a tiny error leads to a huge mistake; a miss is as good as a mile
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
a small initial error can lead to vastly incorrect results; a small discrepancy makes a huge difference
formal强调做事从一开始就要精准，否则小的偏差会被不断放大，导致严重后果。常用于学术、科学、工程、管理等领域，也用于人生哲理。
Huǒ火
jiàn箭
fā发
shè射
de的
shù数
jù据
jì计
suàn算
bì必
xū须
jí极
qí其
jīng精
què确
，
fǒu否
zé则
chā差
zhī之
háo毫
lí厘
，
miù谬
yǐ以
qiān千
lǐ里
。
The data calculations for the rocket launch must be extremely precise; otherwise, a tiny error will lead to a huge mistake.
Lì历
shǐ史
yán研
jiū究
zhōng中
，
duì对
yuán原
shǐ始
wén文
xiàn献
de的
yī一
gè个
zì字
wù误
dú读
，
wǎng往
wǎng往
huì会
dǎo导
zhì致
duì对
zhěng整
gè个
shì事
jiàn件
de的
cuò错
wù误
lǐ理
jiě解
，
zhēn真
shì是
chā差
zhī之
háo毫
lí厘
，
miù谬
yǐ以
qiān千
lǐ里
。
In historical research, misreading a single character in the original documents often leads to a misunderstanding of the entire event; it's a classic case of a small error leading to a huge mistake.
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Yī医
shēng生
de的
zhěn诊
duàn断
shāo稍
yǒu有
piān偏
chā差
，
yòng用
yào药
jiù就
huì会
wán完
quán全
bù不
tóng同
，
zhè这
jiù就
shì是
chā差
zhī之
háo毫
lí厘
，
miù谬
yǐ以
qiān千
lǐ里
de的
dào道
lǐ理
。
If a doctor's diagnosis is slightly off, the prescribed medication will be completely different; this illustrates the principle that a small error leads to a huge mistake.