丁是丁，卯是卯

dīng shì dīng , mǎo shì mǎo

lit. to keep ding (the fourth heavenly stem) distinct from mao (the fourth earthly branch) (idiom)

fig. meticulous; conscientious; unambiguous

丁

dīng

male adult

是

shì

to be (followed by substantives only)

丁

dīng

male adult

，

,

卯

mǎo

old variant of 卯[mao3]

是

shì

to be (followed by substantives only)

卯

mǎo

old variant of 卯[mao3]