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自作自受

zì zuò zì shòu

to reap what you sowed

Character by character

自zì
self
作zuò
do
自zì
self
受shòu
suffer

Example

他不听劝告,现在是自作自受。
He wouldn't listen to advice, and now he's paying for it.

Tone: negative (criticism).

Usage and origin

Blunt and unsympathetic, close to 活该.

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