见缝插针

見縫插針
jiànfèngchāzhēn
idiom #70,333

Meanings

  1. 1 to stick a needle wherever there's a gap
  2. 2 to make use of every available bit of time or space
  3. 3 to squeeze in at every opportunity

Examples

Tā gōngzuò hěn máng, dàn jiànfèngchāzhēn de xué Yīngyǔ.
He's busy with work, but he squeezes in English study wherever he can.
Tā jiànfèngchāzhēn de zuò jiāwù, yīdiǎn shíjiān dōu bù làngfèi.
She fits housework into every spare crack of time, not wasting a minute.

Tips

memory
Literal: 'see a crack, stick a needle in'. A vivid image — someone who won't let any scrap of time or space go unused. Mostly positive (praise for efficiency), occasionally mildly teasing about nosiness.

Stroke Order

jiàn
féng
chā
zhēn