鸡毛蒜皮 trivial matters
Explanation
比喻无关紧要的琐碎事情。
Refers to unimportant, trivial matters.
Origin Story
老张是一位退休工程师，平时喜欢收集各种各样的零件和工具。他的家，就像一个小型的零件仓库，到处堆满了螺丝钉、螺帽、弹簧、齿轮等等。这些东西，在他看来，都是宝贝，是他多年来辛勤工作的见证。但对于他的妻子李梅来说，这些东西却是“鸡毛蒜皮”的废物，她多次劝说老张把它们清理掉，但老张总是舍不得。 有一天，老张的一个老朋友来访，他向老张询问一个特殊零件的来源。老张在杂乱的零件堆里翻找了半天，最终找到了一块不起眼的零件，正是老朋友需要的。老朋友拿着这个零件，感动地说："真是太感谢你了！我找这个零件找了好久，没想到它居然藏在你这里。"老张听了，只是笑了笑，并没有多说什么，他明白，在妻子眼里是"鸡毛蒜皮"的东西，有时候却能解决大事。 从此以后，李梅对老张的零件收藏不再那么反感了，她开始理解，老张对这些“鸡毛蒜皮”的零件，有着他自己的深情厚谊。这些零件不仅仅是零件，更是他人生经历和技艺传承的象征。
Old Zhang is a retired engineer who enjoys collecting a wide array of parts and tools. His house is like a mini parts warehouse, filled with screws, nuts, springs, gears, and so on. He considers these items treasures, testaments to his years of dedicated work. But to his wife, Li Mei, these are just "trivial" junk. She has repeatedly asked him to clean them up, but Zhang is always reluctant. One day, an old friend visits Zhang, asking about a specific part. Zhang searches through his chaotic collection, finally locating a seemingly insignificant piece—precisely what his friend needed. The friend, deeply touched, exclaimed, "Thank you so much! I've been searching for this part for ages, and it was here all along!" Zhang simply smiles, saying nothing. He understands that what his wife views as "trivial" can often solve important problems. From that day forward, Li Mei's view on Zhang's collection softened. She begins to understand the deep sentimental attachment Zhang has to these seemingly "trivial" parts. They aren't just parts, but symbols of his life experiences and craftsmanship.
Usage
常用于形容琐碎、不重要的事情。
Often used to describe trivial, unimportant things.
Examples
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别再为这些鸡毛蒜皮的小事操心了。
bié zài wèi zhèxiē jī máo suàn pí de xiǎoshì cāoxīn le
Don't worry about these trivial things anymore.
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他总是喜欢斤斤计较，处理鸡毛蒜皮的小事。
tā zǒngshì xǐhuan jīn jīn jì jiào, chǔlǐ jī máo suàn pí de xiǎoshì
He always likes to haggle over small details and deal with trivial matters.