撿了芝麻丟了西瓜 jiǎn le zhī ma diū le xī guā

DEFINITIONS

  1. to let go of the big prize while grabbing at trifles (idiom)

CHARACTERS

撿 jiǎn to pick up
了 le
HSK 1
to finish; particle of completed action
芝 zhī sesame; a purplish or brown mushroom thought to have miraculous powers; 'a divine and felicitous plant' (Karlgren)
麻 ma
HSK 4
hemp, jute, flax; sesame
丟 diū discard, reject, lose
了 le
HSK 1
to finish; particle of completed action
西 xī
HSK 1
west(ern); westward, occident
瓜 guā
HSK 2
melon, gourd, cucumber; rad. 97