Definition
鹅毛 literally means 'goose feather', but in Chinese it's most commonly used in the idiom 千里送鹅毛 (qiān lǐ sòng é máo) to describe a gift that is modest in material value but carries deep emotional significance — the thought behind the gift matters more than the gift itself. It also appears in the set phrase 鹅毛大雪 (é máo dà xuě) for big, feathery snowflakes. On its own, it can refer to actual goose feathers.
n.
goose feather(in idioms) a modest gift that symbolizes sincere feelings
Examples
- 鹅毛，。Wàimiàn xià zhe é máo dà xuě, lù shàng yí gè rén dōu méi yǒu.Outside, huge goose-feather snowflakes are falling, and there's no one on the road.
- 鹅毛，。Qiān lǐ sòng é máo, lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng.Sending a goose feather from a thousand li away — the gift is light but the feeling is deep.
- 鹅毛，。Tā sòng le wǒ yì gēn é máo, shuō shì jiāxiāng de tèchǎn.He gave me a goose feather, saying it was a specialty from his hometown.
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