斤斤计较

斤斤計較

jīnjīnjìjiào

idiom #25,588

Meanings

1 to haggle over every penny
2 to fuss over trivial matters
3 to be petty and calculative

Characters

catty (unit of weight, ~500g)

catty (reduplication for emphasis)

to calculate; to count

to compare; to dispute

Examples

别为这点小事斤斤计较了。

Bié wèi zhè diǎn xiǎoshì jīnjīnjìjiào le.

Don't fuss over such a trivial thing.

他对钱斤斤计较，朋友们都不喜欢他。

Tā duì qián jīnjīnjìjiào, péngyoumen dōu bù xǐhuān tā.

He haggles over every penny, and his friends all dislike him.

做生意不能太斤斤计较，要有大局观。

Zuò shēngyì bù néng tài jīnjīnjìjiào, yào yǒu dàjúguān.

In business, you can't be too petty — you need to see the big picture.

Tips

memory

斤 is the unit of catty (weight), so 斤斤 suggests obsessing over every tiny unit of weight. 计较 means to calculate and argue — together, the image is someone haggling over fractions of a gram.

Stroke Order

斤 jīn

计 jì

较 jiào