后悔莫及 (hòu huǐ mò jí) — too late for regrets; (warning) you'll be sorry later
Definition
A chengyu meaning 'too late to regret' — used to warn that by the time remorse sets in, the chance to act has already passed. Stronger and more literary than the plain verb 后悔.
idiom
too late for regrets(warning) you'll be sorry later
Examples
- ，后悔莫及。Rú guǒ nǐ xiàn zài bù nǔ lì, yǐ hòu hòu huǐ mò jí.If you don't work hard now, it will be too late to regret later.
- ，后悔莫及。Tā dāng chū bù tīng quàn gào, xiàn zài hòu huǐ mò jí le.He didn't listen to advice at first, and now it's too late for regrets.
- 后悔莫及。Děng dào shì qing fā shēng le zài hòu huǐ mò jí jiù wǎn le.If you wait until something happens, it will be too late to regret.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate
A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.
“后悔” means regret and “莫及” means cannot reach, so it says regret comes too late.
Appears in
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