牽一髮而動全身

Chinese

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lead along
one; single; a
one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)
 
hair
and; as well as; but (not)
and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)
 
to move; to change; to use
to move; to change; to use; to act
 
full body; the whole body; to keep one's own body intact
full body; the whole body; to keep one's own body intact; to keep oneself alive; to save one's own skin
 
trad. (牽一髮而動全身) 全身
simp. (牵一发而动全身) 全身
Literally: “pull one hair and the whole body moves”.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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牽一髮而動全身

  1. A slight change will affect everything else.