一念之差
yī niàn zhī chā
a moment’s bad judgement (with serious consequences)
Character by character
一yī
one
one
念niàn
thought
thought
之zhī
’s
’s
差chā
difference
difference
Example
他一念之差，喝了两杯酒还开车，结果丢了工作。
In a moment of madness he drove after two drinks, and it cost him his job.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
差 is chā here, a difference. The phrase blames a single wrong decision for a grave result, often a crime or a tragedy, and is said with regret or sympathy: 由于一念之差, 一念之差铸成大错. Not for small everyday slips.
Learn this in Lesson 142 · HSK 7–9: 追尾以后 (After a bump)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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