赔了夫人又折兵

Traditional form:

賠了夫人又折兵

Pinyin (reading):

péilefūrényòuzhébīng

Definitions:

• lit. having given away a bride, to lose one's army on top of it (idiom)
• fig. to suffer a double loss after trying to trick the enemy

Characters:

• 赔 - to compensate, to pay damages, to suffer a loss
• 了 - clear; to finish; particle of completed action
• 夫 - man, husband; worker; those
• 人 - man, person; people
• 又 - and, also, again, in addition
• 折 - to break, to snap; to fold, to bend; to bow; humble
• 兵 - soldier; troops, an army; warlike

Traditional characters:

• 賠 - to compensate, to pay damages, to suffer a loss
• 了 - clear; to finish; particle of completed action
• 夫 - man, husband; worker; those
• 人 - man, person; people
• 又 - and, also, again, in addition
• 折 - to break, to snap; to fold, to bend; to bow; humble
• 兵 - soldier; troops, an army; warlike