Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 31
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 延年益寿 / 延年益壽 — yán nián yì shòu — to prolong life · to extend lifespan
- 引以为戒 / 引以為戒 — yǐn yǐ wéi jiè — to take something as a warning (idiom)
- 待价而沽 / 待價而沽 — dài jià ér gū — to sell only for a good price (idiom)
- 心直口快 — xīn zhí kǒu kuài — frank and outspoken (idiom)
- 心领神会 / 心領神會 — xīn lǐng shén huì — to understand tacitly (idiom)
- 怒发冲冠 / 怒髮衝冠 — nù fà chōng guān — literally hair stands up in anger and tips off one's hat (idiom)
- 怨声载道 / 怨聲載道 — yuàn shēng zài dào — literally cries of complaint fill the roads (idiom) · complaints rise all around
- 恣意妄为 / 恣意妄為 — zì yì wàng wéi — to behave unscrupulously
- 恩将仇报 / 恩將仇報 — ēn jiāng chóu bào — to bite the hand that feeds one (idiom)
- 悬崖勒马 / 懸崖勒馬 — xuán yá lè mǎ — literally to rein in the horse at the edge of the precipice (idiom)
- 惊弓之鸟 / 驚弓之鳥 — jīng gōng zhī niǎo — a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow (idiom)
- 拔地而起 — bá dì ér qǐ — (of a building and so on) to rise out of the ground
- 捉襟见肘 / 捉襟見肘 — zhuō jīn jiàn zhǒu — literally pulling on the lapels exposes the elbows (idiom)
- 探囊取物 — tàn náng qǔ wù — to feel in one's pocket and take something (idiom) · as easy as pie
- 探头探脑 / 探頭探腦 — tàn tóu tàn nǎo — to stick one's head out and look around (idiom)
- 摇旗呐喊 / 搖旗吶喊 — yáo qí nà hǎn — to wave flags and shout battle cries (idiom) · to egg someone on
- 改朝换代 / 改朝換代 — gǎi cháo huàn dài — to transition to a new dynasty or regime
- 明哲保身 — míng zhé bǎo shēn — a wise man looks after his own hide (idiom)
- 晴空万里 / 晴空萬里 — qíng kōng wàn lǐ — a clear and boundless sky
- 暴风骤雨 / 暴風驟雨 — bào fēng zhòu yǔ — violent wind and rainstorm
- 有惊无险 / 有驚無險 — yǒu jīng wú xiǎn — to be more scared than hurt (idiom)
- 有气无力 / 有氣無力 — yǒu qì wú lì — weakly and without strength (idiom) · dispirited
- 朝三暮四 — zhāo sān mù sì — literally say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom) · to change something that is already settled upon
- 歪打正着 / 歪打正著 — wāi dǎ zhèng zháo — to succeed by a lucky stroke
- 溢于言表 / 溢於言表 — yì yú yán biǎo — to exhibit one's feelings in one's speech
- 满面春风 / 滿面春風 — mǎn miàn chūn fēng — radiant with happiness · beaming
- 滥竽充数 / 濫竽充數 — làn yú chōng shù — literally to play the yu 竽 mouth organ to make up numbers (idiom) · figuratively to make up the numbers with inferior products
- 热火朝天 / 熱火朝天 — rè huǒ cháo tiān — in full swing (idiom)
- 狐假虎威 — hú jiǎ hǔ wēi — literally the fox exploits the tiger's might (idiom) · figuratively to use powerful connections to intimidate people
- 狗血喷头 / 狗血噴頭 — gǒu xiě pēn tóu — torrent of abuse (idiom)
- 痛心疾首 — tòng xīn jí shǒu — bitter and hateful (idiom)
- 知难而退 / 知難而退 — zhī nán ér tuì — to sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat (idiom)
- 矫枉过正 / 矯枉過正 — jiǎo wǎng guò zhèng — to overcorrect (idiom)
- 礼尚往来 / 禮尚往來 — lǐ shàng wǎng lái — literally proper behavior is based on reciprocity (idiom)
- 空口无凭 / 空口無憑 — kōng kǒu wú píng — mere verbal statement cannot be taken as proof (idiom)
- 立竿见影 / 立竿見影 — lì gān jiàn yǐng — set up a pole and immediately see its shadow (idiom)
- 群策群力 — qún cè qún lì — to act in concert · to pool ideas and efforts
- 群龙无首 / 群龍無首 — qún lóng wú shǒu — literally a thunder of dragons without a head
- 自愧不如 — zì kuì bù rú — ashamed of being inferior (idiom)
- 自高自大 — zì gāo zì dà — to think of oneself as terrific (idiom) · arrogant
- 舍己为人 / 捨己為人 — shě jǐ wèi rén — to abandon self for others (idiom, from Analects) · to sacrifice one's own interest for other people
- 艰难险阻 / 艱難險阻 — jiān nán xiǎn zǔ — untold dangers and difficulties (idiom)
- 芒刺在背 — máng cì zài bèi — feeling brambles and thorns in one's back (idiom)
- 荒诞不经 / 荒誕不經 — huāng dàn bù jīng — absurd · preposterous · ridiculous
- 过犹不及 / 過猶不及 — guò yóu bù jí — too far is as bad as not enough (idiom, from the Analects)
- 远见卓识 / 遠見卓識 — yuǎn jiàn zhuó shí — visionary and sagacious (idiom)
- 逢凶化吉 — féng xiōng huà jí — misfortune turns to blessing (idiom) · to turn an inauspicious start to good account
- 酣畅淋漓 / 酣暢淋漓 — hān chàng lín lí — to one's heart's content (idiom)
- 金碧辉煌 / 金碧輝煌 — jīn bì huī huáng — gold and jade in glorious splendor (idiom)
- 铩羽而归 / 鎩羽而歸 — shā yǔ ér guī — to return in low spirits following a defeat or failure to achieve one's ambitions