生不逢时 shēng bù féng shí

born at the wrong time; unlucky in life

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 88577th word

Definitions

  1. 1. born at the wrong time (idiom); unlucky (esp. to complain about one's fate)
  2. 2. born under an unlucky star
  3. 3. ahead of his time

Characters

Character Meaning
生 shēng HSK 1
life; to be born; raw
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
逢 féng HSK 6
to meet by chance; to come across
时 shí HSK 1
time; when; o'clock