諺語 · a single proverb
小心無大錯
Simplified: 小心无大错
What does 小心無大錯 (xiǎo xīn wú dà cuò) mean?
小心無大錯 (xiǎo xīn wú dà cuò) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "careful heart, no big mistake." In use it means: Care and caution prevent serious errors; the careful person makes few big mistakes. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.
Literally: "careful heart, no big mistake."
The reading
The large error is almost always the child of a small carelessness that was not addressed when it was still small. Attention to the minor is not nitpicking but early intervention in the sequence that produces catastrophe. Those who stay careful in the small things are simply preventing the large things from having the raw material they need.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk saying
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 小心無大錯 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 小心無大錯 (xiǎo xīn wú dà cuò) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk saying. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 小心無大錯?
In Mandarin it is xiǎo xīn wú dà cuò. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 小心無大錯 aloud in Mandarin.