Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 57
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 好整以暇 — hào zhěng yǐ xiá — to be calm and unruffled in the midst of chaos or at a busy time (idiom)
- 出水芙蓉 — chū shuǐ fú róng — as a lotus flower breaking the surface (idiom) · surpassingly beautiful (of young lady's face or old gentleman's calligraphy)
- 广开言路 / 廣開言路 — guǎng kāi yán lù — to encourage the free airing of views (idiom)
- 名山大川 — míng shān dà chuān — famous mountains and great rivers
- 卑躬屈膝 — bēi gōng qū xī — to bow and bend the knee (idiom) · fawning
- 春风化雨 / 春風化雨 — chūn fēng huà yǔ — literally spring wind and rain (idiom) · figuratively the long-term influence of a solid education
- 奇货可居 / 奇貨可居 — qí huò kě jū — rare commodity worth hoarding
- 比翼双飞 / 比翼雙飛 — bǐ yì shuāng fēi — literally a pair of birds flying close together (idiom)
- 著书立说 / 著書立說 — zhù shū lì shuō — to write a book advancing one's theory (idiom)
- 东拉西扯 / 東拉西扯 — dōng lā xī chě — to talk about this and that (idiom) · to ramble incoherently
- 老态龙钟 / 老態龍鍾 — lǎo tài lóng zhōng — doddering · senile
- 仁人志士 — rén rén zhì shì — gentleman aspiring to benevolence (idiom) · people with lofty ideals
- 自甘堕落 / 自甘墮落 — zì gān duò luò — to abandon oneself (idiom)
- 舟车劳顿 / 舟車勞頓 — zhōu chē láo dùn — travel-worn
- 舍生忘死 / 捨生忘死 — shě shēng wàng sǐ — bravery with no thought of personal safety (idiom) · risking life and limb
- 青天白日 — qīng tiān bái rì — in broad daylight · in the middle of the day
- 百炼成钢 / 百煉成鋼 — bǎi liàn chéng gāng — to be tempered into a steel
- 虎背熊腰 — hǔ bèi xióng yāo — back of a tiger and waist of a bear
- 功德圆满 / 功德圓滿 — gōng dé yuán mǎn — virtuous achievements come to their successful conclusion (idiom)
- 大材小用 — dà cái xiǎo yòng — to use a talented person in a role far beneath their ability · a waste of talent
- 郎才女貌 — láng cái nǚ mào — talented man and beautiful woman
- 厚德载物 / 厚德載物 — hòu dé zài wù — with great virtue one can take charge of the world (idiom)
- 口蜜腹剑 / 口蜜腹劍 — kǒu mì fù jiàn — literally honeyed words, a sword in the belly (idiom) · figuratively hypocritical and murderous
- 杀人如麻 / 殺人如麻 — shā rén rú má — to kill people like scything flax (idiom)
- 克勤克俭 / 克勤克儉 — kè qín kè jiǎn — industrious and frugal
- 长袖善舞 / 長袖善舞 — cháng xiù shàn wǔ — long sleeves help one dance beautifully (idiom) · money and power will help you in any occupation
- 流年不利 — liú nián bù lì — the year's horoscope augurs ill (idiom) · an unlucky year
- 拾级而上 / 拾級而上 — shè jí ér shàng — to walk slowly up a flight of steps (idiom)
- 跌打损伤 / 跌打損傷 — diē dǎ sǔn shāng — injury such as contusion, sprain or fracture from falling, blow and so on
- 调虎离山 / 調虎離山 — diào hǔ lí shān — to lure the tiger from its domain in the mountains (idiom) · to lure an enemy away from his territory
- 缓兵之计 / 緩兵之計 — huǎn bīng zhī jì — delaying tactics · stalling · measures to stave off an attack · stratagem to win a respite
- 人赃俱获 / 人贓俱獲 — rén zāng jù huò — to be caught with stolen or illegal goods
- 信口雌黄 / 信口雌黃 — xìn kǒu cí huáng — to speak off the cuff
- 油嘴滑舌 — yóu zuǐ huá shé — glib
- 养儿防老 / 養兒防老 — yǎng ér fáng lǎo — to bring up children for the purpose of being looked after in old age
- 不见天日 / 不見天日 — bù jiàn tiān rì — all black, no daylight (idiom) · a world without justice
- 言行不一 — yán xíng bù yī — to say one thing and do another
- 附庸风雅 / 附庸風雅 — fù yōng fēng yǎ — to mingle with the cognoscenti
- 如醉如痴 / 如醉如癡 — rú zuì rú chī — see 如痴如醉 rú chī rú zuì
- 猴年马月 / 猴年馬月 — hóu nián mǎ yuè — long time off
- 无的放矢 / 無的放矢 — wú dì fàng shǐ — to shoot without aim (idiom) · figuratively to speak without thinking
- 秀外慧中 — xiù wài huì zhōng — good-looking and intelligent (idiom)
- 狗血淋头 / 狗血淋頭 — gǒu xuè lín tóu — literally to pour dog's blood on (idiom)
- 骄奢淫逸 / 驕奢淫逸 — jiāo shē yín yì — extravagant and dissipated
- 一语双关 / 一語雙關 — yī yǔ shuāng guān — to make a pun · to have a double meaning
- 应付自如 / 應付自如 — yìng fu zì rú — to handle matters with ease (idiom) · to hold one's own
- 滚瓜烂熟 / 滾瓜爛熟 — gǔn guā làn shú — literally ripe as a melon that rolls from its vine (idiom) · figuratively to know fluently
- 指桑骂槐 / 指桑罵槐 — zhǐ sāng mà huái — literally to point at the mulberry tree and curse the locust tree
- 自报家门 / 自報家門 — zì bào jiā mén — to introduce oneself
- 冤家路窄 — yuān jiā lù zhǎi — literally for enemies, the road is narrow (idiom)