吃亏是福 ('suffering loss is a blessing') is one of China's most famous proverbs, often attributed to the Qing dynasty official Zheng Banqiao. It teaches that sometimes accepting a small loss leads to greater gains — but younger Chinese increasingly mock this as enabling pushovers.
usage
Chinese uses 吃 for many abstract 'sufferings': 吃亏 (suffer loss), 吃苦 (endure hardship), 吃惊 (be startled), 吃醋 (be jealous, literally 'eat vinegar'). The pattern 吃 + [negative thing] is very productive.
