铩羽而归 shā yǔ ér guī

return crestfallen after defeat

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 44438th word

Definitions

  1. 1. to return in low spirits following a defeat or failure to achieve one's ambitions (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
铩 shā
to cripple (literary); spear
羽 yǔ HSK 4
feather; 5th note in pentatonic scale
而 ér HSK 3
and; but (not); (indicates contrast)
归 guī HSK 5
to return; to go back to; to belong to