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因小失大

Mandarin · pinyin yīn xiǎo shī dà

to save a little only to lose a lot (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

因: yīn · cause, reason; by; because (of)
小: xiǎo · small, tiny, insignificant
失: shī · lose; make mistake, neglect
大: dà · big, great, vast, large, high

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–3–1–4 · yin1 xiao3 shi1 da4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jan1 siu2 sat1 daai6

Cantonese word readings for 因小失大. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to try to save a little only to lose a lot; to spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar; to be penny wise and pound foolish

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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