偷雞不成蝕把米 tōu jī bù chéng shí bǎ mǐ

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

偷 tōu
HSK 5
to steal, burglar, thief
雞 jī chickens; domestic fowl
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
成 chéng
HSK 3
completed, finished, fixed
蝕 shí nibble away; erode; eclipse
把 bǎ
HSK 3
hold, take; guard; regard as
米 mǐ
HSK 1
hulled or husked uncooked rice