Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 30
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
30-day free trial. No payment details required.
- 身体力行 / 身體力行 — shēn tǐ lì xíng — to practice what one preaches (idiom)
- 过街老鼠 / 過街老鼠 — guò jiē lǎo shǔ — someone or something detested by all
- 迎难而上 / 迎難而上 — yíng nán ér shàng — to press on in the face of challenges
- 通宵达旦 / 通宵達旦 — tōng xiāo dá dàn — overnight until daybreak (idiom) · all night long
- 重温旧梦 / 重溫舊夢 — chóng wēn jiù mèng — to revive old dreams (idiom) · to relive past experiences
- 锲而不舍 / 鍥而不捨 — qiè ér bù shě — to chip away at a task and not abandon it (idiom) · to chisel away at something
- 闻名遐迩 / 聞名遐邇 — wén míng xiá ěr — to be famous far and wide
- 难能可贵 / 難能可貴 — nán néng kě guì — rare and precious
- 颠倒黑白 / 顛倒黑白 — diān dǎo hēi bái — literally to invert black and white (idiom) · to distort the truth deliberately
- 风华正茂 / 風華正茂 — fēng huá zhèng mào — in one's prime
- 风口浪尖 / 風口浪尖 — fēng kǒu làng jiān — where the wind and the waves are the fiercest
- 风餐露宿 / 風餐露宿 — fēng cān lù sù — literally to eat in the open air and sleep outdoors (idiom)
- 飞檐走壁 / 飛檐走壁 — fēi yán zǒu bì — to leap onto roofs and vault over walls (usually associated with martial arts)
- 鬼斧神工 — guǐ fǔ shén gōng — supernaturally fine craft (idiom) · the work of the Gods
- 一反常态 / 一反常態 — yī fǎn cháng tài — complete change from the normal state (idiom) · quite uncharacteristic
- 一应俱全 / 一應俱全 — yī yīng jù quán — with everything needed available
- 一念之差 — yī niàn zhī chā — momentary slip
- 一穷二白 / 一窮二白 — yī qióng èr bái — impoverished
- 一饱眼福 / 一飽眼福 — yī bǎo yǎn fú — to feast one's eyes on (idiom)
- 万念俱灰 / 萬念俱灰 — wàn niàn jù huī — every hope turns to dust (idiom) · completely disheartened
- 不攻自破 — bù gōng zì pò — to collapse (in the light of facts and so on)
- 不痛不痒 / 不痛不癢 — bù tòng bù yǎng — literally doesn't hurt, doesn't tickle (idiom) · something is wrong, but not quite sure what
- 不白之冤 — bù bái zhī yuān — unrighted wrong
- 不置可否 — bù zhì kě fǒu — decline to comment
- 不辞辛苦 / 不辭辛苦 — bù cí xīn kǔ — to make nothing of hardships
- 东奔西走 / 東奔西走 — dōng bēn xī zǒu — to run this way and that (idiom) · to rush about busily
- 丧家之犬 / 喪家之犬 — sàng jiā zhī quǎn — stray dog (idiom)
- 九死一生 — jiǔ sǐ yī shēng — nine deaths and still alive (idiom) · a narrow escape
- 亦步亦趋 / 亦步亦趨 — yì bù yì qū — to blindly follow suit (idiom)
- 以儆效尤 — yǐ jǐng xiào yóu — to warn against following bad examples · as a warning to others
- 任重道远 / 任重道遠 — rèn zhòng dào yuǎn — a heavy load and a long road
- 保家卫国 / 保家衛國 — bǎo jiā wèi guó — guard home, defend the country (idiom) · national defense
- 劈头盖脸 / 劈頭蓋臉 — pī tóu gài liǎn — literally splitting the head and covering the face (idiom) · figuratively pelting (with rain and so on)
- 势如破竹 / 勢如破竹 — shì rú pò zhú — like a hot knife through butter (idiom)
- 半信半疑 — bàn xìn bàn yí — half believing, half doubting · not quite convinced · skeptical
- 半生不熟 — bàn shēng bù shóu — underripe
- 卧薪尝胆 / 臥薪嘗膽 — wò xīn cháng dǎn — to sleep on brushwood and taste gall (like King Goujian of Yue 勾践 Gōu jiàn, in order to recall one's humiliations) (idiom)
- 反目成仇 — fǎn mù chéng chóu — to fall out with someone · to become enemies
- 可望而不可及 — kě wàng ér bù kě jí — in sight but beyond reach · unattainable · inaccessible
- 哄堂大笑 — hōng táng dà xiào — the whole room roaring with laughter (idiom)
- 唯唯诺诺 / 唯唯諾諾 — wéi wéi nuò nuò — to be a yes-man
- 喜笑颜开 / 喜笑顏開 — xǐ xiào yán kāi — grinning from ear to ear (idiom)
- 多如牛毛 — duō rú niú máo — as numerous as the hairs of an ox (idiom)
- 大刀阔斧 / 大刀闊斧 — dà dāo kuò fǔ — bold and decisive
- 好人好事 — hǎo rén hǎo shì — admirable people and exemplary deeds
- 如狼似虎 — rú láng sì hǔ — literally like wolves and tigers
- 妙语连珠 / 妙語連珠 — miào yǔ lián zhū — sparkling with wit (idiom)
- 妙趣横生 / 妙趣橫生 — miào qù héng shēng — endlessly interesting (idiom)
- 宁死不屈 / 寧死不屈 — nìng sǐ bù qū — rather die than submit (idiom)
- 寡不敌众 / 寡不敵眾 — guǎ bù dí zhòng — the few are no match for the many