九牛一毛 jiǔ niú yī máo — a drop in the bucket; a tiny fraction

九牛一毛
jiǔ niú yī máo

Characters: 九 · 牛 · 一 · 毛

Definitions

  1. a drop in the bucket; a tiny fraction

More definitions

CC-CEDICT

  1. (lit.) one hair from nine oxen (idiom)
  2. (fig.) a drop in the ocean

ExtDict

  1. 九条牛身上的一根毛。比喻极大数量中极微小的数量，微不足道。

Examples

  • 这点捐款对他来说不过是九牛一毛。

    This donation is but a drop in the bucket to him.

  • 和总预算相比，这笔开销只是九牛一毛。

    Against the total budget, this expense is a mere fraction.