后悔莫及 — “To regret something when it is too late”
后悔莫及 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to regret something when it is too late”. To be too late for regrets. Literally, “regret beyond reach”.
后悔莫及 Pronunciation and Pinyin
后悔莫及 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 后悔莫及
Origin and Story of 后悔莫及
During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Jing of Qi was seriously ill. He appointed Guo Huizi and Gao Zhaozhi to assist Prince Tu in becoming the ruler.
After Duke Jing died, other princes fled to states such as Wei and Lu. Chen Qi of Qi wished to eliminate Guo Huizi and Gao Zhaozhi.
He sowed discord between them and the grandees, claiming that if they did not eliminate these two, they would regret it too late. Thus, he instigated a war.
Idioms Related to 后悔莫及
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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Open the tool →Questions about 后悔莫及
What does 后悔莫及 mean?
后悔莫及 (hòu huǐ mò jí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to regret something when it is too late”.
How do you pronounce 后悔莫及?
后悔莫及 is pronounced hòu huǐ mò jí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 后悔莫及 literally mean?
Literally, 后悔莫及 means “regret beyond reach”. It is used to mean “to regret something when it is too late”.
Where does 后悔莫及 come from?
后悔莫及 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 后悔莫及?
后悔：事后的懊悔。指事后的懊悔也来不及了。