驷马难追

駟馬難追
sìmǎnánzhuī

words cannot be taken back once they are spoken

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

1 驷马 sìmǎ
  1. (literary) team of four horses (usually pulling a single carriage)
  2. team of four horses (usually pulling a single carriage)
=2 难 nán
  1. difficult (to...)
  2. problem
  3. difficulty
  4. difficult
  5. not good
=2 难 nàn
  1. disaster
  2. distress
  3. to scold
=3 追 duī
  1. to sculpt
  2. to carve
  3. musical instrument (old)
=3 追 zhuī
  1. to chase
  2. to pursue
  3. to look into
  4. to investigate
  5. to reminisce
  6. to recall
  7. to court (one's beloved)
  8. to binge-watch (a TV drama)
  9. retroactively
  10. posthumously

Containing this entry

一言既出，驷马难追 yīyánjìchū,sìmǎnánzhuī lit. once said, a team of horses cannot unsay it (idiom); a promise must be kept
君子一言，驷马难追 jūnzǐyīyán,sìmǎnánzhuī a nobleman's word is his bond (proverb)