不是鱼死就是网破 in English bu4 shi4 yu2 si3 jiu4 shi4 wang3 po4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) either the fish dies or the net gets torn (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically it's a life-and-death struggle
  • it's either him or me

Simplified Characters

不 是 鱼 死 就 是 网 破

Traditional Characters

不 是 魚 死 就 是 網 破

Pinyin

bu4 shi4 yu2 si3 jiu4 shi4 wang3 po4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

不bu4(negative prefix) 是shi4is 鱼yu2surname Yu 死si3to die 就jiu4at once 是shi4is 网wang3net 破po4broken