Definition
摔跟头 is a separable verb (离合词) that works both literally and figuratively. Literally it means 'to fall down / trip over' — you literally hit the ground. Figuratively it means 'to suffer a setback / make a costly mistake', often used in work or life experience. When you need to insert a measure word, modifier, or aspect marker, the syllables split: 摔 + MEASURE + 跟头, e.g. 摔了一个跟头 ('took a tumble'), 摔过跟头 ('have tripped up before').
v.o.
(literal) to fall downto trip and fall(figurative) to suffer a setbackto make a costly mistake
Examples
- ，。Tā zǒulù méi zhùyì, shuāi le yí ge dà gēntou.He wasn't paying attention while walking and took a hard fall.
- ，。Wǒ zài nà jiàn shì shang shuāi guò gēntou, hòulái jiù xiǎoxīn duō le.I made a mistake on that matter before, and after that I've been much more careful.
- 摔跟头，。Zuò tóuzī hěn róngyì shuāi gēn tou, yídìng yào jǐnshèn.It's very easy to trip up in investing; you must be cautious.
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