Fragmentary scales
It is a Chinese idiom. Pinyin is pi à NL í NC á NJI à, which means to describe a small part of things. From New Historiography: the old historiography of China.
The origin of Idioms
Liang Qichao's New Historiography: the old historiography of China: "sometimes we can see its fragmentary scale through the works of foreigners."
Idiom usage
As an object or attribute; used in figurative sentences
Fragmentary scales
leave a good name for a hundred generations - liú fāng hòu shì
Urgent officials slow down the people - jí lì huǎn mín
the vicissitudes of official life - huàn hǎi fú chén