📖 Meaning
A single fish scale floating in the vast ocean. It serves as a metaphor for something extremely insignificant or negligible in the grand scheme of things. The phrase conveys a sense of how trivial one's existence or possessions appear against an immense backdrop.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the late Qing dynasty novel 《冷眼观》(Cold-Eyed Observer), authored by Wang Jianqiu. In its seventh chapter, the passage recounts a scholar who spent ten years studying by lamplight, only to offend a powerful young official while trying to seek justice for an ordinary citizen. As a consequence, everything he had labored for was swept away in an instant, likened to a single fish scale in the boundless sea or a fleeting cloud over Mount Wu, vanishing into nothingness.
💡 Example Usage
他的财富在富豪榜上不过是沧海一鳞罢了。
His wealth is but a single scale in the vast ocean compared to those on the billionaires' list.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 沧海一鳞
- Pinyin: cāng hǎi yī lín
- Literal Translation: vast sea, one scale
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4