成则为王，败则为寇

Traditional: 成則為王，敗則為寇

chéng zé wéi wáng , bài zé wéi kòu

Dictionary entry

lit. called a king if successful, called a bandit if defeated (idiom)

What does 成则为王，败则为寇 mean?

成则为王，败则为寇 (chéng zé wéi wáng , bài zé wéi kòu) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. called a king if successful, called a bandit if defeated (idiom)

2fig. losers are always in the wrong

Character breakdown

Open each character to see its own meanings and vocabulary links.

成Chéngsurname Cheng · short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1]则zé(literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then · (bound form) standard; norm 为wéias (in the capacity of) · to take sth as 王Wángsurname Wang 败bàito defeat · to damage 寇kòuold variant of 寇[kou4]

Reviewed examples

No reviewed example dialogues yet. This page only shows verified dictionary data until a context lesson is published.

How to pronounce 成则为王，败则为寇

成则为王，败则为寇

chéng zé wéi wáng , bài zé wéi kòu

Tap to hear Mandarin.

Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.