大の虫を生かして小の虫を殺す（だいのむしをいかしてしょうのむしをころす）

Japanese vocabulary

Meaning: sacrifice something small in order to save something great; lose a leg to save one's life; to let a large bug live and kill a small one

See it used in real works

• Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
• Hear “大の虫を生かして小の虫を殺す” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)