Chèngtuó suī xiǎo, yā qiānjīn.

秤砣雖小, 壓千斤。

Lit The sliding weight [of a steelyard scale], although small, can balance a thousand catties.

Fig An unimpressive person may have hidden talents or ambitions.

Note [Cf. JW, chap. 31; note: literally, one jīn or “catty” is equal to one-half kilogram, but qiānjīn is figuratively taken to mean “a ton; a great weight.”]

Topics AMBITION APPEARANCES catty JW qiānjīn (wt.) TALENT