Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 45
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 吐故纳新 / 吐故納新 — tǔ gù nà xīn — literally to breathe out stale air and breathe in fresh (idiom, from Zhuangzi 庄子 Zhuāng zǐ) · figuratively to get rid of the old and bring in the new
- 因势利导 / 因勢利導 — yīn shì lì dǎo — to take advantage of the new situation (idiom) · to make the best of new opportunities
- 囫囵吞枣 / 囫圇吞棗 — hú lún tūn zǎo — to swallow in one gulp (idiom)
- 国色天香 / 國色天香 — guó sè tiān xiāng — national grace, divine fragrance (idiom) · an outstanding beauty
- 声色犬马 / 聲色犬馬 — shēng sè quǎn mǎ — music, women, dogs and horses (traditional aristocratic amusements, with dogs and horses referring to activities such as hunting and riding) (idiom)
- 多彩多姿 — duō cǎi duō zī — elegant and graceful posture
- 夜阑人静 / 夜闌人靜 — yè lán rén jìng — the still of the night (idiom)
- 大兴土木 / 大興土木 — dà xīng tǔ mù — to carry out large scale construction
- 大厦将倾 / 大廈將傾 — dà shà jiāng qīng — great mansion on the verge of collapse (idiom) · hopeless situation
- 大意失荆州 / 大意失荊州 — dà yi shī jīng zhōu — literally to lose Jingzhou due to carelessness (idiom)
- 天南地北 — tiān nán dì běi — far apart
- 奇谈怪论 / 奇談怪論 — qí tán guài lùn — strange tales and absurd arguments (idiom)
- 奉若神明 — fèng ruò shén míng — to honor someone as a God (idiom) · to revere · to worship
- 好大喜功 — hào dà xǐ gōng — to rejoice in grandiose deeds
- 如获至宝 / 如獲至寶 — rú huò zhì bǎo — as if gaining the most precious treasure
- 妇孺皆知 / 婦孺皆知 — fù rú jiē zhī — understood by everyone (idiom) · well known
- 字正腔圆 / 字正腔圓 — zì zhèng qiāng yuán — to enunciate beautifully (in speaking or singing) (idiom)
- 官样文章 / 官樣文章 — guān yàng wén zhāng — officialese
- 寸土寸金 — cùn tǔ cùn jīn — land is extremely expensive (in that area) (idiom)
- 寸步不让 / 寸步不讓 — cùn bù bù ràng — not to yield an inch
- 层峦叠嶂 / 層巒疊嶂 — céng luán dié zhàng — range upon range of mountains (idiom)
- 居安思危 — jū ān sī wēi — to think of danger in times of safety
- 居高不下 — jū gāo bù xià — to remain high
- 平铺直叙 / 平鋪直敘 — píng pū zhí xù — (neutral) to narrate in a plain, unaffected manner · (mildly critical) to recount events in a flat, colorless style
- 年富力强 / 年富力強 — nián fù lì qiáng — young and vigorous (idiom)
- 并行不悖 / 並行不悖 — bìng xíng bù bèi — to run in parallel without hindrance
- 弹丸之地 / 彈丸之地 — dàn wán zhī dì — tiny speck of land · small area
- 弹冠相庆 / 彈冠相慶 — tán guān xiāng qìng — literally to flick dust off someone's cap (idiom) · to celebrate an official appointment
- 归心似箭 / 歸心似箭 — guī xīn sì jiàn — with one's heart set on speeding home (idiom)
- 当仁不让 / 當仁不讓 — dāng rén bù ràng — to be unwilling to pass on one's responsibilities to others
- 徇私枉法 — xùn sī wǎng fǎ — to bend the law in order to favor one's relatives or associates (idiom)
- 徇私舞弊 — xùn sī wǔ bì — to abuse one's position for personal gain
- 心腹之患 — xīn fù zhī huàn — literally calamity within one's bosom (idiom) · major trouble hidden within
- 患难之交 / 患難之交 — huàn nàn zhī jiāo — a friend in times of tribulations (idiom) · a friend in need is a friend indeed
- 悲欢离合 / 悲歡離合 — bēi huān lí hé — joys and sorrows
- 慈眉善目 — cí méi shàn mù — kind-looking · benevolent-looking
- 成千成万 / 成千成萬 — chéng qiān chéng wàn — literally by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom) · untold numbers
- 承前启后 / 承前啟後 — chéng qián qǐ hòu — to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) · part of a historical transition
- 投其所好 — tóu qí suǒ hào — to adapt to someone's taste
- 拾金不昧 — shí jīn bù mèi — to pick up money and not hide it (idiom) · to return property to its owner
- 按图索骥 / 按圖索驥 — àn tú suǒ jì — literally looking for a fine horse using only a picture (idiom)
- 挑肥拣瘦 / 挑肥揀瘦 — tiāo féi jiǎn shòu — to cherry-pick · to pick the best parts for oneself · to be choosy
- 挨门挨户 / 挨門挨戶 — āi mén āi hù — see 挨家挨户 āi jiā āi hù
- 振振有词 / 振振有詞 — zhèn zhèn yǒu cí — to speak forcefully and with justice (idiom) · to argue with the courage of one's convictions
- 振臂一呼 — zhèn bì yī hū — to issue a call for action · to raise one's hand and issue a rousing call
- 改弦易辙 / 改弦易轍 — gǎi xián yì zhé — change of string, move out of rut (idiom) · dramatic change of direction
- 放之四海而皆准 / 放之四海而皆準 — fàng zhī sì hǎi ér jiē zhǔn — applicable anywhere (idiom)
- 敢为人先 / 敢為人先 — gǎn wéi rén xiān — to dare to be first
- 敷衍塞责 / 敷衍塞責 — fū yǎn sè zé — to skimp on the job · to work half-heartedly · not to take the job seriously
- 春光明媚 — chūn guāng míng mèi — lovely spring sunshine