Chinese idioms A to F ordered by English equivalent
A list of Chinese proverbs ordered by the rough English equivalent.
A big fish in a small pond
宁做鸡头,不当凤尾 [宁做雞頭不噹鳳尾]
Rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail
Better to be leader of a humble organization than the stooge of a grand one.
A cat may look at a king
不耻下问 [不恥下問]
There is no shame in asking help from those less fortunate or senior than yourself.
A copycat
亦步亦趋 [亦步亦趨]
To follow in someone's footsteps
To imitate slavishly. The story is of a devoted pupil of Confucius, Yan Hui, who aped everything Confucius did including his walk. Pointless copying.
A dab hand
双管齐下 [雙管齊下]
Painting with two brushes at the same time
To be able to do two things at once. The story is of a painter who was so skilled he could paint two pictures at the same time with a brush in either hand.
百发百中 [百發百中]
One hundred arrows, one hundred bullseyes
A superb marksman; showing great skill. Yang Youji and Houyi were archers of great renown.
A drop in the ocean
九牛一毛
Nine cows are missing just one hair
An insignificant amount. A trivial matter.
A drowning man will clutch at a straw
困兽犹斗 [困獸猶鬥]
A cornered beast continues to struggle
Desperate measures to keep going. To fight like a cornered animal.
A feast for the eyes
秀色可餐
A lovely sight to feast the eyes on
A beautiful woman.
A finishing touch
一字之师 [一字之師]
A teacher of one word
Needing only a slight change to become perfect. Praise for work that is nearly perfect but requires an expert to complete. The story is of a poem that was greatly improved by a great poet changing just one character.
A flight of fancy
空中楼阁 [空中樓閣]
A pavilion in the air
A fanciful and impossible scheme. An impractical idea with a streak of vanity.
A fool and his money are soon parted
大手大脚 [大手大腳]
Large hands and feet
Lavish and grandiose expenditure on tasteless trifles.
A fool's errand
徒劳无功 [徒勞無功]
Futile effort
Pointless effort that will achieve nothing.
A forlorn hope
精卫填海 [精衛填海]
Jingwei tries to fill up the ocean
Even the mythical bird Jing Wei will be unable to fill the oceans with pebbles. Facing a Herculean task. Determined against impossible odds. The story is of Jing Wei who was the daughter of Emperor Yan. A great typhoon came and killed her and she was then transformed into a bird. In revenge for her early death she determined to fill up the ocean by filling it with pebbles one by one.
A friend in need is a friend indeed
患难见真情 [患難見真情]
In adversity, true feelings are shown
Only in a crisis do you know who your friends really are.
雪里送炭
Send charcoal in a snow storm
To offer assistance when it is needed.
A good man is hard to find
好人好事
Good personality good deeds
Pleasant person who behaves well.
A household name
家喻户晓 [家喻戶曉]
Known in every household
A person or fact known to everybody. Something or somebody well known.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
循序渐进 [循序漸進]
Make gradual progress one step at a time
To make steady step by step progress towards an end.
A leopard cannot change its spots
再作冯妇 [再作馮婦]
Becoming Feng Fu again
Returning to old ways and habits. Feng Fu was a renowned tiger hunter from the state of Jin in the Zhou dynasty. After a successful career he vowed never to hurt another living thing. However when he chanced upon a local hunt for a vicious tiger he could not resist temptation to go back to old ways and killed the tiger single handed.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
纸上谈兵 [帋上談兵]
Fighting war on paper
An armchair general. Making plans without knowledge of the actualité
A load of codswallop
痴人说梦 [痴人說夢]
A fool describing his dream
Talking irrelevant nonsense. Ravings of no possible interest.
A Lotus eater
怀安丧志 [懷安喪志]
A contented life saps the will
Living a life of idleness and contentment can lead to idleness and laziness.
A match made in heaven
琴瑟和鸣 [琴瑟咊鳴]
Qin and harp in harmony
In blissful harmony. The story is from the Song dynasty when Zhao Mingcheng and Li Qingzhao fell in love and lived a life of bliss. They collected ancient inscriptions and played the guqin (type of zither) and harp together. Tragedy struck when the Jurchen invaded Shandong. The couple fled south to Hangzhou but Zhao died and Li spent 25 years as a mournful widow.
A person is known by the company he keeps
近朱者赤,近墨者黑 [近朱者赤近墨者黑]
He who stays near vermilion is stained red; he who stays near ink is stained black
Taking on the color of the company kept. Adapt to surroundings.
