失之东隅，收之桑榆
shī​zhī​dōng​yú​shōu​zhī​sāng​yú

to lose at sunrise but gain at sunset

  1. 失 shī verb
    to lose
    to lose; to misplace; to no longer possess something
  2. 之 zhī pronoun
    it
    Used only in the object position to refer to a person or thing already mentioned, meaning "him", "her", "it", or "them".
  3. 东隅 東隅 dōng​yú
    morning
    (literary) morning; also used metaphorically to mean the beginning of a period of time or an event
  4. ， shōu
    non-Chinese
  5. 收 shōu verb
    to receive
    to receive; to accept; to take in; also used on an address line after a name to mean "in care of"
  6. 之 zhī pronoun
    it
    Used only in the object position to refer to a person or thing already mentioned, meaning "him", "her", "it", or "them".
  7. 桑榆 sāng​yú
    old age
    (literary) sunset; dusk; also refers to old age or the late years of one's life