一毛不拔
- Literal
- not to pull out a single hair
- Figurative
- Impossibly tightfisted: someone who won't part with the smallest thing, even when it costs little and would help a lot.
Where does 一毛不拔 come from?
Mencius sums up the doctrine of the thinker Yang Zhu this way: he stood for "every man for himself" and would not pull out a single hair even if doing so benefited the whole world. Against him Mencius set Mozi, who preached universal love and would wear himself down from head to heel if it served the world. The phrase thus began as a philosophical jab at selfishness carried to its extreme. It later shed that doctrinal weight and settled into a casual, fairly mocking way of calling someone a cheapskate, usually about money.
Source (出处): 《孟子》
How is 一毛不拔 used? Two examples
- 他挣得不少，可对朋友一毛不拔。
He earns plenty, but he won't spend a cent on his friends.
- 公司在设备上一毛不拔，员工只好自己买。
The company won't spend a dime on equipment, so the staff end up buying it themselves.
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