yīn
xiǎo
shī

idiom
common

Meaning of 因小失大

因小失大 means to suffer big losses for the sake of small gains; to be penny wise and pound foolish. Pronounced yīn xiǎo shī dà.

  • to suffer big losses for the sake of small gains; to be penny wise and pound foolish

Definitions & Examples

yào
yīn
xiǎo
shī
 
wèi
le
shěng
zhè
diǎn
qián
ér
yǐng
xiǎng
le
jiàn
kāng
 

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish by saving this little money at the expense of your health.

Zuò
shēng
yào
kàn
de
cháng
yuǎn
 
néng
yīn
xiǎo
shī
 

In business, you must take a long-term view and not lose big for small gains.

yīn
wèi
tān
xiǎo
pián便
yi
 
jié
guǒ
yīn
xiǎo
shī
 
bèi
piàn
le
hěn
duō
qián
 

Because he was greedy for small advantages, he ended up suffering big losses and was swindled out of a lot of money.