偷工减料 tōu gōng jiǎn liào

to skimp on the job and stint on materials (idiom)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 28503rd word

Definitions

  1. 1. to skimp on the job and stint on materials (idiom)
  2. 2. sloppy work
  3. 3. jerry-building

Characters

Character Meaning
偷 tōu HSK 5
to steal; stealthily; to pilfer
工 gōng HSK 1
work; labor; worker
减 jiǎn HSK 4
to decrease; to reduce; to lower
料 liào HSK 3
material; stuff; to expect