Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 62
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
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- 久病成医 / 久病成醫 — jiǔ bìng chéng yī — a long illness makes the patient into a doctor
- 死无对证 / 死無對證 — sǐ wú duì zhèng — the dead cannot testify (idiom) · dead men tell no tales
- 兔死狐悲 — tù sǐ hú bēi — literally if the rabbit dies, the fox grieves (idiom) · figuratively to have sympathy with a like-minded person in distress
- 哀鸿遍野 / 哀鴻遍野 — āi hóng biàn yě — literally plaintive whine of geese (idiom) · figuratively land swarming with disaster victims
- 比翼齐飞 / 比翼齊飛 — bǐ yì qí fēi — to fly wing to wing (idiom)
- 妇人之仁 / 婦人之仁 — fù rén zhī rén — excessive tendency to clemency (idiom)
- 国破家亡 / 國破家亡 — guó pò jiā wáng — the country ruined and the people starving (idiom)
- 围魏救赵 / 圍魏救趙 — wéi wèi jiù zhào — literally to besiege 魏 Wèi and rescue 赵 Zhào (idiom)
- 乱臣贼子 / 亂臣賊子 — luàn chén zéi zǐ — rebels and traitors (idiom)
- 得而复失 / 得而復失 — dé ér fù shī — to lose what one has just obtained (idiom)
- 分而治之 — fēn ér zhì zhī — to divide and rule
- 转弯抹角 / 轉彎抹角 — zhuǎn wān mò jiǎo — see 拐弯抹角 guǎi wān mò jiǎo
- 生财有道 / 生財有道 — shēng cái yǒu dào — literally there are principles behind making money (idiom) · figuratively to have a knack for good business
- 官逼民反 — guān bī mín fǎn — a government official drives the people to revolt (idiom) · a minister provokes a rebellion by exploiting the people
- 偷天换日 / 偷天換日 — tōu tiān huàn rì — to engage in fraudulent activities (idiom)
- 叶公好龙 / 葉公好龍 — yè gōng hào lóng — literally Lord Ye's passion for dragons (idiom)
- 包打天下 — bāo dǎ tiān xià — to run everything (idiom) · to monopolize the whole business
- 福星高照 — fú xīng gāo zhào — lucky star in the ascendant (idiom) · a lucky sign
- 投笔从戎 / 投筆從戎 — tóu bǐ cóng róng — to lay down the pen and take up the sword (idiom)
- 血口喷人 / 血口噴人 — xuè kǒu pēn rén — to spit blood (idiom) · venomous slander
- 举案齐眉 / 舉案齊眉 — jǔ àn qí méi — literally to lift the tray to eyebrow level (idiom) · mutual respect in a marriage
- 口腹之欲 / 口腹之慾 — kǒu fù zhī yù — desire for good food
- 自命清高 — zì mìng qīng gāo — to think of oneself as high and pure (idiom) · smug and self-righteous
- 孔武有力 — kǒng wǔ yǒu lì — courageous and strong (idiom)
- 遁入空门 / 遁入空門 — dùn rù kōng mén — to take refuge in religious life
- 十里洋场 / 十里洋場 — shí lǐ yáng chǎng — the Shanghai of old, with its foreign settlements
- 郁郁不得志 / 鬱鬱不得志 — yù yù bù dé zhì — soured by the loss of one's hopes
- 男左女右 — nán zuǒ nǚ yòu — the left is for males, the right is for females (traditional saying)
- 心怀叵测 / 心懷叵測 — xīn huái pǒ cè — see 居心叵测 jū xīn pǒ cè
- 逐鹿中原 — zhú lù zhōng yuán — literally hunting deer in the Central Plain (idiom)
- 完好无缺 / 完好無缺 — wán hǎo wú quē — in perfect condition
- 瓮中捉鳖 / 甕中捉鱉 — wèng zhōng zhuō biē — to catch a turtle in a jar (idiom)
- 五十步笑百步 — wǔ shí bù xiào bǎi bù — the one who has retreated 50 steps laughs at the one who has retreated 100 steps (idiom)
- 不足为虑 / 不足為慮 — bù zú wéi lǜ — to give no cause for anxiety · nothing to worry about
- 兵贵神速 / 兵貴神速 — bīng guì shén sù — literally speed is a crucial asset in war (idiom)
- 水滴石穿 — shuǐ dī shí chuān — dripping water penetrates the stone (idiom) · constant perseverance yields success
- 鸡飞蛋打 / 雞飛蛋打 — jī fēi dàn dǎ — the chicken has flown the coop and the eggs are broken
- 膀大腰圆 / 膀大腰圓 — bǎng dà yāo yuán — tall and strong
- 心宽体胖 / 心寬體胖 — xīn kuān tǐ pán — big-hearted and serene (idiom) · contented and easygoing
- 愚不可及 — yú bù kě jí — impossibly stupid
- 穷奢极欲 / 窮奢極欲 — qióng shē jí yù — to indulge in a life of luxury (idiom) · extreme extravagance
- 心灰意懒 / 心灰意懶 — xīn huī yì lǎn — discouraged
- 心口不一 — xīn kǒu bù yī — heart and mouth at variance (idiom) · keeping one's real intentions to oneself
- 妖言惑众 / 妖言惑眾 — yāo yán huò zhòng — to mislead the public with rumors (idiom)
- 居功自傲 — jū gōng zì ào — satisfied with one's accomplishment and arrogant as a result (idiom) · resting on one's laurels and despising others
- 事后诸葛亮 / 事後諸葛亮 — shì hòu zhū gě liàng — person who is wise after the event
- 归根结蒂 / 歸根結蒂 — guī gēn jié dì — ultimately
- 低眉顺眼 / 低眉順眼 — dī méi shùn yǎn — docile · submissive
- 悬崖绝壁 / 懸崖絕壁 — xuán yá jué bì — see 悬崖峭壁 xuán yá qiào bì
- 有勇无谋 / 有勇無謀 — yǒu yǒng wú móu — bold but not very astute (idiom)