一着不慎 (yī zhe bú shèn) — (set phrase) one careless move spoils the entire game; a single misstep leads to total failure

Definition

An idiom from the world of board games: 'one careless move and the whole game is lost.' Use it for a single small slip that causes total failure, not for general mistakes.

idiom
(set phrase) one careless move spoils the entire gamea single misstep leads to total failure

Examples

  • ，一着不慎。
    Zài tóu zī jué cè shàng, yī zhe bú shèn jiù kě néng dǎo zhì quán bù kuī sǔn.
    In investment decisions, one careless move can lead to total loss.
  • ，一着不慎，。
    Zuò xiàng mù jì huà bì xū kǎo lǜ zhōu quán, fǒu zé yī zhe bú shèn, mǎn pán jiē shū.
    When planning a project you must think it through completely, otherwise one wrong move and you lose the whole game.
  • ，一着不慎，。
    Tā xià qí shí guò yú zì xìn, jié guǒ yī zhe bú shèn, shū diào le zhěng chǎng bǐ sài.
    He was overconfident in the chess game, and one careless move cost him the entire match.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě著zháo
Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn慎shèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 慎, the left part 心 points to the mind or feeling, while the right part 真 supplies the sound.

Open 慎 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.