马失前蹄

lit. the horse loses its front hooves / fig. sudden failure through miscalculation or inattentiveness

front / forward / ahead / first / top (followed by a number) / future / ago / before / BC (e.g. 前293年) / former / formerly

surname Ma / abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Ma3 lai2 xi1 ya4]

horse / CL:匹[pi3] / horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess / knight in Western chess

to lose / to miss / to fail

hoof / pig's trotters

variant of 蹄[ti2]