔 mean?
- 一毛不拔 (yī máo bù bá) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Extremely stingy”.
- How do you pronounce 一毛不拔?
- 一毛不拔 is pronounced yī máo bù bá in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 一毛不拔 literally mean?
- Literally, 一毛不拔 means “unwilling to pluck out even a single hair”. It is used to mean “Extremely stingy”.
- Where does 一毛不拔 come from?
- 一毛不拔 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 一毛不拔?
- 一根汗毛也不肯拔。原指杨朱的极端为我主义。后形容为人非常吝啬自私。