秤砣雖小壓千斤 chèng tuó suī xiǎo yā qiān jīn

apparently insignificant details can have a large impact

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. apparently insignificant details can have a large impact
  2. 2. although small, a steelyard weight may tip a hundred pounds (idiom)
  3. 3. for want of a nail the battle was lost

Characters

Character Meaning
秤 chèng HSK 6
steelyard; Roman balance; variant of 稱chēng, to weigh
砣 tuó
steelyard weight; stone roller
雖 suī
although; even though
小 xiǎo HSK 1
small; young; tiny
壓 yā
to press; pressure; to push down
千 qiān HSK 2
thousand; see 秋千qiū qiān
斤 jīn HSK 3
(PRC) weight equal to 500 g; catty