Chengyu
Browse 1572 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition.
1572 words
Canonical idioms from Taiwan MOE's 《成語典》. Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
30-day free trial. No payment details required.
- 不可思议 / 不可思議 — bù kě sī yì — inconceivable · unimaginable · unfathomable
- 一无所知 / 一無所知 — yī wú suǒ zhī — not knowing anything at all · completely ignorant
- 无能为力 / 無能為力 — wú néng wéi lì — powerless to do anything about it
- 一无所有 / 一無所有 — yī wú suǒ yǒu — not having anything at all (idiom) · utterly lacking
- 迫不及待 — pò bù jí dài — unable to hold oneself back · eager to do something without delay
- 逍遥法外 / 逍遙法外 — xiāo yáo fǎ wài — unfettered and beyond the law (idiom) · evading retribution
- 自以为是 / 自以為是 — zì yǐ wéi shì — to believe oneself infallible (idiom)
- 大惊小怪 / 大驚小怪 — dà jīng xiǎo guài — to make a fuss about nothing (idiom)
- 袖手旁观 / 袖手旁觀 — xiù shǒu páng guān — to watch with folded arms (idiom) · to look on without lifting a finger
- 随心所欲 / 隨心所欲 — suí xīn suǒ yù — to follow one's heart's desires · to do as one pleases
- 不知所措 — bù zhī suǒ cuò — not knowing what to do (idiom) · at one's wits' end
- 梦寐以求 / 夢寐以求 — mèng mèi yǐ qiú — to yearn for something even in one's dreams (idiom)
- 无所事事 / 無所事事 — wú suǒ shì shì — to have nothing to do
- 心烦意乱 / 心煩意亂 — xīn fán yì luàn — literally heart distracted, thoughts in turmoil (idiom) · distraught with anxiety
- 轻而易举 / 輕而易舉 — qīng ér yì jǔ — easy
- 了如指掌 — liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng — to know something like the back of one's hand (idiom) · to know (a person, a place and so on) inside out
- 无与伦比 / 無與倫比 — wú yǔ lún bǐ — incomparable
- 喋喋不休 — dié dié bù xiū — to chatter endlessly · to talk nonstop
- 情不自禁 — qíng bù zì jīn — cannot refrain from · cannot help · cannot but
- 鬼鬼祟祟 — guǐ guǐ suì suì — sneaky · secretive · furtive
- 开诚布公 / 開誠布公 — kāi chéng bù gōng — literally deal sincerely and fairly (idiom) · frank and open-minded
- 洗耳恭听 / 洗耳恭聽 — xǐ ěr gōng tīng — to listen with respectful attention
- 改过自新 / 改過自新 — gǎi guò zì xīn — to reform and start afresh (idiom) · to turn over a new leaf
- 虚张声势 / 虛張聲勢 — xū zhāng shēng shì — to bluff · to bluster · to make an empty show of strength
- 心不在焉 — xīn bù zài yān — absent-minded
- 自欺欺人 — zì qī qī rén — to deceive others and to deceive oneself
- 微不足道 — wēi bù zú dào — negligible · insignificant
- 脱颖而出 / 脫穎而出 — tuō yǐng ér chū — to reveal one's talent (idiom)
- 起死回生 — qǐ sǐ huí shēng — to rise from the dead (idiom) · figuratively an unexpected recovery
- 愤世嫉俗 / 憤世嫉俗 — fèn shì jí sú — to be cynical
- 拭目以待 — shì mù yǐ dài — literally to wipe one's eyes and wait (idiom) · to wait and see
- 安然无恙 / 安然無恙 — ān rán wú yàng — safe and sound (idiom)
- 改头换面 / 改頭換面 — gǎi tóu huàn miàn — to change outwardly while remaining essentially the same (derogatory) (idiom)
- 小心翼翼 — xiǎo xīn yì yì — cautious · careful · prudent
- 走投无路 / 走投無路 — zǒu tóu wú lù — to be at an impasse (idiom)
- 守口如瓶 — shǒu kǒu rú píng — literally to guard one's mouth like a closed bottle (idiom) · tight-lipped
- 一事无成 / 一事無成 — yī shì wú chéng — to have achieved nothing · to be a total failure · to get nowhere
- 刮目相看 — guā mù xiāng kàn — to have a whole new level of respect for someone or something
- 光天化日 — guāng tiān huà rì — the full light of day (idiom)
- 无济于事 / 無濟於事 — wú jì yú shì — to no avail · of no use
- 束手无策 / 束手無策 — shù shǒu wú cè — literally to have one's hands bound and be unable to do anything about it (idiom) · figuratively helpless in the face of a crisis
- 轻举妄动 / 輕舉妄動 — qīng jǔ wàng dòng — to act blindly without thinking (idiom)
- 开门见山 / 開門見山 — kāi mén jiàn shān — literally to open the door and see the mountain · figuratively to get right to the point (idiom)
- 蛛丝马迹 / 蛛絲馬跡 — zhū sī mǎ jì — literally spider's thread and horse track
- 天衣无缝 / 天衣無縫 — tiān yī wú fèng — literally seamless heavenly clothes (idiom)
- 无懈可击 / 無懈可擊 — wú xiè kě jī — impossible to fault
- 一窍不通 / 一竅不通 — yī qiào bù tōng — literally doesn't (even) enter a single aperture (of one's head)
- 幸灾乐祸 / 幸災樂禍 — xìng zāi lè huò — to take pleasure in another's misfortune
- 忘恩负义 / 忘恩負義 — wàng ēn fù yì — to forget favors and violate justice (idiom) · ingratitude to a friend
- 罪魁祸首 / 罪魁禍首 — zuì kuí huò shǒu — criminal ringleader · main offender · main culprit · main cause of a disaster