偷工减料

偷工減料

tōugōng-jiǎnliào

idiom #29,081

Meanings

HSK 7-9

这家建筑公司因为偷工减料导致楼房倒塌。

Zhèjiā jiànzhù gōngsī yīnwèi tōugōngjiǎnliào dǎozhì lóufáng dǎotā.

This construction company caused a building to collapse due to cutting corners.

HSK 7-9

做生意不能偷工减料，否则会失去客户的信任。

Zuòshēngyì bùnéng tōugōngjiǎnliào, fǒuzé huì shīqù kèhù de xìnrèn.

You can't cut corners in business, otherwise you'll lose customers' trust.

memory

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

偷 tōu

工 gōng

减 jiǎn

料 liào