一草一木

yīcǎo-yīmù

idiom #78,206

Meanings

1 every blade of grass and every tree
2 every little thing
3 the tiniest details of a place

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

他爱护这里的一草一木。

Tā àihù zhèlǐ de yīcǎo-yīmù.

He cherishes every little thing about this place.

HSK 5

我熟悉故乡的一草一木。

Wǒ shúxī gùxiāng de yīcǎo-yīmù.

I know every blade of grass and every tree in my hometown.

HSK 7-9

校园里的一草一木都承载着回忆。

Xiàoyuán lǐ de yīcǎo-yīmù dōu chéngzài zhe huíyì.

Every corner of the campus carries its own memory.

Tips

history

Recorded in 《后汉书·应劭传》: '春一草枯则为灾，秋一木华亦为异' - 'in spring, a single withered blade is a bad omen; in autumn, a single flowering tree is strange'. The parallel 一草 / 一木 became standard shorthand for 'every small thing'.

usage

Nearly always used with 熟悉, 爱护, 珍惜, 了解 - verbs of knowing or cherishing. Signals deep personal attachment to a place.

Stroke Order

一 yī

草 cǎo

木 mù