陰溝裡翻船 yīn gōu lǐ fān chuán

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

陰 yīn 'female' principle; dark; secret
溝 gōu ditch, drain, narrow waterway
裡 lǐ inside, interior, within
翻 fān
HSK 4
flip over, upset, capsize
船 chuán
HSK 3
ship, boat, vessel