"a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "First appeared in Thomas Reid’s “Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man,” published in 1786; the full idiom “a chain is no stronger than its weakest link” was first printed in Cornhill Magazine in 1868.\nAkin to the Basque proverb “Haria meheenean eten ohi da”, “A thread usually breaks where it is thinnest”.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link"
      },
      "expansion": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English aphorisms",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English sentences",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Greek terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An organization is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member."
      ],
      "id": "en-a_chain_is_only_as_strong_as_its_weakest_link-en-proverb-PSGwH4f1",
      "links": [
        [
          "organization",
          "organization"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "weakest link"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "a chain is as strong as its weakest link"
        },
        {
          "word": "a chain is no stronger than its weakest link"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "千里之堤，潰於蟻穴"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "千里之堤"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "qiānlǐzhīdī, kuìyúyǐxué",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "溃于蚁穴"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "一步下錯，滿盤皆輸"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "一步下错"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "满盘皆输"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "en kæde kun så stærk som det svageste led"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "de keten is zo sterk als haar zwakste schakel"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "ketju on vain niin vahva kuin sen heikoin lenkki"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "eine Kette ist nur so stark wie ihr schwächstes Glied"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "mia alysída eínai óso dynatí óso o pio adýnamós tis kríkos",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "phrase"
          ],
          "word": "μια αλυσίδα είναι όσο δυνατή όσο ο πιο αδύναμός της κρίκος"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "a leggyengébb láncszemnél szakad a lánc"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "una catena è forte quanto il suo anello più debole"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "en kjede er aldri sterkere enn sitt svakeste ledd"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "ei kjede er aldri sterkare enn det svakaste ledd"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "uma corrente é tão forte quanto seu elo mais fraco"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "uma corrente é tão forte quanto o seu elo mais fraco"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "english": "it snaps there, where it's thin",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "gde tónko, tam i rvjótsja",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "где то́нко, там и рвётся"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "una cadena es tan fuerte como su eslabón más débil"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "aphorism",
          "word": "en kedja är aldrig starkare än dess svagaste länk"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "First appeared in Thomas Reid’s “Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man,” published in 1786; the full idiom “a chain is no stronger than its weakest link” was first printed in Cornhill Magazine in 1868.\nAkin to the Basque proverb “Haria meheenean eten ohi da”, “A thread usually breaks where it is thinnest”.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link"
      },
      "expansion": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "weakest link"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English aphorisms",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English sentences",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "Greek terms with redundant script codes"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An organization is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "organization",
          "organization"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "a chain is as strong as its weakest link"
    },
    {
      "word": "a chain is no stronger than its weakest link"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "千里之堤，潰於蟻穴"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "千里之堤"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "qiānlǐzhīdī, kuìyúyǐxué",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "溃于蚁穴"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "一步下錯，滿盤皆輸"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "一步下错"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "满盘皆输"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "en kæde kun så stærk som det svageste led"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "de keten is zo sterk als haar zwakste schakel"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "ketju on vain niin vahva kuin sen heikoin lenkki"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "eine Kette ist nur so stark wie ihr schwächstes Glied"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "mia alysída eínai óso dynatí óso o pio adýnamós tis kríkos",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "phrase"
      ],
      "word": "μια αλυσίδα είναι όσο δυνατή όσο ο πιο αδύναμός της κρίκος"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "a leggyengébb láncszemnél szakad a lánc"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "una catena è forte quanto il suo anello più debole"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "en kjede er aldri sterkere enn sitt svakeste ledd"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "ei kjede er aldri sterkare enn det svakaste ledd"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "uma corrente é tão forte quanto seu elo mais fraco"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "uma corrente é tão forte quanto o seu elo mais fraco"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "english": "it snaps there, where it's thin",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "gde tónko, tam i rvjótsja",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "где то́нко, там и рвётся"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "una cadena es tan fuerte como su eslabón más débil"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "aphorism",
      "word": "en kedja är aldrig starkare än dess svagaste länk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link"
}