"fig. petty squabbling" Chinese-English Dictionary

Chinese	Pinyin	Translation	Actions
蚁斗蜗争蟻鬥蝸爭	yǐ dòu wō zhēng	lit. the ant fights, the snail contends (idiom) / fig. petty squabbling

Chinese	Pinyin	Translation	Actions
打小算盘打小算盤	dǎ xiǎo suàn pán	lit. to count on a narrow abacus (idiom) / petty and scheming selfishly / concerned with petty interests / selfish and uncaring of the interests of others / bean counter	syn
便宜	pián yi	cheap / inexpensive / a petty advantage / to let sb off lightly	syn
风月風月	fēng yuè	romance / beautiful scenery / small or petty (of talk etc)	syn
小气小氣	xiǎo qì	stingy / miserly / narrow-minded / petty	syn
士官	shì guān	warrant officer / petty officer / noncommissioned officer (NCO) / Japanese military officer
下士	xià shì	lowest-ranked noncommissioned officer (e.g. corporal in the army or petty officer, third class in the navy)
龌龊齷齪	wò chuò	dirty / filthy / vile / despicable / (literary) narrow-minded / petty	syn
小动作小動作	xiǎo dòng zuò	bad habit (e.g. nose-picking) / petty maneuver / dirty trick / gamesmanship	syn
小儿科小兒科	xiǎo ér kē	pediatrics / pediatric (department) / sth of little importance / trifle / a child's play / (slang) childish / petty / stingy	syn
芝麻官	zhī ma guān	low ranking official / petty bureaucrat	syn
小官	xiǎo guān	petty official / minor functionary
挑刺	tiāo cì	to carp / nitpicking / petty criticism
小资产阶级小資產階級	xiǎo zī chǎn jiē jí	petty bourgeois
周转金週轉金	zhōu zhuǎn jīn	revolving fund / working capital / petty cash / turnover
挑毛病	tiāo máo bìng	to nitpick / petty criticism / to nag	syn
小偷小摸	xiǎo tōu xiǎo mō	petty theft	syn
窝囊气窩囊氣	wō nang qì	pent-up frustration / petty annoyances
琐屑瑣屑	suǒ xiè	trivial matters / petty things	syn
轻罪輕罪	qīng zuì	petty crime / misdemeanor
小心眼儿小心眼兒	xiǎo xīn yǎn r	small-minded / petty / narrow-minded	syn
卑卑不足道	bēi bēi bù zú dào	to be too petty or insignificant to mention / to not be worth mentioning (idiom)
妙手空空	miào shǒu kōng kōng	petty thief (lit. quick fingered and vanish) / empty-handed / having nothing
小家子气小家子氣	xiǎo jiā zi qì	petty / small-minded	syn
小肚鸡肠小肚雞腸	xiǎo dù jī cháng	lit. small belly, chicken's gut (idiom) / narrow-minded / petty	syn
佌	cǐ	petty / wretched
呫	zhān	to drink / to sip / to taste / to lick / whisper / petty
孑孑为义孑孑為義	jié jié wéi yì	petty favors
小心眼	xiǎo xīn yǎn	narrow-minded / petty	syn
小聪明小聰明	xiǎo cōng ming	clever-clever / clever in trivial matters / sharp but petty-minded	syn
心胸狭窄心胸狹窄	xīn xiōng xiá zhǎi	(idiom) narrow-minded / petty / ungenerous
心胸狭隘心胸狹隘	xīn xiōng xiá ài	narrow / petty-minded
煦仁孑义煦仁孑義	xù rén jié yì	petty kindness
鸡鹜雞鶩	jī wù	petty or mean persons
零用金	líng yòng jīn	petty cash
零用基金	líng yòng jī jīn	petty cash fund
零用现金凭单		petty cash voucher
定额备用现金	dìng é bèi yòng xiàn jīn	petty cash / imprest cash
小商业小商業	xiǎo shāng yè	petty trading
定额备用金账户定額備用金賬戶		petty cash account / imprest account
海军士官海軍士官		petty officer
海军军士海軍軍士		petty officer
海军军士长海軍軍士長		chief petty officer
小罪		minor offence / petty offence
轻罪犯輕罪犯		petty offender
耍小聪明耍小聰明	shuǎ xiǎo cōng ming	to get smart / to resort to petty tricks
卑陋	bēi lòu	humble / petty / crude
小里小气小裡小氣	xiǎo li xiǎo qì	stingy / petty
稗官	bài guān	(old) petty official charged with reporting back to the ruler on what people in a locality are talking about / novel in the vernacular / fiction writer / novelist
小便宜	xiǎo pián yi	petty advantage / small gains	syn
开花開花	kāi huā	to bloom / to blossom / to flower / (fig.) to burst / to split open / (fig.) to burst with joy / (fig.) to spring up everywhere / to flourish	syn
热腾腾熱騰騰	rè téng téng	steaming hot / (fig.) bustling / hectic / (fig.) excited / stirred up / (fig.) created only a short time before / freshly minted / hot off the press / (coll.) also pr. [re4 teng1 teng1]	syn
鬼扯脚鬼扯腳	guǐ chě jiǎo	lit. ghost pulls your leg / involuntary tug of muscles / fig. very unlucky / fig. argumentative / fig. can't help doing it
