一失足成千古恨
yī shī zú chéng qiān gǔ hèn
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1 a single slip may cause everlasting sorrow (idiom)
不由自主
bù yóu zì zhǔ
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1 can't help; involuntarily (idiom)
人有失手，马有失蹄
rén yǒu shī shǒu , mǎ yǒu shī tí
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1 lit. just as humans make mistakes, so can a horse stumble (idiom)
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2 fig. everyone makes mistakes
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3 even the best fall down sometimes
六神无主
liù shén wú zhǔ
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1 out of one's wits (idiom)
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2 distracted
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3 stunned
冤有头，债有主
yuān yǒu tóu , zhài yǒu zhǔ
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1 for every grievance someone is responsible, for every debt there is a debtor (idiom)
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2 when settling disputes one should not involve third parties
北叟失马
běi sǒu shī mǎ
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1 lit. the old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best (idiom)
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2 fig. a blessing in disguise
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3 it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
千虑一失
qiān lu:4 yī shī
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1 reflect a thousand times and you can still make a mistake (idiom); to err is human
反客为主
fǎn kè wéi zhǔ
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1 lit. the guest acts as host (idiom); fig. to turn from passive to active behavior
名花有主
míng huā yǒu zhǔ
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1 the girl is already taken (idiom)
喧宾夺主
xuān bīn duó zhǔ
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1 lit. the voice of the guest overwhelms that of the host (idiom)
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2 fig. a minor player upstages the main attraction
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3 minor details obscure the main point
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4 the sauce is better than the fish
因小失大
yīn xiǎo shī dà
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1 to save a little only to lose a lot (idiom)
坐失机宜
zuò shī jī yí
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1 to sit and waste a good opportunity (idiom); to lose the chance
坐失良机
zuò shī liáng jī
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1 to sit and waste a good opportunity (idiom); to lose the chance
城门失火，殃及池鱼
chéng mén shī huǒ , yāng jí chí yú
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1 a fire in the city gates is also a calamity for the fish in the moat (idiom); the bystander will also suffer
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2 fig. you can't escape responsibility for your actions
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3 ask not for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee
塞翁失马
sài wēng shī mǎ
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1 lit. the old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best (idiom)
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2 fig. a blessing in disguise
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3 it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
塞翁失马安知非福
sài wēng shī mǎ ān zhī fēi fú
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1 the old man lost his mare, but it all turned out for the best (idiom); fig. a blessing in disguise
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2 it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
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3 also written 塞翁失馬焉知非福|塞翁失马焉知非福
塞翁失马焉知非福
sài wēng shī mǎ yān zhī fēi fú
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1 the old man lost his mare, but it all turned out for the best (idiom); fig. a blessing in disguise
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2 it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
大惊失色
dà jīng shī sè
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1 to turn pale with fright (idiom)
天网恢恢，疏而不失
tiān wǎng huī huī , shū ér bù shī
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1 lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73)
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2 fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape
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3 you can't run from the long arm of the law
失之东隅，收之桑榆
shī zhī dōng yú , shōu zhī sāng yú
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1 to lose at sunrise but gain at sunset (idiom)
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2 to compensate later for one's earlier loss
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3 what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts