Chinese word

马后炮

Pronunciation

Pinyinmǎ hòu pào

Meaning

  • idiomhindsight

Example

你别马后炮，现在才想起来不公平。nǐ bié mǎ hòu pào xiàn zài cái xiǎng qǐ lái bù gōng píng

Don't use hindsight; you're only realizing now that it was unfair.

Illustration for 马后炮 (hindsight)

More examples

问题出现前他没提醒，现在才来补救，像是在打马后炮。wèn tí chū xiàn qián tā méi tí xǐng xiàn zài cái lái bǔ jiù xiàng shì zài dǎ mǎ hòu pào

He did not warn anyone before the problem arose and is only trying to fix it now, which seems like criticizing after the fact.

Core concept

A comment arrives after the decisive moment, when it can no longer guide the result.

Common phrases

  • 打马后炮dǎ mǎ hòu pào

    play Monday-morning quarterback

  • 别打马后炮bié dǎ mǎ hòu pào

    don't play Monday-morning quarterback

  • 不要再打马后炮bú yào zài dǎ mǎ hòu pào

    don't play Monday-morning quarterback anymore

Similar words

事后诸葛亮shì hòu zhū gé liàng: Offering criticism or advice after an event ends, as if the right answer should have been obvious.
后知后觉hòu zhī hòu jué: Noticing or reacting to something only after it has happened, when taking action is too late.
说三道四shuō sān dào sì: Making unfounded remarks about people or events, often by criticizing them or spreading gossip.

Definition in Chinese

指在事情已经发生或决定之后才提出批评、建议或指责，因而无法改变结果，常带有责备或讥讽的含义。zhǐ zài shì qíng yǐ jīng fā shēng huò jué dìng zhī hòu cái tí chū pī píng jiàn yì huò zhǐ zé yīn ér wú fǎ gǎi biàn jié guǒ cháng dài yǒu zé bèi huò jī fěng de hán yì

Word origin

The idiom draws on xiangqi: 马 (mǎ, "horse") + 后 (hòu, "behind") + 炮 (pào, "cannon") literally places a cannon behind a horse, evoking a move made after its useful moment has passed.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the idiom can target advice as well as criticism, marking a comment as unhelpfully late rather than simply showing disagreement.

Other meanings

  • Monday-morning quarterbackingidiom
  • second-guessingidiom

Opposites

  • 先见之明xiān jiàn zhī míngforesightidiom

Word lists with this word