机不可失 失不再来
“It's now or never.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
必须要今天去吗
“Do I have to go today?”
机不可失 失不再来
“It's now or never.”
你自己决定
“Your call.”
“You have to go today, otherwise you'll miss your only shot.”
Using classical parallel idioms like this adds rhetorical authority and urgency to oral advice in Chinese.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
now or never / an opportunity not to be missed
A set idiomatic phrase used to push someone toward decisive action when facing a time-sensitive opportunity.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“insufferably arrogant. What a lofty lady she has been!”
“Now or never.”
“Don't miss this chance.”
“Opportunities like this don't come twice!”
“win this battle. - We'll defend the pass with our lives! - We'll defend the pass with our lives!”