Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 61
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 睹物思人 — dǔ wù sī rén — to fondly remember a person on seeing something one associates with them
- 完好如初 — wán hǎo rú chū — intact
- 狗屁不通 — gǒu pì bù tōng — (of writing, speech and so on) incoherent · nonsensical
- 以卵击石 / 以卵擊石 — yǐ luǎn jī shí — literally to strike a stone with egg (idiom) · to attempt the impossible
- 瑕不掩瑜 — xiá bù yǎn yú — literally a blemish does not obscure jade's luster
- 杀鸡儆猴 / 殺雞儆猴 — shā jī jǐng hóu — to kill the chicken to warn the monkey (idiom)
- 故步自封 — gù bù zì fēng — stuck in the old ways (idiom) · refusing to acknowledge new ideas
- 重修旧好 / 重修舊好 — chóng xiū jiù hǎo — to make friends again
- 目不识丁 / 目不識丁 — mù bù shí dīng — literally the eye cannot recognize the letter T (idiom) · totally illiterate
- 明眸皓齿 / 明眸皓齒 — míng móu hào chǐ — to have bright eyes and white teeth
- 期期艾艾 — qī qī ài ài — stammering (idiom)
- 毫无二致 / 毫無二致 — háo wú èr zhì — without the slightest difference
- 金玉满堂 / 金玉滿堂 — jīn yù mǎn táng — literally gold and jade fill the hall (idiom)
- 千难万难 / 千難萬難 — qiān nán wàn nán — extremely difficult
- 独尊儒术 / 獨尊儒術 — dú zūn rú shù — dismiss the hundred schools, revere only the Confucians (slogan of the Former Han dynasty)
- 因时制宜 / 因時制宜 — yīn shí zhì yí — to use methods appropriate to the current situation
- 舍生取义 / 捨生取義 — shě shēng qǔ yì — to give up life for righteousness (idiom, from Mencius)
- 官运亨通 / 官運亨通 — guān yùn hēng tōng — everything is going smoothly (idiom)
- 色厉内荏 / 色厲內荏 — sè lì nèi rěn — literally show strength while weak inside (idiom) · appearing fierce while cowardly at heart
- 志士仁人 — zhì shì rén rén — gentleman aspiring to benevolence (idiom) · people with lofty ideals
- 三百六十行 — sān bǎi liù shí háng — all walks of life (idiom)
- 碍手碍脚 / 礙手礙腳 — ài shǒu ài jiǎo — to be in the way · to be a hindrance
- 花拳绣腿 / 花拳繡腿 — huā quán xiù tuǐ — flowery of fist with fancy footwork (idiom)
- 推三阻四 — tuī sān zǔ sì — to use all sorts of excuses
- 晨钟暮鼓 / 晨鐘暮鼓 — chén zhōng mù gǔ — literally morning bell, evening drum, symbolizing monastic practice (idiom) · figuratively encouragement to study or progress
- 针尖对麦芒 / 針尖對麥芒 — zhēn jiān duì mài máng — sharply opposed to each other, with neither prepared to give an inch (idiom)
- 百折不回 — bǎi zhé bù huí — see 百折不挠 bǎi zhé bù náo
- 义薄云天 / 義薄雲天 — yì bó yún tiān — supremely honorable and righteous
- 唇亡齿寒 / 唇亡齒寒 — chún wáng chǐ hán — literally without the lips, the teeth feel the cold (idiom) · figuratively intimately interdependent
- 红颜薄命 / 紅顏薄命 — hóng yán bó mìng — beautiful women suffer unhappy fates (idiom)
- 泥牛入海 — ní niú rù hǎi — literally a clay ox enters the sea (idiom) · figuratively to disappear with no hope of returning
- 两面三刀 / 兩面三刀 — liǎng miàn sān dāo — two-faced, three knives (idiom) · double-cross · double dealing and back stabbing
- 打家劫舍 — dǎ jiā jié shè — to break into a house for robbery (idiom)
- 数典忘祖 / 數典忘祖 — shǔ diǎn wàng zǔ — to recount history but omit one's ancestors (idiom) · to forget one's roots
- 见微知著 / 見微知著 — jiàn wēi zhī zhù — to examine tiny clues to know general trends · to deduce the whole story from small traces
- 节哀顺变 / 節哀順變 — jié āi shùn biàn — restrain one's grief and accept what has happened (expression of condolence)
- 礼贤下士 / 禮賢下士 — lǐ xián xià shì — respect for the wise
- 按需分配 — àn xū fēn pèi — distribution according to need
- 见贤思齐 / 見賢思齊 — jiàn xián sī qí — see a worthy, think to imitate (idiom, from Analects) · emulate the virtuous
- 草草了事 — cǎo cǎo liǎo shì — to rush through the work
- 公私兼顾 / 公私兼顧 — gōng sī jiān gù — to adequately take into account both public and private interests
- 虚有其表 / 虛有其表 — xū yǒu qí biǎo — looks impressive but is worthless (idiom)
- 两厢情愿 / 兩廂情願 — liǎng xiāng qíng yuàn — both sides are willing
- 虚与委蛇 / 虛與委蛇 — xū yǔ wēi yí — to feign civility
- 才疏学浅 / 才疏學淺 — cái shū xué qiǎn — of humble talent and shallow learning (idiom) · Pray forgive my ignorance,...
- 余音绕梁 / 餘音繞梁 — yú yīn rào liáng — reverberates around the rafters (idiom) · figuratively sonorous and resounding (especially of singing voice)
- 穷兵黩武 / 窮兵黷武 — qióng bīng dú wǔ — to engage in wars of aggression at will (idiom)
- 漆黑一团 / 漆黑一團 — qī hēi yī tuán — pitch-black
- 无出其右 / 無出其右 — wú chū qí yòu — matchless · without equal · there is nothing better
- 刀山火海 — dāo shān huǒ hǎi — literally mountains of daggers and seas of flames