Mistakes happen — but in Chinese, there’s a perfect phrase for turning failures into wisdom: “吃一堑长一智.” Join us as we break down its meaning, share real-life examples, and show you how to use this saying naturally in conversation.

A: 你上次被骗的事还记得吗？

Nǐ shàng cì bèi piàn de shì hái jì de ma?

Do you remember the time you got scammed?

B: 当然记得！吃一堑长一智嘛。那次之后，我可长记性了。

Dāng rán jì de! Chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì ma. Nà cì zhī hòu, wǒ kě zhǎng jì xìng le.

Of course I remember! You learn from your mistakes. After that, I’ve been more cautious.

A: 这么说，你以后就不会再上当了？

Zhè me shuō, nǐ yǐ hòu jiù bú huì zài shàng dàng le?

So that is to say, you won’t be fooled again in the future?

B: 没错！再上当就太丢人了，肯定要避免啊！

Méi cuò! Zài shàng dàng jiù tài diū rén le, kěn dìng yào bì miǎn a!

Exactly! Getting fooled again would be too embarrassing; I’ll definitely avoid it!

Example Sentences：

1. 虽然这次失败了，但我学到了很多，真是吃一堑长一智。

Suī rán zhè cì shī bài le, dàn wǒ xué dào le hěn duō, zhēn shì chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì.

Although I failed this time, I learned a lot; it's truly a case of learning from experience.

2. 失败不可怕，只要能吃一堑长一智就值得了。

Shībài bù kěpà, zhǐyào néng chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì jiù zhídé le.

Failure isn’t scary — as long as you can learn from it, it’s worth it.

3. 她又找了一个渣男，怎么不能吃一堑长一智呢？

Tā yòu zhǎo le yí gè zhā nán, zěnme bù néng chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì ne?

She went and found another jerk of a boyfriend — how come she still hasn’t learned her lesson?

4. 经过那次教训，他开始更加小心，真是吃一堑长一智。

Jīng guò nà cì jiào xùn, tā kāi shǐ gèng jiā xiǎo xīn, zhēn shì chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì.

After that lesson, he became more cautious; truly a case of learning from mistakes.

5. 每次犯错后，我们都能吸取教训，吃一堑长一智。

Měi cì fàn cuò hòu, wǒ men dōu néng xī qǔ jiào xùn, chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì.

Every time we make a mistake, we can learn from it; you learn as you go.

6. 他总是说吃一堑长一智，所以遇到困难时他从不气馁。

Tā zǒng shì shuō chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì, suǒ yǐ yù dào kùn nán shí tā cóng bù qì něi.

He always says, "Learn from your mistakes," so he never gets discouraged when facing difficulties.

7. 失败是成功之母

Shībài shì chénggōng zhī mǔ

Failure is the mother of success.

In Summary:

吃一堑长一智(chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì) - "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit," meaning that one learns and becomes wiser after experiencing a setback or making a mistake.