小洞不補大洞吃苦 xiǎo dòng bù bǔ dà dòng chī kǔ

DEFINITIONS

  1. A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); a stitch in time saves nine

CHARACTERS

小 xiǎo small, tiny, insignificant
洞 dòng cave, grotto; ravine; hole
不 bù no, not; un-; negative prefix
補 bǔ mend, patch, fix, repair, restore
大 dà big, great, vast, large, high
洞 dòng cave, grotto; ravine; hole
吃 chī eat; drink; suffer, endure, bear
苦 kǔ bitter; hardship, suffering