牵一发而动全身
Traditional form:
牽一髮而動全身
Pinyin (reading):
qiānyīfà'érdòngquánshēn
Definitions:
- lit. pulling a single hair makes the whole body move (idiom)
- fig. a small change in one part can affect the whole system
Characters:
- 牵 - to drag, to pull, to lead by the hand
- 一 - one; a, an; alone
- 发 - to issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
- 而 - and, and then, and yet; but
- 动 - to move, to happen; movement, action
- 全 - whole, entire, complete; to preserve
- 身 - body, torso; person; pregnancy
Traditional characters: