失之毫厘，差之千里 in English shi1 zhi1 hao2 li2 , cha4 zhi1 qian1 li3 Meaning

Meanings

  • a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiomatic expression); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses

Simplified Characters

失 之 毫 厘 ， 差 之 千 里

Traditional Characters

失 之 毫 釐 ， 差 之 千 里

Pinyin

shi1 zhi1 hao2 li2 , cha4 zhi1 qian1 li3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

失shi1to lose 之zhi1(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) 毫hao2hair 厘li2variant of 釐|厘[li2] ， 差cha4difference 之zhi1(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) 千qian1thousand 里li3variant of 裡|里[li3]