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万无一失 (wàn wú-yì shī) — surefire; absolutely safe; foolproof

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'absolutely safe, foolproof' — used for plans, systems, or precautions where there is no chance of failure. The 失 ('lose/error') focuses on risk of error, not on emotional peace like 无忧无虑.

phrase
surefireabsolutely safefoolproof

Examples

  • ，万无一失。
    Zhè ge jì huà ān pái dé shí fēn zhōu mì, kě yǐ shuō shì wàn wú-yì shī.
    This plan is arranged very meticulously; you could call it foolproof.
  • 万无一失，。
    Wèi le wàn wú-yì shī, wǒ men jiǎn chá le sān biàn mì mǎ.
    To be absolutely safe, we checked the password three times.
  • ，万无一失。
    Zhè ge xì tǒng cǎi yòng duō chóng bèi fèn, zuò dào wàn wú-yì shī.
    This system uses multiple backups to achieve zero risk.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

Open 万 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesSafety & Danger

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