penny wise and pound foolish; lose big for small gains
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to suffer big losses for the sake of small gains; to be penny wise and pound foolish
Used to criticize situations where attempts to save or gain small benefits result in much larger losses. Often carries a warning tone.
Bù不
yào要
yīn因
xiǎo小
shī失
dà大
，
wèi为
le了
shěng省
zhè这
diǎn点
qián钱
ér而
yǐng影
xiǎng响
le了
jiàn健
kāng康
。
Don't be penny wise and pound foolish by saving this little money at the expense of your health.
Zuò做
shēng生
yì意
yào要
kàn看
de得
cháng长
yuǎn远
，
bù不
néng能
yīn因
xiǎo小
shī失
dà大
。
In business, you must take a long-term view and not lose big for small gains.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Tā他
yīn因
wèi为
tān贪
xiǎo小
pián便
yi宜
，
jié结
guǒ果
yīn因
xiǎo小
shī失
dà大
，
bèi被
piàn骗
le了
hěn很
duō多
qián钱
。
Because he was greedy for small advantages, he ended up suffering big losses and was swindled out of a lot of money.