very small quantity; minute amount
Literary and archaic term for an extremely tiny amount or difference. Often used in classical or formal contexts, such as 毫釐の差 (a hair's breadth of difference).
A tiny difference can lead to a huge mistake.
Rare kanji spelling; 毫厘 is a variant. Both are literary and uncommon in modern Japanese.
Variant spelling of 毫釐; equally rare.
From Chinese 毫釐 (háolí), meaning 'a hair's breadth'. The kanji 毫 and 釐 both refer to very small units or fine hairs, emphasizing extreme minuteness.