紙一重

かみひとえ【紙一重】

¶天才と狂人は～だ

Genius is only one remove from insanity.

¶善悪の差は～だ

The line between good and evil is (as) thin as a knife's edge.

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かみひとえ【紙一重】

●紙一重の差 a very slight difference 《between…》; 《by》 a paper-[razor-]thin difference [margin]

・紙一重の差が勝敗を分けた. A paper-[razor-]thin difference separated victory and defeat.

・彼は紙一重の差で勝利者になった. He became the winner by the slightest [a paper-thin, a razor-thin] margin. | He won by a hairbreadth.

●天才と狂気は紙一重. ⇒てんさい¹

・成功と失敗は紙一重であった. The line between success and failure was a fine one [extremely thin]. | There was the slightest of margins between success and failure.