偷鸡不成蚀把米

偷鸡不成蚀把米
tōuchéngshí

lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)

3 meanings
MEANING3 meanings

MEANING

  1. verb

    lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)

    • He tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing rice instead—he's really too foolish.

  2. verb

    fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off

    • He tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing a handful of rice instead.

  3. adjective

    to go for wool and come back shorn

    • He wanted to take advantage of others, but ended up losing more than he gained.

STROKE ORDER
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解字

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

A thief is someone who sneaks around acting cheerfully so no one notices.

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