a drop in the oceanBritish EnglishBrE, a drop in the bucket American EnglishAmESMALL a very small amount of something compared to what is needed or wanted 沧海一粟,杯水车薪 5,000 new schools are to be built, but this is just a drop in the ocean for such a vast country. 要新建5,000所学校,但对这么个幅员辽阔的国家来说也只是杯水车薪。
a drop in the ocean• Third World debt is so massive that recent pledges to reduce or forgive it are just a drop in the bucket.• The United States pledge of $100 million to the rainforest fund is a drop in the ocean.• With 2m men and women in uniform, a 60,000-strong force is just a drop in the ocean.
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