📖 Meaning
Describes someone who is extremely meticulous and thorough in everything they do, not neglecting even the smallest detail. It conveys a strict, earnest attitude toward work or tasks, where nothing is overlooked or done sloppily.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the Qing dynasty scholar Wu Jingzi's satirical novel "Rulin Waishi" (The Scholars), also known as "儒林外史". In Chapter 42, the text describes a character's calligraphy as so precise and careful that not a single stroke was careless, using the phrase to praise the highest level of diligence in craft and scholarship. Wu Jingzi used it to illustrate the ideal attitude of a dedicated scholar who attends to every minute detail.
💡 Example Usage
王老师批改作业一丝不苟，连一个标点符号的错误都不会放过。
Teacher Wang grades homework with meticulous care — he won't let even a single punctuation mistake slip by.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一丝不苟
- Pinyin: yī sī bù gǒu
- Literal Translation: one, thread, not, careless
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4