差之毫厘，谬以千里 — “Off by a hair's breadth, wrong by a thousand li”
差之毫厘，谬以千里 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a slight deviation or error at the start can lead to a huge mistake or discrepancy in the end; a miss is as good as a mile”. Literally, “Off by a hair's breadth, wrong by a thousand li”.
差之毫厘，谬以千里 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 差chā
- 之zhī
- 毫háo
- 厘lí
- ，，
- 谬miù
- 以yǐ
- 千qiān
- 里lǐ
差之毫厘，谬以千里 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 差之毫厘，谬以千里
Origin and Story of 差之毫厘，谬以千里
During the Western Han Dynasty, General Zhao Chunguo was tasked by Emperor Xuan to suppress a rebellion in the northwestern region. Zhao Chunguo observed that the rebel forces were not united, so he chose a strategy of pacification, which led to the surrender of most rebels.
However, Emperor Xuan later ordered him to deploy troops, which resulted in an unfavorable outcome. Subsequently, when he collected military provisions as per imperial command, it inadvertently triggered further unrest and rebellion.
Reflecting on these events, he sighed and said, "A difference of a hair's breadth can lead to an error of a thousand li."
Idioms Related to 差之毫厘，谬以千里
Synonyms of 差之毫厘，谬以千里
More idioms starting with 差
- chā差sān三cuò错sì四full of errors and disorganized
- chā差zhī之háo毫lí厘，，shī失zhī之qiān千lǐ里A small error leads to a huge mistake
- chà差yǐ以háo毫lí厘，，shī失zhī之qiān千lǐ里A small error leads to a huge mistake
- chà差yǐ以háo毫lí厘，，miù谬yǐ以qiān千lǐ里A small error leads to a huge mistake
- chā差qiáng强rén人yì意barely satisfactory
- chà差ruò若tiān天yuān渊a world of difference
- chà差ruò若háo毫lí厘，，miù谬yǐ以qiān千lǐ里A tiny error leads to a huge mistake
- chà差zú足zì自xǐ喜barely sufficient for self-satisfaction
Questions about 差之毫厘，谬以千里
- What does 差之毫厘，谬以千里 mean?
- 差之毫厘，谬以千里 (chā zhī háo lí ， miù yǐ qiān lǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a slight deviation or error at the start can lead to a huge mistake or discrepancy in the end; a miss is as good as a mile”.
- How do you pronounce 差之毫厘，谬以千里?
- 差之毫厘，谬以千里 is pronounced chā zhī háo lí ， miù yǐ qiān lǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 差之毫厘，谬以千里 literally mean?
- Literally, 差之毫厘，谬以千里 means “Off by a hair's breadth, wrong by a thousand li”. It is used to mean “a slight deviation or error at the start can lead to a huge mistake or discrepancy in the end; a miss is as good as a mile”.
- Where does 差之毫厘，谬以千里 come from?
- 差之毫厘，谬以千里 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 差之毫厘，谬以千里?
- 开始时虽然相差很微小，结果会造成很大的错误。