自取灭亡 self-destruction
Explanation
指因自己的行为而导致失败或毁灭。
Refers to the self-destruction caused by one's own actions.
Origin Story
话说战国时期，有个名叫田忌的将军，十分骁勇善战，深得齐威王的赏识。一次，田忌与齐威王赛马，田忌输了。后来，田忌吸取教训，不再轻敌冒进。一次，齐威王又想与田忌赛马，田忌知道齐威王要借此机会羞辱他，于是，田忌设计了一个策略。他故意派出最差的马对战齐威王最好的马，让齐威王的骄傲之情膨胀。接着，他用中等马对战齐威王的中等马，让比分持平。最后，田忌派出他最好的马对战齐威王最差的马，获得胜利，最终以两胜一负的成绩战胜了齐威王。 齐威王虽然输了比赛，却对田忌的计策赞叹不已，夸奖田忌才智过人。但故事中田忌的成功，反观那些屡屡犯错、自取灭亡的人，他们不吸取教训，一错再错，最终走向失败的道路，就像田忌之前那样，轻敌冒进，最终失败。这与我们现代生活中，那些不懂得变通，不及时修正错误，最终走向自毁的案例如出一辙。
During the Warring States period, there was a general named Tian Ji who was very brave and skilled in warfare, and was deeply appreciated by King Wei of Qi. Once, Tian Ji lost a horse race to King Wei of Qi. Later, Tian Ji learned from his mistakes and no longer acted rashly. One time, King Wei of Qi wanted to race horses with Tian Ji again. Tian Ji knew that King Wei wanted to use this opportunity to humiliate him, so Tian Ji devised a strategy. He deliberately sent his worst horse to race against King Wei's best horse, allowing King Wei's pride to swell. Then, he used his average horse to race against King Wei's average horse, keeping the score even. Finally, Tian Ji sent his best horse to race against King Wei's worst horse, winning the victory and ultimately defeating King Wei with two wins and one loss. Although King Wei lost the race, he admired Tian Ji's strategy and praised Tian Ji's intelligence. But Tian Ji's success, when looking back at those who repeatedly made mistakes and brought about their own ruin, shows that they did not learn from their mistakes, made mistakes again and again, and finally walked the path to failure. It was like Tian Ji before, being overconfident and reckless, ultimately leading to failure. This is exactly the same as those examples in our modern life, who do not know how to adapt, do not correct their mistakes in time, and eventually lead to self-destruction.
Usage
常用来形容一个人因为自己的错误行为而导致灭亡或失败。
Often used to describe someone's demise or failure due to their own wrongdoings.
Examples
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他做事太冲动，结果自取灭亡。
ta zuò shì tài chōng dòng, jié guǒ zì qǔ miè wáng.
He acted too rashly and brought about his own ruin.
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他为了追求名利，最终自取灭亡。
ta wèi le zhuī qiú míng lì, zuì zhōng zì qǔ miè wáng
In his pursuit of fame and fortune, he brought about his own downfall.