A pipe dream
南柯一梦 [南柯一夢]
A dream of Nanke
An absurdly ambitious plan divorced from reality. A dream of grandeur and splendor.
A rolling stone gathers no moss
不怕慢就怕站
Not fear slowing down; fear coming to a halt
Do not be afraid of slowing down as long as you keep going.
A slap in the face
胯下之辱
Forced to crawl under someone's crotch
An act of great humiliation. It was considered unseemly to have to crawl between someone's legs.
A sponger
傍人门户 [傍人門戶]
Hanging on another's door
Someone dependent on a household without making much contribution. A hanger-on.
A stitch in time saves nine
小洞不补,大洞吃苦 [小洞不補大洞吃苦]
A small hole not mended in time will soon become a larger hole more difficult to mend
Do not put off taking action to put things right.
A thorn in the flesh
眼中之钉 [眼中之釘]
A nail in the eye
Real adversity. The story is of Zhao Zaili of the Later Jin dynasty [936-946] who was a cruel and unjust governor. When it was rumored that he would be moved to another region the people rejoiced about their nail in their eyes being removed. However the jubilation was premature, as when Zhao heard about it he determined to stay on and what is more charge the people of Songzhou a new 'nail removal tax'.
A trouble shared is a trouble halved
风雨同舟 [風雨同舟]
In the same boat in a storm
Facing troubles together.
A turn for the worse
每况愈下 [每況愈下]
Steadily deteriorate
Getting gradually worse each time. Life in a decline.
A wild goose chase
旷日持久 [曠日持久]
Wasting a great deal of time
Spending a protracted length of time on a task. A waste of time.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
树高千丈叶落归根 [樹高千丈叶落歸根]
A tree may grow high, but its leaves always fall on its roots
People living far away will eventually comes back home.
一日三秋
One day seems like three years
To miss somebody very much.
Actions speak louder than words
事实胜于雄辩 [事實勝于雄辯]
A real victory is better than a great debate
Better to act than just talk about it.
说到做到 [說到做到]
Say and then make
Do what one says.
听其言观其行 [听其言觀其行]
Listen to what a person says and then watch what is done
Judge people by their actions, not by their words.
Add insult to injury
雪上加霜
Add frost to snow
To add to misfortunes unnecessarily.
It shows the variability of color within a block of jade. Here the artist has used the variation to exquisite effect.
Image by Artfiber ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
Afraid of your own shadow
谈虎色变 [談虎色變]
Turning pale at the mere mention of a tiger
To be so timid that even mentioning danger causes fear.
杯弓蛇影
Seeing a bow's reflection in a cup as a snake
Suspicious and frightened; plagued by fearful imagination. The story is of a man who was terrified by the sight of what he thought was a snake swimming in the cup of tea he was drinking. The experience made him ill and only when it was demonstrated that it was just the reflection of a bow left hanging on the wall did he recover.
吴牛喘月 [吳牛喘月]
The ox from Wu pants at the sight of the moon
Unnecessarily fearful of something. The story is of an ox from Wu that thought the moon was the sun and panted through the assumed heat it expected to experience.
杞人忧天 [杞人憂天]
The man from Qi who fears the sky is falling
Unnecessary concern. A person who is over-fearful or credulous. The idiom is based on the story of man from the state of Qi who feared the sky would fall and also that the Earth might cave in.
Afraid of your own shadow
畏首畏尾
Fearing both the head and the tail
Nervous and afraid. Fearful at both the start and end of some event.
All dressed up and nowhere to go
大材小用
Big ability barely used
Wasting talent on trivial things. Using someone talented for a menial task.
All good things must come to an end
天下没有不散的宴席 [天下沒有不散的宴席]
No banquet in the world goes on forever
Good fortune can not last for ever.
All is fair in love and war
兵不厌诈 [兵不厭詐]
In conflict cheating is permitted
In warfare nothing is too dishonest.
All of a dither
裹足不前
Dithering about
Unable to move forward due to misgivings. To hesitate about getting on and doing something.
All pull together
独木不成林,单弦不成音 [獨木不成林單弦不成音]
A single tree does not make a forest; a single string can not make music
Many things require people to work together to achieve an end.
All that glisters is not gold
羊质虎皮 [羊質虎皮]
A goat in a tiger's skin
Someone not living up to outward appearance. Looking fierce but actually timid.
All that glitters is not gold
沐猴而冠
A hat-wearing macaque
A worthless person hiding behind imposing looks. Trying to impress too hard.
