gain a trifle at great cost
Pinyin is Su í zh ū t á nqu è, a Chinese idiom, which means to play birds with the night pearl. It generally refers to doing things without knowing how to weigh the weight, not doing what should be done, but doing what should not be done. It's from Chuang Tzu rang Wang.
The origin of Idioms
Zhuangzi rang Wang, written by Zhuangzi in the Warring States period, Song Dynasty and Zhou Dynasty: "today, there are people here, playing the bird of a thousand Ren with the Pearl of the Marquis, and the world will laugh at it. What is it? It's important to use it, but it's also important to use it lightly. "
Idiom usage
It's not worth the loss. example a lark, a sunflower in Tangxi. The ode to Qing Yi by Zhang Anchao in the later Han Dynasty
Idiom story
When Lu AI Gong heard that Yan he was very wise, he sent someone to send him a gift to invite him out of the mountain. Poor Yan He is not affected. Chuang Tzu expressed his feelings on this matter. Yan he didn't want to be rich. He didn't welcome the rich gifts. Such a person is rare. And those who do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives to pursue wealth are just as unworthy as "taking the Pearl of the Sui Marquis and playing the sparrow of a thousand Ren".
Chinese PinYin : suí zhū tán què
gain a trifle at great cost