錙銖
Chinese edit
| ancient weight; one-fourth of a tael | twenty-fourth part of a tael | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (錙銖) | 錙 | 銖 | |
| simp. (锱铢) | 锱 | 铢 | |
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
錙銖
- (literary, literally) zi (1⁄4 of a tael) and zhu (1⁄24 of a tael), both are small weight measures in ancient China
- 雖分國如錙銖，不臣不仕。其規為有如此者。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Book of Rites, c. 4th – 2nd century BCE
- Suī fēn guó rú zīzhū, bù chén bù shì. Qí guī wéi yǒu rú cǐ zhě. [Pinyin]
- […] although the offer was made to share a state with him, it would be no more to him than the small weights of a balance; he will not take a ministry, he will not take an office ― such are the rules and conduct he prescribes to himself.
虽分国如锱铢，不臣不仕。其规为有如此者。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
- (literary, figurative) a tiny amount; a very small amount
- 五六月累丸，二而不墜，則失者錙銖。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
- Wǔ liù yuè lěiwán, èr ér bù zhuì, zé shī zhě zīzhū. [Pinyin]
- For five or six months, I practised with two pellets, till they never fell down, and then I only failed with a small fraction of the cicadas (which I tried to catch).
五六月累丸，二而不坠，则失者锱铢。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
- (literary, figurative) a small profit; a very small amount of money