螞蟻啃骨頭
mǎ​yǐ​kěn​gǔ​tou

to tackle a big task bit by bit

  • created sense approved 蚂蚁啃骨头/螞蟻啃骨頭 · mǎ​yǐ​kěn​gǔ​tou · to tackle a big task bit by bit — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    蚂蚁啃骨头 / 螞蟻啃骨頭

    mǎ​yǐ​kěn​gǔ​tou

    to tackle a big task bit by bit

    Literally meaning "ants gnawing a bone," this describes pooling small amounts of energy or resources together to complete a difficult or massive task through persistent, steady effort.

    mǎ​yǐ​kěn​gū​tou

    蚂蚁 (literal) → 蚂蚁/螞蟻 · mǎ​yǐ · ant 啃 (literal) → 啃 · kěn · to gnaw 骨头 (literal) → 骨头/骨頭 · gū​tou · bone

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

    created sense