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失之毫厘，差之千里
shīzhīháolí,chàzhīqiānlǐ
Traditional: 失之毫釐，差之千里
a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses
Character Breakdown
失
shī
to lose; to make a mistake, to neglect
HSK 4
之
zhī
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
HSK 4
毫
háo
fine hair; measure of length; one-thousandth
HSK 5
厘
lí
one thousandth
HSK 5
差
chà
difference, gap; almost, nearly; in error; an officer
HSK 3
之
zhī
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
HSK 4
千
qiān
thousand; many, numerous; very
HSK 2
里
lǐ
unit of distance equal to 0.5km; village; lane
HSK 1
Additional Information
Category
Chinese
HSK Character Level
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HSK Word Level
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