一毛不拔

yīmáo-bùbá

idiom HSK 7-9

Meanings

1 extremely stingy; miserly
2 unwilling to give up even a hair

Characters

Literally 'won't pull out a single hair' — so stingy they wouldn't part with even one strand of hair.

Examples

他那么有钱，却一毛不拔。

Tā nàme yǒuqián, què yīmáobùbá.

He's so rich, yet he's incredibly stingy.

别指望他请客，他一毛不拔。

Bié zhǐwàng tā qǐngkè, tā yīmáobùbá.

Don't expect him to treat you, he's a total cheapskate.

做人不能一毛不拔。

Zuòrén bùnéng yīmáobùbá.

You can't go through life being so stingy.

Tips

history

This idiom comes from the philosopher Mencius (孟子), who criticized the thinker Yang Zhu (杨朱) for extreme individualism. Mencius said: 杨子取为我，拔一毛而利天下，不为也 — 'Yang Zhu wouldn't pull out a single hair even if it would benefit the whole world.' Over 2,000 years later, it's still the go-to insult for cheap people.

usage

In modern slang, 铁公鸡 (tiěgōngjī, 'iron rooster') means the same thing — a rooster so cheap you can't pluck a single feather. Both are playful insults used among friends.

Stroke Order

一 yī

毛 máo

不 bù

拔 bá