一丝一毫

一絲一毫

yìsī-yìháo

idiom #34,119

Meanings

1 the tiniest bit
2 a thread or a hair
3 an iota

Characters

silk thread; tiny unit

fine hair; tiny unit

Examples

HSK 1

这件事我一丝一毫都不知道。

Zhè jiàn shì wǒ yìsīyìháo dōu bù zhīdào.

I don't know the slightest thing about this matter.

HSK 6

他对自己的工作没有一丝一毫的马虎。

Tā duì zìjǐ de gōngzuò méiyǒu yìsīyìháo de mǎhu.

He is not careless in the slightest about his work.

HSK 7-9

精密仪器不允许有一丝一毫的误差。

Jīngmì yíqì bù yǔnxǔ yǒu yìsīyìháo de wùchā.

Precision instruments allow no iota of error.

Tips

history

From Ling Mengchu's 《二刻拍案惊奇》 (late Ming, 1632): 任凭尊意应济多少，一丝一毫尽算是尊赐罢了 - 'however much you wish to give, even the tiniest thread and hair counts as your generosity'. 丝 and 毫 are also the names of the smallest traditional decimal units (10 丝 = 1 毫, 10 毫 = 1 厘).

usage

Almost always in negative sentences (没有/不/毫无 + 一丝一毫) to mean 'not the slightest'. In affirmative form, it expresses painstaking attention to the smallest detail.

Stroke Order

一 yī

丝 sī

毫 háo