Teddy has emptied his fishbowl and now he is carefully measuring fresh water back into it. The manner in which he is doing that has alarmed his goldfish. That tiny amount of water is hardly a drop in the bucket! I'll need more than that!" the goldfish cried. A drop in the bucket / ocean describes a very small amount of something, especially when much more is required.

empty 使…成为空的
Fishbowl 鱼缸
fresh water 淡水
alarm 使…惊恐
goldfish 金鱼

一滴水，无论在水桶(bucket) 里或是在汪洋 (ocean)中，只是极微小的分量。因此，“a drop in溢the bucket/ocean” 也就解释为沧海一粟或九牛一毛。

① “The new tax cuts are a drop in the ocean. I'd like to see bigger ones.”
“新减税额只是九牛一毛。我希望有更大幅度的削减。”
② “I'd like to buy a new ear, but I'm afraid what I have saved is just a drop in the bucket. I'll have to save much more money.”
“我想买部新车，但我的积蓄恐怕仅是九牛一毛。我必须积蓄更多的钱。”