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失之交臂 (shī zhī jiāo bì) — to narrowly miss (a person or opportunity)

Definition

Literally 'lose it as your arms cross,' this chengyu means letting an opportunity or person slip just out of reach. It stresses regret over a near miss — stronger than simply 错过.

idiom
to narrowly miss (a person or opportunity)

Examples

  • ，失之交臂。
    Tā yīn wèi chí dào, yǔ nà ge hěn hǎo de gōng zuò jī huì shī zhī jiāo bì le.
    He narrowly missed that great job opportunity because he was late.
  • ，失之交臂。
    Wǒ men zài gōng yuán lǐ zǒu sàn le, yǔ péng you shī zhī jiāo bì le.
    We got separated in the park and narrowly missed meeting our friend.
  • ，失之交臂。
    Zhè cì bǐ sài tā chà yì diǎn jiù yíng le, kě xī yǔ guàn jūn shī zhī jiāo bì.
    He almost won the competition, but unfortunately narrowly missed the championship.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
辟
辟pì臂bei
Same sound today

臂 includes 肉, meaning meat or flesh, and 辟, which gives the character its sound.

Open 臂 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsIdioms & Set Phrases

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