时乖命蹇 shí guāi mìng jiǎn Unlucky fate

Explanation

时运不好，命运乖舛。指人一生运气不好，命运不好。

Unlucky in life, unfavorable fate. Describes someone who has no luck in life and an unfavorable fate.

Origin Story

话说唐朝有个书生叫李白，自幼聪颖，饱读诗书，满腹经纶，却屡试不第，怀才不遇。他虽才华横溢，但命运弄人，仕途坎坷，总是事与愿违。一次，他游历到江南，偶遇一位老道士，老道士捋须笑道："小友，你骨骼清奇，实乃奇才，但你时乖命蹇，命中注定要经历一番磨难。"李白听罢，怅然若失，叹道："我自知天资聪颖，但为何时运不济？"老道士说："人生不如意事十之八九，你要做的就是不放弃希望，坚持自己的理想，终将拨云见日。"李白听后深受启发，从此更加努力，潜心研究诗词，最终成为一代诗仙，留下了无数千古名篇。

huà shuō táng cháo yǒu gè shūshēng jiào lǐ bái, zì yòu cōng yǐng, bǎo dú shī shū, mǎn fù jīng lún, què lǚ shì bù dì, huái cái bù yù. tā suī cái huá héng yì, dàn mìng yùn nòng rén, shì tú kǎn kě, zǒng shì shì yǔ yuàn wéi. yī cì, tā yóu lì dào jiāng nán, ǒu yù yī wèi lǎo dàoshì, lǎo dàoshì lǚ xū xiào dào: 'xiǎo yǒu, nǐ gǔ gé qīng qí, shí nǎi qí cái, dàn nǐ shí guāi mìng jiǎn, mìng zhōng zhùdìng yào jīng lì yī fān mónán.' lǐ bái tīng bà, chàng rán ruò shī, tàn dào: 'wǒ zì zhī tiān zī cōng yǐng, dàn wèi hé shí yùn bù jì?' lǎo dàoshì shuō: 'rénshēng bù rúyì shì shí zhī bā jiǔ, nǐ yào zuò de jiùshì bù fàng qì xīwàng, jiānchí zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng, zhōng jiāng bó yún jiàn rì.' lǐ bái tīng hòu shēn shòu qǐfā, cóng cǐ gèng jiā nǔlì, qián xīn yánjiū shī cí, zuì zhōng chéng wéi yī dài shī xiān, liú xià le wúshù qiānguǐ míng piān.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Li Bai, who was intelligent since childhood, well-read, and full of wisdom and knowledge, but he repeatedly failed the examinations and never found a job. Although he was exceptionally talented, fate played a trick on him, his career was bumpy, and things always went against his will. Once, while traveling in the south, he happened to meet an old Taoist priest. The old Taoist stroked his beard and smiled: "Young friend, your bone structure is unusual, you are indeed an extraordinary talent, but you are destined to experience many hardships." Li Bai was disheartened after hearing this and sighed: "I know myself that I am gifted, but why am I so unlucky?" The old Taoist said: "Most things in life don't go as planned, what you must do is never give up hope, persist in your ideals, and you will ultimately succeed." Li Bai was deeply moved by this and worked even harder from then on, dedicating himself to studying poetry, and ultimately became a legendary poet, leaving behind countless masterpieces.

Usage

用于形容一个人运气不好，命运坎坷。

yòng yú xiáomíng yīgè rén yùn qì bù hǎo, mìngyùn kǎnkě

Used to describe someone who has bad luck and a bumpy life.

Examples

• 他一生时乖命蹇，屡遭挫折。

  tā yīshēng shí guāi mìng jiǎn, lǚ zāo cuòzhé

  He was unlucky throughout his life, encountering setbacks repeatedly.

• 创业初期，时乖命蹇，屡受打击，但他始终没有放弃。

  chuàngyè chūqī, shí guāi mìng jiǎn, lǚ shòu dǎjī, dàn tā shǐzhōng méiyǒu fàngqì

  In the early days of his entrepreneurial journey, he was struck by bad luck, suffering repeated setbacks, but he never gave up.

Related Idioms

• 生不逢时

• 命途多舛

Opposite Idioms

• 鸿运当头

• 心想事成