锱铢必较

錙銖必較

zīzhūbìjiào

idiom #64,869

Meanings

Péngyǒu zhījiān bié zīzhūbìjiào, shāng gǎnqíng.

Don't haggle over every cent with friends — it damages the relationship.

Tā zuò shēngyì zīzhūbìjiào, yī máo qián yě bù ràng.

He's ruthless in business — won't give up even a single cent.

culture

锱 and 铢 are ancient units of weight: 1 两 = 4 锱, 1 锱 = 6 铢. Both are tiny, so the literal sense is 'arguing over the smallest measure'.

history

Found in 《荀子·富国》, used in the context of carving up a state's territory piece by piece.

锱 zī

铢 zhū

必 bì

较 jiào