外溢	wài yì	(of liquid) to spill out / to overflow / (of gas) to leak out / (fig.) to spill over / to spread (to new areas) / (fig.) (of wealth etc) to drain / to flow outward (esp. overseas) / (fig.) (of talent) to show / to be revealed
目光	mù guāng	gaze / (fig.) attention / expression in one's eyes / look / (lit. and fig.) sight / vision	syn
味道	wèi dao	flavor / taste / (fig.) feeling (of ...) / sense (of ...) / hint (of ...) / (fig.) interest / delight / (dialect) smell / odor	syn
塑造	sù zào	to model / to mold / (fig.) to create (a character, a market, an image etc) / (fig.) (literature) to portray (in words)	syn
规矩規矩	guī ju	lit. compass and set square / fig. established standard / rule / customs / practices / fig. upright and honest / well-behaved	syn
发烧發燒	fā shāo	to have a high temperature (from illness) / to have a fever / (fig.) to be fascinated with / to obsess over / (fig.) flourishing / thriving / popular	syn
挂钩掛鉤	guà gōu	to couple / to link / to hook together / (fig.) (preceded by 與\|与[yu3] + {entity}) to establish contact (with {entity}) / (Tw) to collude (with {entity}) / (fig.) to link (marketing efforts with production etc) / to peg (welfare payments to inflation etc) / to tie (remuneration to performance etc) / hook (on which to hang sth) / latch hook / coupling	syn
架空	jià kōng	to build (a hut etc) on stilts / to install (power lines etc) overhead / (fig.) unfounded / impractical / (fig.) to make sb a mere figurehead	syn
出轨出軌	chū guǐ	to be derailed / to go off the rails / (fig.) to overstep the bounds / (fig.) to have an extramarital affair
鱼肉魚肉	yú ròu	flesh of fish / fish and meat / (fig.) victims of oppression / (fig.) to cruelly oppress (i.e. to treat like flesh to be carved up)	syn
封顶封頂	fēng dǐng	to put a roof (on a building) / to cap the roof (finishing a building project) / fig. to put a ceiling (on spending, prize, ambition etc) / to top off / fig. to reach the highest point (of growth, profit, interest rates) / to stop growing (of plant bud or branch)
中招	zhòng zhāo	(martial arts) to get hit / to get taken down / (fig.) to get infected (disease or computer virus) / (fig.) to fall for sb's trap / to be taken in
小白兔	xiǎo bái tù	small white rabbit / (fig.) innocent and naive person / (fig.) (slang) breast
出笼出籠	chū lóng	(of food) to be taken out of the steamer / (fig.) (often used with 紛紛\|纷纷[fen1 fen1]) (of products, information etc) to appear / to emerge / to come out / (fig.) to dump / to inundate the market
松柏	sōng bǎi	pine and cypress / fig. chaste and undefiled / fig. tomb	syn
搅和攪和	jiǎo huo	to mix / to blend / (fig.) to spoil / to mess up things / (fig.) to run around with (sb) / to get involved with / to mix (with other people)	syn
脱胎脫胎	tuō tāi	to be born / (fig.) to develop out of sth else (of ideas, stories, political systems etc) / (fig.) to shed one's body (to be reborn) / bodiless (e.g. lacquerware)
走后门走後門	zǒu hòu mén	(lit.) to enter through the back door / (fig.) to pull strings / to use connections / (fig.) (slang) to have anal sex	syn
瞻前顾后瞻前顧後	zhān qián gù hòu	lit. to look forward and back (idiom) / fig. to consider carefully / to weigh the pros and cons / fig. to be overcautious and indecisive	syn
遮羞布	zhē xiū bù	loincloth / (fig.) fig leaf / CL:塊\|块[kuai4]	syn
矮化	ǎi huà	(plant pathology) to become stunted / (horticulture) to dwarf / to reduce in size (by pruning, breeding etc) / (fig.) to diminish the status of / to disparage / (fig.) to downplay
熔断熔斷	róng duàn	(of fuse wire) to melt / to blow / (fig.) to halt stock trading / (fig.) to suspend an airline from operating flights on a given route (as a penalty, e.g. for bringing in more than a specified number of passengers who test positive for COVID)	syn
浊流濁流	zhuó liú	turbid flow / muddy waters / fig. a contemptible person / fig. corrupt or disgraceful social trends	syn
