📖 Meaning
Spilled water cannot be gathered back up. It is a metaphor for a situation that is already settled and cannot be reversed or undone. Used to describe a decision or break that is final and irreversible.
📜 Origin Story
According to legend, Zhu Maichen of the Han dynasty was poor in his early years, and his wife, unable to endure the hardship, left him. After he became an official and achieved success, his former wife sought to return to him. Zhu Maichen poured a basin of water onto the ground and told her to collect it back, making clear that their broken relationship, like the spilled water, could never be restored. The story has been passed down as a symbol of irrevocable decisions.
💡 Example Usage
既然已经决定分手，便是买臣覆水，再无挽回的余地。
Since we have already decided to part ways, it is like spilled water that cannot be gathered back—there is no longer any room for reconciliation.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
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🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 买臣覆水
- Pinyin: mǎi chén fù shuǐ
- Literal Translation: Maichen, pour, water
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4