一不做，二不休 — Chinese Idiom
一不做，二不休 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Once a task or action has been started, one should see it through to the end or carry it out completely, rather than stopping halfway. It's often used to express a resolve to finish what has been started, no matter the difficulty; in for a penny, in for a pound”.
一不做，二不休 Pronunciation and Pinyin
一不做，二不休 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 一不做，二不休
Origin and Story of 一不做，二不休
During the Tang Dynasty, in the reign of Emperor Dezong, An Lushan launched a rebellion. Soon after, Zhu Ci, the military governor of Lulong, and his general Zhang Guangcheng also revolted.
Li Sheng was dispatched to quell the rebellion and managed to capture Zhang Guangcheng. Zhang Guangcheng offered to surrender and pledge loyalty to the Tang court again. However, Emperor Dezong's ministers vehemently opposed this, leaving no choice but to execute him.
As he faced his death, Zhang Guangcheng lamented, 'If one decides not to do it, then don't; but once you start, you must see it through to the very end.'
Idioms Related to 一不做，二不休
Synonyms of 一不做，二不休
Antonyms of 一不做，二不休
More idioms starting with 一
- yī一dīng丁bù不shí识completely illiterate
- yī一dīng丁diǎn点er儿a tiny bit
- yī一bù不zuò作，，èr二bù不xiū休Finish what you start
- yī一bù不yā压zhòng众，，bǎi百bù不suí随yī一The minority cannot prevail against the majority
- yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
- yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
- yī一shì世lóng龙mén门A generation's revered influential figure
- yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
- yī一qiū丘zhī之hé貉birds of a feather
- yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
- yī一sī丝bù不luàn乱perfectly orderly and neat
- yī一sī丝bù不guà挂completely naked
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Open the tool →Questions about 一不做，二不休
What does 一不做，二不休 mean?
一不做，二不休 (yī bù zuò ， èr bù xiū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Once a task or action has been started, one should see it through to the end or carry it out completely, rather than stopping halfway. It's often used to express a resolve to finish what has been started, no matter the difficulty; in for a penny, in for a pound”.
How do you pronounce 一不做，二不休?
一不做，二不休 is pronounced yī bù zuò ， èr bù xiū in Mandarin Chinese.
Where does 一不做，二不休 come from?
一不做，二不休 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 一不做，二不休?
原意是要么不做，做了就索兴做到底。指事情既然做了开头，就索兴做到底。