锱铢必较

錙銖必較

zīzhū-bìjiào

idiom #64,869

Meanings

HSK 4

他做生意锱铢必较，一毛钱也不让。

Tā zuò shēngyì zīzhū-bìjiào, yì máo qián yě bù ràng.

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

HSK 5

朋友之间别锱铢必较，伤感情。

Péngyou zhījiān bié zīzhū-bìjiào, shāng gǎnqíng.

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

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