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Chinese/Dictionary entry

机不可失，失不再来

jī bù kě shī , shī bù zài láidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
opportunity knocks but once (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-0cc16c5809e63a11. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

機不可失，失不再來 机不可失，失不再来 [ji1 bu4 ke3 shi1 , shi1 bu4 zai4 lai2] /opportunity knocks but once (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 機不可失，失不再來

  • 机
    jī

    (bound form) machine / mechanism / (bound form) aircraft / (bound form) an opportunity / (bound form) crucial point / pivot / (bound form) quick-witted / flexible / (bound form) organic

    Jī

    surname Ji

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 可
    kě

    (prefix) can / may / able to / -able / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very / but / however

    kè

    used in 可汗[kè hán]

  • 失
    shī

    to lose / to miss / to fail

  • 失
    shī

    to lose / to miss / to fail

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 再
    zài

    again / once more / re- / further / beyond this point of time / (before an adjective) more / then (after sth, and not until then) / no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, and then (usually) 也[yě] or 都[dōu] for emphasis) / (used to introduce additional information, as in 再則|再则[zài zé], 再就是[zài jiù shì] etc) / (literary) to reappear / to reoccur

  • 来
    lái

    to come / (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) / hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[huí lai]) / ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zì gǔ yǐ lái]) / for the past (amount of time) / (prefix) the coming ... / the next ... (as in 來世|来世[lái shì]) / (between two verbs) in order to / (after a round number) approximately / (used after 得[dé] to indicate possibility, as in 談得來|谈得来[tán de lái], or after 不[bù] to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來|吃不来[chī bu lái])

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.