故态复萌 (gù tài fù méng) — (idiom) to slip back into one's old ways; to revert to former behavior

Definition

Examples

• 他戒了烟三个月，没想到最近又故态复萌了。
  Tā jiè le yān sān gè yuè, méi xiǎng dào zuì jìn yòu gù tài fù méng le.
  He quit smoking for three months, but unexpectedly he's slipped back into his old ways recently.
• 经过教育，他本该改过自新，却故态复萌，让人失望。
  Jīng guò jiào yù, tā běn gāi gǎi guò zì xīn, què gù tài fù méng, ràng rén shī wàng.
  After being educated, he should have turned over a new leaf, but he reverted to his old ways, which was disappointing.
• 我们要警惕自己不要故态复萌，坚持良好的习惯。
  Wǒ men yào jǐng tì zì jǐ bú yào gù tài fù méng, jiān chí liáng hǎo de xí guàn.
  We must be vigilant not to slip back into our old ways and to maintain good habits.