木已成舟 (mù yǐ chéng zhōu) — what's done is done; the die is cast; there's no use crying over spilt milk
Definition
A chengyu meaning 'the situation is already set and cannot be changed' — literally 'the wood has already become a boat.' It functions as a resigned, matter-of-fact acceptance of an irreversible outcome, not a call to action.
idiom
what's done is donethe die is castthere's no use crying over spilt milk
Examples
- ，木已成舟，。Shì dào rú jīn, mù yǐ chéng zhōu, hòu huǐ yě méi yǒu yòng le.Now that things have come to this, what's done is done — there's no use regretting it.
- ，木已成舟，。Jì rán hé tong yǐ jīng qiān le, mù yǐ chéng zhōu, wǒ men jiù àn jì huà zhí xíng ba.Since the contract has been signed, the die is cast — let's just execute the plan.
- 木已成舟，。mù yǐ chéng zhōu, Nǐ zài zěn me jiě shì yě méi yòng le.What's done is done — no matter how much you explain, it's useless.
Appears in
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