small cash; small sum; petty bribe
Meanings
3 senses · 7 examplesnoun
small copper coin (in the late Qing Dynasty); inferior cash
archaicHistorical term referring to low-quality copper coins minted during the late Qing dynasty. In some dialectal regions, the term is also applied to standard cash coins or tokens (镚子).
The small cash coins circulating among the people in the late Qing Dynasty varied greatly in quality.
In this region, tokens were also called "small cash" in the past.
noun
small amount of money; petty sum; pocket change
Commonly used in the idiom "说大话，使小钱" (to talk big but spend little). The term often carries a connotation of pettiness or stinginess.
He always talks big but spends little, so nobody trusts him.
Just take this small sum of money for emergencies.
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We are not short of this small amount of money, but we should still save where necessary.
noun
petty bribe; small sum used as bribery
archaicHistorical usage referring to small amounts of money given as bribes in imperial or early Republican times. The term implies corruption on a small scale.
In the old days, official circles emphasized using small bribes to accomplish big tasks.
He climbed the social ladder by giving small bribes.