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

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

小 xiǎo
HSK 1
small, tiny, insignificant
洞 dòng
HSK 5
cave, grotto; ravine; hole
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
堵 dǔ
HSK 4
wall; stop, prevent; stop up
大 dà
HSK 1
big, great, vast, large, high
洞 dòng
HSK 5
cave, grotto; ravine; hole
吃 chī
HSK 1
eat; drink; suffer, endure, bear
苦 kǔ
HSK 4
bitter; hardship, suffering