Chinese idiom · 成语
无足轻重
Meaning
Of no weight or measure; insignificant.
Character by character
Origin and story
literary criticismThe expression treats importance as weight: something is too slight to change the balance. Chen Tingzhuo uses the exact phrase in volume 5 of Baiyuzhai Cihua, criticizing writers who assume that romantic lyrics are an insignificant form and can therefore be dashed off carelessly. His complaint is precisely that such writing is harder than they imagine. This is a checked Qing attestation, not proof of the phrase's earliest use. In present-day usage it means that a detail, action, or person has little influence on the outcome. Calling a person this can sound dismissive, even when the intended point concerns only one decision.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
和食品安全相比，包装颜色的差别实在无足轻重。
Compared with food safety, differences in packaging color are insignificant.
Says something has little effect or importance in the relevant comparison.