📖 Meaning
A metaphor for an extremely small or insignificant contribution or merit. The phrase draws on the imagery of a single drop of water to describe a trivial amount of effort rendered to a cause. It is frequently used in self-deprecating contexts where a speaker modestly downplays their own contribution.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a Tang Dynasty edict titled 'Edict Ordering Liu Ji to Commit Suicide,' issued by Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin). In the edict, the emperor declared that Liu Ji came from humble common origins, his words and deeds were rarely praiseworthy, he had not rendered even a drop of merit to the state, and he was not an old associate from the emperor's early days. The phrase was employed to dismiss Liu Ji's worth entirely before ordering him to take his own life. Over time, '涓滴之劳' came to be used more broadly to describe any negligible contribution.
💡 Example Usage
虽无涓滴之劳，亦愿尽绵薄之力。
Though I have made no noteworthy contribution, I am still willing to offer my humble efforts.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 涓滴之劳
- Pinyin: juān dī zhī láo
- Literal Translation: tiny stream, water drop, of, merit
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4