追悔莫及 (zhuī huǐ mò jí) — too late to regret; to be unable to undo what has been done

Definition

Idiom: a regret that comes after the damage is done — 'too late to repent.' It emphasizes the irreversibility of the mistake, not the feeling of regret itself.

idiom
too late to regretto be unable to undo what has been done

Examples

  • ，追悔莫及。
    Nián qīng shí méi yǒu nǔ lì xué xí, xiàn zài zhuī huǐ mò jí.
    When I was young I didn't study hard, and now it's too late to regret.
  • ，追悔莫及。
    Tā yīn wèi yì shí chōng dòng shuō le shāng rén de huà, shì hòu zhuī huǐ mò jí.
    He said hurtful words on impulse, and later it was too late to regret.
  • ，追悔莫及。
    Jī huì zhǐ yǒu yí cì, cuò guò le jiù zhuī huǐ mò jí.
    There is only one chance; if you miss it, 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.

追悔regret afterwards
追zhuīafterwards悔huǐregret
偏正Modifier + head
莫及cannot reach
莫mòcannot及jíreach
偏正Modifier + head

追悔 means to regret, while 莫及 says it cannot be reached, so the regret comes too late.

Characters in this word

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂤
𠂤𠂤追zhuī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 辶 part shows movement, while 𠂤 gives the sound, for the sense of moving after or pursuing.

Open 追 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi悔huǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悔 pairs 忄, the heart part, with 每, which gives a sound hint.

Open 悔 →

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

The shape of 莫 shows a sun sinking into bushes, meaning dusk.

Open 莫 →

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

及 pairs 人 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a hand grabbing a person.

Open 及 →

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