失之毫厘，差之千里

失之毫釐，差之千里
shīzhīháolí,chàzhīqiānlǐ
a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 失 shī
  1. to lose
  2. to miss
  3. to fail
2 之 zhī
  1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 de)
  2. him
  3. her
  4. it
3 毫厘 háolí a very small amount
4 差 chà
  1. different
  2. wrong; mistaken
  3. to fall short; to lack
  4. not up to standard; inferior
  5. Taiwan pr. chā
5 之 zhī
  1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 de)
  2. him
  3. her
  4. it
6 千里 qiānlǐ
  1. a thousand miles
  2. a thousand li (i.e. 500 kilometers)
  3. a long distance

Related entries

失之毫厘，谬以千里 shīzhīháolí,miùyǐqiānlǐ a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses
失之毫厘，差以千里 shīzhīháolí,chàyǐqiānlǐ a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses