吃后悔药

吃後悔藥
chīhòuhuǐyào
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 (figurative) to regret what one has done
  2. 2 to wish one could undo something (literally: to take regret medicine)

Examples

Shìshàng méiyǒu hòuhuǐyào kě chī.
There is no pill in the world that lets you undo regret.
Xiànzài cái xiǎng qǐlái, chī hòuhuǐyào yě méiyòng le.
Only thinking of it now — there's no point in regretting it anymore.

Tips

culture
Often used in the negative: 没有后悔药 / 后悔药 ('no regret-pill exists / no one sells regret-pills'), meaning what's done can't be undone. The imaginary 'regret pill' is the punchline.
memory
Picture a pharmacy where 后悔药 (regret pills) are eternally out of stock. The phrase only works because that medicine doesn't exist.

Stroke Order

chī
hòu
huǐ
yào