Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 36
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 沧海桑田 / 滄海桑田 — cāng hǎi sāng tián — literally the blue sea turned into mulberry fields (idiom)
- 沽名钓誉 / 沽名釣譽 — gū míng diào yù — to angle for fame (idiom) · to fish for compliments
- 泛滥成灾 / 泛濫成災 — fàn làn chéng zāi — literally to flood (idiom)
- 泾渭分明 / 涇渭分明 — jīng wèi fēn míng — as rivers Jing and Wei separate clearly (idiom)
- 洋洋自得 — yáng yáng zì dé — immensely pleased with oneself (idiom)
- 津津有味 — jīn jīn yǒu wèi — with keen interest (idiom) · with great pleasure
- 流连忘返 / 流連忘返 — liú lián wàng fǎn — to linger
- 浑然天成 / 渾然天成 — hún rán tiān chéng — to resemble nature itself
- 满目疮痍 / 滿目瘡痍 — mǎn mù chuāng yí — a scene of devastation meets the eye everywhere one looks (idiom)
- 点头哈腰 / 點頭哈腰 — diǎn tóu hā yāo — to nod one's head and bow (idiom) · bowing and scraping
- 物极必反 / 物極必反 — wù jí bì fǎn — when things reach an extreme, they can only move in the opposite direction (idiom)
- 独辟蹊径 / 獨辟蹊徑 — dú pì xī jìng — to blaze a new trail (idiom) · to display originality
- 环环相扣 / 環環相扣 — huán huán xiāng kòu — closely linked with one another
- 班门弄斧 / 班門弄斧 — bān mén nòng fǔ — to display one's slight skill before an expert (idiom)
- 画龙点睛 / 畫龍點睛 — huà lóng diǎn jīng — to paint a dragon and dot in the eyes (idiom) · figuratively to add the vital finishing touch
- 登堂入室 — dēng táng rù shì — from the main room, enter the inner chamber (idiom)
- 白雪皑皑 / 白雪皚皚 — bái xuě ái ái — brilliant white snow cover (especially of distant peaks)
- 相见恨晚 / 相見恨晚 — xiāng jiàn hèn wǎn — to regret not having met earlier (idiom) · It is nice to meet you finally. · It feels like we have known each other all along.
- 眉目传情 / 眉目傳情 — méi mù chuán qíng — to make sheep eyes at
- 知法犯法 — zhī fǎ fàn fǎ — to know the law and break it (idiom) · consciously going against the rules
- 知足常乐 / 知足常樂 — zhī zú cháng lè — satisfied with what one has (idiom)
- 空中楼阁 / 空中樓閣 — kōng zhōng lóu gé — pavilion in the air (idiom) · unrealistic Utopian construction
- 笑容可掬 — xiào róng kě jū — smiling wholeheartedly (idiom) · beaming from ear to ear
- 精神抖擞 / 精神抖擻 — jīng shén dǒu sǒu — spirit trembling with excitement (idiom) · in high spirits
- 络绎不绝 / 絡繹不絕 — luò yì bù jué — continuously · in an endless stream
- 罄竹难书 / 罄竹難書 — qìng zhú nán shū — too numerous to record on bamboo slips (idiom)
- 美其名曰 — měi qí míng yuē — to call by the glorified name of (idiom)
- 老气横秋 / 老氣橫秋 — lǎo qì héng qiū — old and decrepit
- 而立之年 — ér lì zhī nián — the age of 30
- 脍炙人口 / 膾炙人口 — kuài zhì rén kǒu — appealing to the masses
- 腹背受敌 / 腹背受敵 — fù bèi shòu dí — to be attacked from the front and rear
- 自不量力 — zì bù liàng lì — to overestimate one's capabilities (idiom)
- 舞文弄墨 — wǔ wén nòng mò — to display one's facility with words
- 苦口婆心 — kǔ kǒu pó xīn — earnest and well-meaning advice (idiom) · to persuade patiently
- 茶余饭后 / 茶餘飯後 — chá yú fàn hòu — leisure time (over a cup of tea, after a meal and so on)
- 荣辱与共 / 榮辱與共 — róng rǔ yǔ gòng — to share both the honor and the disgrace (idiom)
- 血肉相连 / 血肉相連 — xuè ròu xiāng lián — one's own flesh and blood (idiom) · closely related
- 表面文章 — biǎo miàn wén zhāng — superficial show
- 言传身教 / 言傳身教 — yán chuán shēn jiào — to teach by words and example (idiom)
- 诗情画意 / 詩情畫意 — shī qíng huà yì — picturesque charm
- 谈天说地 / 談天說地 — tán tiān shuō dì — to talk endlessly · to talk about everything under the sun
- 财大气粗 / 財大氣粗 — cái dà qì cū — rich and imposing · rich and overbearing
- 赤胆忠心 / 赤膽忠心 — chì dǎn zhōng xīn — literally red-bellied devotion (idiom) · wholehearted loyalty
- 赤膊上阵 / 赤膊上陣 — chì bó shàng zhèn — literally to go into battle bare-breasted (idiom)
- 跃然纸上 / 躍然紙上 — yuè rán zhǐ shàng — to appear vividly on paper (idiom) · to show forth vividly (in writing, painting and so on)
- 踌躇不前 / 躊躇不前 — chóu chú bù qián — to hesitate to move forward · to hesitate
- 身先士卒 — shēn xiān shì zú — to fight at the head of one's troops
- 轻车熟路 / 輕車熟路 — qīng chē shú lù — literally to drive a lightweight chariot on a familiar road (idiom)
- 迎头痛击 / 迎頭痛擊 — yíng tóu tòng jī — to deliver a frontal assault
- 运筹帷幄 / 運籌帷幄 — yùn chóu wéi wò — literally to devise battle plan in a tent (idiom)