Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 58
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 心中有鬼 — xīn zhōng yǒu guǐ — to harbor ulterior motives (idiom)
- 一衣带水 / 一衣帶水 — yī yī dài shuǐ — a narrow strip of water
- 沧海一粟 / 滄海一粟 — cāng hǎi yī sù — one grain floating on the ocean (idiom)
- 无牵无挂 / 無牽無掛 — wú qiān wú guà — unburdened by obligations or attachments · carefree
- 万古长青 / 萬古長青 — wàn gǔ cháng qīng — enduring through the ages · ever-flourishing
- 夫唱妇随 / 夫唱婦隨 — fū chàng fù suí — figuratively the man sings and the woman follows · figuratively marital harmony
- 望洋兴叹 / 望洋興嘆 — wàng yáng xīng tàn — to gaze at the ocean and lament one's inadequacy (idiom)
- 不破不立 — bù pò bù lì — without destruction there can be no construction
- 一物降一物 — yī wù xiáng yī wù — literally one object bests another object
- 讳疾忌医 / 諱疾忌醫 — huì jí jì yī — hiding a sickness for fear of treatment (idiom) · figuratively concealing a fault to avoid criticism
- 未卜先知 — wèi bǔ xiān zhī — to foresee the future (without divination) · to know beforehand through uncanny insight
- 男欢女爱 / 男歡女愛 — nán huān nǚ ài — passionate love (idiom)
- 健步如飞 / 健步如飛 — jiàn bù rú fēi — running as fast as flying
- 身怀六甲 / 身懷六甲 — shēn huái liù jiǎ — to be pregnant (idiom)
- 后生可畏 / 後生可畏 — hòu shēng kě wèi — the young will be redoubtable in the years to come (idiom)
- 垂帘听政 / 垂簾聽政 — chuí lián tīng zhèng — literally to govern from behind the curtain
- 博学多才 / 博學多才 — bó xué duō cái — erudite and multitalented · versatile and able
- 面黄肌瘦 / 面黃肌瘦 — miàn huáng jī shòu — face yellow and body emaciated (idiom)
- 笑掉大牙 — xiào diào dà yá — to laugh one's head off
- 后继无人 / 後繼無人 — hòu jì wú rén — to have no qualified successors to carry on one's undertaking
- 含沙射影 — hán shā shè yǐng — to attack someone by innuendo · to make insinuations
- 一毛不拔 — yī máo bù bá — unwilling to spare a single hair (idiom)
- 口不择言 / 口不擇言 — kǒu bù zé yán — to speak incoherently
- 学富五车 / 學富五車 — xué fù wǔ chē — of great erudition and scholarship (idiom)
- 政通人和 — zhèng tōng rén hé — efficient government, people at peace (idiom) · all is well with the state and the people
- 营私舞弊 / 營私舞弊 — yíng sī wǔ bì — see 徇私舞弊 xùn sī wǔ bì
- 望梅止渴 — wàng méi zhǐ kě — literally to quench one's thirst by thinking of plums (idiom)
- 临渊羡鱼 / 臨淵羨魚 — lín yuān xiàn yú — see 临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 lín yuān xiàn yú , bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng
- 一望而知 — yī wàng ér zhī — to be evident at a glance
- 坚贞不屈 / 堅貞不屈 — jiān zhēn bù qū — faithful and unchanging (idiom) · steadfast
- 抱头鼠窜 / 抱頭鼠竄 — bào tóu shǔ cuàn — to cover one's head and sneak away like a rat (idiom) · to flee ignominiously
- 不识抬举 / 不識抬舉 — bù shí tái jǔ — fail to appreciate someone's kindness
- 水性杨花 / 水性楊花 — shuǐ xìng yáng huā — fickle (woman)
- 以德报怨 / 以德報怨 — yǐ dé bào yuàn — to return good for evil (idiom)
- 奇珍异宝 / 奇珍異寶 — qí zhēn yì bǎo — rare treasure (idiom)
- 不分彼此 — bù fēn bǐ cǐ — to make no distinction between what's one's own and what's another's (idiom)
- 毕其功于一役 / 畢其功於一役 — bì qí gōng yú yī yì — to accomplish the whole task at one stroke (idiom)
- 真凭实据 / 真憑實據 — zhēn píng shí jù — reliable evidence (idiom) · conclusive proof
- 高官厚禄 / 高官厚祿 — gāo guān hòu lù — high post and generous salary (idiom) · promotion to a high official position
- 没大没小 / 沒大沒小 — méi dà méi xiǎo — impolite
- 无往不利 / 無往不利 — wú wǎng bù lì — to be successful in every endeavor
- 金枝玉叶 / 金枝玉葉 — jīn zhī yù yè — golden branch, jade leaves (idiom) · figuratively blue-blooded nobility, especially imperial kinsmen or peerless beauty
- 妙笔生花 / 妙筆生花 — miào bǐ shēng huā — gifted or skillful writing
- 冲口而出 / 衝口而出 — chōng kǒu ér chū — to blurt out without thinking (idiom)
- 颠三倒四 / 顛三倒四 — diān sān dǎo sì — confused
- 一石二鸟 / 一石二鳥 — yī shí èr niǎo — to kill two birds with one stone (idiom)
- 连本带利 / 連本帶利 — lián běn dài lì — both principal and interest
- 学而优则仕 / 學而優則仕 — xué ér yōu zé shì — one who is successful in one's studies, can become an official (idiom)
- 三姑六婆 — sān gū liù pó — women with disreputable or illegal professions (idiom)
- 依然故我 — yī rán gù wǒ — to be one's old self (idiom)