偷鸡不成蚀把米
Traditional form:
偷雞不成蝕把米
Pinyin (reading):
tōujībùchéngshíbǎmǐ
Definitions:
- lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)
- fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off
- to go for wool and come back shorn
Characters:
- 偷 - to steal; burglar, thief
- 鸡 - chicken
- 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
- 成 - to accomplish; to become; to complete, to finish; to succeed
- 蚀 - to nibble at, to erode; an eclipse
- 把 - to grasp, to hold; to guard, to take; handle
- 米 - rice, millet, grain
Traditional characters: