bui1 seoi2 ce1 san1杯水車薪杯水车薪

Jyutpingbui1 seoi2 ce1 san1

Yalebūi séui chē sān

語句

Definition

An utterly inadequate measure; trying to put out a blazing cartload of firewood with a single cup of water.

writtenother

How it's used

This idiom is used to describe a situation where an effort or resource is woefully inadequate to address the scale of a problem. It carries a sense of futility, implying that the attempt is essentially useless because the gap between the need and the solution is too wide. It is frequently used in news reports or formal discussions regarding government funding, charity, or crisis management.

Examples

min6面deoi3對gam3咁daai6大ge3嘅kwai1虧syun2損，le1呢bat1筆cin2錢zi2只hai6係bui1杯seoi2水ce1車san1薪。

Facing such a huge loss, this amount of money is just a drop in the bucket.

nei5你gyun1捐go2嗰siu2少siu2少cin2錢，deoi3對gau3救zoi1災lai4嚟gong2講hai6係mai6咪bui1杯seoi2水ce1車san1薪aa4呀？

Is the little money you donated just a drop in the bucket for the disaster relief?

Common phrases

zi2只hai6係bui1杯seoi2水ce1車san1薪

is merely a drop in the bucket

bui1杯seoi2水ce1車san1薪ge3嘅wun4援zo6助

inadequate aid

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a literal description of a fire, but it is strictly used metaphorically to describe insufficient resources. Do not use it to describe a small amount of something that is actually sufficient for a small task.