| 一小撮 | yi1 xiao3 cuo1 | handful (of) |
| 握 | wo4 | to grasp |
| 满手 | man3 shou3 | handful |
| 寥寥可数 | liao2 liao2 ke3 shu3 | tiny number |
| 屈指可数 | qu1 zhi3 ke3 shu3 | just a handful |
| 偷鸡不成蚀把米 | tou1 ji1 bu4 cheng2 shi2 ba3 mi3 | to go for wool and come back shorn |
| 大手大脚 | da4 shou3 da4 jiao3 | wasteful |
| 偷鸡不著蚀把米 | tou1 ji1 bu4 zhu4 shi2 ba3 mi3 | having high aims, but a total failure |