惜指失掌 — “To suffer a greater loss by trying to avoid a smaller one”
惜指失掌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to suffer a greater loss by trying to avoid a smaller one”. To be penny wise and pound foolish. Literally, “be stingy with a finger and lose a hand”.
惜指失掌 Pronunciation and Pinyin
惜指失掌 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 惜指失掌
Origin and Story of 惜指失掌
During the Southern Dynasties period, He Hui, a native of Lujiang, was particularly fond of a beautiful young courtesan named Zhang Yao, with whom he often drank and reveled.
He Hui was appointed as the Governor of Guangzhou. Before taking up his post, he hosted a banquet for Ruan Tianfu.
During the feast, He Hui repeatedly boasted about Zhang Yao's beauty to Ruan, saying she was a rare treasure.
Ruan Tianfu, disgusted by their behavior, stormed off and submitted a memorial impeaching He Hui for neglecting his official duties.
Idioms Related to 惜指失掌
Synonyms of 惜指失掌
More idioms starting with 惜
- xī惜fēn分yīn阴cherish every moment
- xī惜mò墨rú如jīn金cherish ink like gold
- xī惜mò墨ruò若jīn金use words judiciously and concisely
- xī惜zì字rú如jīn金cherish words like gold
- xī惜gū孤niàn念guǎ寡pity the lonely and care for the widowed
- xī惜kè客hào好yì义Hospitable and righteous
- xī惜yù玉lián怜xiāng香cherish and care for women
- xī惜lǎo老lián怜pín贫Care for elderly, pity poor
- xī惜yī衣yǒu有yī衣，，xī惜shí食yǒu有shí食cherish possessions to ensure future abundance
- xī惜cái财rú如mìng命value money above all else
- xī惜xiāng香lián怜yù玉cherish and dote on women
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Open the tool →Questions about 惜指失掌
What does 惜指失掌 mean?
惜指失掌 (xī zhǐ shī zhǎng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to suffer a greater loss by trying to avoid a smaller one”.
How do you pronounce 惜指失掌?
惜指失掌 is pronounced xī zhǐ shī zhǎng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 惜指失掌 literally mean?
Literally, 惜指失掌 means “be stingy with a finger and lose a hand”. It is used to mean “to suffer a greater loss by trying to avoid a smaller one”.
Where does 惜指失掌 come from?
惜指失掌 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 惜指失掌?
惜：吝惜。因舍不得一个指头而失掉一个手掌。比喻因小失大。