赔了夫人又折兵
What does 赔了夫人又折兵 mean?
To lose the lady and soldiers too, suffering a double loss when a scheme backfires
指本想算计别人，结果不但没有成功，反而连自己原有的东西也一起损失了，遭受双重失败。
Historical origin
In the Three Kingdoms story, Zhou Yu of Wu planned to invite Liu Bei to Wu with a marriage offer and then keep him there as a trap. But Zhuge Liang had already given Liu Bei sealed letters with instructions for escape. Lady Sun chose to leave with Liu Bei, and when Zhou Yu sent soldiers to chase them, Liu Bei escaped by boat. The pursuing soldiers straggled back in broken, exhausted ranks, so Zhou Yu lost Lady Sun and also spent his soldiers for nothing.
How do you use 赔了夫人又折兵 in a sentence?
He tried to trick the other team into giving up, but they won the game and took his best player, so he really lost the lady and soldiers too.
他本想骗对方球队放弃，结果对方赢了比赛，还带走了他最好的队员，真是赔了夫人又折兵。
Common mistake
Do not use this idiom for an ordinary loss or accident. It is used when someone sets a trap or makes a plan to harm or control others, but the plan backfires and causes a double loss instead.
不要把这个成语用在普通的损失或意外上。它用于一个人本来设下圈套或计划去算计、控制别人，结果计划反而害了自己，造成双重损失。
More examples and usage guide