差之毫厘，谬以千里
chā​zhī​háo​lí​miù​yǐ​qiān​lǐ

a tiny error leads to a huge mistake

  1. 差 chā noun
    difference
    difference; discrepancy; the result of a subtraction in mathematics
  2. 之 zhī pronoun
    it
    Used only in the object position to refer to a person or thing already mentioned, meaning "him", "her", "it", or "them".
  3. 毫厘 毫釐 háo​lí
    an iota
    the least bit; an extremely small amount
  4. ， miù
    non-Chinese
  5. 谬 謬 miù adjectivenoun
    false
    (bound form) false; wrong; absurd; erroneous
  6. 以 yǐ preposition
    by means of
    to use; by means of; with; using the tool or method introduced
  7. 千里 qiān​lǐ
    a thousand li
    one thousand 里 lǐ; approximately 500 kilometers; used metaphorically to mean a very long distance