Chinese idiom · 成语
积羽沉舟
Meaning
Many feathers sink a boat; small things add up to great impact.
Character by character
Origin and story
philosophicalThe Strategies of the Warring States (战国策), in its Wei section, includes an appeal built from several images of accumulation: enough feathers can sink a boat, numerous light objects can break an axle, and a multitude of voices can melt metal. The speaker urges the king to consider his decision carefully. The point is the combined force of things that look insignificant when considered one at a time.
No actual boatload of feathers is reported to have sunk. This is an argumentative analogy, later condensed into an idiom. It commonly warns that small problems, repeated burdens, or individually minor influences can together produce serious consequences; the lightness of each separate feather does not make the total load harmless.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
积羽沉舟，这些不起眼的小额支出也得记下来。
Small things add up; we need to record these seemingly trivial expenses too.
Literary warning about cumulative effects, especially small burdens or harms.