打蛇不死,後患無窮 dǎ shé bù sǐ , hòu huàn wú qióng

DEFINITIONS

  1. if you beat the snake without killing it, endless evils will ensue (idiom)

CHARACTERS

打 dǎ strike, hit, beat; fight; attack
蛇 shé snake
不 bù no, not; un-; negative prefix
死 sǐ die; dead; death
後 hòu behind, rear, after; descendents
患 huàn suffer, worry about; suffering
無 wú negative, no, not; lack, have no
窮 qióng poor, destitute, impoverished