因小失大 lose big for small gains
Explanation
因小失大是一个成语，意思是由于贪图小的利益而失去大的利益。比喻目光短浅，缺乏长远眼光。
Yīn xiǎo shī dà is an idiom that means losing big interests because of greed for small interests. It is a metaphor for short-sightedness and lack of long-term vision.
Origin Story
从前，有个小村庄，村民们以种植水稻为生。一年，村里来了个商人，收购稻谷的价格比城里低很多。一些村民贪图方便，就将稻谷低价卖给了商人。等到秋收后，他们才发现，城里的稻谷价格翻倍增长，他们因为贪图小便宜而错过了巨大的利益，真是因小失大。
Once upon a time, there was a small village where villagers made their living by growing rice. One year, a merchant came to the village and bought rice at a much lower price than in the city. Some villagers, seeking convenience, sold their rice to the merchant at a low price. After the autumn harvest, they found that the price of rice in the city had doubled, and they had missed out on huge profits because of their greed for petty gain. This is a classic example of '因小失大'.
Usage
该成语常用来形容因贪图小利而错失大好机会的行为。
This idiom is often used to describe the behavior of missing great opportunities because of greed for small profits.
Examples
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为了眼前的蝇头小利，他放弃了更大的发展机会，真是因小失大。
wèile yǎnqián de yíngtóu xiǎolì, tā fàngqìle gèng dà de fāzhǎn jīhuì, zhēnshi yīn xiǎo shī dà.
For the sake of immediate petty gains, he gave up greater development opportunities. It's really a loss of great gains due to small ones.
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不要因小失大，要考虑长远发展。
bùyào yīn xiǎo shī dà, yào kǎolǜ chángyuǎn fāzhǎn
Don't lose sight of the big picture; consider long-term development.