省油的灯

[L-F-J]

when you say someone is or isnt a 省油的灯 (sheng3 you2 de deng1) what exactly does it illustrate? i'm having a difficult time figuring out its meaning and usage. any tips?

[studentyoung]

when you say someone is or isnt a 省油的灯 (sheng3 you2 de deng1) what exactly does it illustrate?

It usually means

1. someone is too tough to handle

Example: 这个女人可不是省油的灯。This woman is very tough. (You’d better not argue with her or make an enemy of her.)

2. someone is so greedy

他的那些孩子，没一个是省油的灯。他都还没咽气呢，他们就想分家产了。

All his children are so greedy. Though he hasn’t breathed his last, they just can’t wait for their own share of fortune.

Cheers!

[yersi]

If it's used in the negative, as in 'he/she isn't an oil-saving lamp" it means that he/she is really capable, talented, but also carries a negative implication in the sense that this person is also sly and dangerous. If it is used in the affirmative, it means the person doesn't cause any trouble.

Here is a good (IMO) explanation:

“不是省油的灯”这句俗语，已广泛流行于我国文学作品、口语、影视作品、声像作品之中，且是全国东西南北中十分通行，使用频率很高，使用面很广的俗语。其涵义也畅晓明白尽人皆知，大意是非同一般，不简单。

如指某人‘不是省油的灯'，褒者，意指精明，干练，有根底，有来头，主意多，智慧高；

此语大多情况下含贬意，暗指某人攻于心计，奸狡圆滑，老谋深算，不好对付，不甘寂寞，从不吃亏，贯于损人利己等等。

‘不是省油的灯' 一语创源于何时我们暂不知晓，但其来源于唐代邛窑创造发明的省油灯，确是非常明显、无庸置疑的。省油灯源于南宋著名诗人陆游所写《老学庵笔记》。陆游客居四川的时候，曾担任邛州天台山崇道观的主管，所吟诗歌中，涉及邛崃的达22首之多，对邛窑省油灯耳闻目睹，可以说是再熟悉不过了，因此，陆放翁对省油灯的描述不仅真实可信，而且，“省油灯”的光辉也就透过陆放翁声播远扬的名气，撒向了全国各地。正是由于陆游的推崇和宣传，邛窑“省油灯”的制作工艺才得以传播到全国，而使各地瓷窑竞相仿制。当“省油灯”在全国民众中普遍得到认同时，人们从此有了“省油灯”和 “不省油的灯”的概念。