偷工減料 tōu gōng jiǎn liào

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

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

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
減 jiǎn
to decrease; to reduce; to lower
料 liào HSK 3
material; stuff; to expect