Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 19
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 闻名于世 / 聞名於世 — wén míng yú shì — world-famous
- 难言之隐 / 難言之隱 — nán yán zhī yǐn — a hidden trouble hard to mention (idiom)
- 鲜为人知 / 鮮為人知 — xiǎn wéi rén zhī — rarely known to anyone (idiom) · almost unknown
- 一扫而光 / 一掃而光 — yī sǎo ér guāng — see 一扫而空 yī sǎo ér kōng
- 一点一滴 / 一點一滴 — yī diǎn yī dī — bit by bit
- 一筹莫展 / 一籌莫展 — yī chóu mò zhǎn — to be unable to find a solution
- 一览无余 / 一覽無餘 — yī lǎn wú yú — to cover all at one glance (idiom)
- 万劫不复 / 萬劫不復 — wàn jié bù fù — consigned to eternal damnation
- 不为所动 / 不為所動 — bù wéi suǒ dòng — to remain unmoved
- 不亦乐乎 / 不亦樂乎 — bù yì lè hū — literally isn't that a joy? (quote from Confucius)
- 不以为然 / 不以為然 — bù yǐ wéi rán — not to accept as correct (idiom) · to object
- 不偏不倚 — bù piān bù yǐ — even-handed · impartial · unbiased
- 不动声色 / 不動聲色 — bù dòng shēng sè — not a word or movement (idiom) · remaining calm and collected · not batting an eyelid
- 不厌其烦 / 不厭其煩 — bù yàn qí fán — not to mind taking all the trouble (idiom)
- 不近人情 — bù jìn rén qíng — not amenable to reason · unreasonable
- 世世代代 — shì shì dài dài — for many generations
- 丰功伟绩 / 豐功偉績 — fēng gōng wěi jì — glorious achievement (idiom)
- 争先恐后 / 爭先恐後 — zhēng xiān kǒng hòu — to compete to be first · to scramble to get ahead · to rush forward for fear of falling behind
- 井然有序 — jǐng rán yǒu xù — everything clear and in good order (idiom) · neat and tidy
- 作威作福 — zuò wēi zuò fú — tyrannical abuse (idiom) · riding roughshod over people
- 俯首称臣 / 俯首稱臣 — fǔ shǒu chēng chén — to bow before (idiom)
- 光明磊落 — guāng míng lěi luò — open and candid (idiom) · straightforward and upright
- 出尔反尔 / 出爾反爾 — chū ěr fǎn ěr — old: to reap the consequences of one's words (idiom, from Mencius) · modern: to go back on one's word
- 出神入化 — chū shén rù huà — to reach perfection (idiom) · a superb artistic achievement
- 双管齐下 / 雙管齊下 — shuāng guǎn qí xià — literally to paint holding two brushes (idiom) · figuratively to work on two tasks at the same time
- 发扬光大 / 發揚光大 — fā yáng guāng dà — to develop and promote
- 同甘共苦 — tóng gān gòng kǔ — shared delights and common hardships (idiom) · to share life's joys and sorrows
- 名垂青史 — míng chuí qīng shǐ — literally reputation will go down in history (idiom) · figuratively achievements will earn eternal glory
- 后悔莫及 / 後悔莫及 — hòu huǐ mò jí — too late for regrets (idiom) · It is useless to repent after the event.
- 咬牙切齿 / 咬牙切齒 — yǎo yá qiè chǐ — to gnash one's teeth · to fume with rage
- 国泰民安 / 國泰民安 — guó tài mín ān — the country prospers, the people at peace (idiom) · peace and prosperity
- 大吃大喝 — dà chī dà hē — to eat and drink as much as one likes
- 天伦之乐 / 天倫之樂 — tiān lún zhī lè — family love and joy
- 实事求是 / 實事求是 — shí shì qiú shì — literally to seek truth from facts (idiom)
- 层出不穷 / 層出不窮 — céng chū bù qióng — more and more emerge
- 峰回路转 / 峰回路轉 — fēng huí lù zhuǎn — the mountain road twists around each new peak (idiom)
- 张牙舞爪 / 張牙舞爪 — zhāng yá wǔ zhǎo — to bare fangs and brandish claws (idiom) · to make threatening gestures
- 循序渐进 / 循序漸進 — xún xù jiàn jìn — in sequence, step by step (idiom) · to make steady progress incrementally
- 德高望重 — dé gāo wàng zhòng — a person of virtue and prestige · a person of good moral standing and reputation
- 心力交瘁 — xīn lì jiāo cuì — to be both mentally and physically exhausted (idiom)
- 急功近利 — jí gōng jìn lì — seeking instant benefit (idiom) · shortsighted vision, looking only for fast return
- 愁眉不展 — chóu méi bù zhǎn — with a worried frown
- 扑朔迷离 / 撲朔迷離 — pū shuò mí lí — impossible to unravel
- 扣人心弦 — kòu rén xīn xián — to excite
- 暴露无遗 / 暴露無遺 — bào lù wú yí — to lay bare
- 有目共睹 — yǒu mù gòng dǔ — anyone with eyes can see it (idiom) · obvious to all
- 杀一儆百 / 殺一儆百 — shā yī jǐng bǎi — literally kill one to warn a hundred (idiom) · to punish an individual as an example to others
- 杂七杂八 / 雜七雜八 — zá qī zá bā — an assortment
- 死有余辜 / 死有餘辜 — sǐ yǒu yú gū — to be so evil that even death would be insufficient punishment
- 流离失所 / 流離失所 — liú lí shī suǒ — destitute and homeless (idiom) · forced from one's home and wandering about