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失之毫厘，差之千里

shī zhī háo lí , chà zhī qiān lǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom) / a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-73d35787b19408a0. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

失之毫釐，差之千里 失之毫厘，差之千里 [shi1 zhi1 hao2 li2 , cha4 zhi1 qian1 li3] /a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 失之毫釐，差之千里

  • 失
    shī

    to lose / to miss / to fail

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 毫
    háo

    hair / drawing brush / (in the) least / one thousandth / currency unit, 0.1 yuan

  • 厘
    lí

    one hundredth / centi-

    Lí

    Li (c. 2000 BC), sixth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝[Yán dì] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shén nóng] Farmer God, also known as Ai 哀[Āi]

  • 差
    chā

    difference / discrepancy / (math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction) / (literary) a little / somewhat / slightly

    chà

    different / wrong / mistaken / to fall short / to lack / not up to standard / inferior / Taiwan pr. [chā]

    chāi

    to send (on an errand) / (archaic) person sent on such an errand / job / official post

    cī

    used in 參差|参差[cēn cī]

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 千
    qiān

    thousand / used in 鞦韆|秋千[qiū qiān]

  • 里
    lǐ

    lining / interior / inside / internal / also written 裏|里[lǐ] / li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m / neighborhood / ancient administrative unit of 25 families / (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 鎮|镇[zhèn] and neighborhood 鄰|邻[lín] levels

    Lǐ

    surname Li

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.