







机不可失,时不再来 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an opportunity, once lost, will never come again”. Therefore, one must seize the opportune moment without delay. It is crucial to act decisively when a favorable situation arises. Literally, “Opportunity must not be lost, time will not come again”.
In 203 BC, Han Xin, a general of the Han dynasty, successfully conquered the State of Qi and was subsequently enfeoffed as the King of Qi by Liu Bang.
Han Xin's advisor, Kuai Tong, observed the prevailing political climate and concluded that Han Xin was in a critically important position. Kuai Tong advised Han Xin against remaining loyal to Liu Bang, urging him instead to establish his own independent kingdom, thereby creating a tripartite division of power among Chu, Han, and himself. Kuai Tong stressed that this was 'an opportunity not to be missed, for time would not come again.'
However, Han Xin chose not to follow Kuai Tong's counsel.

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Open the tool →机不可失,时不再来 (jī bù kě shī , shí bù zài lái) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an opportunity, once lost, will never come again”.
机不可失,时不再来 is pronounced jī bù kě shī , shí bù zài lái in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 机不可失,时不再来 means “Opportunity must not be lost, time will not come again”. It is used to mean “an opportunity, once lost, will never come again”.
机不可失,时不再来 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
指时机难得,必需抓紧,不可错过。