失之毫釐，差之千里 shī zhī háo lí ， chà zhī qiān lǐ

DEFINITIONS

  1. a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses

CHARACTERS

失 shī
HSK 4
lose; make mistake, neglect
之 zhī
HSK 4
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
毫 háo
HSK 5
fine hair; measure of length
釐 lí manage, control; thousandth part of tael
差 chà
HSK 3
to differ; different, wrong; nearly, almost; an officer
之 zhī
HSK 4
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
千 qiān
HSK 2
thousand; many, numerous; very; (Cant.) a cheater, swindler
里 lǐ
HSK 1
unit of distance; village; lane