小打小闹 xiǎo dǎ xiǎo nào minor skirmishes

Explanation

形容规模小，影响不大的事情，多指争吵或打架。

Describes things of small scale and insignificant impact, often referring to quarrels or fights.

Origin Story

在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着两位老人，他们虽然是邻居，却因为一些鸡毛蒜皮的小事经常发生争吵。有时，是因为村口那棵老树的树荫归谁所有；有时，是因为自家菜园里的一颗萝卜被谁偷走了。这些争吵，大多是小打小闹，并没有造成什么严重的后果，只是让村里的人们茶余饭后多了些谈资。然而，两位老人却因此结下了梁子，彼此之间充满了芥蒂。一天，村里来了个说书先生，他讲的故事里，有仁义礼智信，有忠孝节义，也有宽容和睦。两位老人听得入了迷，故事里的内容，让他们开始反思自己平时的行为。他们意识到，自己因为一些小事而争吵不休，不仅伤害了彼此的感情，也影响了村里的和谐。从此以后，两位老人再也没有因为小事而争吵，他们开始互相帮助，互相体谅，像老朋友一样相处融洽。村里的人们都为他们的改变感到欣慰，他们明白，小打小闹只会带来不必要的麻烦，只有互相尊重，互相理解，才能拥有和谐的生活。

zài yīgè piānpì de xiǎoshān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe liǎng wèi lǎorén, tāmen suīrán shì línjū, què yīnwèi yīxiē jīmáosùnpí de xiǎoshì jīngcháng fāshēng zhēngchǎo。 yǒushí, shì yīnwèi cūnkǒu nà kē lǎoshù de shùyīn guī shuí suǒyǒu；yǒushí, shì yīnwèi jīzi càiyuán lǐ de yī kē luóbō bèi shuí tōu zǒu le。 zhèxiē zhēngchǎo, dàduō shì xiǎodǎxiǎonào, bìng méiyǒu zàochéng shénme yánzhòng de hòuguǒ, zhǐshì ràng cūn lǐ de rénmen chá yú fàn hòu duō le xiē tánzī。 rán'ér, liǎng wèi lǎorén què yīncǐ jié xià le liángzi, bǐcǐ zhī jiān chōngmǎn le jièdì。 yī tiān, cūn lǐ lái le ge shuōshū xiānshēng, tā jiǎng de gùshì lǐ, yǒu rényì lǐ zhì xìn, yǒu zhōngxiào jiéyì, yě yǒu kuānróng hé'mù。 liǎng wèi lǎorén tīng de rù le mí, gùshì lǐ de nèiróng, ràng tāmen kāishǐ fǎnsī zìjǐ píngshí de xíngwéi。 tāmen yìshí dào, zìjǐ yīnwèi yīxiē xiǎoshì ér zhēngchǎo bùxiū, bùjǐn shānghài le bǐcǐ de gǎnqíng, yě yǐngxiǎng le cūn lǐ de héxié。 cóngcǐ yǐhòu, liǎng wèi lǎorén zài yě méiyǒu yīnwèi xiǎoshì ér zhēngchǎo, tāmen kāishǐ hùxiāng bāngzhù, hùxiāng tǐliàng, xiàng lǎopéngyou yīyàng xiāngchǔ róngqià。 cūn lǐ de rénmen dōu wèi tāmen de gǎibiàn gǎndào xīnwèi, tāmen míngbai, xiǎodǎxiǎonào zhǐ huì dài lái bù bìyào de máfan, zhǐyǒu hùxiāng zūnjìng, hùxiāng lǐjiě, cáinéng yǒngyǒu héxié de shēnghuó。

In a remote mountain village lived two old men who, despite being neighbors, frequently quarreled over trivial matters. Sometimes, it was about the shade of an old tree at the village entrance; other times, it was about a radish stolen from someone's vegetable garden. These quarrels were mostly minor and didn't cause any serious consequences, only providing the villagers with some gossip. However, the two old men developed a grudge against each other. One day, a storyteller came to the village and told stories filled with virtues and harmony. The two old men listened intently, and the stories made them reflect on their own behavior. They realized that their constant bickering over trifles not only damaged their relationship but also affected the harmony of the village. From then on, the two old men stopped quarreling over minor issues. They started helping each other and understanding each other, living together peacefully like old friends. The villagers were relieved by their change. They understood that petty quarrels only bring unnecessary trouble and that only mutual respect and understanding can bring about harmonious living.

Usage

用作主语、宾语；用于口语

yòng zuò zhǔyǔ、bìnyǔ；yòng yú kǒuyǔ

Used as subject and object; used in spoken language

Examples

• 他们只是小打小闹，并没有真的做什么坏事。

  tāmen zhǐshì xiǎodǎxiǎonào, bìng méiyǒu zhēn de zuò shénme huài shì。

  They were just messing around; they didn't really do anything bad.

• 这次的项目只是小打小闹，不足以改变大局。

  zhè cì de xiàngmù zhǐshì xiǎodǎxiǎonào, bù zúyǐ gǎibiàn dàjú。

  This project was just a small-scale operation; it wasn't enough to change the overall situation

Related Idioms

• 鸡毛蒜皮

• 微不足道

Opposite Idioms

• 大张旗鼓

• 大刀阔斧