Definition
小气 (xiǎo qì) has two related meanings: 'stingy' (unwilling to spend) and 'petty' (oversensitive about small matters). It's the everyday word for both; 吝啬 (lìn sè) is more formal and only means stingy, while 抠 (kōu) is very colloquial for stingy. 小人 (xiǎo rén) is a noun for a petty person, not an adjective.
adjective
stingymiserly (used for unwillingness to spend money or share)narrow-mindedpetty (used for being oversensitive or grudging over small matters)
Examples
- ，。Tā hěn xiǎo qi, lián yí kuài qián dōu bú yuànyì huā.He's so stingy that he won't even spend one yuan.
- ，小气。Zhème xiǎo de shì nǐ jiù shēngqì, nǐ yě tài xiǎo qi le.You get angry over such a small thing — you're so petty.
- ，小气。Tā yīnwèi nánpéngyou méi jìzhù shēngrì jiù bù gāoxìng, dàjiā dōu juéde tā xiǎo qi.She got upset because her boyfriend forgot her birthday; everyone thinks she's petty.
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