小洞不堵，大洞吃苦 xiǎo dòng bù dǔ ， dà dòng chī kǔ

fix small problems early; act before it grows

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. a small hole not plugged will give you grief when it gets bigger (idiom)
  2. 2. a stitch in time saves nine

Characters

Character Meaning
小 xiǎo HSK 1
small; young; tiny
洞 dòng HSK 5
cave; hole
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
堵 dǔ HSK 4
to block up (a road, pipe etc); to stop up (a hole)
大 dà HSK 1
big; large; great
洞 dòng HSK 5
cave; hole
吃 chī HSK 1
to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc)
苦 kǔ HSK 4
bitter; to suffer; hardship