雏儿雛兒	chú ér	newly hatched bird / fig. inexperienced person / fig. chick (slighting term for young woman) / bimbo	syn
一团漆黑一團漆黑	yī tuán qī hēi	pitch-dark / (fig.) completely in the dark / totally ignorant of / (fig.) grim / beyond salvation	syn
擦边擦邊	cā biān	to make light contact with the edge of sth / (fig.) to be nearly (a certain age) / to be close to (danger) / (fig.) to be marginal (in terms of relevance or legality)
切中要害	qiè zhòng yào hài	to hit the target and do real damage (idiom) / fig. to hit where it hurts / fig. to hit home / an argument that hits the nail on the head
反裘负刍反裘負芻	fǎn qiú fù chú	lit. to wear one's coat inside out and carry firewood on one's back (idiom) / fig. to live a life of poverty and hard work / fig. to act stupidly
夫唱妇随夫唱婦隨	fū chàng fù suí	fig. the man sings and the woman follows / fig. marital harmony	syn
操斧伐柯	cāo fǔ fá kē	(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax / fig. to follow a principle / fig. to act as matchmaker
旧瓶装新酒舊瓶裝新酒	jiù píng zhuāng xīn jiǔ	lit. new wine in old bottles / fig. new concepts in an old framework / (loan idiom from Matthew 9:17, but fig. meaning is opposite)
来踪去迹來蹤去跡	lái zōng qù jì	the traces of a person's movements / (fig.) sb's history / (fig.) the ins and out of a matter	syn
伐柯	fá kē	(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax / fig. to follow a principle / fig. to act as matchmaker
刺儿刺兒	cì r	a thorn / fig. to ridicule sb / fig. sth wrong
周瑜打黄盖周瑜打黃蓋	zhōu yú dǎ huáng gài	fig. with the connivance of both sides / fig. by mutual consent / cf Wu patriot Huang Gai submits to mock beating at the hands of General Zhou Yu to deceive Cao Cao 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] before the 208 battle of Redcliff 赤壁之戰\|赤壁之战[Chi4 bi4 zhi1 Zhan4]
脱裤子放屁脫褲子放屁	tuō kù zi fàng pì	lit. to take off trousers to fart / fig. to do something absolutely unnecessary / fig. to make things too complicated
西克莫无花果西克莫無花果	xī kè mò wú huā guǒ	sycamore fig / common cluster fig
树高千丈，叶落归根樹高千丈，葉落歸根	shù gāo qiān zhàng , yè luò guī gēn	fig. a tree may grow a thousand zhang high, but its leaves return to their roots (proverb) / fig. everything has its ancestral home / in old age, an expatriate returns home
万箭穿心萬箭穿心	wàn jiàn chuān xīn	lit. to have one's heart pierced by thousands of arrows (idiom) / fig. overcome with sorrow / fig. to lambaste / to rip sb to shreds	syn
回过头来回過頭來	huí guò tóu lái	to turn one's head / to turn around / (fig.) to return (to a previous point) / to come back (to what one was saying before) / (fig.) to look back (in time) / to reflect on the past
火候	huǒ hou	heat control / (fig.) mastery / (fig.) crucial moment	syn
卷铺盖捲鋪蓋	juǎn pū gai	to roll up one's bedding / to pack one's things / (fig.) to quit / (fig.) to get fired / to get the sack	syn
操刀	cāo dāo	to hold a knife / (fig.) (of a surgeon) to perform an operation / (fig.) to personally handle or take charge of a task / to take the reins
放血	fàng xiě	(TCM) to practice bloodletting / (medicine) to perform phlebotomy / (coll.) to make sb bleed / to inflict grievous wounds / (fig.) to cough up a large amount of money / (fig.) to reduce prices drastically
斩获斬獲	zhǎn huò	to kill or capture (in battle) / (fig.) (sports) to score (a goal) / to win (a medal) / (fig.) to reap rewards / to achieve gains
磋磨	cuō mó	to polish and rub / (fig.) to torment / to torture / (fig.) to engage in discussion to hone an idea or skill
总汇總匯	zǒng huì	(of streams) to come together / to converge / confluence / (fig.) compendium / (fig.) aggregation / (in the name of a shop) emporium / (Tw) club sandwich (abbr. for 總匯三明治\|总汇三明治[zong3hui4 san1ming2zhi4])	syn

The four tones

"fig. petty squabbling" Chinese-English Dictionary

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