Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 16
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 年轻力壮 / 年輕力壯 — nián qīng lì zhuàng — young and vigorous (idiom)
- 心照不宣 — xīn zhào bù xuān — to have a tacit understanding
- 怨天尤人 — yuàn tiān yóu rén — to blame the gods and accuse others
- 惨绝人寰 / 慘絕人寰 — cǎn jué rén huán — extremely tragic (idiom) · with unprecedented brutality
- 捕风捉影 / 捕風捉影 — bǔ fēng zhuō yǐng — literally chasing the wind and clutching at shadows (idiom) · figuratively groundless accusations
- 旗鼓相当 / 旗鼓相當 — qí gǔ xiāng dāng — literally two armies have equivalent banners and drums (idiom) · figuratively evenly matched
- 无奇不有 / 無奇不有 — wú qí bù yǒu — nothing is too bizarre
- 无微不至 / 無微不至 — wú wēi bù zhì — in every possible way (idiom) · meticulous
- 无恶不作 / 無惡不作 — wú è bù zuò — not to shrink from any crime (idiom) · to commit any imaginable misdeed
- 既往不咎 — jì wǎng bù jiù — to forget and not bear recriminations (idiom) · to let bygones be bygones
- 欢呼雀跃 / 歡呼雀躍 — huān hū què yuè — cheering excitedly (idiom)
- 泪流满面 / 淚流滿面 — lèi liú mǎn miàn — cheeks streaming with tears (idiom)
- 浑浑噩噩 / 渾渾噩噩 — hún hún è è — muddleheaded
- 满城风雨 / 滿城風雨 — mǎn chéng fēng yǔ — literally wind and rain sweeping through the town (idiom)
- 点石成金 / 點石成金 — diǎn shí chéng jīn — to touch base matter and turn it to gold (idiom) · figuratively to turn crude writing into a literary gem
- 物尽其用 / 物盡其用 — wù jìn qí yòng — to use something to the full
- 生老病死 — shēng lǎo bìng sǐ — to be born, to grow old, to get sick and to die (idiom)
- 瞬息万变 / 瞬息萬變 — shùn xī wàn biàn — in an instant a myriad changes (idiom) · rapid substantial change
- 知己知彼 — zhī jǐ zhī bǐ — know yourself, know your enemy (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孙子兵法 Sūn zǐ Bīng fǎ)
- 空前绝后 / 空前絕後 — kōng qián jué hòu — unprecedented and never to be duplicated
- 足不出户 / 足不出戶 — zú bù chū hù — to not leave one's home · to stay indoors
- 随波逐流 / 隨波逐流 — suí bō zhú liú — to drift with the waves and go with the flow (idiom) · to follow the crowd blindly
- 非同小可 — fēi tóng xiǎo kě — extremely important
- 颐指气使 / 頤指氣使 — yí zhǐ qì shǐ — literally to order people by pointing the chin (idiom) · to signal orders by facial gesture
- 黔驴技穷 / 黔驢技窮 — qián lǘ jì qióng — to exhaust one's limited abilities (idiom)
- 一五一十 — yī wǔ yī shí — literally count by fives and tens (idiom) · to narrate systematically and in full detail
- 万事如意 / 萬事如意 — wàn shì rú yì — to have all one's wishes (idiom)
- 与日俱增 / 與日俱增 — yǔ rì jù zēng — to increase steadily
- 专心致志 / 專心致志 — zhuān xīn zhì zhì — single-minded · fully focused
- 东奔西跑 / 東奔西跑 — dōng bēn xī pǎo — to run this way and that (idiom) · to rush about busily
- 两败俱伤 / 兩敗俱傷 — liǎng bài jù shāng — both sides suffer (idiom)
- 义不容辞 / 義不容辭 — yì bù róng cí — not to be shirked without dishonor (idiom)
- 付诸东流 / 付諸東流 — fù zhū dōng liú — wasted effort
- 任人宰割 — rèn rén zǎi gē — to get trampled on (idiom)
- 兢兢业业 / 兢兢業業 — jīng jīng yè yè — conscientious
- 冰天雪地 — bīng tiān xuě dì — a world of ice and snow
- 出言不逊 / 出言不遜 — chū yán bù xùn — to speak rudely
- 名不虚传 / 名不虛傳 — míng bù xū chuán — to live up to one's famous name · its reputation is well deserved
- 固若金汤 / 固若金湯 — gù ruò jīn tāng — secure as a city protected by a wall of metal and a moat of boiling water (idiom)
- 如饥似渴 / 如飢似渴 — rú jī sì kě — to hunger for something (idiom) · eagerly
- 始终如一 / 始終如一 — shǐ zhōng rú yī — unswerving from start to finish (idiom)
- 实至名归 / 實至名歸 — shí zhì míng guī — fame follows merit (idiom)
- 宾至如归 / 賓至如歸 — bīn zhì rú guī — guests feel at home (in a hotel, guest house and so on)
- 并驾齐驱 / 並駕齊驅 — bìng jià qí qū — to run neck and neck · to keep pace with · to keep abreast of · on par with one another
- 异乎寻常 / 異乎尋常 — yì hū xún cháng — unusual
- 成群结队 / 成群結隊 — chéng qún jié duì — making up a group · forming a troupe · in large numbers · as a large crowd
- 投机取巧 / 投機取巧 — tóu jī qǔ qiǎo — to gain advantage by any means, fair or foul · to be opportunistic · to be full of tricks
- 数以万计 / 數以萬計 — shù yǐ wàn jì — tens of thousands
- 有机可乘 / 有機可乘 — yǒu jī kě chéng — to have an opportunity that one can exploit (idiom)
- 没精打采 / 沒精打采 — méi jīng dǎ cǎi — listless · dispirited