📖 Meaning
A classical conjunction meaning "otherwise," "if not," or "failing that." It introduces the alternative or consequence that follows when the preceding condition does not hold. It is the literary equivalent of the colloquial 再不然.
📜 Origin Story
No definitive textual origin is recorded for this idiom. It arose as a variant of the more common 再不然 in classical vernacular Chinese. Such formulaic four-character extensions typically circulated in Ming and Qing vernacular fiction and storytelling literature. Its structure mirrors the pattern of 果不其然, in which the filler particle 其 is inserted for rhythmic balance. Because it never became a set allusion, dictionaries gloss it simply as "犹言再不然" without attributing a source.
💡 Example Usage
明天的事你亲自来一趟，再不其然，写封委托书交给我。
Come in person tomorrow about this matter; failing that, give me a written letter of authorization.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 再不其然
- Pinyin: zài bù qí rán
- Literal Translation: again, not, so, thus
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4