Definition
This is a chengyu (four-character idiom) that literally means 'skill of carving a bug' — a reference to a trivial, insignificant talent. It's used both humbly, when you're downplaying your own ability (like saying 'just a small knack'), and dismissively, to describe something as unimpressive or low-level. The original context was literary criticism, calling someone's writing 'a mere bug-carving trick'.
id.
trivial skillinsignificant accomplishment (often used humbly or dismissively)
Examples
- 雕虫小技，。Tā qiānxū de shuō zìjǐ zhǐ huì yīxiē diāo chóng xiǎo jì, shàng bù liǎo táimiàn.He humbly said he only knows some trivial skills that aren't worthy of the stage.
- 雕虫小技？。Zhè zhǒng diāo chóng xiǎo jì yě gǎn ná chūlái xuànyào? Zhēn shì kěxiào.Daring to show off such a petty trick? How ridiculous.
- ，雕虫小技。Zài zhēnzhèng de zhuānjiā miànqián, wǒ zhè búguò shì diāo chóng xiǎo jì bà le.In front of a true expert, what I do is nothing more than an insignificant skill.
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