臣不过是用了雕虫小技
“I merely used a trivial trick.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
“you have Frost completely tamed.”
臣 不过是 用了 雕虫小技
“I merely used a trivial trick.”
“It is just a trivial trick, entirely unworthy of your grand praise.”
Subordinates in imperial China were strictly expected to use self-deprecating rhetoric like 'petty tricks' to avoid outshining superiors.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
merely; nothing more than
Commonly used to minimize or downplay the importance or difficulty of an action.
tricks of little significance; insignificant skill
A classic set phrase used self-deprecatingly to refer to one's own minor technical tricks or writing skills.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“Mere child's play.”
“is mere child's play for him.”
“At worst, he's just biding his time and plotting schemes.”