1.
paper-thin difference; razor-thin margin; very slight gap
An extremely small difference between two things. Often used to describe the narrow gap between success and failure, genius and madness, or two closely matched competitors.
勝敗は紙一重の差だった。
The difference between victory and defeat was paper-thin.
天才と狂気は紙一重の差だと言われる。
They say the line between genius and madness is paper-thin.
合格と不合格は紙一重の差で、あと一点足りなかった。
The gap between passing and failing was razor-thin — I was just one point short.
Literally 'the difference of a single layer of paper,' this expression vividly captures how thin the margin can be between two outcomes. The underlying word 紙一重 (paper-thin) is the core metaphor and can also be used on its own as a noun.
USAGE:
- Frequently appears in the pattern AとBは紙一重の差 (the difference between A and B is paper-thin)
- Classic pairings: 成功と失敗 (success and failure), 天才と狂気 (genius and madness)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 紙一重の差で勝つ: to win by a hair's breadth
- 紙一重の差で負ける: to lose by a hair's breadth
- 紙一重の差で助かる: to narrowly escape
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 僅差: narrow margin — a neutral, factual term without the vivid imagery
- 際どい: close; narrow — describes the closeness of a margin in a more colloquial way