小题大做 — “To make a mountain out of a molehill”
小题大做 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a mountain out of a molehill”. To make a big fuss over a trifle; to exaggerate a minor issue. Literally, “Make a big deal out of a small issue”.
小题大做 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 小xiǎo
- 题tí
- 大dà
- 做zuò
小题大做 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 小题大做
Origin and Story of 小题大做
During the Warring States period, King Xiaocheng of Zhao was not a capable ruler. He was autocratic and often prioritized small gains, leading to significant losses.
When a conflict arose between the state of Yan and Zhao, Yan appointed General Gaoyang to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Zhao. King Xiaocheng of Zhao, believing his own state lacked strong generals, offered 50 cities to the state of Qi in exchange for General Tian Dan's assistance.
Lord Mafu, observing this, indignantly told Lord Pingyuan that King Zhao was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Idioms Related to 小题大做
Synonyms of 小题大做
Antonyms of 小题大做
More idioms starting with 小
- xiǎo小bù不rěn忍zé则luàn乱dà大móu谋Impatience in small things spoils great plans
- xiǎo小chǒu丑tiào跳liáng梁Insignificant villains stirring up mischief
- xiǎo小zhōng中jiàn见dà大see the big in the small
- xiǎo小rén人dé得zhì志petty person achieves success
- xiǎo小xìn信wèi未fú孚Small trust not yet convinced
- xiǎo小tōu偷xiǎo小mō摸to engage in petty theft
- xiǎo小ér儿pò破zéi贼youngster achieves great accomplishments
- xiǎo小guān冠zi子xià夏a person with poor eyesight
- xiǎo小shòu受dà大zǒu走endure minor punishment, flee severe beating
- xiǎo小qì器yì易yíng盈narrow-minded, easily conceited
- xiǎo小guó国guǎ寡mín民small country with few people
- xiǎo小dà大yóu由zhī之applicable to both large and small matters
Questions about 小题大做
- What does 小题大做 mean?
- 小题大做 (xiǎo tí dà zuò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a mountain out of a molehill”.
- How do you pronounce 小题大做?
- 小题大做 is pronounced xiǎo tí dà zuò in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 小题大做 literally mean?
- Literally, 小题大做 means “Make a big deal out of a small issue”. It is used to mean “to make a mountain out of a molehill”.
- Where does 小题大做 come from?
- 小题大做 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 小题大做?
- 指拿小题目作大文章。 比喻不恰当地把小事当作大事来处理，有故意夸张的意思。