汉英词典
Chinese-English Dictionary
MEANING OF 杯水车薪
bēi shuǐ chē xīn
杯水车薪 (杯水車薪)
lit. a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood (idiom); fig. an utterly inadequate measure
Use a glass of water to save a car of firewood / The metaphor is too small to solve the problem
不行 无效 无用 无益 失效 不济 无济于事 空头 于事无补 不济事
用一杯水去救一车着了火的柴草。比喻力量太小，解决不了问题。
杯 bēi 水 shuǐ 车 (車) chē/jū 薪 xīn
EXAMPLE SENTENCES

这20美元只是杯水车薪。

The 20 dollars is a drop in the bucket.

我所做的仅仅是杯水车薪而已。

What I have done is just a drop in the bucket.

那只是杯水车薪，我需要一大笔钱来清偿债务。

That's just a drop in the bucket. I need too much to get back on my feet.

奥卡万戈三角洲方圆几千平方英里，但是在广袤的卡拉哈里沙漠，这简直是杯水车薪。

The Okavango covers thousands of square miles, but it is really just a thin sheet of water stretched across the sands of the Kalahari.

仅仅是对之前提到的顶工资，官方用车和手机的一番花拳绣腿，对削减公共开支只是杯水车薪。

Cuts in public spending will have to go far beyond the gimmicky blitz on top salaries, official cars and mobile phones mentioned so far.

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