wild goose feather; something extremely insignificant
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 2 examplesnoun
wild goose feather; something extremely light or insignificant
literaryThis is a literary and classical idiom, most famously used in the phrase '重于泰山，轻于鸿毛' from Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian' to discuss the weight of one's death.
Rén人
gù固
yǒu有
yī一
sǐ死
，
huò或
zhòng重
yú于
Tài泰
Shān山
，
huò或
qīng轻
yú于
hóng鸿
máo毛
。
Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a goose feather.
Yǔ与
guó国
jiā家
de的
lì利
yì益
xiāng相
bǐ比
，
gè个
rén人
zhè这
diǎn点
sǔn损
shī失
bù不
guò过
hóng鸿
máo毛
ér而
yǐ已
。
Compared to the interests of the nation, my personal loss is as insignificant as a goose feather.