一发不可收拾

Traditional form:

一發不可收拾

Pinyin (reading):

yīfābùkěshōushi

Definitions:

• once it gets started there's no stopping it

Characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 发 - to issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 可 - may, can, -able; possibly
• 收 - to collect, to gather, to harvest
• 拾 - to collect, to pick up, to tidy up; ten (bankers' anti-fraud numeral)

Traditional characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 發 - to issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 可 - may, can, -able; possibly
• 收 - to collect, to gather, to harvest
• 拾 - to collect, to pick up, to tidy up; ten (bankers' anti-fraud numeral)