偷雞不成蝕把米

Chinese

		to steal; to pilfer	fowl; chicken	to not form; to not constitute; unsuccessful	eat up slowly; eclipse	handle; (a measure word); (marker for direct-object) handle; (a measure word); (marker for direct-object); to hold; to contain; to grasp; to take hold of	rice; metre
trad. (偷雞不成蝕把米/偷鷄不成蝕把米)		偷	雞/鷄	不成	蝕	把	米
simp. (偷鸡不成蚀把米)		偷	鸡	不成	蚀	把	米

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tōu jī bùchéng shí bǎ mǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄡ ㄐㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄕˊ ㄅㄚˇ ㄇㄧˇ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tōu jī bùchéng shí bǎ mǐ [Phonetic: tōujībùchéngshíbámǐ]
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄡ ㄐㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄕˊ ㄅㄚˇ ㄇㄧˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tou ji bùchéng shíh bǎ mǐ
    • Wade–Giles: tʻou¹ chi¹ pu⁴-chʻêng² shih² pa³ mi³
    • Yale: tōu jī bù-chéng shŕ bǎ mǐ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tou ji bucherng shyr baa mii
    • Palladius: тоу цзи бучэн ши ба ми (tou czi bučɛn ši ba mi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰoʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ pä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Idiom

偷雞不成蝕把米

1. to try to gain an advantage, only to end up worse off and suffer losses

Synonyms

• 偷雞不著蝕把米／偷鸡不着蚀把米 (tōu jī bùzháo shí bǎ mǐ)
• (Cantonese) 偷雞唔到蝕揸米／偷鸡唔到蚀揸米
• 賠了夫人又折兵／赔了夫人又折兵 (péi le fūrén yòu zhébīng)