a storm in a teacup

a storm in a teacup

Make a mountain out of a molehill, Chinese idiom, Pinyin is Xi à ot í D à Zu à, which means to make a big article with a small topic. It means to treat a small matter as a big one improperly, which means to exaggerate intentionally. It's from Zhaomei zhanyan.

Citation explanation

It means to make a big article with a small topic. It means to treat a small matter improperly as a big one. It means to exaggerate on purpose. According to Yang Cong's Yutang Huiji in Ming Dynasty, "Cheng was promoted to Beijing; he wanted to extend his ambition; fan Mu gradually hindered him; he had to go away with difficulties; and Cheng then played to uncover the disputes; he made a big deal out of a molehill." Chapter 73 of a dream of Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin in Qing Dynasty: nothing, but they make a fuss. Why ask him? In Qing Dynasty, Fang Dongshu's Zhaomei zhanyan, Volume 20: "Yuntao stone, a valley poem, is full of substance and emptiness. It makes a fuss. It is a fantastic idea with great potential." Wu Yanren, Qing Dynasty chapter 63: how much capital and how much money he spent to cheat him out of seven thousand silver is a big deal.

Idioms and allusions

During the Warring States period, Zhao Guoxiao became the king and was very frustrated. He is short-sighted and likes to be arbitrary. He can't listen to the minister's advice. He is very greedy and often suffers from small profits. One year, there was a conflict between Zhao and Yan. In a rage, the king of Yan appointed Gao Yang as commander in chief and led 100000 soldiers to attack Zhao. King Zhao Xiaocheng was at a loss when he saw the military report of the army of Yan. he thought that there was no general of Zhao who could lead the army to compete with the army led by Gao Yang of Yan, so he sent people to Qi to ask general Tian Dan of Qi to be commander in chief of Zhao's army and command the three armies to fight against Yan's army. After listening to the Zhao envoys, the king of Qi put forward the condition that Zhao should give all the three cities to the east of Jishui and the 57 cities and markets in the Gaotang plain as rewards. When the envoys returned to the state of Zhao to convey the conditions of the king of Qi, King Xiaocheng felt that the state of Qi was taking advantage of the fire and asking too high a price. But he was worried that he would not agree to the conditions of the king of Qi, and that the king of Qi would not let Tian Dan come to lead the army of Zhao, so that the king of Yan would destroy Zhao at one stroke. After thinking about it, he finally decided to agree to the harsh conditions of Qi. King Xiaocheng's decision shocked the ministers of Manchu Dynasty. They didn't expect that King Xiaocheng would have such absurd ideas and make such absurd decisions. Ministers talked about it in private. Among the ministers in Manchu Dynasty, Ma Fujun and Zhao she were the most dissatisfied, but he didn't dare to oppose King Xiaocheng's decision publicly. He went to Pingyuan to discuss with him and said, "our Zhao state is not without a general who can lead the army and resist foreign enemies. Nowadays, in order to hire the state of Qi's Tiandan, he has to cede more than 50 cities to the state of Qi. Isn't it a fuss? Pingyuan Jun comforted him and said, "this is what the king has decided. What's the use of talking about it again?" Zhao she said angrily: "our soldiers in the state of Zhao are strong. The general is brave, and there are no less than ten thousand people who often fight on the battlefield. If you let me lead the army to meet the enemy, you can wipe out the Yan army in less than 100 days. Zhao she looked at Pingyuan Jun and saw that he was indifferent. Then she said, "what's Tian Dan? If he doesn't have the ability, he will lose to the state of Yan. If he really has the ability to lead the army, he won't work for the state of Zhao. Zhao she made an impassioned speech. Seeing that Pingyuan Jun was indifferent, he left with a sigh.

Idiom usage

How much money did he use and how much money did he spend to cheat him out of seven thousand silver. Wu Yanren, the 63rd chapter of the strange situation witnessed in 20 years