八字还没一撇 in English ba1 zi4 hai2 mei2 yi1 pie3 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) there is not even the first stroke of the character 八[ba1] (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically things have not even begun to take shape
  • no sign of success yet

Simplified Characters

八 字 还 没 一 撇

Traditional Characters

八 字 還 沒 一 撇

Pinyin

ba1 zi4 hai2 mei2 yi1 pie3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

八ba1eight 字zi4letter 还hai2surname Huan 没mei2(negative prefix for verbs) 一yi1one 撇pie1to cast away