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偷工减料 (tōu gōng jiǎn liào) — cut corners (in workmanship); do shoddy work

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'cut corners' in construction or manufacturing — skimping on materials and labor to save cost, usually producing shoddy results.

idiom
cut corners (in workmanship)do shoddy work

Examples

  • 偷工减料。
    Zhè jiā jiàn zhù gōng sī yīn wèi tōu gōng jiǎn liào bèi fá kuǎn le.
    This construction company was fined for cutting corners.
  • 偷工减料，。
    Xiū fáng zi de shí hou jué duì bù néng tōu gōng jiǎn liào, fǒu zé yǐ hòu huì yǒu dà má fan.
    When renovating a house you absolutely cannot cut corners, otherwise there will be big trouble later.
  • 偷工减料，。
    Tā men yòng lián jià cái liào tōu gōng jiǎn liào, jié guǒ dà qiáo hěn kuài jiù tā le.
    They used cheap materials to cut corners, and as a result the bridge collapsed soon after.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

偷工cut work
偷tōusteal工gōngwork
动宾Verb + object
减料reduce materials
减jiǎnreduce料liàomaterials
动宾Verb + object

偷工 means cutting work and 减料 means reducing materials, together describing shoddy work.

Characters in this word

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
俞
俞yú偷tōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 亻, a standing person, points to the idea of someone doing the act, while the right part 俞 gives the character its sound.

Open 偷 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 工 is a picture of a bladed tool used to plow ground or mark a border; some read it as a carpenter's square.

Open 工 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 減; 减 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 減 has 氵, water, and 咸, a seal: sealing off a stream of water lessens its flow. The simplified 减 is a later abbreviation.

Open 减 →

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

料 combines 米 (rice) with 斗 (a dipper), showing rice being measured or gauged.

Open 料 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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