秋后算账 settle accounts in autumn
Explanation
原指秋天收割庄稼后结算账目。现比喻事后清算，通常指报复。
Originally refers to settling accounts after harvesting crops in autumn. Now it is used to describe a post-event settlement of accounts, usually referring to revenge.
Origin Story
从前，有一个村庄，村民们共同努力种植了一片田地。收成时节，丰收在望。可是，其中一个叫阿强的村民，平时好吃懒做，总想占便宜，常常偷懒，还总挑拨离间其他村民，在大家背后嚼舌根。大家忍无可忍，决定等到秋收后结算账目时，再好好算算总账。秋收那天，大家将所有收成都集中在一起，开始清点。阿强见大家都看着他，心里有些害怕，以为大家要惩罚他。果然，大家不仅没有给他分到粮食，还让他赔款，因为他不仅偷懒，还挑拨离间，造成了一些损失。阿强后悔莫及，这才明白，任何行为都要付出代价，秋后算账迟早要面对的。
Once upon a time, there was a village where villagers worked together to cultivate a field. At harvest time, a bumper harvest was in sight. However, one villager named Aqiang was lazy and always tried to take advantage of others. He often shirked his work and sowed discord among the other villagers, gossiping behind their backs. The other villagers could no longer tolerate it and decided to settle the score after the harvest. On the harvest day, everyone gathered all the harvest and began to count. Aqiang saw everyone looking at him and felt a little scared, thinking that everyone would punish him. Sure enough, not only did everyone not give him any grain, but they also made him pay compensation because he was not only lazy but also sowed discord, causing some losses. Aqiang regretted his actions and finally understood that there is a price to pay for every action and that the reckoning will come sooner or later.
Usage
用于比喻伺机报复或惩罚对方。
Used to describe taking the opportunity to retaliate or punish someone.
Examples
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他表面上装得很大方，背地里却秋后算账，真让人讨厌。
tā biǎomiànshang zhuāng de hěn dàfang, bèidìlǐ què qiū hòu suàn zhàng, zhēn ràng rén tǎoyàn。
He pretended to be very generous on the surface, but secretly he settled accounts in the autumn, which is really annoying.
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这件事暂且放过，以后再秋后算账！
zhè jiàn shì zànqiě fàng guò, yǐhòu zài qiū hòu suàn zhàng！
Let's let this matter go for now, we will settle the score later!