Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 60
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 名门望族 / 名門望族 — míng mén wàng zú — offspring a famous family (idiom) · good breeding
- 东施效颦 / 東施效顰 — dōng shī xiào pín — literally Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiom)
- 从善如流 / 從善如流 — cóng shàn rú liú — readily following good advice (idiom) · willing to accept other people's views
- 才高八斗 — cái gāo bā dǒu — of great talent
- 眼明手快 — yǎn míng shǒu kuài — sharp-sighted and deft
- 胆小如鼠 / 膽小如鼠 — dǎn xiǎo rú shǔ — chicken-hearted · gutless
- 街谈巷议 / 街談巷議 — jiē tán xiàng yì — town gossip
- 上行下效 / 上行下傚 — shàng xíng xià xiào — subordinates follow the example of their superiors (idiom)
- 老少咸宜 — lǎo shào xián yí — suitable for young and old
- 坐而论道 / 坐而論道 — zuò ér lùn dào — to sit and pontificate · to find answers through theory and not through practice (idiom)
- 有棱有角 / 有稜有角 — yǒu léng yǒu jiǎo — sharp and clearcut
- 天兵天将 / 天兵天將 — tiān bīng tiān jiàng — celestial troops and generals (idiom)
- 吃喝拉撒睡 — chī hē lā sā shuì — eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping · the mundane necessities of everyday life
- 劳燕分飞 / 勞燕分飛 — láo yàn fēn fēi — the shrike and the swallow fly in different directions (idiom)
- 不打自招 — bù dǎ zì zhāo — to confess without being pressed
- 寅吃卯粮 / 寅吃卯糧 — yín chī mǎo liáng — literally eating away next year's food in advance
- 人面兽心 / 人面獸心 — rén miàn shòu xīn — human face, beastly heart (idiom)
- 不耻下问 / 不恥下問 — bù chǐ xià wèn — not feel ashamed to ask and learn from one's subordinates
- 耳鬓厮磨 / 耳鬢廝磨 — ěr bìn sī mó — literally to play together ear to ear and temple to temple (idiom)
- 依样画葫芦 / 依樣畫葫蘆 — yī yàng huà hú lu — literally to draw a gourd from the model (idiom)
- 寥若晨星 — liáo ruò chén xīng — rare as morning stars (idiom)
- 顺水人情 / 順水人情 — shùn shuǐ rén qíng — to do someone a favor at little cost
- 不求甚解 — bù qiú shèn jiě — literally not requiring a detailed understanding (idiom) · only looking for an overview
- 大而化之 — dà ér huà zhī — careless
- 出口成章 — chū kǒu chéng zhāng — (of one's speech) eloquent
- 量力而为 / 量力而為 — liàng lì ér wéi — to weigh one's abilities and act accordingly
- 抱残守缺 / 抱殘守缺 — bào cán shǒu quē — to cherish the outmoded and preserve the outworn (idiom) · conservative
- 闷声不响 / 悶聲不響 — mēn shēng bù xiǎng — to keep silent
- 词不达意 / 詞不達意 — cí bù dá yì — words do not convey the meaning
- 今不如昔 — jīn bù rú xī — things are not as good as they used to be
- 花容月貌 — huā róng yuè mào — literally countenance of a flower, face like the moon (idiom)
- 百思不解 — bǎi sī bù jiě — to remain puzzled after pondering over something a hundred times (idiom) · to remain perplexed despite much thought
- 老成持重 — lǎo chéng chí zhòng — old and wise
- 滂沱大雨 — pāng tuó dà yǔ — torrents of rain (idiom)
- 肥头大耳 / 肥頭大耳 — féi tóu dà ěr — fat · plump · chubby
- 火烧眉毛 / 火燒眉毛 — huǒ shāo méi mao — literally the fire burns one's eyebrows (idiom) · figuratively desperate situation
- 富国强兵 / 富國強兵 — fù guó qiáng bīng — literally rich country, strong army (idiom) · slogan of legalist philosophers in pre-Han times
- 寻花问柳 / 尋花問柳 — xún huā wèn liǔ — literally to enjoy the beautiful spring scenery (idiom)
- 面有难色 / 面有難色 — miàn yǒu nán sè — to show signs of reluctance or embarrassment
- 新婚燕尔 / 新婚燕爾 — xīn hūn yàn ěr — to experience the joy of being newly married
- 安贫乐道 / 安貧樂道 — ān pín lè dào — to be content with poverty and strive for virtue (idiom)
- 文过饰非 / 文過飾非 — wén guò shì fēi — to cover up one's faults · to whitewash
- 望文生义 / 望文生義 — wàng wén shēng yì — literally view a text and interpret (idiom) · to interpret word by word without understanding the meaning
- 满腹经纶 / 滿腹經綸 — mǎn fù jīng lún — full of political wisdom (idiom)
- 不足挂齿 / 不足掛齒 — bù zú guà chǐ — not worth mentioning (idiom)
- 铸成大错 / 鑄成大錯 — zhù chéng dà cuò — to make a serious mistake (idiom)
- 唯命是从 / 唯命是從 — wéi mìng shì cóng — to follow obediently
- 拍案惊奇 / 拍案驚奇 — pāi àn jīng qí — to slap the table in amazement (idiom) · wonderful!
- 蛮横无理 / 蠻橫無理 — mán hèng wú lǐ — rude and unreasonable
- 是非不分 — shì fēi bù fēn — unable to distinguish right and wrong (idiom)