Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 21
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 人山人海 — rén shān rén hǎi — multitude · vast crowd
- 以毒攻毒 — yǐ dú gōng dú — to cure ills with poison (traditional Chinese medicine)
- 众望所归 / 眾望所歸 — zhòng wàng suǒ guī — to enjoy popular support
- 伤天害理 / 傷天害理 — shāng tiān hài lǐ — to offend Heaven and reason (idiom) · bloody atrocities that cry to heaven
- 兴致勃勃 / 興致勃勃 — xìng zhì bó bó — to become exhilarated (idiom) · in high spirits
- 养精蓄锐 / 養精蓄銳 — yǎng jīng xù ruì — to preserve and nurture one's spirit (idiom) · honing one's strength for the big push
- 凶神恶煞 / 兇神惡煞 — xiōng shén è shà — fiends · devils · monsters
- 分秒必争 / 分秒必爭 — fēn miǎo bì zhēng — seize every minute and second (idiom) · not a minute to lose
- 初出茅庐 / 初出茅廬 — chū chū máo lú — venturing from one's thatched hut for the first time (idiom)
- 十之八九 — shí zhī bā jiǔ — most likely
- 十拿九稳 / 十拿九穩 — shí ná jiǔ wěn — to be a cinch · in the bag
- 半斤八两 / 半斤八兩 — bàn jīn bā liǎng — not much to choose between the two
- 各奔东西 / 各奔東西 — gè bèn dōng xī — to go separate ways (idiom)
- 各得其所 — gè dé qí suǒ — each in the correct place · each is provided for
- 各行各业 / 各行各業 — gè háng gè yè — every trade · all professions · all walks of life
- 后顾之忧 / 後顧之憂 — hòu gù zhī yōu — fears of trouble in the rear (idiom) · family worries (obstructing freedom of action)
- 喜怒哀乐 / 喜怒哀樂 — xǐ nù āi lè — happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy (idiom)
- 在天之灵 / 在天之靈 — zài tiān zhī líng — soul and spirit of the deceased
- 奋不顾身 / 奮不顧身 — fèn bù gù shēn — to dash on bravely with no thought of personal safety (idiom) · undaunted by dangers
- 妖魔鬼怪 — yāo mó guǐ guài — all kinds of evil spirits or malevolent beings
- 安居乐业 / 安居樂業 — ān jū lè yè — to live in peace and work happily (idiom)
- 引火烧身 / 引火燒身 — yǐn huǒ shāo shēn — to invite trouble
- 心有余悸 / 心有餘悸 — xīn yǒu yú jì — to have lingering fears
- 执迷不悟 / 執迷不悟 — zhí mí bù wù — to obstinately persist in going about things the wrong way (idiom)
- 拖泥带水 / 拖泥帶水 — tuō ní dài shuǐ — muddy and wet · (of speech, writing and so on) slovenly · sloppy · (of actions) indecisive
- 拨乱反正 / 撥亂反正 — bō luàn fǎn zhèng — bring order out of chaos
- 指日可待 — zhǐ rì kě dài — imminent
- 据理力争 / 據理力爭 — jù lǐ lì zhēng — to contend on strong grounds · to argue strongly for what is right
- 推波助澜 / 推波助瀾 — tuī bō zhù lán — to push the wave and add to the billows (idiom) · to add momentum
- 敬而远之 / 敬而遠之 — jìng ér yuǎn zhī — to show respect from a distance (idiom)
- 敷衍了事 — fū yǎn liǎo shì — to do things half-heartedly · to merely go through the motions
- 斗志昂扬 / 鬥志昂揚 — dòu zhì áng yáng — having high fighting spirit
- 昙花一现 / 曇花一現 — tán huā yī xiàn — literally the night-blooming cactus shows once
- 有过之而无不及 / 有過之而無不及 — yǒu guò zhī ér wú bù jí — not to be inferior in any aspects (idiom)
- 照本宣科 — zhào běn xuān kē — a wooden word-by-word reading
- 画蛇添足 / 畫蛇添足 — huà shé tiān zú — literally draw legs on a snake (idiom) · figuratively to ruin the effect by adding something superfluous
- 相形见绌 / 相形見絀 — xiāng xíng jiàn chù — to pale by comparison (idiom)
- 花枝招展 — huā zhī zhāo zhǎn — literally lovely scene of blossoming plants swaying in the breeze (idiom)
- 豁然开朗 / 豁然開朗 — huò rán kāi lǎng — suddenly opens up to a wide panorama (idiom) · to come to a wide clearing
- 醍醐灌顶 / 醍醐灌頂 — tí hú guàn dǐng — literally to anoint your head with the purest cream (idiom) · figuratively to enlighten people with perfect wisdom
- 顶天立地 / 頂天立地 — dǐng tiān lì dì — literally able to support both heaven and earth
- 首当其冲 / 首當其衝 — shǒu dāng qí chōng — to bear the brunt
- 骑虎难下 / 騎虎難下 — qí hǔ nán xià — if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off (idiom) · figuratively impossible to stop halfway
- 齐心合力 / 齊心合力 — qí xīn hé lì — to work as one (idiom) · united in a concerted effort
- 一板一眼 — yī bǎn yī yǎn — literally one strong beat and one weak beats in a measure of music (two beats in the bar) (idiom) · figuratively follow a prescribed pattern to the letter
- 三缄其口 / 三緘其口 — sān jiān qí kǒu — reluctant to speak about it
- 不务正业 / 不務正業 — bù wù zhèng yè — not to engage in honest work
- 不可磨灭 / 不可磨滅 — bù kě mó miè — indelible
- 与人为善 / 與人為善 — yǔ rén wéi shàn — to be of service to others · to help others
- 中饱私囊 / 中飽私囊 — zhōng bǎo sī náng — to stuff one's pockets