华而不实 [華而不實]
Flowering but not bearing fruit
Said of someone is all show and no substance.
All things come to those who wait
来日方长 [來日方長]
Long time ahead
There is adequate time to achieve your desires.
All's fair in love and war
老奸巨猾
To be very crafty and cunning
To be tricky, cunning, crafty. Well versed in the ways of the world.
An acquired taste
曲高和寡
Highbrow songs find few singers
A performance or speech that can only be appreciated by some of the audience. Something beyond the understanding of ordinary people.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
未雨绸缪 [未雨綢繆]
Before the rains repair the cloth
Plan ahead, be prepared.
Apples and oranges
风马牛不相及 [風馬牛不相及]
Horses and cows keep themselves separate
People moving in different circles, different agendas. Having nothing in common.
Apropos of nothing
郑人争年 [鄭人爭年]
Zheng men argue over their age
A futile quarrel over a trifling matter. The story is of two men from the state of Zheng arguing endlessly and furiously as to who was born first.
As bold as brass
胆大如斗 [膽大如斗]
A gall bladder as big as a football
Someone who is immensely bold and courageous. In traditional medicine the gall bladder was considered the controller of aggression and courage, so someone with a huge gall bladder was expected to be very courageous.
As bold as brass
一身是胆 [一身是膽]
Full of courage
Fearless, intrepid. A heroic disposition.
As common as muck
司空见惯 [司空見慣]
Sikong is used to it
Sikong was the job title of a minister of works in China. In the Tang dynasty the poet Liu Yuxi was invited by a minister to a feast accompanied by entertainers. This was a common occurrence for the minister but greatly impressed the poet. An everyday occurrence; nothing out of the ordinary.
As cunning as a fox
鹬蚌相争,渔翁得利 [鷸蚌相爭,漁翁得利]
The sandpiper and clam fight each other
The sandpiper (or snipe) is too busy fighting a clam to notice the wily fishermen who snares them both. Taking advantage of situation when other people are too distracted with their own business.
出奇制勋 [出奇制勛]
Using an ingenious, unexpected ploy
Using a surprise or ingenious scheme to achieve success.
As poor as a church mouse
捉襟见肘 [捉襟見肘]
Pulling the lapels only to expose the elbows
In poverty - wearing an old coat so threadbare that pulling it up exposes the elbows through holes. Unable to make ends meet. Up Queer street.
As poor as church mice
家徒四壁
Home with just four bare walls
An empty house with just bare walls. To be very poor. There is a story from the Han dynasty of two rivals for the hand of a young lady. One was rich and the other was very poor, but due to the skill of the poor man on the qin (type of lute) the lady chose the poor man to the astonishment of the rich man.
As proud as a peacock
夜郎自大
Ye Lang thinks highly of himself
Pompous and conceited. The story is of the king of Ye Lang a tiny country in south-western China who in Han dynasty times considered himself the equal of the Emperor of China.
As stubborn as a mule
胶柱鼓瑟 [膠柱鼓瑟]
Gluing the tuning pegs of a zither
Inflexible and stubborn. Gluing the tuning pegs of a musical instrument so it can not be tuned and brought into harmony.
As stubborn as a mule
至死不悟
Failing to understand even to death
Stubbornly holding to views. Obstinate and set in ways.
As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it
没做亏心事,不怕鬼叫门 [沒做虧心事不怕鬼叫門]
Clear conscience does not fear a knock at midnight
If you have done nothing wrong, there is no worry over retribution.
At death's door
苟延残喘 [苟延殘喘]
Lingering at last gasp
In the throes of dying. Making a final desperate action prior to dying.
Avoiding the hot potato
王顾左右而言他 [王顧左右而言他]
The king looked left and right and then talked of other things
Evading making an uncomfortable reply by changing the topic of conversation. The story is of Mencius who asked three questions of the king of Qi, when the last question touched on the king's mismanagement of the kingdom, the king looked left and right to other guests to dodge making a response.
Bad apple; Black sheep
害群之马 [害群之馬]
The horse that causes trouble to the herd
The bad person of the family or group.
Be at one's wit's end
黔驴技穷 [黔馿技窮]
The Guizhou donkey has no more tricks
Even a clever donkey can not solve the problem. The story is that Guizhou province had no donkeys. A man brought a donkey there and having no further use for it set it free. The tiger then spotted the donkey and was scared of the new monster, but seeing it do very little but kick it killed and ate it. So it means being in desperate circumstances with no real options left.
Be in a pickle
左右为难 [左右為難]
Both alternatives are difficult
In a dilemma.
