蓋棺論定 gài guān lùn dìng

judge a life only after death; final judgment

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. don't pass judgment on a person's life until the lid is on the coffin (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
蓋 gài
lid; to cover; cover
棺 guān
coffin
論 lùn
to discuss; to talk about; to regard
定 dìng HSK 3
to decide; to determine; to set