expression, godan verb (-su)
sacrifice a small thing to save a great one; lose a leg to save one's life
Proverb used when one must give up something minor to preserve something major. The literal image is of killing a small bug to keep a large bug alive.
小の虫を殺して大の虫を生かすというように、多少の犠牲は仕方ない。
As the saying goes, you have to sacrifice a small bug to save a large one; some sacrifice is unavoidable.
この決断は小の虫を殺して大の虫を生かす考え方に基づいている。
This decision is based on the idea of sacrificing a small thing to save a great one.