Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 52
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 善罢甘休 / 善罷甘休 — shàn bà gān xiū — to let the matter rest · to just let it go · to take it lying down (usually used in the negative)
- 似懂非懂 — sì dǒng fēi dǒng — to not really understand
- 飞蛾扑火 / 飛蛾撲火 — fēi é pū huǒ — the moth flies into the flame
- 一错再错 / 一錯再錯 — yī cuò zài cuò — to repeat errors
- 以身相许 / 以身相許 — yǐ shēn xiāng xǔ — to give one's heart (to someone) · (figuratively) to devote oneself wholeheartedly to someone or something
- 正人君子 — zhèng rén jūn zi — upright gentleman
- 呆若木鸡 / 呆若木雞 — dāi ruò mù jī — literally dumb as a wooden chicken (idiom) · figuratively dumbstruck
- 上气不接下气 / 上氣不接下氣 — shàng qì bù jiē xià qì — to be out of breath · to gasp for air
- 文武百官 — wén wǔ bǎi guān — civil and military officials
- 落叶归根 / 落葉歸根 — luò yè guī gēn — literally a falling leaf returns to the roots (idiom)
- 不知死活 — bù zhī sǐ huó — to act recklessly (idiom)
- 甘拜下风 / 甘拜下風 — gān bài xià fēng — to step down gracefully (humble expression)
- 心如刀割 — xīn rú dāo gē — to feel as if having one's heart cut out (idiom)
- 百年大计 / 百年大計 — bǎi nián dà jì — a project of vital and lasting importance
- 将错就错 / 將錯就錯 — jiāng cuò jiù cuò — literally if it's wrong, it's wrong (idiom) · to make the best after a mistake
- 朝朝暮暮 — zhāo zhāo mù mù — from dawn to dusk
- 五音不全 — wǔ yīn bù quán — tone deaf
- 恬不知耻 / 恬不知恥 — tián bù zhī chǐ — to have no sense of shame
- 开源节流 / 開源節流 — kāi yuán jié liú — literally to open a water source and reduce outflow (idiom) · to increase income and save on spending
- 大智若愚 — dà zhì ruò yú — great intelligence may appear to be stupidity
- 两小无猜 / 兩小無猜 — liǎng xiǎo wú cāi — innocent playmates
- 臭味相投 — chòu wèi xiāng tóu — to share vile habits
- 大快朵颐 / 大快朵頤 — dà kuài duǒ yí — to eat with great relish · to feast on (something)
- 感激涕零 — gǎn jī tì líng — to shed tears of gratitude (idiom) · moved to tears
- 心如止水 — xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ — to be at peace with oneself
- 闭门造车 / 閉門造車 — bì mén zào chē — literally to shut oneself away and build a cart (idiom)
- 确有其事 / 確有其事 — què yǒu qí shì — true
- 死不瞑目 — sǐ bù míng mù — literally not close one's eyes after dying (idiom)
- 山盟海誓 — shān méng hǎi shì — to pledge undying love (idiom) · oath of eternal love
- 里应外合 / 裡應外合 — lǐ yìng wài hé — to coordinate outside and inside offensives (idiom)
- 孤芳自赏 / 孤芳自賞 — gū fāng zì shǎng — lone flower admiring itself (idiom) · narcissism
- 弥留之际 / 彌留之際 — mí liú zhī jì — on one's deathbed
- 过河拆桥 / 過河拆橋 — guò hé chāi qiáo — to destroy the bridge after crossing the river (idiom)
- 怜香惜玉 / 憐香惜玉 — lián xiāng xī yù — to have tender, protective feelings for the fairer sex (idiom)
- 不共戴天 — bù gòng dài tiān — (of enemies) cannot live under the same sky · absolutely irreconcilable
- 阴魂不散 / 陰魂不散 — yīn hún bù sàn — literally the soul of a deceased has not yet dispersed (idiom)
- 返老还童 / 返老還童 — fǎn lǎo huán tóng — to recover one's youthful vigor
- 人杰地灵 / 人傑地靈 — rén jié dì líng — illustrious hero, spirit of the place (idiom) · a place derives reflected glory from an illustrious son
- 秀色可餐 — xiù sè kě cān — a feast for the eyes (idiom)
- 难辞其咎 / 難辭其咎 — nán cí qí jiù — cannot escape censure (idiom)
- 不学无术 / 不學無術 — bù xué wú shù — without learning or skills (idiom) · ignorant and incompetent
- 积少成多 / 積少成多 — jī shǎo chéng duō — many little things add up to something great · many little drops make an ocean
- 自投罗网 / 自投羅網 — zì tóu luó wǎng — to walk right into the trap
- 垂涎三尺 — chuí xián sān chǐ — to drool (over) (idiom)
- 指点江山 / 指點江山 — zhǐ diǎn jiāng shān — to talk idly about important matters (idiom)
- 克己复礼 / 克己復禮 — kè jǐ fù lǐ — restrain yourself and return to the rites (idiom, from Analects) · to subdue self and observe proprieties
- 惶恐不安 — huáng kǒng bù ān — anxious
- 溃不成军 / 潰不成軍 — kuì bù chéng jūn — (of troops) to be utterly routed and dispersed
- 自惭形秽 / 自慚形穢 — zì cán xíng huì — to feel inferior · to feel inadequate
- 暗无天日 / 暗無天日 — àn wú tiān rì — all black, no daylight (idiom) · a world without justice