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因小失大

yīnxiǎoshīdà
idiom #60,929

Meanings

  1. 1 to lose a lot over a little
  2. 2 penny wise and pound foolish

Examples

为了省几块钱不做保养，结果车坏了，真是因小失大。
Wèile shěng jǐ kuài qián bú zuò bǎoyǎng, jiéguǒ chē huài le, zhēn shì yīnxiǎo shīdà.
Skipping maintenance to save a few bucks wrecked the car — truly penny wise, pound foolish.
别因小失大，把大局放在心上。
Bié yīnxiǎo shīdà, bǎ dàjú fàng zài xīn shàng.
Don't lose big for small gains — keep the big picture in mind.

Tips

memory
Mirror structure: 因 (because of) 小 (small) 失 (lose) 大 (big). The shape of the phrase itself stages the trade-off.

Stroke Order

因 yīn
小 xiǎo
失 shī
大 dà