小题大作 xiǎo tí dà zuò make a mountain out of a molehill

Explanation

比喻把小事情当做大事情来处理，也指夸大其词，故意渲染。

To exaggerate the importance of something trivial; to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Origin Story

战国时期，赵国国君赵孝成王是个昏庸无能的君主，他经常为了蝇头小利而做出损害国家利益的事情。一次，燕国入侵赵国，赵王竟然不顾国家安危，听信谗言，用50座城池为代价，向齐国求援，请田单为将。这种做法，引起朝中大臣的强烈不满，大家都认为赵王这是小题大作，贻误战机。马服君甚至直言不讳地批评赵王，说他这是拿国家的安危来做儿戏。最终，燕军势如破竹，攻占赵国许多城池。赵孝成王的短视和轻率，最终给赵国带来了巨大的灾难。这个故事告诉我们，处理事情要分清轻重缓急，切不可小题大作，贻误时机。

zhànguó shíqí, zhàoguó guójūn zhào xiàochéng wáng shì ge hūnyōng wú néng de jūnzhǔ, tā jīngcháng wèile yíngtóu xiǎolì ér zuò chū sǔnhài guójiā lìyì de shìqíng. yī cì, yàn guó rùqīn zhàoguó, zhào wáng jìngrán bù gù guójiā ānwēi, tīng xìn chányán, yòng 50 zuò chéngchí wèi dàijià, xiàng qí guó qiúyuán, qǐng tián dān wèi jiāng. zhè zhǒng zuòfǎ, yǐnqǐ cháozhōng dàchén de qiángliè bù mǎn, dàjiā dōu rènwéi zhào wáng zhè shì xiǎotí dàzuò, yíwù zhànjī. màfú jūn shènzhì zhíyán bùhuì de pīpíng zhào wáng, shuō tā zhè shì ná guójiā de ānwēi lái zuò ér xí. zuìzhōng, yàn jūn shì rú pò zhú, gōngzhàn zhàoguó xǔduō chéngchí. zhào xiàochéng wáng de duǎnshì hé qīngshuài, zuìzhōng gěi zhàoguó dài lái le jùdà de zāinàn. zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen, chǔlǐ shìqíng yào fēn qīng qīngzhòng huǎnjié, qiē kě xiǎotí dàzuò, yíwù shíjī.

During the Warring States Period, King Zhao Xiaocheng of Zhao was an incompetent and incapable monarch who often made decisions that harmed the state's interests for petty gains. Once, when Yan invaded Zhao, the king, ignoring the danger to the state, listened to slander and used 50 cities to seek aid from Qi, inviting Tian Dan to be a general. This approach caused strong dissatisfaction among court officials, all of whom believed the king was making a mountain out of a molehill and missing opportunities. Mafu Jun even criticized the king directly, saying he was making a joke of the state's safety. Finally, Yan's troops were irresistible and captured many Zhao cities. Zhao Xiaochengwang's shortsightedness and recklessness ultimately brought great disaster to Zhao. This story tells us that when dealing with matters, we must distinguish between priorities and avoid making a mountain out of a molehill to avoid losing opportunities.

Usage

用于形容对小事反应过度，夸大其词。

yòng yú xíngróng duì xiǎoshì fǎnyìng guòdù, kuādà qícì

Used to describe overreacting to trivial matters and exaggerating things.

Examples

• 一些小事，不必小题大作。

  yīxiē xiǎoshì, búbì xiǎotí dàzuò

  Don't make a fuss over small things.

• 他总是小题大作，让人很反感。

  tā zǒngshì xiǎotí dàzuò, ràng rén hěn fǎngǎn

  He always makes a mountain out of a molehill, which is very annoying

Related Idioms

• 夸大其词

• 大惊小怪

Opposite Idioms

• 轻描淡写

• 一笑而过