Chinese word

举手之劳

Pronunciation

Pinyinjǔ shǒu zhī láo

Meaning

  • idiomsmall effort

Example

这件事对我来说是举手之劳。zhè jiàn shì duì wǒ lái shuō shì jú shǒu zhī láo

This is just a small effort for me.

Illustration for 举手之劳 (small effort)

More examples

帮他把文件打印好，对我来说不过是举手之劳。bāng tā bǎ wén jiàn dǎ yìn hǎo duì wǒ lái shuō bú guò shì jú shǒu zhī láo

Printing the documents for him is nothing more than a small effort for me.

Core concept

A helpful action that takes no more effort than lifting a hand.

Common phrases

  • 只是举手之劳zhǐ shì jú shǒu zhī láo

    just a small effort

  • 不过是举手之劳bú guò shì jú shǒu zhī láo

    nothing more than a small effort

Similar words

轻而易举qīng ér yì jǔ: An action that is easy to complete because it needs little effort or difficulty.
易如反掌yì rú fán zhǎng: An action that is as easy as a simple hand movement and needs almost no effort.

Definition in Chinese

指只需极少努力就能完成的事情，也可用作对自己小忙的谦称。zhǐ zhǐ xū jí shǎo nǔ lì jiù néng wán chéng de shì qíng yě kě yòng zuò duì zì jǐ xiǎo máng de qiān chēng

Word origin

举手之劳 (jǔshǒuzhīláo, "the labor of raising a hand") combines 举 (jǔ, "raise") + 手 (shǒu, "hand") + 之 (zhī, "of") + 劳 (láo, "labor") to present a tiny action as almost effortless.

Usage tips

  • After receiving thanks, a speaker can use this idiom to downplay personal credit, much like saying "It was nothing" in English; it fits casual replies better than highly formal ones.

Other meanings

  • small favoridiom

Opposites

  • 费尽心力fèi jìn xīn lìspare no effortidiom
  • 煞费苦心shà fèi kǔ xīntake great painsidiom

Word lists with this word