偷鸡不着蚀把米tōu jī bù zháo shí bǎ mǐtry to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice; go for wool and come home shorn; outsmart oneself; try to be clever only to end up with a blunder
❍ 没想到如意算盘拨拉错了，弄了个偷鸡不成白搭上几把米。(冯志《敌后武工队》143) Contrary to their expectations,however，“they went for wool and came home shorn，” as the saying goes. 偷鸡不着蚀把米tōu jī bù zháo shí bǎ mǐ比喻想取巧成事，但反而自招损失。go for wool and come back shorn, try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice |