Literary Chinese 割雞焉用<span class="searchmatch">牛刀</span> (gējī yān yòng niúdāo, literally “why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?”). <span class="searchmatch">鶏</span>(にわとり)<span class="searchmatch">を</span>割(さ)く<span class="searchmatch">に</span><span class="searchmatch">いずくんぞ</span>牛(ぎゅう)刀(とう)<span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">用</span>(もち)<span class="searchmatch">い</span><span class="searchmatch">ん</span> • (niwatori o saku...
necessary to handle small problems Synonyms: <span class="searchmatch">牛刀</span>をもって<span class="searchmatch">鶏</span><span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">割く</span> (gyūtō o motte niwatori o saku), <span class="searchmatch">鶏</span><span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">割く</span><span class="searchmatch">に</span><span class="searchmatch">いずくんぞ</span><span class="searchmatch">牛刀</span><span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">用</span><span class="searchmatch">い</span><span class="searchmatch">ん</span> (niwatori o saku ni izukunzo gyūtō o mochiin)...
【<span class="searchmatch">鶏</span><span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">割く</span><span class="searchmatch">に</span><span class="searchmatch">いずくんぞ</span><span class="searchmatch">牛刀</span><span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">用</span><span class="searchmatch">い</span><span class="searchmatch">ん</span>】 [proverb] something big is not necessary to handle small problems Alternative spelling <span class="searchmatch">鶏</span><span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">割く</span><span class="searchmatch">に</span>焉んぞ<span class="searchmatch">牛刀</span><span class="searchmatch">を</span><span class="searchmatch">用</span><span class="searchmatch">い</span><span class="searchmatch">ん</span>...