滄海一粟

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 滄海一粟. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 滄海一粟, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 滄海一粟 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 滄海一粟 you have here. The definition of the word 滄海一粟 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of滄海一粟, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: 沧海一粟

Chinese

vast ocean; large ocean
one; single; a
one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)
 
grain; millet
trad. (滄海一粟) 滄海
simp. (沧海一粟) 沧海

Etymology

From Su Shi's Former Ode on the Red Cliffs:

蜉蝣天地
蜉蝣天地
Jì fúyóu yú tiāndì, miǎo fú hǎi zhī yī sù.
We are like mayflies wandering in this terrestrial world or a grain of millet drifting on a deep ocean.

In some versions of the original text, (fú hǎi, floating in the ocean) is written as 滄海 / 沧海 (cānghǎi, large ocean).

Pronunciation


Idiom

滄海一粟

  1. drop in the ocean; drop in the bucket