覆巢之下無完卵 fù cháo zhī xià wú wán luǎn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. when the nest is upset no egg is left intact (idiom)
  2. fig. when one falls in disgrace the whole family is doomed

CHARACTERS

覆 fù
HSK 6
cover; tip over; return; reply
巢 cháo
HSK 6
nest, living quarter in tree
之 zhī
HSK 4
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
下 xià
HSK 1
under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down
無 wú negative, no, not; lack, have no
完 wán
HSK 2
complete, finish, settle; whole
卵 luǎn egg; ovum; roe; spawn