"Spilt water cannot be gathered up again" literally means that water poured on the ground cannot be retrieved, and it is used as a metaphor for a situation that is already settled and cannot be reversed. It originates from the story of Zhu Maichen in the Book of the Later Han: Zhu Maichen was poor, and his wife, disdaining his poverty, asked to leave him. Later, when Zhu Maichen became prominent, his wife asked to be reunited with him. Zhu Maichen poured water on the ground and told her to gather it back up, thereby explaining that spilt water cannot be recovered and that the bond between husband and wife had already been broken. This idiom is often used to describe irreversible situations such as the breakdown of a marriage, a wrong decision, or the end of a relationship, and it carries a strong sense of helplessness, regret, and warning. It reminds people to think carefully before acting, because once certain actions are taken, they are like poured-out water and can hardly be restored to their original state. In terms of emotional coloring, it is mostly derogatory or regretful, emphasizing the seriousness and irreversibility of the consequences.
📝 Example
1. He quit his job on a momentary impulse and now regrets it deeply, but what is done cannot be undone. (A metaphor for something that is already settled and cannot be reversed.)
2. After the two divorced, although both wanted to reconcile, what is done cannot be undone, and their relationship could never return to what it once was. (A metaphor for the difficulty of restoring a relationship after it has broken down.)