贼船

賊船

zéichuán

noun #31,335

Measure Word

一艘贼船 sōu

Meanings

1 pirate ship
2 (figurative) a venture you can't get off — a criminal gang, a bad bet, or a sinking project

Characters

Examples

我才发现自己上了贼船，但已经太晚了。

Wǒ cái fāxiàn zìjǐ shàng le zéichuán, dàn yǐjīng tài wǎn le.

Only then did I realize I'd boarded the pirate ship, but it was already too late.

投资那家公司，无异于上贼船。

Tóuzī nà jiā gōngsī, wúyì yú shàng zéichuán.

Investing in that company is no different from boarding a pirate ship.

Tips

usage

The figurative sense dominates daily use: 上贼船 ("to board a pirate ship") = to get sucked into a shady operation, dud business, or doomed project from which it's hard to escape. Companion phrase: 上贼船容易下贼船难 ("easy to board the pirate ship, hard to leave").

Stroke Order

贼 zéi

船 chuán