Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 39
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 步履维艰 / 步履維艱 — bù lǚ wéi jiān — to have difficulty walking (idiom)
- 民不聊生 — mín bù liáo shēng — the people have no way to make a living (from Records of the Grand Historian 史记 Shǐ jì)
- 水涨船高 / 水漲船高 — shuǐ zhǎng chuán gāo — the tide rises, the boat floats (idiom) · figuratively to change with the overall trend
- 江河日下 — jiāng hé rì xià — rivers pour away by the day (idiom) · going from bad to worse
- 泣不成声 / 泣不成聲 — qì bù chéng shēng — unable to speak through tears · sobbing uncontrollably
- 浅尝辄止 / 淺嘗輒止 — qiǎn cháng zhé zhǐ — to stop after taking just a sip (idiom) · (figuratively) to gain only a superficial knowledge of something and then stop
- 深明大义 / 深明大義 — shēn míng dà yì — to have a high notion of one's duty
- 深谋远虑 / 深謀遠慮 — shēn móu yuǎn lǜ — literally deep plans and distant thoughts
- 清心寡欲 / 清心寡慾 — qīng xīn guǎ yù — uninterested in self-indulgence
- 燃眉之急 — rán méi zhī jí — literally the fire burns one's eyebrows (idiom) · figuratively desperate situation
- 独占鳌头 / 獨占鰲頭 — dú zhàn áo tóu — to come first in triennial palace examinations (refers to the carved stone turtle head in front of the imperial palace, next to which the most successful candidate in the imperial examinations was entitled to stand) · to be the champion · to be the very best in any field
- 猝不及防 — cù bù jí fáng — to be caught off guard
- 珠联璧合 / 珠聯璧合 — zhū lián bì hé — string of pearl and jade (idiom) · ideal combination
- 理直气壮 / 理直氣壯 — lǐ zhí qì zhuàng — in the right and self-confident (idiom) · bold and confident with justice on one's side
- 瓜熟蒂落 — guā shú dì luò — when the melon is ripe, it falls (idiom) · problems sort themselves out in the fullness of time
- 略胜一筹 / 略勝一籌 — lüè shèng yī chóu — slightly better
- 相辅相成 / 相輔相成 — xiāng fǔ xiāng chéng — to complement one another
- 眼高手低 — yǎn gāo shǒu dī — to have high standards but little ability
- 睚眦必报 / 睚眥必報 — yá zì bì bào — literally to seek revenge over a dirty look (idiom)
- 瞻前顾后 / 瞻前顧後 — zhān qián gù hòu — literally to look forward and back (idiom)
- 砸锅卖铁 / 砸鍋賣鐵 — zá guō mài tiě — to be willing to sacrifice everything one has (idiom)
- 离乡背井 / 離鄉背井 — lí xiāng bèi jǐng — to leave one's homeplace (to find work, flee disaster and so on)
- 秋后算账 / 秋後算賬 — qiū hòu suàn zhàng — literally to settle accounts after autumn (idiom)
- 稳如泰山 / 穩如泰山 — wěn rú tài shān — steady as Mt Tai
- 空洞无物 / 空洞無物 — kōng dòng wú wù — empty cave, nothing there (idiom) · devoid of substance
- 笑逐颜开 / 笑逐顏開 — xiào zhú yán kāi — smile spread across the face (idiom) · beaming with pleasure
- 粗枝大叶 / 粗枝大葉 — cū zhī dà yè — thick stems and broad leaves (idiom)
- 精雕细琢 / 精雕細琢 — jīng diāo xì zhuó — see 精雕细刻 jīng diāo xì kè
- 红男绿女 / 紅男綠女 — hóng nán lǜ nǚ — young people decked out in gorgeous clothes (idiom)
- 细水长流 / 細水長流 — xì shuǐ cháng liú — literally thin streams flow forever
- 绚丽多彩 / 絢麗多彩 — xuàn lì duō cǎi — bright and colorful · gorgeous · magnificent
- 绵绵不绝 / 綿綿不絕 — mián mián bù jué — continuous
- 羊肠小道 / 羊腸小道 — yáng cháng xiǎo dào — road as twisty as sheep's intestine (idiom) · narrow and winding road
- 肝肠寸断 / 肝腸寸斷 — gān cháng cùn duàn — literally liver and guts cut to pieces (idiom)
- 苦思冥想 — kǔ sī míng xiǎng — to think deeply · to rack one's brains
- 英雄好汉 / 英雄好漢 — yīng xióng hǎo hàn — heroes
- 英雄无用武之地 / 英雄無用武之地 — yīng xióng wú yòng wǔ zhī dì — a hero with no chance of using his might
- 茹毛饮血 / 茹毛飲血 — rú máo yǐn xuè — devour raw meat and fowl (of savages)
- 荒山野岭 / 荒山野嶺 — huāng shān yě lǐng — wild, mountainous country
- 荒谬绝伦 / 荒謬絕倫 — huāng miù jué lún — absolutely ridiculous (idiom) · preposterous
- 落落大方 — luò luò dà fāng — natural and unrestrained
- 藏污纳垢 / 藏污納垢 — cáng wū nà gòu — to hide dirt, to conceal corruption (idiom) · to shelter evil people and accept wrongdoing
- 融会贯通 / 融會貫通 — róng huì guàn tōng — to integrate knowledge from various sources into a deep and coherent understanding of a subject
- 觥筹交错 / 觥籌交錯 — gōng chóu jiāo cuò — wine goblets and gambling chips lie intertwined
- 触景伤情 / 觸景傷情 — chù jǐng shāng qíng — circumstances that evoke mixed feelings (idiom)
- 触类旁通 / 觸類旁通 — chù lèi páng tōng — to comprehend (new things) by analogy
- 言不及义 / 言不及義 — yán bù jí yì — to talk nonsense (idiom)
- 讳莫如深 / 諱莫如深 — huì mò rú shēn — to steadfastly refuse to discuss the matter · to treat it as an untouchable subject
- 谋财害命 / 謀財害命 — móu cái hài mìng — to plot and kill someone for his property (idiom) · to murder for money
- 豪言壮语 / 豪言壯語 — háo yán zhuàng yǔ — bold, visionary words