失之交臂 (shī zhī jiāo bì) — to narrowly miss (a person or opportunity)
Definition
Literally 'lose it as your arms cross,' this chengyu means letting an opportunity or person slip just out of reach. It stresses regret over a near miss — stronger than simply 错过.
idiom
to narrowly miss (a person or opportunity)
Examples
- ，失之交臂。Tā yīn wèi chí dào, yǔ nà ge hěn hǎo de gōng zuò jī huì shī zhī jiāo bì le.He narrowly missed that great job opportunity because he was late.
- ，失之交臂。Wǒ men zài gōng yuán lǐ zǒu sàn le, yǔ péng you shī zhī jiāo bì le.We got separated in the park and narrowly missed meeting our friend.
- ，失之交臂。Zhè cì bǐ sài tā chà yì diǎn jiù yíng le, kě xī yǔ guàn jūn shī zhī jiāo bì.He almost won the competition, but unfortunately narrowly missed the championship.
Appears in
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