八字没一撇八字没见一撇bā zì méi yī piěnot even the first stroke of the character “八” is in sight—there is not the slightest sign of anything happening yet (/of success yet); things aren’t even starting to take shape yet
❍ 有的说，我们是来保卫延安的，八字没见一撇，延安就能放弃？ (杜鹏程《保卫延安》30) Others said we’ve come to defend Yanan; how could it be given up without even giving us a chance to get into action? |