Definition
一蹶不振 is a chengyu (four-character idiom) meaning 'to be unable to recover after a single setback'. It describes a situation where someone fails once and is so demoralized that they never bounce back. Often used in contexts of business, career, or personal projects. The literal breakdown: 一 (one) + 蹶 (stumble) + 不 (not) + 振 (to rise up).
f.e.
to be unable to recover after a single setbackto collapse after one failure
Examples
- ，一蹶不振，。Nà cì shēngyì shībài hòu, tā jiù yī jué bù zhèn, zài yě méiyǒu chuàngyè.After that business failure, he was never able to recover and never started a new venture.
- 一蹶不振。Zhēnzhèng de qiángzhě bù huì yīnwèi yí cì dǎjī jiù yī jué bù zhèn.A truly strong person won't collapse after a single blow.
- ，一蹶不振。Yù dào cuòzhé shí yào jiānchí xiàqù, qiānwàn bù néng yī jué bù zhèn.When encountering setbacks, you must persevere and absolutely not be unable to recover.
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