玩物丧志
Traditional form:
玩物喪志
Pinyin (reading):
wánwùsàngzhì
Definitions:
- lit. trifling destroys the will (idiom); infatuation with fine details prevents one making progress
- excessive attention to trivia saps the will
Characters:
- 玩 - to play with, to joke, to entertain
- 物 - thing, substance, matter; creature
- 丧 - mourning; mourn; funeral
- 志 - determination, will; mark, sign; to record, to write
Traditional characters: