Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 5
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 声名狼藉 / 聲名狼藉 — shēng míng láng jí — to have a bad reputation
- 念念不忘 — niàn niàn bù wàng — to keep in mind constantly (idiom)
- 自由自在 — zì yóu zì zài — free and easy (idiom) · carefree
- 迫不得已 — pò bù dé yǐ — to have no alternative (idiom) · compelled by circumstances
- 一触即发 / 一觸即發 — yī chù jí fā — could happen at any moment
- 一言不发 / 一言不發 — yī yán bù fā — to not say a word (idiom)
- 单枪匹马 / 單槍匹馬 — dān qiāng pǐ mǎ — single spear and horse (idiom)
- 易如反掌 — yì rú fǎn zhǎng — easy as a hand's turn (idiom) · very easy
- 赴汤蹈火 / 赴湯蹈火 — fù tāng dǎo huǒ — literally to jump into scalding water and plunge into raging fire (idiom)
- 不速之客 — bù sù zhī kè — uninvited or unexpected guest
- 出其不意 — chū qí bù yì — to do something when least expected (idiom) · to catch someone off guard
- 卷土重来 / 卷土重來 — juǎn tǔ chóng lái — literally to return in a swirl of dust (idiom)
- 家常便饭 / 家常便飯 — jiā cháng biàn fàn — simple home-style meal
- 滔滔不绝 / 滔滔不絕 — tāo tāo bù jué — to produce a torrent of words · to talk on and on
- 烟消云散 / 煙消雲散 — yān xiāo yún sàn — to vanish like smoke in thin air · to disappear
- 一败涂地 / 一敗塗地 — yī bài tú dì — literally defeated, the ground blanketed with bodies (idiom)
- 多才多艺 / 多才多藝 — duō cái duō yì — multitalented
- 孤注一掷 / 孤注一擲 — gū zhù yī zhì — to stake all on one throw
- 有生之年 — yǒu shēng zhī nián — during one's lifetime · while one is on this earth · in one's remaining years
- 脱口而出 / 脫口而出 — tuō kǒu ér chū — to blurt out · to let slip (an indiscreet remark)
- 天翻地覆 — tiān fān dì fù — sky and the earth turning upside down (idiom) · figuratively complete confusion
- 惨不忍睹 / 慘不忍睹 — cǎn bù rěn dǔ — literally so horrible that one cannot bear to look (idiom)
- 皆大欢喜 / 皆大歡喜 — jiē dà huān xǐ — to everyone's delight and satisfaction
- 说三道四 / 說三道四 — shuō sān dào sì — to make thoughtless remarks (idiom)
- 一劳永逸 / 一勞永逸 — yī láo yǒng yì — to get something done once and for all
- 东山再起 / 東山再起 — dōng shān zài qǐ — literally to return to office after living as a hermit on Mount Dongshan (idiom) · figuratively to make a comeback
- 同心协力 / 同心協力 — tóng xīn xié lì — to work with a common purpose (idiom) · to make concerted efforts
- 善解人意 — shàn jiě rén yì — to be good at understanding others (idiom)
- 异想天开 / 異想天開 — yì xiǎng tiān kāi — to imagine the wildest thing · to indulge in fantasy
- 得寸进尺 / 得寸進尺 — dé cùn jìn chǐ — literally win an inch, want a foot (idiom) · figuratively not satisfied with small gains
- 脱胎换骨 / 脫胎換骨 — tuō tāi huàn gǔ — to shed one's mortal body and exchange one's bones (idiom) · born again Daoist
- 铁石心肠 / 鐵石心腸 — tiě shí xīn cháng — to have a heart of stone
- 习以为常 / 習以為常 — xí yǐ wéi cháng — accustomed to
- 夷为平地 / 夷為平地 — yí wéi píng dì — to level · to raze to the ground
- 尽如人意 / 盡如人意 — jìn rú rén yì — to be everything one could wish for
- 当务之急 / 當務之急 — dāng wù zhī jí — top priority job · a matter of the greatest urgency
- 一网打尽 / 一網打盡 — yī wǎng dǎ jìn — literally to catch everything in the one net (idiom)
- 动手动脚 / 動手動腳 — dòng shǒu dòng jiǎo — to come to blows
- 大吵大闹 / 大吵大鬧 — dà chǎo dà nào — to shout and scream (idiom) · to kick up a fuss
- 担惊受怕 / 擔驚受怕 — dān jīng shòu pà — apprehensive · alarmed · anxious
- 独来独往 / 獨來獨往 — dú lái dú wǎng — to be a loner · to keep to oneself
- 通情达理 / 通情達理 — tōng qíng dá lǐ — fair and reasonable · sensible · standing to reason
- 一厢情愿 / 一廂情願 — yī xiāng qíng yuàn — one's own wishful thinking
- 一去不复返 / 一去不復返 — yī qù bù fù fǎn — gone forever
- 心平气和 / 心平氣和 — xīn píng qì hé — tranquil and even-tempered (idiom) · calmly and without stress
- 战无不胜 / 戰無不勝 — zhàn wú bù shèng — all-conquering · invincible
- 焦头烂额 / 焦頭爛額 — jiāo tóu làn é — literally badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom)
- 前途无量 / 前途無量 — qián tú wú liàng — to have boundless prospects
- 天涯海角 — tiān yá hǎi jiǎo — the ends of the earth
- 手足无措 / 手足無措 — shǒu zú wú cuò — at a loss to know what to do (idiom) · bewildered