一年被蛇咬十年怕井绳 yī nián bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà jǐng shéng

once hurt, always scared; once bitten, twice shy

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. bitten by a snake in one year, fears the well rope for ten years (idiom); once bitten twice shy

Characters

Character Meaning
一 yī HSK 1
one; 1; single
年 nián HSK 1
year; grain; harvest (old)
被 bèi HSK 3
(indicates passive-voice clauses); by; quilt
蛇 shé HSK 5
snake; serpent; variant of 蛇shé
咬 yǎo HSK 5
to bite; to nip; variant of 咬yǎo
十 shí HSK 1
ten; 10
年 nián HSK 1
year; grain; harvest (old)
怕 pà HSK 3
to be afraid; to fear; perhaps
井 jǐng HSK 6
a well; neat; orderly
绳 shéng HSK 5
rope