huò bù dān xíng: 祸不单行 - Misfortunes Never Come Alone

• Keywords: huò bù dān xíng, 祸不单行, Chinese idiom for bad luck, misfortunes never come alone, when it rains it pours in Chinese, Chinese proverbs, bad things happen in threes, Chinese chengyu, Chinese expression for a series of problems.
• Summary: 祸不单行 (huò bù dān xíng) is a common Chinese idiom, or chengyu, that perfectly captures the feeling when one piece of bad luck is immediately followed by another. Translating directly to “misfortunes never come alone,” it's the Chinese equivalent of the English saying “when it rains, it pours.” This page explores the meaning, cultural context, and practical usage of this proverb, helping you understand how to express frustration or sympathy when bad things seem to happen all at once.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): huò bù dān xíng
• Part of Speech: Idiom (成语, chéngyǔ)
• HSK Level: N/A (Considered an advanced-level Chengyu)
• Concise Definition: Disasters do not come singly; troubles arrive in succession.
• In a Nutshell: `祸不单行` is a fixed, four-character phrase used to describe a situation where multiple unfortunate events happen back-to-back. It expresses a sense of being overwhelmed by a string of bad luck and reflects a common human experience of problems compounding. It can be used as a sigh of resignation for one's own troubles or as a way to show understanding and sympathy for someone else's.

• 祸 (huò): Disaster, misfortune, calamity. This character represents the core concept of a negative, unfortunate event.
• 不 (bù): Not, no. A simple but powerful negation particle.
• 单 (dān): Single, alone, one. It implies singularity or isolation.
• 行 (xíng): To walk, travel, or go. In this context, it functions more like “to come” or “to happen.”

When combined, the characters literally mean “Disasters do not walk alone.” This creates a vivid image of one misfortune leading another by the hand, emphasizing that troubles often arrive in groups.

`祸不单行` is more than just a phrase; it reflects a deep-seated observation about the nature of life present in Chinese culture. It touches on a certain fatalism or realism, acknowledging that life is unpredictable and that challenges are often interconnected.

• Comparison with “When it rains, it pours”: The English equivalent, “when it rains, it pours,” is a very close match in meaning. However, `祸不单行` can often carry a slightly more serious and heavier weight. While the English phrase can sometimes be used with a tone of light exasperation (e.g., “I was late for work, and then I spilled coffee on my shirt—when it rains, it pours!”), `祸不单行` is generally reserved for more significant setbacks. It speaks to a chain of genuine misfortunes rather than minor inconveniences.

This idiom is often paired with its pessimistic counterpart, `福无双至 (fú wú shuāng zhì)`, which means “good fortune never comes in pairs.” Together, they paint a picture of a world where good things are fleeting and singular, while bad things tend to cluster and compound.

`祸不单行` is a formal idiom, but it's widely understood and used in various contexts, from daily conversation about serious matters to news headlines.

• Expressing Sympathy: When a friend tells you they lost their job and then their car broke down, you can say, “唉，真是祸不单行 (Āi, zhēnshi huò bù dān xíng)” — “Sigh, it's true that misfortunes never come alone.” This shows you understand the gravity of their situation.
• Describing Your Own Situation: You can use it to express your own frustration or despair. “我最近真是祸不单行，倒霉事一件接一件。(Wǒ zuìjìn zhēnshi huò bù dān xíng, dǎoméi shì yī jiàn jiē yī jiàn.)” — “I've really had a run of bad luck lately, one unfortunate thing after another.”
• In News and Media: Headlines often use this phrase to describe a company facing multiple crises or a region hit by successive natural disasters. For example, a story about an earthquake followed by a major flood might use this idiom.

Its connotation is always negative and serious. It is used as a complete thought or clause within a larger sentence.

