胜败乃兵家常事

勝敗乃兵家常事

shèngbàinǎibīngjiāchángshì

phrase

Meanings

1 victory and defeat are the normal lot of a military commander
2 used to console someone after a loss

Characters

is / are (literary)

soldier / military

expert / school

common / ordinary

Examples

别难过了,胜败乃兵家常事。

Bié nánguò le, shèng bài nǎi bīngjiā chángshì.

Don't be upset — winning and losing are part of any commander's life.

这次比赛输了不要紧,胜败乃兵家常事。

Zhè cì bǐsài shū le bú yàojǐn, shèng bài nǎi bīngjiā chángshì.

It doesn't matter that we lost this match — win some, lose some.

Tips

usage

Classic consolation line after any kind of setback — sports, exams, business deals, not just literal battle. Variant form 胜负乃兵家之常 is recorded in the Old Book of Tang (《旧唐书》) in a speech by Pei Du consoling Tang general Li Su.

Stroke Order

胜 shèng

败 bài

乃 nǎi

兵 bīng

家 jiā

常 cháng

事 shì