煮熟的鸭子飞了

zhǔ shú de yā zi fēi le

the cooked duck flew away (proverb)

(fig.) to let a sure thing slip through one's fingers

zhǔ

to cook

shú

ripe; mature

de

of; ~'s (possessive particle)

duck (CL:隻|只[zhi1])

zi

noun suffix, as in 椅子[yi3 zi5] "chair"

fēi

to fly

le

(completed action marker)