cơ mưu bất mật họa tiên phát
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A plot kept loosely brings the disaster home first — the leaky scheme detonates on its maker.
Literally: scheme not sealed, calamity strikes first
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “cơ mưu bất mật họa tiên phát” mean?
A plot kept loosely brings the disaster home first — the leaky scheme detonates on its maker. Literally: scheme not sealed, calamity strikes first
Is “cơ mưu bất mật họa tiên phát” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.