"Yi Jue Bu Zhen" literally means that once one falls, one can never get up again. In this idiom, "jue" refers to falling or setback, while "zhen" means to rouse oneself or rise with vigor. This idiom metaphorically describes a person who, after suffering a single failure or blow, becomes dispirited and demoralized, unable to recover their strength or rally again. It is often used to describe an individual whose career, studies, or romantic life suffers a devastating decline after a setback, and can also describe a group or nation that finds it difficult to revive after a severe blow. The idiom originates from Liu Xiang's Shuo Yuan: Tan Cong of the Han Dynasty: "If one is knocked down and never rises again, what is there to talk about with such a person?" It carries a distinctly derogatory connotation and is mostly used to criticize or lament someone's lack of resilience and inability to learn from failure. In usage, it is often paired with words such as "cong ci" (from then on), "bian" (then), or "jiu" (simply), emphasizing the prolonged state of decline after failure. Unlike "yi bai tu di," which emphasizes the severity of a defeat, "yi jue bu zhen" places greater emphasis on the inability to rise again after failure.
📝 Example
1. After failing the college entrance examination, he was completely devastated and shut himself in his room all day, unwilling to see anyone. (Describes a state of depression and inability to recover after a setback.)
2. Due to a major investment failure, the company was dealt a crushing blow and never recovered, eventually withdrawing from the market. (Describes a situation in which it is difficult to recover from a blow and decline sets in.)