fuk1 seoi2 naan4 sau1覆水難收覆水难收
Jyutpingfuk1 seoi2 naan4 sau1
Yalefūk séui nàahn sāu
Definition
What is done cannot be undone; like spilt water, a situation once occurred cannot be restored to its original state.
neutralother
How it's used
Used primarily to warn someone that a decision or action will have irreversible consequences. It carries a heavy, admonishing tone, often appearing in advice regarding relationships or major life choices. Unlike simple expressions of regret, this idiom emphasizes the physical impossibility of reversing a past event.
Examples
Once you say it, you can't take it back, so think carefully before you speak.
Since what's done is done, there's no point in dwelling on it anymore.
Related words
Common phrases
an irreversible situation
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
