Definition
This is a Chinese four-character idiom (chengyu) meaning 'to let oneself go after a setback' or 'to act recklessly because things are already bad'. The literal image is 'smashing a broken jar even more' — once something is already damaged, you stop caring and make it worse. It describes a self-destructive attitude where someone gives up on improvement and instead behaves carelessly or defiantly. You can use it about a person, a situation, or even a project that has been abandoned to decline.
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to give up on oneself after a failure and act recklesslyto let things slide because they're already bad
Examples
- 破罐子破摔，。Tā kǎoshì bù jígé hòu jiù kāishǐ pò guàn zǐ pò shuāi, lián kè dōu bú shàng le.After failing the exam, he started acting recklessly and even stopped going to class.
- ，破罐子破摔，。Gōngsī chū le wèntí, lǎobǎn què pò guàn zǐ pò shuāi, shénme dōu bù guǎn le.The company had problems, but the boss just gave up and stopped managing anything.
- 破罐子破摔，。Nǐ bù néng yīnwèi yí cì shībài jiù pò guàn zǐ pò shuāi, yào zhènzuò qǐlái.You can't just give up after one failure — you need to pull yourself together.
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