phúc thủy nan thâu
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Spilled water can't be gathered — what's poured out is past retrieving.
Literally: overturned water hard to collect
Examples
Chuyện đã lỡ, phúc thủy nan thâu.It's done — spilled water gathers for no one.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
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 “phúc thủy nan thâu” mean?
Spilled water can't be gathered — what's poured out is past retrieving. Literally: overturned water hard to collect
Is “phúc thủy nan thâu” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.