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开弓没有回头箭

kāi gōng méi yǒu huí tóu jiàndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. once you've shot the arrow, there's no getting it back (idiom) / fig. once you started sth, there's no turning back / to have to finish what one started / to be determined to reach one's goals in spite of setbacks
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-517ceac38c8ed3f1. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

開弓沒有回頭箭 开弓没有回头箭 [kai1 gong1 mei2 you3 hui2 tou2 jian4] /lit. once you've shot the arrow, there's no getting it back (idiom)/fig. once you started sth, there's no turning back/to have to finish what one started/to be determined to reach one's goals in spite of setbacks/

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: 開弓沒有回頭箭

  • 开
    kāi

    to open (transitive or intransitive) / (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start / to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run / to boil / to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc) / (directional complement) away; off / carat (gold) / abbr. for Kelvin, 開爾文|开尔文[Kāi ěr wén] / abbr. for 開本|开本[kāi běn], book format

  • 弓
    gōng

    a bow (weapon) / CL:張|张[zhāng] / to bend / to arch (one's back etc)

    Gōng

    surname Gong

  • 没
    méi

    (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not

    mò

    drowned / to end / to die / to inundate

  • 有
    yǒu

    to have; there is / (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)

  • 回
    huí

    to go back; to return; to turn back; to turn around / to reply; to answer / classifier for literary divisions (acts of a play, sections or chapters of a classic book) / classifier for occurrences or times / to curve / to return / to revolve

    Huí

    Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims)

  • 头
    tóu

    head / hair style / the top / end / beginning or end / a stub / remnant / chief / boss / side / aspect / first / leading / classifier for pigs or livestock / CL:個|个[gè]

    tou

    suffix for nouns

  • 箭
    jiàn

    arrow / CL:支[zhī]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.