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偷工减料

偷工減料
tōugōngjiǎnliào
idiom #29,081

Meanings

  1. 1 to skimp on labor and materials
  2. 2 to do shoddy work
  3. 3 to cut corners

Examples

这家建筑公司因为偷工减料导致楼房倒塌。
Zhè jiā jiànzhù gōngsī yīnwèi tōu gōng jiǎn liào dǎozhì lóufáng dǎotā.
This construction company caused a building to collapse due to cutting corners.
做生意不能偷工减料，否则会失去客户的信任。
Zuò shēngyì bù néng tōu gōng jiǎn liào, fǒuzé huì shīqù kèhù de xìnrèn.
You can't cut corners in business, otherwise you'll lose customers' trust.

Tips

memory
偷 (steal) + 工 (labor) + 减 (reduce) + 料 (materials): literally 'steal labor, reduce materials' — the image of a sneaky contractor who hides shortcuts.

Stroke Order

偷 tōu
工 gōng
减 jiǎn
料 liào