📖 Meaning
Literally refers to two minor skin conditions — ringworm and scabies. Metaphorically, it describes trivial problems, insignificant issues, or minor ailments that pose no real threat. Used to dismiss concerns as being too small to warrant serious attention.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the ancient Chinese text 'Lüshi Chunqiu' (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals), compiled around 239 BCE under the patronage of Lü Buwei, the Chancellor of the Qin state. In the chapter 'Straight Remonstrance', the phrase appears in a discussion of military strategy, where the state of Wu is described as being no more than a minor skin irritation to the state of Qi. The original wording was '疥癣之病' (the reverse order), which later evolved into the more common form '癣疥之疾'. The idiom also appears in the classic Ming dynasty novel 'Investiture of the Gods' (封神演义), where the three rebellious marquises are dismissed as a mere '癣疥之疾' — a trivial nuisance, not a real threat.
💡 Example Usage
这点账目上的误差不过是癣疥之疾，不影响大局。
This minor discrepancy in the accounts is nothing but a trivial issue — it won't affect the overall situation.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 癣疥之疾
- Pinyin: xuǎn jiè zhī jí
- Literal Translation: ringworm, scabies, of, disease
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4