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后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及
后悔不及

后悔不及 — “It's too late to feel regret”

后悔不及 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it's too late to feel regret”. Regret is now futile or useless; to be beyond the point of no return for repentance. Literally, “Regret too late”.

Frequency

后悔不及 Pronunciation and Pinyin

后悔不及 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
后
hòu6after, behind, empress
悔
huǐ10regret past mistakes
不
bù4not
及
jí4reach, and, in time

Example Sentence with 后悔不及

他当初没有努力学习,如今考试失利,后悔不及。
He didn't study hard initially, and now that he has failed the exam, it's too late for regrets.

Origin and Story of 后悔不及

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Jing of Qi fell seriously ill. He appointed Guo Huizi and Gao Zhaoli to assist Prince Tu in becoming the next ruler. After Duke Jing's death, the other princes fled to various states such as Wei and Lu.

Chen Qi, a powerful minister in Qi, harbored ambitions to eliminate Guo Huizi and Gao Zhaoli. He strategically sowed discord between them and other high-ranking officials, arguing that if these two were not removed, everyone would suffer deep and unchangeable regret, implying it would be too late to repent. This manipulation ultimately triggered a fierce conflict.

Idioms Related to 后悔不及

Synonyms of 后悔不及

  • hòu后huǐ悔mò莫jí及too late for regrets

Antonyms of 后悔不及

  • wáng亡yáng羊bǔ补láo牢Mend the pen after losing a sheep

More idioms starting with 后

  • hòu后bù不wéi为lì例not to be taken as a precedent
  • hòu后bù不jiàn僭xiān先Latercomers do not overstep earlier ones
  • hòu后yǎng仰qián前hé合rock back and forth with laughter
  • hòu后huì会kě可qī期We can expect to meet again
  • hòu后huì会wú无qī期parting ways with no definite date
  • hòu后huì会yǒu有qī期We'll meet again
  • hòu后huì会nán难qī期Uncertain when we will meet again
  • hòu后fā发zhì制rén人counterattack after opponent's move
  • hòu后tái台lǎo老bǎn板real power behind the scenes
  • hòu后hé合qián前yǎng仰rocking with laughter
  • hòu后shí实xiān先shēng声intimidate first, act later
  • hòu后xiàng巷qián前jiē街the entire neighborhood and its residents

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Questions about 后悔不及

What does 后悔不及 mean?

后悔不及 (hòu huǐ bù jí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it's too late to feel regret”.

How do you pronounce 后悔不及?

后悔不及 is pronounced hòu huǐ bù jí in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 后悔不及 literally mean?

Literally, 后悔不及 means “Regret too late”. It is used to mean “it's too late to feel regret”.

Where does 后悔不及 come from?

后悔不及 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 后悔不及?

后悔已经来不及了。

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