A metaphor for meager or insufficient help or financial aid; a drop in the bucket.
面对这样大的困境，他所能提供的斗升之水，实在解决不了根本问题。
Facing such a huge predicament, the meager help he could offer, like a dipper or liter of water, really couldn't solve the fundamental problem.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
During the Warring States period, the philosopher Zhuangzi (庄周) used allegorical stories in his work 'Zhuangzi'. In the chapter 'External Things' (外物), he told a story:
While traveling, Zhuangzi heard a voice. He discovered a crucian carp struggling in a dry rut, desperately short of water. The carp pleaded for help.
Zhuangzi offered to fetch a cup of water to save it. The carp replied that it was a minister of the East Sea, and a mere dipper or liter of water would be utterly insufficient for its survival.
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