Definition
满盘皆输 is a Chinese idiom originally from weiqi (Go) — it describes the outcome when a single critical mistake leads to total failure, like losing the whole board from one bad move. You use it in any situation where one error has cascading consequences: a careless step in a project, a lapse in negotiations, or a fatal oversight. The idiom is often paired with 一着不慎 (yī zhāo bù shèn) to form the longer proverb 'one careless move and the whole game is lost'.
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one false move can lose the whole gamea single mistake leads to total failure
Examples
- ,满盘皆输。Zhè cì tóuzī yí bù zǒu cuò, jiù mǎn pán jiē shū le.One misstep in this investment, and the whole thing is lost.
- ,满盘皆输。Xià qí shí qiān wàn yào xiǎoxīn, fǒuzé yì zhāo bú shèn mǎn pán jiē shū.When playing chess, you must be very careful, or one careless move will lose the entire game.
- ,满盘皆输。Tánpàn zhōng rènhé yí ge xìjié dōu bùnéng hūshì, bùrán kěnéng mǎn pán jiē shū.In negotiations, you can't overlook any detail, or you risk losing everything.
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