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木已成舟

Mandarin · pinyin mù yǐ chéng zhōu

lit. the timber has been turned into a boat already (idiom)
fig. what is done cannot be undone

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Characters in this entry

木: mù · tree; wood, lumber; wooden
已: yǐ · already; finished; stop
成: chéng · completed, finished, fixed
舟: zhōu · boat, ship; Kangxi radical 137

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–2–1 · mu4 yi3 cheng2 zhou1

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

muk6 ji5 sing4 zau1

Cantonese word readings for 木已成舟. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) the die is cast; what's done is done

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

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