A tiny deviation or a slight error can lead to a huge mistake or a significant difference in outcome; a small initial error can have far-reaching and disastrous consequences.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhao Chunguo was ordered by Emperor Xuan of Han to quell a rebellion in the northwestern region. Seeing that the rebel forces were disunited, he adopted a strategy of appeasement, which led most of the rebels to surrender.
However, Emperor Xuan ordered him to launch a military expedition, but the campaign was unsuccessful. Later, when he collected military provisions according to the emperor's command, it triggered another rebellion.
He sighed with emotion, saying, "Indeed, a miss by a hair's breadth can lead to a mile's error."