隋珠弹雀 — “To shoot sparrows with a Sui pearl”
隋珠弹雀 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to use a highly valuable item for a trivial purpose, leading to a disproportionate loss; to pay too high a price for a small gain”. Literally, “To shoot sparrows with a Sui pearl”.
隋珠弹雀 Pronunciation and Pinyin
隋珠弹雀 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 隋珠弹雀
Origin and Story of 隋珠弹雀
Duke Ai of Lu heard that Yan He was very virtuous and wise, so he sent someone with gifts to invite him to serve. However, the impoverished Yan He refused the gifts.
Zhuangzi commented on this matter, saying that Yan He had no interest in wealth or high status, and even when riches were offered to him, he did not welcome them. Such a person is rare.
He then remarked that those who would sacrifice their lives in pursuit of wealth and status are as foolish and wasteful as 'using the pearl of the Marquis of Sui to shoot a sparrow from a thousand-ren height,' implying it's utterly not worth it.
Idioms Related to 隋珠弹雀
Synonyms of 隋珠弹雀
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Open the tool →Questions about 隋珠弹雀
What does 隋珠弹雀 mean?
隋珠弹雀 (suí zhū tán què) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to use a highly valuable item for a trivial purpose, leading to a disproportionate loss; to pay too high a price for a small gain”.
How do you pronounce 隋珠弹雀?
隋珠弹雀 is pronounced suí zhū tán què in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 隋珠弹雀 literally mean?
Literally, 隋珠弹雀 means “to shoot sparrows with a Sui pearl”. It is used to mean “to use a highly valuable item for a trivial purpose, leading to a disproportionate loss; to pay too high a price for a small gain”.
Where does 隋珠弹雀 come from?
隋珠弹雀 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 隋珠弹雀?
隋珠：古代传说中的夜明珠，即隋侯的明月珠。用夜明珠去弹鸟雀。比喻得不偿失。