见好就收 jiàn hǎo jiù shōu Stop when things are going well

Explanation

指适可而止，及时收手。多用于处事。

Means to stop when things are going well, to seize the opportunity and stop in time.

Origin Story

从前，有个猎人在深山打猎，他发现了一只肥硕的野兔，便举起弓箭瞄准了野兔。野兔十分警觉，发现了猎人，撒腿就跑，猎人箭术高超，一箭射中了野兔的后腿，野兔受了伤，跑得慢了许多。猎人便紧追不舍，终于追上了受伤的野兔。野兔疼得直叫唤，猎人本想抓住野兔，没想到野兔突然又拼命地挣扎起来，猎人担心野兔跑了，便赶紧把野兔按住，结果野兔被猎人按死了。猎人很后悔，本来野兔受伤，已经跑不远了，如果他见好就收，说不定还能活捉这只野兔，现在野兔死了，他只能空手而归。这个故事告诉我们：做事要懂得见好就收，否则会得不偿失。

cóng qián, yǒu gè liè rén zài shēn shān dǎ liè, tā fāxiàn le yī zhǐ féi shuò de yě tù, biàn jǔ qǐ gōng jiàn miáozhǔn le yě tù. yě tù shí fēn jǐngjué, fāxiàn le liè rén, sǎ tuǐ jiù pǎo, liè rén jiànshù gāochāo, yī jiàn shè zhòng le yě tù de hòu tuǐ, yě tù shòu le shāng, pǎo de màn le xǔ duō. liè rén biàn jǐn zhuī bù shě, zhōngyú zhuī shàng le shòushāng de yě tù. yě tù téng de zhí jiào huàn, liè rén běn xiǎng zhuā zhù yě tù, méi xiǎng dào yě tù tūrán yòu pī mìng de zhēngzhá qǐlái, liè rén dānxīn yě tù pǎo le, biàn gǎn jǐn bǎ yě tù àn zhù, jiéguǒ yě tù bèi liè rén àn sǐ le. liè rén hěn hòuhuǐ, běnlái yě tù shòushāng, yǐjīng pǎo bù yuǎn le, rúguǒ tā jiàn hǎo jiù shōu, shūodìng hái néng huózhuō zhè zhī yě tù, xiànzài yě tù sǐ le, tā zhǐ néng kōngshǒu ér guī. zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen: zuòshì yào dǒngde jiàn hǎo jiù shōu, fǒuzé huì dé bù cháng shī.

Once upon a time, there was a hunter hunting in the deep mountains. He found a plump rabbit and aimed his bow and arrow at it. The rabbit was very alert and ran away when it found the hunter. The hunter's archery skills were superb, and he shot the rabbit in the hind leg. The rabbit was injured and ran much slower. The hunter chased after it relentlessly and finally caught the injured rabbit. The rabbit cried out in pain. The hunter originally wanted to catch the rabbit, but unexpectedly, the rabbit struggled desperately again. Fearing that the rabbit would escape, the hunter quickly subdued it, but in the process, he accidentally killed the rabbit. The hunter regretted it very much. The injured rabbit could not run far. If he had stopped when he had the chance, he might have caught the rabbit alive, but now the rabbit was dead, and he could only return empty-handed. This story teaches us that it is important to know when to stop. Otherwise, it may lead to losses.

Usage

用于劝诫人们做事要适可而止，见好就收。

yòng yú quànjiè rénmen zuòshì yào shìkě'érzhǐ, jiàn hǎo jiù shōu

Used to warn people to know when to stop and not be too greedy.

Examples

  • 小王炒股赚了一笔钱，及时止损，见好就收，真明智。

    xiǎo wáng chǎo gǔ zhuàn le yì bǐ qián, jíshí zhǐsǔn, jiàn hǎo jiù shōu, zhēn míngzhì

    Xiaowang made a fortune in stock trading, and it's wise to stop when he is ahead.

  • 这次谈判取得了阶段性成果，我们应该见好就收，避免夜长梦多。

    zhè cì tánpán qǔdé le jiēduàn xìng chéngguǒ, wǒmen yīnggāi jiàn hǎo jiù shōu, bìmiǎn yè cháng mèng duō

    This negotiation has achieved phased results. We should stop here and avoid problems in the future.

  • 这游戏玩到这儿也差不多了，见好就收吧！

    zhè yóuxì wán dào zhè ér yě chà bù duō le, jiàn hǎo jiù shōu ba

    This game has been going on long enough now, Let's wrap it up!

Related Idioms

  • 适可而止

  • 见好就收

Opposite Idioms

  • 贪得无厌

  • 不知足