go for the small things and miss things that are worthwhile; covet a little and lose a lot; penny-wise and pound-foolish; seek small gains but incur big losses; suffer big losses for the sake of small gains
Example Sentences:
1.
He refused to spend money in repairing the roof, and now the rain has ruined half his furniture-a plain example of penny wise and pound foolish . 他不肯花钱修屋顶,现在房子漏了,家具毁了一半-这是再明显不过的贪小失大的例子。
2.
Dick ' s heart trouble became worse because he wouldn ' t spend money to see a doctor at the beginning ; he was indeed penny wise and pound foolish 迪克一开始舍不得花钱去看医生,如果,他的心脏病日趋严重。这真是贪小失大,得不偿失。