僧多粥少

sēngduō-zhōushǎo

idiom #67,105

Meanings

1 many monks, little gruel (idiom)
2 not enough to go around
3 demand exceeds supply

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

好职位僧多粥少，竞争非常激烈。

Hǎo zhíwèi sēngduōzhōushǎo, jìngzhēng fēicháng jīliè.

Good positions are scarce and applicants many - the competition is fierce.

HSK 6

奖学金名额有限，真是僧多粥少。

Jiǎngxuéjīn míng'é yǒuxiàn, zhēnshi sēngduōzhōushǎo.

The scholarship slots are limited - there really isn't enough to go around.

Tips

history

Appears in the Qing novel 《醒世姻缘传》 chapter 62 as 僧多粥薄 - the image: too many monks lining up for the temple's breakfast gruel, the ladle too thin to feed them all. The fixed form 僧多粥少 works the same way.

usage

Used whenever supply is outstripped by demand - job market, exam slots, real estate, scholarships. Structure: [resource] 僧多粥少. Pairs with 竞争激烈, 供不应求.

Stroke Order

僧 sēng

多 duō

粥 zhōu

少 shǎo