好漢不吃眼前虧

hǎohànbùchīyǎnqiánkuī ㄏㄠˇ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔ ㄧㄢˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄎㄨㄟ

    • a wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him (idiom)

Character by character

Saying俗语俗語

Proverb谚语諺語 · In everyday use

Literally
a good man doesn't take a loss in front of his eyes
Meaning
A smart person backs down when facing a bad situation, to avoid being hurt and plan a response later. Close to 'discretion is the better part of valour'.

Sources