Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 55
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 招财进宝 / 招財進寶 — zhāo cái jìn bǎo — ushering in wealth and prosperity (idiom and traditional greeting, especially at New Year) · We wish you wealth and success!
- 软磨硬泡 / 軟磨硬泡 — ruǎn mó yìng pào — to coax and pester (idiom) · to wheedle · to cajole
- 无师自通 / 無師自通 — wú shī zì tōng — self-taught
- 鸡犬不宁 / 雞犬不寧 — jī quǎn bù níng — literally not even the chickens and dogs are left undisturbed (idiom)
- 马首是瞻 / 馬首是瞻 — mǎ shǒu shì zhān — to follow blindly (idiom)
- 开宗明义 / 開宗明義 — kāi zōng míng yì — to declare at the outset (idiom)
- 万马奔腾 / 萬馬奔騰 — wàn mǎ bēn téng — literally (like) ten thousand horses galloping (idiom)
- 覆水难收 / 覆水難收 — fù shuǐ nán shōu — spilt water is difficult to retrieve (idiom)
- 眉来眼去 / 眉來眼去 — méi lái yǎn qù — to make eyes · to exchange flirting glances with someone
- 一命呜呼 / 一命嗚呼 — yī mìng wū hū — to die (idiom)
- 火树银花 / 火樹銀花 — huǒ shù yín huā — display of fireworks and lanterns
- 妻离子散 / 妻離子散 — qī lí zǐ sàn — a family wrenched apart (idiom)
- 小肚鸡肠 / 小肚雞腸 — xiǎo dù jī cháng — literally small belly, chicken's gut (idiom) · narrow-minded
- 大权在握 / 大權在握 — dà quán zài wò — to be in a position of power
- 硕果仅存 / 碩果僅存 — shuò guǒ jǐn cún — only remaining of the great (idiom) · one of the few greats extant
- 因公殉职 / 因公殉職 — yīn gōng xùn zhí — to die in the course of performing one's duty (idiom)
- 千秋万代 / 千秋萬代 — qiān qiū wàn dài — throughout the ages
- 一团和气 / 一團和氣 — yī tuán hé qì — to keep on the right side of everyone (often at the expense of principle)
- 骁勇善战 / 驍勇善戰 — xiāo yǒng shàn zhàn — to be brave and good at fighting (idiom)
- 拖家带口 / 拖家帶口 — tuō jiā dài kǒu — to take one's whole family along · to have a family in tow · to be tied down by family obligations
- 张冠李戴 / 張冠李戴 — zhāng guān lǐ dài — literally to put Zhang's hat on Li's head
- 一本万利 / 一本萬利 — yī běn wàn lì — small capital, huge profit (idiom) · to put in a little and get a lot out
- 身轻如燕 / 身輕如燕 — shēn qīng rú yàn — as lithe as a swallow (of athlete or beautiful girl)
- 舍本逐末 / 捨本逐末 — shě běn zhú mò — to neglect the root and pursue the tip (idiom) · to neglect fundamentals and concentrate on details
- 自寻死路 / 自尋死路 — zì xún sǐ lù — to follow the path to one's own doom (idiom)
- 一哄而起 — yī hōng ér qǐ — to rush into action
- 报喜不报忧 / 報喜不報憂 — bào xǐ bù bào yōu — to report only the good news, not the bad news
- 累死累活 — lèi sǐ lèi huó — to tire oneself out through overwork
- 镜花水月 / 鏡花水月 — jìng huā shuǐ yuè — literally flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in the lake (idiom)
- 朝令夕改 — zhāo lìng xī gǎi — to make frequent or unpredictable changes in policy (idiom)
- 挑灯夜战 / 挑燈夜戰 — tiǎo dēng yè zhàn — to raise a lantern and fight at night (idiom) · figuratively to work into the night
- 对牛弹琴 / 對牛彈琴 — duì niú tán qín — literally to play the lute to a cow (idiom)
- 偷鸡摸狗 / 偷雞摸狗 — tōu jī mō gǒu — to imitate the dog and steal chicken (idiom)
- 逆水行舟 — nì shuǐ xíng zhōu — literally navigating a boat against the current (idiom)
- 力排众议 / 力排眾議 — lì pái zhòng yì — to stand one's ground against the opinion of the masses (idiom)
- 由表及里 / 由表及裡 — yóu biǎo jí lǐ — to proceed from the outside to the inside
- 书香门第 / 書香門第 — shū xiāng mén dì — family with a literary reputation (idiom) · literary family
- 猪狗不如 / 豬狗不如 — zhū gǒu bù rú — worse than a dog or pig
- 兴师问罪 / 興師問罪 — xīng shī wèn zuì — to send punitive forces against
- 万象更新 / 萬象更新 — wàn xiàng gēng xīn — nature takes on a new look (idiom)
- 吃喝嫖赌 / 吃喝嫖賭 — chī hē piáo dǔ — to go dining, wining, whoring and gambling (idiom)
- 自不待言 — zì bù dài yán — needless to say
- 玲珑剔透 / 玲瓏剔透 — líng lóng tī tòu — exquisitely made
- 一面之词 / 一面之詞 — yī miàn zhī cí — one side of the story · one-sided statement
- 入土为安 / 入土為安 — rù tǔ wéi ān — buried and at rest (idiom) · Resquiescat in pacem (RIP)
- 吃不了兜着走 / 吃不了兜著走 — chī bu liǎo dōu zhe zǒu — literally if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom)
- 一手遮天 — yī shǒu zhē tiān — literally to hide the sky with one hand
- 气宇轩昂 / 氣宇軒昂 — qì yǔ xuān áng — to have an imposing or impressive appearance
- 不眠不休 — bù mián bù xiū — without stopping to sleep or have a rest (idiom)
- 九牛一毛 — jiǔ niú yī máo — one hair from nine oxen (idiom)