Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 32
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
30-day free trial. No payment details required.
- 锦绣前程 / 錦繡前程 — jǐn xiù qián chéng — bright future · bright prospects
- 门当户对 / 門當戶對 — mén dāng hù duì — the families are well-matched in terms of social status (idiom)
- 防不胜防 / 防不勝防 — fáng bù shèng fáng — virtually impossible to prevent
- 阴差阳错 / 陰差陽錯 — yīn chā yáng cuò — due to an unexpected turn of events
- 非此即彼 — fēi cǐ jí bǐ — either this or that
- 颠倒是非 / 顛倒是非 — diān dǎo shì fēi — to distort right and wrong · to deliberately mislead
- 风土人情 / 風土人情 — fēng tǔ rén qíng — local conditions and customs (idiom)
- 鼠目寸光 — shǔ mù cùn guāng — short-sighted
- 一呼百应 / 一呼百應 — yī hū bǎi yìng — (of a call) to elict an enthusiastic response · to receive extensive approval
- 一拥而上 / 一擁而上 — yī yōng ér shàng — to swarm around
- 七嘴八舌 — qī zuǐ bā shé — lively discussion with everybody talking at once
- 不可终日 / 不可終日 — bù kě zhōng rì — to be unable to carry on even for a single day
- 不堪入耳 — bù kān rù ěr — (of speech, music and so on) vulgar · offensive to the ear
- 不拘小节 / 不拘小節 — bù jū xiǎo jié — to not bother about trifles (idiom)
- 不胫而走 / 不脛而走 — bù jìng ér zǒu — to get round fast
- 举世瞩目 / 舉世矚目 — jǔ shì zhǔ mù — to receive worldwide attention
- 事过境迁 / 事過境遷 — shì guò jìng qiān — The issue is in the past, and the situation has changed (idiom).
- 人云亦云 — rén yún yì yún — to say what everyone says (idiom)
- 人才济济 / 人才濟濟 — rén cái jǐ jǐ — a galaxy of talent (idiom)
- 休养生息 / 休養生息 — xiū yǎng shēng xī — to recover · to recuperate
- 众说纷纭 / 眾說紛紜 — zhòng shuō fēn yún — opinions differ (idiom)
- 低三下四 — dī sān xià sì — servile
- 先斩后奏 / 先斬後奏 — xiān zhǎn hòu zòu — execute someone first, then report to the emperor (idiom)
- 光芒万丈 / 光芒萬丈 — guāng máng wàn zhàng — boundless radiance · splendor
- 兵戎相见 / 兵戎相見 — bīng róng xiāng jiàn — to meet on the battlefield (idiom)
- 别出心裁 / 別出心裁 — bié chū xīn cái — to hit on something new (idiom) · to display originality
- 前赴后继 / 前赴後繼 — qián fù hòu jì — to advance dauntlessly in wave upon wave (idiom)
- 功败垂成 / 功敗垂成 — gōng bài chuí chéng — to fail within sight of success (idiom) · last-minute failure
- 助纣为虐 / 助紂為虐 — zhù zhòu wéi nüè — literally helping tyrant Zhou 商纣王 Shāng Zhòu wáng in his oppression (idiom)
- 千家万户 / 千家萬戶 — qiān jiā wàn hù — every family (idiom)
- 变化多端 / 變化多端 — biàn huà duō duān — changeable
- 可歌可泣 — kě gē kě qì — literally you can sing or you can cry (idiom) · figuratively deeply moving
- 各有千秋 — gè yǒu qiān qiū — each has its own merits (idiom)
- 呼之欲出 — hū zhī yù chū — literally ready to appear at the call (idiom)
- 喧宾夺主 / 喧賓奪主 — xuān bīn duó zhǔ — literally the voice of the guest overwhelms that of the host (idiom)
- 因循守旧 / 因循守舊 — yīn xún shǒu jiù — to continue in the same old rut
- 处变不惊 / 處變不驚 — chǔ biàn bù jīng — to remain calm in the face of events (idiom)
- 多灾多难 / 多災多難 — duō zāi duō nàn — to be plagued with misfortunes
- 大煞风景 / 大煞風景 — dà shā fēng jǐng — see 大杀风景 dà shā fēng jǐng
- 如虎添翼 — rú hǔ tiān yì — literally like a tiger that has grown wings
- 守望相助 — shǒu wàng xiāng zhù — to keep watch and defend one another (idiom, from Mencius) · to join forces to defend against external aggressors
- 尽心竭力 / 盡心竭力 — jìn xīn jié lì — to spare no effort (idiom) · to do one's utmost
- 川流不息 — chuān liú bù xī — the stream flows without stopping (idiom) · unending flow
- 左顾右盼 / 左顧右盼 — zuǒ gù yòu pàn — glancing to left and right (idiom) · to look all around
- 形同虚设 / 形同虛設 — xíng tóng xū shè — to exist in name only
- 心有余而力不足 / 心有餘而力不足 — xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú — the will is there, but not the strength (idiom)
- 忍俊不禁 — rěn jùn bù jīn — cannot help laughing
- 恍如隔世 — huǎng rú gé shì — like a thing of the previous generation · as if it were a lifetime ago
- 恻隐之心 / 惻隱之心 — cè yǐn zhī xīn — compassion
- 患得患失 — huàn dé huàn shī — to worry about personal gains and losses