杀鸡焉用牛刀
shā​jī​yān​yòng​niú​dāo

why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken

  • created reference approved 杀鸡焉用牛刀/殺雞焉用牛刀 → 割鸡焉用牛刀/割雞焉用牛刀 (same_as) — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    杀鸡焉用牛刀 / 殺雞焉用牛刀 shā​jī​yān​yòng​niú​dāo

    割鸡焉用牛刀 / 割雞焉用牛刀 gē​jī​yān​yòng​niú​dāo

    same_as

    Changed: source (simp), source (trad), source pinyin, target (simp), target (trad), target pinyin, type

    created reference

  • created sense approved 杀鸡焉用牛刀/殺雞焉用牛刀 · shā​jī​yān​yòng​niú​dāo · why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    杀鸡焉用牛刀 / 殺雞焉用牛刀

    shā​jī​yān​yòng​niú​dāo

    why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken

    Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken? (figuratively) small matters do not require large effort or great talent; don't use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

    杀 (literal) → 杀/殺 · shā · to kill 鸡 (literal) → 鸡/雞 · jī · chicken 焉 (literal) → 焉 · yān · how 用 (literal) → 用 · yòng · to use 牛刀 (literal) → 牛刀 · niú​dāo · butcher's knife

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense