📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who fusses and schemes over trivial amounts of money or goods. It portrays a petty, calculating mindset that obsesses over minor gains rather than focusing on what truly matters.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Volume 18 of 'Slapping the Table in Amazement' (初刻拍案惊奇) by the late Ming dynasty writer Ling Mengchu (凌濛初). In the original passage, the author criticizes greedy people who, despite possessing beautiful wives and concubines, still scheme to acquire land, harm others for self-interest, and bicker over trifling amounts. The work is a renowned collection of vernacular short stories from the Ming era, and this line uses the idiom to expose the meanness of such characters' hearts.
💡 Example Usage
那个商人为了一两块钱搬斤播两，让所有合作方都感到厌烦。
That merchant haggled over every tiny sum, annoying all his business partners.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 搬斤播两
- Pinyin: bān jīn bō liǎng
- Literal Translation: move, jin (catty), spread, liang (ounce)
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4