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得而復失

简 得而复失 · 繁 得而復失
Mandarin · pinyin dé ér fù shī

Meanings

  1. to lose what one has just obtained (idiom)
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Characters in this entry

得
dé · obtain, get, gain, acquire
而
ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
復
Look up this written character
失
shī · lose; make mistake, neglect
复
fù · return; repeat; repeatedly
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Entries containing 得而復失 ↗Words written with 得 ↗Words written with 而 ↗Words written with 復 ↗Words written with 失 ↗Words written with 复 ↗

Mandarin tones

2–2–4–1 · de2 er2 fu4 shi1

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

dak1 ji4 fuk6 sat1

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

  1. (idiomatic) to lose something after one had gained possession of it

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack