siu2 mou4 gin3 daai6 mou4小巫見大巫小巫见大巫

Jyutpingsiu2 mou4 gin3 daai6 mou4

Yalesíu mòuh gin daaih mòuh

語句

Definition

To be dwarfed by comparison; to pale in insignificance to something much larger or superior.

colloquialdescriptions

How it's used

This idiom is used to describe a situation where something seems impressive until it is compared to something much greater. It is often used in a self-deprecating way to acknowledge someone else's superior ability or a much more significant problem. It functions as a predicate and is frequently preceded by the verb 係.

Examples

tung4同keoi5佢soeng1相bei2比，ngo5我ni1呢di1啲gei6技seot6術zan1真hai6係siu2小mou4巫gin3見daai6大mou4巫。

Compared to him, my skills are really nothing to write home about.

nei5你gok3覺dak1得ni1呢go3個kwan3困naan4難hou2好daai6大？tung4同keoi5佢go2嗰go3個bei2比hai6係mai6咪siu2小mou4巫gin3見daai6大mou4巫le1呢？

You think this difficulty is huge? Isn't it dwarfed when compared to his?

Common phrases

gaan2簡zik6直hai6係siu2小mou4巫gin3見daai6大mou4巫

simply pales in comparison

Common mistake

Learners often try to use this as a direct adjective to describe a person, but it is strictly a phrase used to compare the scale or quality of two things. It cannot be used to describe a person as being small or insignificant directly.