大题小作 dà tí xiǎo zuò make a mountain out of a molehill

Explanation

指把重大的事情当成小事情来处理，形容做事不认真负责。

To treat a major issue as a minor one; to describe doing things carelessly and irresponsibly.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位年轻有为的官员李侍郎，负责修建一座规模宏大的宫殿。工程进行到一半时，工匠们发现地基出现裂缝，这可是个大问题，如果继续施工，宫殿随时可能倒塌。可李侍郎却视而不见，只派了几个小工简单地修补了一下，并未重视。结果，这座宫殿竣工不久便发生坍塌事故，造成人员伤亡和巨大的经济损失。李侍郎因大题小作，最终被朝廷问责，丢官罢职。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yī wèi nián qīng yǒu wéi de guān yuán lǐ shì láng, fùzé xiū jiàn yī zuò guīmó hóng dà de gōng diàn. gōngchéng jìnxíng dào yībàn shí, gōng jiàng men fāxiàn dì jī chūxiàn lièfèng, zhè kě shì gè dà wèntí, rúguǒ jìxù shīgōng, gōng diàn suíshí kěnéng dǎotā. kě lǐ shì láng què shì'ér bù jiàn, zhǐ pài le jǐ gè xiǎo gōng jiǎndān de xiūbǔ le yīxià, bìng wèi zhòngshì. jiéguǒ, zhè zuò gōng diàn jūnggōng bùjiǔ biàn fāshēng tāntā shìgù, zàochéng rényuán shānwáng hé jùdà de jīngjì sǔnshī. lǐ shì láng yīn dài tí xiǎo zuò, zuìzhōng bèi cháoting wènzé, diū guān bàizhí.

During the Tang Dynasty, a young and promising official named Li Shi Lang was responsible for constructing a grand palace. Midway through the project, the craftsmen discovered cracks in the foundation, a serious issue that could cause the palace to collapse if construction continued. However, Li Shi Lang ignored the problem and simply dispatched a few workers to make minor repairs. Consequently, the palace collapsed shortly after completion, resulting in casualties and substantial economic losses. As a result of his negligence, Li Shi Lang was held accountable and dismissed from office.

Usage

常用来形容对重要的事情处理不认真，马虎敷衍。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng duì zhòngyào de shìqíng chǔlǐ bù rènzhēn, mǎhu fūyǎn

Often used to describe not taking important things seriously and being careless.

Examples

• 这件事如此重要，怎么能大题小作？

  zhè jiàn shì rúcǐ zhòngyào, zěn me néng dài tí xiǎo zuò？

  How can we make light of such an important matter?

• 处理问题要认真负责，不能大题小作。

  chǔlǐ wèntí yào rèn zhēn fùzé, bù néng dài tí xiǎo zuò

  We must be serious and responsible in dealing with problems; we cannot treat them lightly.

Related Idioms

• 轻描淡写

• 敷衍了事

Opposite Idioms

• 小题大做