千里之堤，潰於蟻穴

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Chinese

one thousand li; any great distance; fine horse
one thousand li; any great distance; fine horse; fine steed; fast horse
 
 's; him/her/it; this dike be dispersed; break down
in; at; to
in; at; to; from; by; than; out of; surname
 
 ant colony; ant nest
trad. (千里之堤，潰於蟻穴) 千里 之 堤 ， 潰 於 蟻穴
simp. (千里之堤，溃于蚁穴) 千里 之 堤 ， 溃 于 蚁穴
Literally: “a thousand-li dyke can collapse because of an ant colony”.

Etymology

From Han Feizi, Chapter 21 (《韓非子·喻老》):

千丈之堤，以螻蟻之穴潰；百尺之室，以突隙之煙焚。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
千丈之堤，以蝼蚁之穴溃；百尺之室，以突隙之烟焚。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Han Feizi, circa 2nd century BCE, translated based on W. K. Liao's version
Qiān zhàng zhī dī, yǐ lóuyǐ zhī xué kuì; bǎi chǐ zhī shì, yǐ tū xì zhī yān fén.
A dike ten thousand feet long begins its crumbling with holes made by ants; a room one hundred feet square begins its burning with sparks of fire leaping through cracks of chimneys.

Pronunciation

Proverb

千里之堤，潰於蟻穴

  1. a small mistake can lead to a massive disaster
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