赔了夫人又折兵 in English pei2 le5 fu1 ren2 you4 zhe2 bing1 Meaning

Meanings

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

Simplified Characters

赔 了 夫 人 又 折 兵

Traditional Characters

賠 了 夫 人 又 折 兵

Pinyin

pei2 le5 fu1 ren2 you4 zhe2 bing1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

赔pei2to compensate for loss 了le5(completed action marker) 夫fu1husband 人ren2man 又you4(once) again 折zhe2to break (e.g. stick or bone) 兵bing1soldiers