| brilliant scheme; excellent plan; wonderful idea | content; calm; still content; calm; still; quiet; to pacify; peace; how |
lose in trade; pay damage | to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker) |
(once) again; also; both... and... (once) again; also; both... and...; again |
to lose men in battle | ||||||
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| trad. (周郎妙計安天下，賠了夫人又折兵) | 周郎 | 妙計 | 安 | 天下 | ， | 賠 | 了 | 夫人 | 又 | 折兵 | |
| simp. (周郎妙计安天下，赔了夫人又折兵) | 周郎 | 妙计 | 安 | 天下 | ， | 赔 | 了 | 夫人 | 又 | 折兵 | |
| alternative forms | 周郎妙計高天下，賠了夫人又折兵／周郎妙计高天下，赔了夫人又折兵 周郎妙計安天下，陪了夫人又折兵／周郎妙计安天下，陪了夫人又折兵 | ||||||||||
| Literally: “Master Zhou's brilliant scheme to secure the empire, he lost the lady and troops too.” | |||||||||||
From a story in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which Zhou Yu attempts to kidnap Liu Bei by marrying his lord Sun Quan's sister to Liu. Liu Bei escaped, bringing Lady Sun with him, and Zhou Yu's troops were ambushed as they gave chase.
周郎妙計安天下，賠了夫人又折兵