杯水車薪

See also: 杯水车薪

Chinese

{| style="clear: right;margin: 1em;border-collapse: collapse;text-align: center"

|- ! !cup !water; river

!

vehicle on land; car; a vehicle; machine; to shape with a lathe

!fuel; salary |- !trad. (杯水車薪) | 杯 | 水 | 車 | 薪 |- !simp. (杯水车薪) | 杯 | 水 | 车 | 薪 |}

Etymology

Literally: use a cup of water to put out a burning cart full of firewood

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): bēi shuǐ jū xīn

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄟㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄐㄩㄒㄧㄣ
Cantonese (Jyutping): bui¹ seoi² geoi¹ san¹
Min Nan (POJ): poe-chúi-chhia-sin

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Pinyin: bēi shuǐ jū xīn
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄟㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄐㄩㄒㄧㄣ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bei shoei jiu shin
  - IPA ^(key): /peɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: bui¹ seoi² geoi¹ san¹
  - Yale: būi séui gēui sān
  - Cantonese Pinyin: bui¹ soey² goey¹ san¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: bui¹ sêu² gêu¹ sen¹
  - IPA ^(key): /puːi̯⁵⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ kɵy̯⁵⁵ sɐn⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: poe-chúi-chhia-sin
  - Tâi-lô: pue-tsuí-tshia-sin
  - Phofsit Daibuun: poezuychiasyn
  - IPA (Xiamen): /pue⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡ɕʰia⁴⁴⁻²² ɕin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /pue³³ t͡sui⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡ɕʰia³³ ɕin³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /pue⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡ɕʰia⁴⁴⁻²² ɕin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /pue⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡ɕʰia⁴⁴⁻³³ ɕin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /pue⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sui⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡ɕʰia⁴⁴⁻³³ ɕin⁴⁴/

Idiom

杯水車薪

too inadequate and useless; to no avail

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