Definition
失之交臂 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) meaning 'to narrowly miss (someone or an opportunity)'. The literal image is 'lose it at the crossing of arms' — two people brushing past each other with arms almost touching. You use it when you come very close but just fail to achieve, meet, or obtain something important. It often appears in the pattern '与⋯⋯失之交臂'.
f.e.
to narrowly miss (a person or opportunity)
Examples
- ，失之交臂。Tā yīnwèi chídào, yǔ nàge hěn hǎo de gōngzuò jīhuì shī zhī jiāo bì le.He narrowly missed that great job opportunity because he was late.
- ，失之交臂。Wǒmen zài gōngyuán lǐ zǒu sàn le, yǔ péngyou shī zhī jiāo bì le.We got separated in the park and narrowly missed meeting our friend.
- ，失之交臂。Zhè cì bǐsài tā chà yìdiǎn jiù yíng le, kěxī yǔ guànjūn shī zhī jiāo bì.He almost won the competition, but unfortunately narrowly missed the championship.
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