历史典故
覆水难收
fù shuǐ nán shōu
Spilt water cannot be recovered
Meaning
This idiom means that once something is done, it cannot be undone.
比喻事情已成定局，无法挽回。
Origin
姜太公年轻时穷困潦倒，妻子马氏嫌弃他无能，离他而去。后来姜太公辅佐周文王成就一番事业，马氏又想回头，姜太公便取来一盆水泼在地上，说：‘覆水难收，你回不去了。’这便是‘覆水难收’的典故。
jiāng tāigōng niánqīng shí qióngkùn liáodǎo, qīzi mǎ shì xiánqì tā wú néng, lí tā ér qù. hòulái jiāng tāigōng fǔzuò zhōu wénwáng chéngjiù yīfān shìyè, mǎ shì yòu xiǎng huítóu, jiāng tāigōng biàn qǔ lái yī pén shuǐ pō zài dì shang, shuō: ‘fù shuǐ nán shōu, nǐ huí bù qù le.’ zhè biàn shì ‘fù shuǐ nán shōu’ de diǎngù.
In his youth, Jiang Taigong was poor and down on his luck. His wife, Ma Shi, left him because she considered him incompetent. Later, Jiang Taigong assisted Zhou Wenwang in achieving great success, and Ma Shi wanted to return, but Jiang Taigong took a bowl of water and poured it on the ground: 'Spilled water cannot be recovered, you cannot go back.' This is the origin of the idiom 'Spilled water cannot be recovered'.
Usage
用于比喻事情已经发生，无法挽回。
yòng yú bǐ yù shìqíng yǐjīng fāshēng, wúfǎ wǎnhuí
Used to illustrate that something has already happened and cannot be undone.
Examples
覆水难收，一切都已经晚了
fù shuǐ nán shōu, yīqiè dōu yǐjīng wǎn le
It's too late to undo what has been done.
这笔交易已经达成，覆水难收了
zhè bǐ jiāoyì yǐjīng dáchéng, fù shuǐ nán shōu le
The deal is done, there's no turning back now.
Related
Opposite
FAQ
- What does 覆水难收 mean?
- This idiom means that once something is done, it cannot be undone. Pinyin: fù shuǐ nán shōu.
- How is 覆水难收 used?
- Used to illustrate that something has already happened and cannot be undone.