打小算盤 dǎ xiǎo suàn pán

lit. to count on a narrow abacus (idiom); petty and scheming selfishly

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. to count on a narrow abacus (idiom); petty and scheming selfishly
  2. 2. concerned with petty interests
  3. 3. selfish and uncaring of the interests of others
  4. 4. bean counter

Characters

Character Meaning
打 dǎ HSK 1
to hit; to strike; to beat
小 xiǎo HSK 1
small; young; tiny
算 suàn HSK 3
to regard as; to calculate; to figure
盤 pán
dish; plate; tray