失之交臂

shīzhī-jiāobì
idiom #26,812

Meanings

  1. 1 to narrowly miss (a person or opportunity)
  2. 2 to let a great opportunity slip through one's fingers

Examples

HSK 3
Tāmen jiù chà yī bù, jiéguǒ háishi shīzhījiāobì.
They were just one step away, but still narrowly missed it.
HSK 7-9
Yóuyú shēngbìng, tā yǔ zhè cì jìnshēng jīhuì shīzhījiāobì.
Due to illness, she narrowly missed this promotion opportunity.

Tips

memory
交臂 means 'arms crossing,' as close as two people passing each other with arms brushing. Adding 失之 (to lose/miss) paints the picture of two people crossing paths so close their arms touch, yet still missing each other.

Stroke Order

shī
zhī
jiāo