祸不单行 Misfortunes never come singly
Explanation
指不幸的事情接连不断地发生。
refers to misfortunes happening one after another.
Origin Story
从前,有个叫阿福的年轻人,他家境贫寒,靠着在田里耕种为生。一天,阿福下地干活,突然下起了暴雨,他来不及收割稻子,眼睁睁地看着辛辛苦苦种了一年的稻子被雨水打坏,颗粒无收。阿福心灰意冷地回到家,却发现家中失火了,唯一的一间茅草屋也被大火吞噬,一家人无家可归,成了灾民。就在他绝望之际,又听说他远在外地的哥哥,因为一场意外事故不幸去世。阿福感觉天塌地陷,祸事接二连三地降临,他默默地承受着这一切,内心充满了苦涩与无奈。祸不单行,这四个字,深刻地诠释了阿福人生的遭遇。
Once upon a time, there was a young man named A Fu who lived a poor life by farming. One day, while working in the field, a sudden heavy rain poured down. He couldn't harvest his rice in time and helplessly watched as his year's hard work was ruined by the rain, resulting in a complete crop failure. Heartbroken, A Fu returned home only to find that his house was on fire. His only straw hut was engulfed in flames, leaving his family homeless and destitute. Just as he despaired, he received news that his brother, who lived far away, had died in an accident. A Fu felt as if the sky was falling; misfortune after misfortune befell him. He silently bore it all, his heart filled with bitterness and helplessness. "Huo bu dan xing"—these four words perfectly capture A Fu's unfortunate fate.
Usage
表示接连发生不幸的事。
It is used to express a series of misfortunes happening consecutively.
Examples
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他先是丢了工作,接着又遭遇车祸,真是祸不单行啊!
ta shian shiu le gongzuo, jiezhe you zaoyu chehuo, zhen shi huobudanxing a!
He first lost his job, and then he had a car accident. It's really bad luck.
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这几天真是祸不单行,先是钱包被偷,然后又感冒了。
zhe jitian zhenshi huobudanxing, shian shi qiangbei bei tou, ranhou you ganmao le
These days, I have really bad luck, first my wallet was stolen, and then I caught a cold.