阴沟里翻船 yīn gōu lǐ fān chuán

DEFINITIONS

  1. to meet with unexpected failure (idiom)
  2. to fail miserably (where failure was not expected)

CHARACTERS

阴 yīn
HSK 2
'female' principle; dark; secret
沟 gōu
HSK 5
ditch, drain, narrow waterway
里 lǐ
HSK 1
unit of distance; village; lane
翻 fān
HSK 4
flip over, upset, capsize
船 chuán
HSK 3
ship, boat, vessel