count rice to cook; fuss over trivialities; stingy/poor
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 4 examplesverb
to fuss over trivial details; to waste effort on unnecessary meticulous work
formalFrom Zhuangzi (《庄子·庚桑楚》). Describes doing things with excessive attention to insignificant details; often used in formal or literary contexts.
Zuò做
shì事
yào要
yǒu有
dà大
jú局
guān观
，
bù不
néng能
shǔ数
mǐ米
ér而
chuī炊
。
When working, one must have a big-picture perspective, not fuss over trivialities.
Tā他
zài在
guǎn管
lǐ理
shàng上
zǒng总
shì是
shǔ数
mǐ米
ér而
chuī炊
，
xiào效
lǜ率
jí极
dī低
。
In management, he always fusses over trivial details, resulting in extremely low efficiency.
adjective
stingy and calculating; living in impoverished circumstances
formalExtended meaning describing extreme frugality or poverty where one must literally count every grain of rice.
Tā他
jiā家
jìng境
pín贫
hán寒
，
guò过
rì日
zi子
shǔ数
mǐ米
ér而
chuī炊
。
His family was poor, living day-to-day counting every grain of rice.
Nà那
wèi位
lìn吝
sè啬
guǐ鬼
shǔ数
mǐ米
ér而
chuī炊
，
lián连
yī一
lì粒
mǐ米
dōu都
shě舍
bù不
de得
làng浪
fèi费
。
That miser counts every grain, unwilling to waste even a single grain of rice.