大だいの虫むしを生いかして小しょうの虫むしを殺ころせ

expression

sacrifice a small thing to save a great one; lose a leg to save one's life

A proverb advising that it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice something of lesser importance in order to preserve something of greater value. The literal image is of letting a large bug live while killing a small one.

• 大だいの虫むしを生いかして小しょうの虫むしを殺ころせというように、多た少しょうの犠ぎ牲せいはやむを得えないこともある。

  As the proverb says, 'sacrifice a small thing to save a great one,' sometimes a certain amount of sacrifice is unavoidable.