偷雞不成蝕把米 [－鸡－－蚀－－]

Jyutping tau1 gai1 bat1 sing4 sik6 baa2 mai5
Pinyin tōu jī bù chéng shí bǎ mǐ

Definitions (CC-CEDICT)
  1. lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)
  2. fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off
  3. to go for wool and come back shorn
Definitions (Wiktionary)
  1. phrase, idiomatic
    to try to gain an advantage, only to end up worse off and suffer losses
    (syn.) 偷鸡唔到蚀拃米, 偷雞唔到蝕拃米, 賠了夫人又折兵, 赔了夫人又折兵, 偷鸡不着蚀把米, 偷雞不著蝕把米