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先天不足，後天失調

简先天不足，后天失调 · 繁先天不足，後天失調

Mandarin · pinyin xiān tiān bù zú , hòu tiān shī tiáo

to be born with a weak constitution and suffer from ill health during one's life
(fig.) to be problematic from the start, and get even worse over time

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Characters in this entry

先: xiān · first, former, previous
天: tiān · sky, heaven; god, celestial
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
足: zú · foot; attain, satisfy, enough; Kangxi radical 156
後: hòu · behind, rear, after; descendents
失: shī · lose; make mistake, neglect
調: Look up this written character
后: hòu · queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after
调: diào · transfer, move, change; tune

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