Definition
祸不单行 is a chengyu (four-character idiom) meaning 'misfortunes never come singly' — when one bad thing happens, another often follows. It's used to express sympathy or resignation when someone experiences a streak of bad luck. The literal reading is 'disaster doesn't travel alone,' and it's often paired with 福无双至 ('blessings never come in pairs') to form a pair of contrasting proverbs.
f.e.
misfortunes never come singlywhen it rainsit pours
Examples
- ，，祸不单行。Tā gāng diū le gōngzuò, yòu shēngbìng zhùyuàn, zhēn shì huò bù dān xíng.He just lost his job and then got sick and hospitalized — truly, misfortunes never come singly.
- “，祸不单行”，。Súhuà shuō “fú wú shuāng zhì, huò bù dān xíng”, nǐ yào zuò hǎo xīnlǐ zhǔnbèi.As the saying goes, 'blessings never come in pairs, misfortunes never come singly' — you should be mentally prepared.
- 祸不单行，，。Zuìjìn zhēn shì huò bù dān xíng, xiān shì bèi tōu le qiánbāo, jiēzhe yòu shuāishāng le tuǐ.Recently it's really been one thing after another — first my wallet was stolen, then I broke my leg.
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