Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 53
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 南征北战 / 南征北戰 — nán zhēng běi zhàn — war on all sides (idiom) · fighting from all four quarters
- 坑蒙拐骗 / 坑蒙拐騙 — kēng mēng guǎi piàn — to swindle, scam and deceive
- 一言以蔽之 — yī yán yǐ bì zhī — one word says it all (idiom, from Analects) · to cut a long story short
- 天各一方 — tiān gè yī fāng — to live far apart from each other
- 争风吃醋 / 爭風吃醋 — zhēng fēng chī cù — to rival someone for the affection of a man or woman
- 缠绵悱恻 / 纏綿悱惻 — chán mián fěi cè — sad beyond words (idiom)
- 有情有义 / 有情有義 — yǒu qíng yǒu yì — affectionate and true
- 丢三落四 / 丟三落四 — diū sān là sì — forgetful
- 屡战屡败 / 屢戰屢敗 — lǚ zhàn lǚ bài — to suffer defeat in every battle (idiom)
- 相夫教子 — xiàng fū jiào zǐ — to assist one's husband and educate the children (idiom)
- 不知好歹 — bù zhī hǎo dǎi — unable to differentiate good from bad (idiom)
- 无伤大雅 / 無傷大雅 — wú shāng dà yǎ — to be of no great matter (idiom)
- 穷途末路 / 窮途末路 — qióng tú mò lù — literally the path exhausted, the end of the road (idiom) · an impasse
- 千锤百炼 / 千錘百鍊 — qiān chuí bǎi liàn — after hard work and numerous revisions (idiom)
- 及时行乐 / 及時行樂 — jí shí xíng lè — to enjoy the present (idiom) · to live happily with no thought for the future
- 来日方长 / 來日方長 — lái rì fāng cháng — the future is long (idiom) · there will be ample time for that later
- 披星戴月 — pī xīng dài yuè — to travel or work through night and day
- 平白无故 / 平白無故 — píng bái wú gù — for no reason whatever · inexplicably
- 原形毕露 / 原形畢露 — yuán xíng bì lù — original identity fully revealed (idiom) · figuratively to unmask and expose the whole truth
- 鼎鼎大名 — dǐng dǐng dà míng — famous · celebrated
- 文武双全 / 文武雙全 — wén wǔ shuāng quán — well versed in letters and military technology (idiom) · fine scholar and soldier
- 以貌取人 — yǐ mào qǔ rén — to judge someone by appearances (idiom)
- 误打误撞 / 誤打誤撞 — wù dǎ wù zhuàng — accidentally
- 四脚朝天 / 四腳朝天 — sì jiǎo cháo tiān — four legs facing the sky (idiom) · flat on one's back
- 心乱如麻 / 心亂如麻 — xīn luàn rú má — one's thoughts in a whirl (idiom) · confused
- 以工代赈 / 以工代賑 — yǐ gōng dài zhèn — to provide work to relieve poverty
- 功名利禄 / 功名利祿 — gōng míng lì lù — position and wealth (idiom) · rank, fame and fortune
- 因祸得福 / 因禍得福 — yīn huò dé fú — to have some good come out of a bad situation (idiom)
- 雄才大略 — xióng cái dà lüè — great skill and strategy
- 旁敲侧击 / 旁敲側擊 — páng qiāo cè jī — to make insinuations · to take an indirect approach (in making inquiries) (idiom)
- 威逼利诱 / 威逼利誘 — wēi bī lì yòu — to make threats and promises
- 拔苗助长 / 拔苗助長 — bá miáo zhù zhǎng — to spoil things through excessive enthusiasm (idiom)
- 游人如织 / 遊人如織 — yóu rén rú zhī — crowded with visitors · packed with tourists
- 太平盛世 — tài píng shèng shì — peace and prosperity (idiom)
- 牢狱之灾 / 牢獄之災 — láo yù zhī zāi — imprisonment
- 盘根错节 / 盤根錯節 — pán gēn cuò jié — twisted roots and intertwined joints (idiom) · complicated and very tricky
- 积重难返 / 積重難返 — jī zhòng nán fǎn — ingrained habits are hard to overcome (idiom) · bad old practices die hard
- 鬼哭狼嚎 — guǐ kū láng háo — to wail and scream loudly
- 声东击西 / 聲東擊西 — shēng dōng jī xī — to threaten the east and strike to the west (idiom)
- 张口结舌 / 張口結舌 — zhāng kǒu jié shé — agape and tongue-tied (idiom) · at a loss for words
- 三头六臂 / 三頭六臂 — sān tóu liù bì — (having) three heads and six arms (idiom)
- 藏龙卧虎 / 藏龍臥虎 — cáng lóng wò hǔ — literally hidden dragon, crouching tiger (idiom)
- 居无定所 / 居無定所 — jū wú dìng suǒ — to be without a fixed residence (idiom)
- 无所不知 / 無所不知 — wú suǒ bù zhī — omniscient
- 十恶不赦 / 十惡不赦 — shí è bù shè — wicked beyond redemption (idiom)
- 积劳成疾 / 積勞成疾 — jī láo chéng jí — to accumulate work causes sickness (idiom) · to fall ill from constant overwork
- 浓眉大眼 / 濃眉大眼 — nóng méi dà yǎn — thick eyebrows and big eyes
- 冥思苦想 — míng sī kǔ xiǎng — see 苦思冥想 kǔ sī míng xiǎng
- 亭台楼阁 / 亭臺樓閣 — tíng tái lóu gé — pavilions and kiosks (in Chinese gardens)
- 寿比南山 / 壽比南山 — shòu bǐ nán shān — Live as long as the Zhongnan Mountains! (idiom)