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小题大做

小題大做
xiǎotídàzuò
idiom #11,390

Meanings

  1. 1 to make a big fuss over a minor issue
  2. 2 to blow things out of proportion

Examples

只是迟到了五分钟，你不要小题大做。
Zhǐshì chídào le wǔ fēnzhōng, nǐ bùyào xiǎotídàzuò.
It's just five minutes late, don't make a big deal out of it.
他觉得我小题大做，但我真的很担心。
Tā juéde wǒ xiǎotídàzuò, dàn wǒ zhēn de hěn dānxīn.
He thinks I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but I'm really worried.

Tips

memory
小题 (small topic/question) + 大做 (do it big) = making a small matter into something big. Imagine writing a 10-page essay for a simple yes/no question.
history
Originally from the imperial exam system: 小题 was a simple exam question from the Four Books, and 大做 meant writing an overly elaborate essay for it.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo
题 tí
大 dà
做 zuò