What's the difference between these two Chinese idioms?
事半功倍 (half effort, double result) means working smart for efficiency, while 集腋成裘 (fox fur scraps make a robe) means small efforts accumulating into big results. Efficiency vs accumulation.
shì bàn gōng bèi
“Less effort, better results”
Literally: Half effort double result
This one comes from the Mencius, which argues that acting at the right moment takes half (半) the effort (事) of the ancients and produces double (倍) the result (功). Mencius's point is about timing, not technique: the same work done when conditions are ready yields disproportionately more. An approach...
Example: Using the new software doubled her productivity
Chinese: 使用新软件使她的工作效率提高了一倍
jí yè chéng qiú
“Small efforts make big results”
Literally: Gather fur make coat
腋 is the armpit, and the fur there is the softest on the animal and comes in scraps too small to be worth anything alone. Gathering (集) enough of them makes (成) a robe (裘) finer than one cut from whole skins. The Warring States texts use it for accumulation of every kind, and Chinese pairs it natura...
Example: The charity reached its goal through thousands of small donations
Chinese: 慈善机构通过成千上万的小额捐款达到了目标
| Aspect | 事半功倍 | 集腋成裘 |
|---|---|---|
| Pinyin | shì bàn gōng bèi | jí yè chéng qiú |
| Literal Meaning | Half effort double result | Gather fur make coat |
| Used For | Less effort, better results | Small efforts make big results |
| Theme | Success & Perseverance | Success & Perseverance |
| Example | Using the new software doubled her productivity | The charity reached its goal through thousands of small donations |
事半功倍 (half effort, double result) means working smart for efficiency, while 集腋成裘 (fox fur scraps make a robe) means small efforts accumulating into big results. Efficiency vs accumulation.
事半功倍 literally means "Half effort double result" and is used to describe "Less effort, better results." This one comes from the Mencius, which argues that acting at the right moment takes half (半) the effort (事) of the ancients and produces double (倍) the result (功). Mencius's point is about timing, not
集腋成裘 literally means "Gather fur make coat" and is used to describe "Small efforts make big results." 腋 is the armpit, and the fur there is the softest on the animal and comes in scraps too small to be worth anything alone. Gathering (集) enough of them makes (成) a robe (裘) finer than one cut from whol
Use 事半功倍 when you want to emphasize "Less effort, better results." Use 集腋成裘 when you want to emphasize "Small efforts make big results." 事半功倍 (half effort, double result) means working smart for efficiency, while 集腋成裘 (fox fur scraps make a robe) means small efforts accumulating into big results. Efficiency vs accumulation.