集腋成裘

jíyèchéngqiú

idiom

Meanings

1 many small contributions add up to something big
2 lit. patches of fox armpit fur stitched into a fur coat

Characters

Examples

捐款不在多少，集腋成裘。

Juānkuǎn bù zài duōshǎo, jíyèchéngqiú.

It doesn't matter how much you donate — every bit adds up.

他每天存十块钱，集腋成裘，一年下来也是不小的数目。

Tā měi tiān cún shí kuài qián, jíyèchéngqiú, yī nián xiàlái yě shì bù xiǎo de shùmù.

He saves ten yuan a day; little by little it adds up to a sizable amount over a year.

知识就靠日积月累，集腋成裘。

Zhīshi jiù kào rì jī yuè lěi, jíyèchéngqiú.

Knowledge comes from accumulating bit by bit, day after day.

Tips

history

From 《慎子·知忠》: '狐白之裘，盖非一狐之皮也' — a white fox-fur robe is never made from one fox. The most prized fur is the bit under the armpit (腋), so a robe needs many foxes' worth of patches.

Stroke Order

集 jí

腋 yè

成 chéng

裘 qiú