- 小试牛刀 xiǎoshìniúdāo to show a glimpse of one's talentto give a small demonstration of one's great skills or talents; used to describe an able person starting on a minor task to show what they can do
- 牛刀小试 niúdāoxiǎoshì to show a bit of one's talentA first small demonstration of the impressive skills of a person with great talent; originally referred to using a large cleaver to perform a minor task
- 杀鸡焉用牛刀 shājīyānyòngniúdāo why use an ox cleaver to kill a chickenWhy 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.
- 割鸡焉用牛刀 gējīyānyòngniúdāo overkillWhy use a meat cleaver to kill a chicken; used to describe wasting a lot of effort on a small matter or using a great talent for a trivial task.
- 牛刀割鸡 niúdāogējī to use a sledgehammer to crack a nutto use a great talent for a trivial task; to waste one's potential on a petty matter