• Example 1:
  • 他上个星期刚失业，这个星期家里又被偷了，真是祸不单行。
  • Pinyin: Tā shàng ge xīngqī gāng shīyè, zhège xīngqī jiā lǐ yòu bèi tōu le, zhēnshi huò bù dān xíng.
  • English: He just lost his job last week, and this week his house was burgled. It's true that misfortunes never come alone.
  • Analysis: This is a classic use case, connecting two distinct but serious negative events affecting one person.
• Example 2:
  • 唉，祸不单行啊。公司裁员，老婆又生病住院了。
  • Pinyin: Āi, huò bù dān xíng a. Gōngsī cáiyuán, lǎopó yòu shēngbìng zhùyuàn le.
  • English: Sigh, when it rains, it pours. The company had layoffs, and now my wife is sick in the hospital.
  • Analysis: Here, the idiom is used at the beginning as a sigh of resignation before listing the specific problems. The particle `啊 (a)` adds an emotional, sighing tone.
• Example 3:
  • 对于这个国家来说，经济危机之后又爆发了战争，可谓是祸不单行。
  • Pinyin: Duìyú zhège guójiā lái shuō, jīngjì wēijī zhīhòu yòu bàofā le zhànzhēng, kěwèi shì huò bù dān xíng.
  • English: For this country, war broke out right after an economic crisis; you could say that misfortunes never come alone.
  • Analysis: This example shows the idiom used on a larger, geopolitical scale. `可谓是 (kěwèi shì)` means “it can be called” or “one could say.”
• Example 4:
  • 真是祸不单行，我的钱包丢了，手机也摔坏了。
  • Pinyin: Zhēnshi huò bù dān xíng, wǒ de qiánbāo diū le, shǒujī yě shuāi huài le.
  • English: It's really a case of one trouble after another; I lost my wallet, and I also broke my phone.
  • Analysis: A common personal scenario. While losing a wallet and phone are serious inconveniences, they are significant enough in modern life to warrant this idiom.
• Example 5:
  • 老王的车祸还没处理完，他父亲又突然病倒了，这可真是祸不单行。
  • Pinyin: Lǎo Wáng de chēhuò hái méi chǔlǐ wán, tā fùqīn yòu tūrán bìng dǎo le, zhè kě zhēnshi huò bù dān xíng.
  • English: Old Wang hadn't even finished dealing with his car accident when his father suddenly fell ill. This is truly a case of misfortunes never coming alone.
  • Analysis: This example highlights a piling up of stressful life events, combining an accident with a family health crisis.
• Example 6:
  • 农夫们的庄稼被洪水淹了，接着又来了蝗灾，简直是祸不单行。
  • Pinyin: Nóngfūmen de zhuāngjia bèi hóngshuǐ yān le, jiēzhe yòu lái le huángzāi, jiǎnzhí shì huò bù dān xíng.
  • English: The farmers' crops were flooded, and then a plague of locusts came. It was simply one disaster after another.
  • Analysis: This illustrates a scenario of compounding natural disasters, a very traditional context for this phrase.
• Example 7:
  • 有人说，祸不单行，福无双至，但我们还是要保持乐观。
  • Pinyin: Yǒurén shuō, huò bù dān xíng, fú wú shuāng zhì, dàn wǒmen háishì yào bǎochí lèguān.
  • English: Some people say misfortunes never come alone and blessings don't come in pairs, but we still must remain optimistic.
  • Analysis: This sentence quotes the idiom as part of a larger philosophical statement, contrasting it with the idea of optimism. It shows the idiom used alongside its counterpart.
• Example 8:
  • 这家公司去年亏损严重，今年又失去了最大的客户，真的是祸不单行。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī qùnián kuīsǔn yánzhòng, jīnnián yòu shīqù le zuìdà de kèhù, zhēn de shì huò bù dān xíng.
  • English: This company suffered serious losses last year, and this year it lost its biggest client. It's truly one setback after another.
  • Analysis: A perfect example of how the idiom is applied in a business context to describe compounding problems.
• Example 9:
  • 他考试不及格，申请的奖学金也被拒绝了，感觉祸不单行。
  • Pinyin: Tā kǎoshì bù jígé, shēnqǐng de jiǎngxuéjīn yě bèi jùjué le, gǎnjué huò bù dān xíng.
  • English: He failed the exam, and the scholarship he applied for was also rejected. He feels like misfortunes never come alone.
  • Analysis: This shows the idiom describing an internal feeling (`感觉 gǎnjué`) resulting from a series of academic or career setbacks.
• Example 10:
  • 我们的航班因为天气原因取消了，更糟的是，酒店的预订也出了问题，真是祸不单行。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen de hángbān yīnwèi tiānqì yuányīn qǔxiāo le, gèng zāo de shì, jiǔdiàn de yùdìng yě chū le wèntí, zhēnshi huò bù dān xíng.
  • English: Our flight was canceled due to weather, and what's worse, there was also a problem with our hotel reservation. It's really when it rains, it pours.
  • Analysis: This applies the idiom to a travel scenario, where one problem directly leads to or is compounded by another.

• Don't Use for Minor Inconveniences: A common mistake is to use `祸不单行` for trivial problems. Spilling your coffee and then stubbing your toe doesn't qualify. The term is reserved for at least two genuinely significant, negative events. Using it for small things can make you sound overly dramatic.
• It's a Fixed Phrase: As a `成语 (chéngyǔ)`, `祸不单行` is a complete, unchangeable unit. You cannot alter the characters or their order (e.g., saying `祸单行` or `祸不行`). It functions as a single block of meaning.
• Connotation is Always Negative: There is no situation where `祸不单行` can have a positive or neutral meaning. It is strictly used to describe unfortunate circumstances.

• 雪上加霜 (xuě shàng jiā shuāng) - Literally “to add frost to snow.” A very close synonym that means to make a bad situation even worse.
• 屋漏偏逢连夜雨 (wū lòu piān féng lián yè yǔ) - “A leaky roof happens to meet continuous rain.” A longer, more poetic proverb with the same meaning, vividly illustrating a bad situation worsening.
• 福无双至 (fú wú shuāng zhì) - “Good fortune never comes in pairs.” The pessimistic counterpart to `祸不单行`, often used together to express a fatalistic worldview.
• 倒霉 (dǎoméi) - The common, everyday verb or adjective for “to be unlucky” or “bad luck.” A person experiencing `祸不单行` is having a series of `倒霉` events.
• 天有不测风云 (tiān yǒu bù cè fēng yún) - “In the sky, there are unpredictable winds and clouds.” This idiom describes the unpredictability and volatility of life, which is the underlying reality that gives rise to situations like `祸不单行`.
• 厄运 (èyùn) - Misfortune, adversity. A formal noun for “bad luck” or a “curse.” The “祸” in `祸不单行` can be described as `厄运`.
• 成语 (chéngyǔ) - The category this term belongs to: a traditional four-character Chinese idiom derived from classical literature or history.