微不足道
- Literal
- tiny, not enough to be worth saying
- Figurative
- So small or so slight that it isn't worth mentioning; used of a figure, a detail, or, modestly, of one's own contribution.
Where does 微不足道 come from?
It comes from no anecdote. It is assembled from classical pieces: 微 means "tiny, slight" and 不足道 "not enough to be spoken of," an old turn of phrase used to play something down. Put together, they give what is too small to be worth naming. It works two ways: to genuinely dismiss something as trivial, and as a modest formula when speaking of one's own contribution.
How is 微不足道 used? Two examples
- 这点小事微不足道，不用特意谢我。
It was nothing worth mentioning; you really don't need to thank me.
- 这么大的开销，省这几块钱微不足道。
Against an expense that size, saving a few yuan makes no difference at all.
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