事与愿违 shì yǔ yuàn wéi — things go contrary to one's wishes

事与愿违
shì yǔ yuàn wéi

Characters: 事 · 与 · 愿 · 违

Definitions

  1. things go contrary to one's wishes

More definitions

CC-CEDICT

  1. things turn out contrary to the way one wishes (idiom)

ExtDict

  1. 事实与愿望相反。指原来打算做的事没能做到。

Examples

  • 本想早点动身，谁知事与愿违，耽误了。

    I meant to set out early, but contrary to my wishes, I was delayed.

  • 往往事与愿违，越急越出岔子。

    Often things go against one's wishes; the more rushed, the more mistakes.