📖 Meaning
The idiom means not differing by even a single hair, describing something as absolutely exact and free of any error. It emphasizes perfect precision and complete correspondence between two things, with no deviation whatsoever. It is a direct variant of the more common 毫发不爽.
📜 Origin Story
Chinese reference works record no specific origin story for 毛发不爽, marking it simply as a variant of the more common idiom 毫发不爽. Both expressions build on the image of a hair as the smallest conceivable unit of measure, with 爽 here carrying the sense of 'to err or to differ.' The phrase therefore conveys that something is accurate down to the width of a hair, with no discrepancy at all. Because it is a synonymous variant rather than a distinct classical allusion, no specific dynasty or historical figure can be credited with its coinage.
💡 Example Usage
精密仪器测得的数据与理论值毛发不爽。
The figures obtained by the precision instrument matched the theoretical values without the slightest deviation.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 毛发不爽
- Pinyin: máo fā bù shuǎng
- Literal Translation: hair, fur, not, differ
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4