advance an inch but retreat (/lose) a foot—the loss outweighs the gain;lose more than one gains
❍ 吾不敢为主而为客，不敢进寸而退尺。(《老子》六十九章) I dare not take the offensive but I take the defensive; I dare not advance an inch but I retreat a foot.
进寸退尺jin cun tui chi
advance by one inch but retreat by a foot—lose much more than what one gets
进寸退尺jìn cùn tuì chǐ
进一寸，退一尺。比喻得不偿失。lose much more than what one gets, not worth the candle, gain little and lose much