千里之堤，溃于蚁穴

Traditional form:

千里之堤，潰於蟻穴

Pinyin (reading):

qiānlǐzhīdī,kuìyúyǐxué

Definitions:

• lit. an ant hole may cause the collapse of a great dike (idiom)
• fig. huge damage may result from a moment's negligence

Characters:

• 千 - thousand; many, numerous; very
• 里 - unit of distance equal to 0.5km; village; lane
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 堤 - dike
• 溃 - a flooding river; a military defeat; to break down, to disperse
• 于 - at, in, on; to, from; alas!
• 蚁 - ant
• 穴 - cave, den, hole

Traditional characters:

• 千 - thousand; many, numerous; very
• 里 - unit of distance equal to 0.5km; village; lane
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 堤 - dike
• 潰 - a flooding river; a military defeat; to break down, to disperse
• 於 - at, in, on; to, from; alas!
• 蟻 - ant
• 穴 - cave, den, hole