Chengyu
Browse 4217 vocabulary cards in Chengyu, with Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Study this list with spaced repetition. — Page 8
Classical four-character idioms (成语). Best after you have a basic vocabulary.
30-day free trial. No payment details required.
- 机不可失 / 機不可失 — jī bù kě shī — No time to lose! (idiom)
- 毁于一旦 / 毀於一旦 — huǐ yú yī dàn — ruined in a short time (especially of something that took a long time or great effort to achieve)
- 粉身碎骨 — fěn shēn suì gǔ — torn body and crushed bones (idiom)
- 铤而走险 / 鋌而走險 — tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn — to take a risk out of desperation (idiom)
- 一意孤行 — yī yì gū xíng — obstinately clinging to one's course (idiom)
- 不可或缺 — bù kě huò quē — necessary
- 众矢之的 / 眾矢之的 — zhòng shǐ zhī dì — literally target of a multitude of arrows (idiom) · the butt of public criticism
- 反复无常 / 反覆無常 — fǎn fù wú cháng — unstable
- 拿手好戏 / 拿手好戲 — ná shǒu hǎo xì — the role an actor plays best (idiom)
- 无地自容 / 無地自容 — wú dì zì róng — ashamed and unable to show one's face
- 有条不紊 / 有條不紊 — yǒu tiáo bù wěn — regular and thorough (idiom) · methodically arranged
- 畅所欲言 / 暢所欲言 — chàng suǒ yù yán — literally fluently saying all one wants (idiom) · to preach freely on one's favorite topic
- 误入歧途 / 誤入歧途 — wù rù qí tú — to take a wrong step in life (idiom)
- 转来转去 / 轉來轉去 — zhuàn lái zhuàn qù — to rove around
- 转瞬即逝 / 轉瞬即逝 — zhuǎn shùn jí shì — fleeting · transitory
- 一言难尽 / 一言難盡 — yī yán nán jìn — hard to explain in a few words (idiom) · complicated and not easy to express succinctly
- 丢人现眼 / 丟人現眼 — diū rén xiàn yǎn — to make an exhibition of oneself
- 先发制人 / 先發制人 — xiān fā zhì rén — to gain the initiative by striking first · to preempt
- 兴高采烈 / 興高采烈 — xìng gāo cǎi liè — happy and excited (idiom)
- 敲诈勒索 / 敲詐勒索 — qiāo zhà lè suǒ — extortion and blackmail (idiom)
- 灰飞烟灭 / 灰飛煙滅 — huī fēi yān miè — literally scattered ashes and dispersed smoke (idiom)
- 炙手可热 / 炙手可熱 — zhì shǒu kě rè — literally burn your hand, feel the heat (idiom)
- 相安无事 / 相安無事 — xiāng ān wú shì — to live together in harmony
- 自力更生 — zì lì gēng shēng — regeneration through one's own effort (idiom)
- 虎视眈眈 / 虎視眈眈 — hǔ shì dān dān — to fix one's eyes on something like a tiger watching its prey (idiom)
- 骇人听闻 / 駭人聽聞 — hài rén tīng wén — shocking
- 乌合之众 / 烏合之眾 — wū hé zhī zhòng — rabble · disorderly band
- 令人发指 / 令人髮指 — lìng rén fà zhǐ — to make one feel a sense of revulsion · abhorrent · heinous · deeply disturbing
- 你死我活 — nǐ sǐ wǒ huó — literally you die, I live (idiom) · irreconcilable adversaries
- 前所未见 / 前所未見 — qián suǒ wèi jiàn — unprecedented
- 十全十美 — shí quán shí měi — complete and beautiful
- 始作俑者 — shǐ zuò yǒng zhě — the first person to make funerary figurines (idiom)
- 家喻户晓 / 家喻戶曉 — jiā yù hù xiǎo — understood by everyone (idiom) · well known
- 左右为难 / 左右為難 — zuǒ yòu wéi nán — between a rock and a hard place
- 微乎其微 — wēi hū qí wēi — a tiny bit
- 心安理得 — xīn ān lǐ dé — to have a clear conscience · to have no qualms about something
- 悬而未决 / 懸而未決 — xuán ér wèi jué — pending a decision · hanging in the balance
- 所剩无几 / 所剩無幾 — suǒ shèng wú jǐ — there is not much left
- 板上钉钉 / 板上釘釘 — bǎn shàng dìng dīng — that clinches it · that's final
- 死于非命 / 死於非命 — sǐ yú fēi mìng — violent death (idiom) · to die in a disaster
- 生吞活剥 / 生吞活剝 — shēng tūn huó bō — to swallow whole (idiom) · figuratively to apply uncritically
- 生龙活虎 / 生龍活虎 — shēng lóng huó hǔ — literally lively dragon and animated tiger (idiom)
- 自鸣得意 / 自鳴得意 — zì míng dé yì — to think highly of oneself
- 赤手空拳 — chì shǒu kōng quán — with one's bare hands (unarmed – also figuratively: without assistance)
- 骨瘦如柴 — gǔ shòu rú chái — as thin as a match · emaciated
- 不足为奇 / 不足為奇 — bù zú wéi qí — not at all surprising (idiom)
- 和睦相处 / 和睦相處 — hé mù xiāng chǔ — to live in harmony
- 夸夸其谈 / 誇誇其談 — kuā kuā qí tán — to talk big · to sound off · to be full of hot air
- 彬彬有礼 / 彬彬有禮 — bīn bīn yǒu lǐ — refined and courteous · urbane
- 我行我素 — wǒ xíng wǒ sù — to continue in one's own way (idiom)