周郎妙計安天下，賠了夫人又折兵

Chinese

		brilliant scheme; excellent plan; wonderful idea	content; calm; still content; calm; still; quiet; to pacify; peace; how	under heaven; the world; everything under the sky under heaven; the world; everything under the sky; all under heaven		lose in trade; pay damage	to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker)	man['s] person; lady; madam man['s] person; lady; madam; Mrs.; wife	(once) again; also; both... and... (once) again; also; both... and...; again	to lose men in battle
trad. (周郎妙計安天下，賠了夫人又折兵)	周郎	妙計	安	天下	，	賠	了	夫人	又	折兵
simp. (周郎妙计安天下，赔了夫人又折兵)	周郎	妙计	安	天下	，	赔	了	夫人	又	折兵
alternative forms	周郎妙計高天下，賠了夫人又折兵／周郎妙计高天下，赔了夫人又折兵周郎妙計安天下，陪了夫人又折兵／周郎妙计安天下，陪了夫人又折兵
Literally: “Master Zhou's brilliant scheme to secure the empire, he lost the lady and troops too.”

Etymology

From a story in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which Zhou Yu attempts to kidnap Liu Bei by marrying his lord Sun Quan's sister to Liu. Liu Bei escaped, bringing Lady Sun with him, and Zhou Yu's troops were ambushed as they gave chase.

- 岸上軍士齊聲大叫曰：「周郎妙計安天下，賠了夫人又折兵！」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  岸上军士齐声大叫曰：「周郎妙计安天下，赔了夫人又折兵！」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14^th century CE
  Àn shàng jūnshì qíshēng dàjiào yuē: “Zhōuláng miàojì ān tiānxià, péi le fūrén yòu zhébīng!” [Pinyin]
  The [Shu] soldiers on the bank yelled out together loudly: “Master Zhou's brilliant scheme to secure the empire, he lost the lady and his troops too!”

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): zhōuláng miàojì ān tiānxià, péi lefū rén yòuzhé bīng

(Zhuyin): ㄓㄡㄌㄤˊ ㄇㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧˋ ㄢㄊㄧㄢㄒㄧㄚˋ , ㄆㄟˊ ˙ㄌㄜㄈㄨㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡˋ ㄓㄜˊ ㄅㄧㄥ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zhōuláng miàojì ān tiānxià, péi lefū rén yòuzhé bīng
  - Zhuyin: ㄓㄡㄌㄤˊ ㄇㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧˋ ㄢㄊㄧㄢㄒㄧㄚˋ , ㄆㄟˊ ˙ㄌㄜㄈㄨㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡˋ ㄓㄜˊ ㄅㄧㄥ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jhouláng miàojì an tiansià, péi le̊fu rén yòujhé bing
  - Wade–Giles: chou¹-lang² miao⁴-chi⁴ an¹ tʻien¹-hsia⁴, pʻei² lê⁵-fu¹ jên² yu⁴-chê² ping¹
  - Yale: jōu-láng myàu-jì ān tyān-syà-, péi le-fū rén yòu-jé bīng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: joulang miawjih an tianshiah, peir .lefu ren yowjer bing
  - Palladius: чжоулан мяоцзи ань тянься, пэй лэфу жэнь ючжэ бин (čžoulan mjaoczi anʹ tjanʹsja, pɛj lɛfu žɛnʹ jučžɛ bin)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ lɑŋ³⁵ mi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi⁵¹ ˀän⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pʰeɪ̯³⁵ lə³ fu⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ joʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵ piŋ⁵⁵/

Phrase

周郎妙計安天下，賠了夫人又折兵

to suffer a loss upon another loss.