差之毫厘，失之千里

Traditional: 差之毫釐，失之千里

chā zhī háo lí , shī zhī qiān lǐ

Dictionary entry

the slightest difference leads to a huge loss (idiom)

What does 差之毫厘，失之千里 mean?

差之毫厘，失之千里 (chā zhī háo lí , shī zhī qiān lǐ) has the following dictionary meaning.

1the slightest difference leads to a huge loss (idiom)

2a miss is as good as a mile

Character breakdown

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差chādifference; discrepancy · (math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction)之zhī(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) · him 毫háohair · drawing brush 厘lívariant of 釐|厘[li2]失shīto lose · to miss 千qiānthousand 里lǐvariant of 裡|里[li3]

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 差之毫厘，失之千里

差之毫厘，失之千里

chā zhī háo lí , shī zhī qiān lǐ

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.