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一小撮 (yī xiǎo cuō) — (quantity) a small pinch, a tiny amount (of powder, grain, etc.); (figurative, derogatory) a handful (of bad people, reactionaries, criminals)

Definition

A quantifier for a tiny pinch (of powder, grain, salt) — used literally for small amounts and derogatorily for 'a handful of' bad people. The figurative sense is hostile and dismissive, calling out a small group as troublemakers.

quantifier
(quantity) a small pincha tiny amount (of powder, grain, etc.)(figurative, derogatory) a handful (of bad people, reactionaries, criminals)

Examples

  • 一小撮。
    Tā zài tāng lǐ jiā le yī xiǎo cuō yán.
    She added a pinch of salt to the soup.
  • 一小撮。
    yī xiǎo cuō Fàn zuì fèn zǐ bèi jǐng fāng zhuā huò le.
    A handful of criminals were caught by the police.
  • 一小撮。
    Bié ràng yī xiǎo cuō bié yǒu yòng xīn de rén pò huài wǒ men de tuán jié.
    Don't let a handful of ill-intentioned people destroy our unity.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
最
最zuì撮cuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

撮 pairs 扌, a form of 手, with 最, which gives the sound.

Open 撮 →
Appears in
Measure WordsQuantity & Amount

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