吃一堑 (chī yī qiàn) — to suffer a setback, to take a fall (often in the saying 吃一堑，长一智)
Definition
A chengyu meaning 'to suffer a setback', almost always used in the paired saying 吃一堑，长一智 ('a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit'). The second half 长一智 is the point: the setback teaches you something.
verb
to suffer a setbackto take a fall (often in the saying 吃一堑，长一智)
Examples
- ，吃一堑。Tā zhè cì kǎo shì méi kǎo hǎo, suàn shì chī yī qiàn le.He didn't do well on this exam; it's considered a setback.
- 吃一堑，。Rén zhǐ yǒu chī yī qiàn, cái néng zhǎng yí zhì.Only when one suffers a setback can one gain wisdom.
- 吃一堑。Zhè cì chī yī qiàn ràng wǒ xué dào le hěn duō.This setback taught me a lot.
Appears in
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