马前泼水 — “A metaphor for an irreversible marital separation”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 马前泼水?

比喻夫妻离异，无法挽回。

马前泼水 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a metaphor for an irreversible marital separation”. Once a couple is divorced, it's impossible to reconcile or revert the situation, much like spilled water cannot be collected. Literally, “Pour water in front of the horse”.

Frequency

马前泼水 Pronunciation and Pinyin

马前泼水 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
马	mǎ	3	horse, big, large
前	qián	9	forward, before, previous
泼	pō	8	splash, fierce, bold
水	shuǐ	4	water, liquid, river, juice

Example Sentence with 马前泼水

他们夫妻俩已经马前泼水了，无论如何也无法回到从前了。

The couple has already reached the point of 'pouring water in front of the horse'; there's no way for them to go back to how things were before.

Origin and Story of 马前泼水

During the Han Dynasty, a scholar named Zhu Maichen came from a very poor family. He made a living by cutting firewood and selling it, but he was dedicated to his studies, often reciting books as he walked.

His wife was ashamed of his poverty and diligence, and eventually left him.

Years later, Zhu Maichen passed the imperial examinations and became a prefect. Upon hearing of his success, his ex-wife came to him, begging to remarry.

Zhu Maichen then poured a basin of water in front of his horse, telling her, 'If you can collect this spilled water, then we can remarry.' This implied that just as spilled water cannot be retrieved, a broken relationship cannot be mended.