亡戟得矛 — “To lose one thing but gain another of comparable value”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 亡戟得矛?

比喻得到的和失去的相当，或有失有得。

亡戟得矛 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to lose one thing but gain another of comparable value”. The gains compensate for the losses, or there is a balance between loss and gain. Literally, “Lose a halberd, gain a spear”.

Frequency

亡戟得矛 Pronunciation and Pinyin

亡戟得矛 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
亡	wáng	3	die, perish, flee, lose
戟	jǐ	12	ancient Chinese halberd
得	dé	11	obtain, must, or suitable
矛	máo	5	ancient spear

Example Sentence with 亡戟得矛

这次的项目虽然耗费了大家不少精力，但同时也锻炼了团队的协作能力，可谓亡戟得矛。

Although this project consumed a lot of everyone's energy, it also honed the team's collaborative skills, which can be described as losing a halberd but gaining a spear.

Origin and Story of 亡戟得矛

During the Spring and Autumn period, a war broke out between the states of Qi and Jin. In the chaos of battle, a foot soldier from Qi lost his halberd but managed to pick up a spear.

As he retreated, he asked a passerby what he should do. The passerby told him that since both were weapons, he would be fine returning to his unit.

However, when he asked the High Officer of Gaotang, the officer insisted that he should go back and retrieve his original halberd. The foot soldier and the officer then returned to the battlefield together, and both bravely died while trying to find the lost halberd.