一蹶不振

Traditional form:

一蹶不振

Pinyin (reading):

yījuébùzhèn

Definitions:

• one stumble, unable to rise (idiom); a setback leading to total collapse
• ruined at a stroke
• unable to recover after a minor hitch

Characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 蹶 - to stumble, to fall; to trample
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 振 - to arouse, to excite; to rouse, to shake

Traditional characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 蹶 - to stumble, to fall; to trample
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 振 - to arouse, to excite; to rouse, to shake