小の虫を殺して大の虫を生かす（しょうのむしをころしてだいのむしをいかす）

Japanese vocabulary

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

See it used in real works

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