Tā shuō zuò èrshí ge fǔwòchēng shì xiǎocài-yìdié, jiéguǒ shí ge dōu méi zuòwán.
He said twenty push-ups would be nothing, then could not even finish ten.
Tips
memory
The picture is one saucer of 小菜, the little cold side dishes put out before a meal. Set against a real course it is nothing, so the phrase means not merely easy, but beneath effort.
usage
Spoken, and normally said of yourself or of someone whose skill you rate: 这对他来说是小菜一碟. Aimed at a task that somebody else struggled with, it lands as a boast.
