偷雞不成蝕把米 tōu jī bù chéng shí bǎ mǐ

fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off
  2. 2. lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)
  3. 3. to go for wool and come back shorn

Characters

Character Meaning
偷 tōu HSK 5
to steal; stealthily; to pilfer
雞 jī
chicken; fowl; (slang) prostitute
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
成 chéng HSK 3
to become; to succeed; to complete
蝕 shí
to erode; to eat into; to nibble away at sth
把 bǎ HSK 3
particle marking the following noun as a direct object
米 mǐ HSK 1
rice; meter (classifier); surname Mi