📖 Meaning
To sigh with regret when it is already too late to remedy the situation. It describes the helpless remorse one feels after missing the chance to act. The idiom emphasizes the futility of regret once an opportunity has slipped away.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Pan Geng' chapter of the Shang Shu (Book of Documents), a foundational Confucian classic compiled during the Zhou dynasty but recording the words of King Pan Geng of the Shang dynasty. When King Pan Geng decided to move the Shang capital to Yin to escape floods and unrest, many of his ministers and subjects resisted the relocation. He warned them that if they clung to the old ways and refused to follow, they would later sigh in regret but find it too late to undo the consequences. The line '汝悔身何及' captures this warning that belated remorse would be of no use.
💡 Example Usage
若不及早采取防范措施，等到灾祸临头便只有嗟悔无及了。
If preventive measures are not taken early, when disaster strikes all that remains will be futile sighs of regret.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 嗟悔无及
- Pinyin: jiē huǐ wú jí
- Literal Translation: sigh, regret, not, reach in time
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4