差之毫厘，失之千里
chā​zhī​háo​lí​shī​zhī​qiān​lǐ

a miss is as good as a mile

  1. 差 chā noun
    difference
    difference; discrepancy; the result of a subtraction in mathematics
  2. 之 zhī particle
    [nominalizer]
    Used between a subject and a verb to turn the phrase into a noun-like unit.
  3. 毫厘 毫釐 háo​lí
    an iota
    the least bit; an extremely small amount
  4. ， shī
    non-Chinese
  5. 失 shī verb
    to lose
    to lose; to misplace; to no longer possess something
  6. 之 zhī particle
    [nominalizer]
    Used between a subject and a verb to turn the phrase into a noun-like unit.
  7. 千里 qiān​lǐ
    a thousand li
    one thousand 里 lǐ; approximately 500 kilometers; used metaphorically to mean a very long distance