偷鸡不成蚀把米
偷鸡不成蚀把米
tōu jī bù chéng shí bǎ mǐ
lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom); fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off; to go for wool and come back shorn
idiomverb
Traditional: 偷雞不成蝕把米
Characters in This Word
Definitions
- (idiom, verb) lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)
- fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off
- to go for wool and come back shorn
Example Sentences
Example sentences coming soon.
Related Words
前门打虎，后门打狼(qián mén dǎ hǔ , hòu mén dǎ láng)— to beat a tiger from the front door, only to have a wolf come in at the back (idiom); fig. facing one problem after another
→前门拒虎，后门进狼(qián mén jù hǔ , hòu mén jìn láng)— to beat a tiger from the front door, only to have a wolf come in at the back (idiom); fig. facing one problem after another
→顺手牵羊(shùn shǒu qiān yáng)— lit. to lead away a goat in passing (idiom); to steal sth under cover of an emergency
→一枝独秀(yī zhī dú xiù)— lit. only one branch of the tree is thriving (idiom)
→HSK & Exam Info
This word is not part of the HSK vocabulary lists.