An Amazingly Useful Chinese Idiom Used to Express Worthlessness

We've all been in circumstances where minuscule things were blown way out of proportion. According to many people in cities all around the world, wasting time on trivial things is a laughing matter, and basically has little to no place in the fast-paced and modern world. In response to nuances and phenomenons that are unimportant, there's a Chinese idiom that is conveniently used in this context — "鸡毛蒜皮 (Jīmáosuànpí)". This is an idiom that literally translates to "chicken feathers and garlic skin". While the English translation's literal meaning is a far cry from the actual denotation, it is used extensively to express things that are unimportant. Actually, "鸡毛蒜皮 (jīmáosuànpí)" is derived from an interesting legend and means that something is worthless or unimportant.

Here's the original legend of "鸡毛蒜皮 (jīmáosuànpí)".

A long time ago, there were two neighbors: One who lived in the East sold chickens for a living and one who lived in the West sold garlic for a living. Both families had a rather hard life. The family that sold chickens got up early to pluck "鸡毛 (jīmáo) chicken feathers", and as a result the entire floor was covered in chicken feathers. The family who sold garlic also woke up early, but to peel garlic, and their entire floor was covered with "蒜皮 (suànpí) garlic skin". The two families had originally lived in harmony. However, they did have a source of conflict, the wind.

Click "Read More" to Know the Complete Original Legend of "鸡毛蒜皮 (Jīmáosuànpí)".