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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.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

Open 木 →

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

The shape of 已 may originally have been a drawing of either a snake or a fetus.

Open 已 →

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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

舟 was originally a drawing of a boat.

Open 舟 →
Appears in
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