📖 Meaning
Every single minute and second must be fought for. Describes making the most of one's time and working with the utmost urgency, leaving no moment idle.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the Book of Jin, in the biography of Tao Kan, a general and statesman of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Tao Kan often told others, 'Even the sage King Yu cherished every cun of shadow (a tiny unit of time); as for ordinary people, they should cherish even a fen of shadow.' His point was that if even a sage wasted no time at all, common people, who have less talent, should be even more diligent about using every moment. From this saying about treasuring 'fen' and 'miao' (minutes and seconds), the idiom 分秒必争 was formed to mean seizing every instant.
💡 Example Usage
高考临近，同学们分秒必争地复习功课。
With the college entrance examination approaching, the students are seizing every minute to review their lessons.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 分秒必争
- Pinyin: fēn miǎo bì zhēng
- Literal Translation: minute, second, must, fight for
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4