玩物喪志 wán wù sàng zhì

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. trifling destroys the will (idiom); infatuation with fine details prevents one making progress
  2. excessive attention to trivia saps the will

CHARACTERS

玩 wán
HSK 2
play with, joke, enjoy
物 wù
HSK 3
thing, substance, creature
喪 sàng mourning; mourn; funeral
志 zhì
HSK 4
purpose, will, determination; annals