蜗牛国

蝸牛國

wōniúguó

idiom

Meanings

1 a snail kingdom
2 a tiny, trivial country (as small as a snail's horn)
3 a small-minded polity

Characters

ox (in 蜗牛 = snail)

Examples

两方为一块地争得不可开交，活像两个蜗牛国。

Liǎng fāng wèi yī kuài dì zhēng de bùkě kāijiāo, huó xiàng liǎng ge wōniúguó.

The two sides fought tooth and nail over a patch of land — like two snail kingdoms at war.

蜗牛国争锋，不过是方寸之间的事。

Wōniúguó zhēngfēng, bùguò shì fāngcùn zhī jiān de shì.

Snail kingdoms vying for supremacy — it's all a fight over an inch of ground.

Tips

history

Echoes the 《庄子》 tale of two kingdoms on the left and right horns of a snail (触蛮之争) — a parable mocking the pettiness of territorial wars. Use to belittle a conflict as small-minded.

Stroke Order

蜗 wō

牛 niú

国 guó