一丝不苟

yī sī bù gǒu

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Uncommon

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Definitions

1. not one thread loose (idiom); strictly according to the rules
2. meticulous
3. not one hair out of place

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 马马虎虎 mǎ ma hū hū 马马虎虎 mǎ ma hū hū careless 马虎和一丝不苟意思相反，指做事不认真。: careless

Related words

1 item

• 精益求精 jīng yì qiú jīng 精益求精 jīng yì qiú jīng to perfect sth that is already outstanding (idiom); constantly improving 精益求精指已经很好了还要更好，与一丝不苟的严谨有关联。: to perfect sth that is already outstanding (idiom); constantly improving

Synonyms

2 items

• 细致 xì zhì 细致 xì zhì delicate 二者都表示做事认真仔细。一丝不苟更强调严格遵循规则，不放过任何细节。: delicate
• 严谨 yán jǐn 严谨 yán jǐn rigorous; strict; careful 严谨也指做事严密谨慎，与一丝不苟意义相近。: rigorous; strict; careful

Usage notes

Common mistakes

不要漏掉“苟”字写成“一丝不”，这个成语是四个字。

Example Sentences

1 shown

他工作起来总是 一丝不苟 ，非常认真。

He always works meticulously and very seriously.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 一丝不苟

• 一 一 yī: one
• 不 不 bù: no; not so
• 丝 丝 sī: silk
• 不苟 不苟 bù gǒu: not lax
• 苟 苟 gǒu: if