欲速不达 — “Desire quickness, not reach”
欲速不达 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Seeking to achieve something too quickly will prevent one from reaching the desired goal; haste makes waste”. Literally, “Desire quickness, not reach”.
Frequency
欲速不达 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 欲yù
- 速sù
- 不bù
- 达dá
欲速不达 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 欲速不达
小明想在一天内完成这份复杂的报告，结果因为太心急，出了不少错误，真是欲速不达啊。
Xiao Ming wanted to finish this complex report in one day, but because he was too impatient, he made many mistakes. It truly shows that haste makes waste.
Origin and Story of 欲速不达
Once upon a time, a farmer was carrying a load of oranges into the city. It was getting dark, and he was worried he wouldn't reach the city gates before they closed.
He was very anxious and asked a passerby if he could make it in time. The passerby told him that if he walked slowly, he would get there.
Annoyed by this advice, the farmer sped up his pace. Unexpectedly, he slipped and fell, scattering all the oranges on the ground.
He had no choice but to pick them up, and as a result, it was already dark, and he still couldn't enter the city.
Idioms Related to 欲速不达
Synonyms of 欲速不达
Antonyms of 欲速不达
More idioms starting with 欲
- yù欲bù不kě可zòng纵Do not indulge desires excessively
- yù欲rén人wù勿zhī知，，mò莫ruò若wù勿wèi为If you don't want it known, don't do it
- yù欲rén人wù勿wén闻，，mò莫ruò若wù勿yán言If you don't want it heard, don't say it
- yù欲jiā加zhī之zuì罪trumped-up charge
- yù欲jiā加zhī之zuì罪，，hé何huàn患wú无cí辞If you want to condemn, you'll find a pretext
- yù欲qǔ取gū姑yǔ与Give a little to take a lot
- yù欲qǔ取gū姑yǔ予Give a little to gain a lot
- yù欲hè壑nán难tián填desire is a bottomless pit
- yù欲dé得ér而gān甘xīn心satisfied only when one gets revenge
- yù欲yáng扬xiān先yì抑suppress first to elevate later
- yù欲qín擒xiān先zòng纵release to catch
- yù欲qín擒gù故zòng纵to loosen to catch
Questions about 欲速不达
- What does 欲速不达 mean?
- 欲速不达 (yù sù bù dá) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Seeking to achieve something too quickly will prevent one from reaching the desired goal; haste makes waste”.
- How do you pronounce 欲速不达?
- 欲速不达 is pronounced yù sù bù dá in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 欲速不达 literally mean?
- Literally, 欲速不达 means “Desire quickness, not reach”. It is used to mean “Seeking to achieve something too quickly will prevent one from reaching the desired goal; haste makes waste”.
- Where does 欲速不达 come from?
- 欲速不达 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 欲速不达?
- 欲：想要。想求快速，反而不能达到目的。