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

fix small problems early; a stitch in time

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); 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)
補 bǔ
to make up for; to supplement; to repair
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