Be my guest
宾至如归 [賓至如歸]
Guests feel at home
Warmly welcoming guests to your home. Guests treated as part of the family.
Be Prepared!
有备无患 [有備無患]
Preparedness averts misfortune
Be prepared against all eventualities to avoid misfortune. Have fallback plans.
Beaten black and blue
焦头烂额 [焦頭爛頟]
Head bruised and brow burned
In terrible trouble.
Beauty is only skin deep
金玉其外，败絮其中 [金玉其外，敗絮其中]
Precious on the outside but shabby on the inside
Don't be fooled by outward appearances.
Become all the rage
洛阳纸贵 [洛陽紙貴]
To make paper expensive in Luoyang
The story is of a book that initially failed to find any interest, when he came to the then capital of Luoyang several respected scholars found it exceptional. The book then became so popular that printers exhausted the supply of paper to print copies of it. It therefore is used to describe a book that is destined to be a sensation.
Been around the block a few times
老马识途 [老馬識途]
An old horse knows the way
Knowledge born from long experience. The story is of a Duke of Qi of the Spring and Autumn period who became lost on the way home from a campaign because winter had set in. The Duke proposed that the old horses should be allowed to lead their way home which they did successfully.
Beggars can't be choosers
饥不择食 [飢不擇食]
When hungry don't care what you eat
The starving aren't fussy over their food - take whatever is available.
集腋成裘
A fur coat can be made from poor scraps
Make do with what you have.
Beyond your wildest dreams
侯门似海 [侯門似海]
A noble's house is as vast as the sea
A very tough task. A nobleman in ancient China would have a courtyard house with high walls and no easy entry. In any case it was also hard to get the required invitation to visit such a noble. And so represents a high physical and social barrier.
Birds of a feather flock together
同病相怜 [同病相憐]
People with similar illness empathize with each other
People suffering the same misfortune sympathize with each other.
物以类聚 [物以類聚]
Like attracts like
People tends to form groups with like-minded individuals.
一丘之貉
Raccoons of the same mound
People of the same bad character. Referring to people of similar ill repute who tend to behave the same way.
Biting the hand that feeds it
恩将仇报 [恩將仇報]
Repay kindness with hostility
Reject kindness.
Blind ambition
齐人擢金 [齊人擢金]
The gold grabber from Qi
Blinded by lust for gain. Greed. Avarice. Blinded by ambition. The story if of a man from the kingdom of Qi who seeing gold just grabbed it and ran off, oblivious of the consequences.
Blowing hot and cold
一曝十寒
One day in the sun and then ten days of freezing
The story is that second sage of Confucianism, Mencius (Menzi) said this of the king of Qi. He considered him a person who only showed enthusiasm for Mencius' ideas for a short time while he was around to encourage him to rule well. So it has come to describe the many people who have short bursts of enthusiasm - no staying power.
Book worm
手不释卷 [手不釋卷]
Always have a book in hand
A diligent student engrossed in study.
Boon companion
高山流水
High mountains and flowing water
A description of beautiful music and by analogy a deep friendship.
Bossy boots
专横跋扈 [專橫跋扈]
Imperious and domineering
Someone who likes bossing people around. Arrogant and tyrannical.
Brevity is the soul of wit
开门见山 [開門見山]
As soon as the door is opened see the mountain
To come straight to the point. Avoid procrastination.
Burned out
强弩之末 [強弩之末]
An arrow at the end of its flight
A spent force. An person or impulse that has now lost all its initial energy just as a bolt from a cross-bow gradually loses its power with distance.
Burning your boats
破釜沉舟
Smash the pots and sink the boats
A story ➚ at the fall of the Qin dynasty 207BCE tells of the general Xiang Yu who refused to accept possibility of retreat at the battle of Julu by burning the boats and smashing the cooking pots. So it means no going back whatever happens. Cutting off all possibility of retreat.
Butter one's bread on both sides
东食西宿 [東食西宿]
Eating in the east and sleeping in the west
Taking fully advantage of kindly offers - accepting hospitality in a selfish way. The story is of a girl who was asked to choose whether to live with a family in the east or west side of a village. She chose to eat with the rich family of one suitor on the east side but also sleep with the poor but good looking suitor on the west side.
Buying a pig in a poke
挂羊头卖狗肉 [掛羊頭賣狗肉]
Hanging up a sheep's head but selling dog meat
Deceiving people into believing you are selling something much less valuable than it appears to be. A con trick. Dishonest advertising.
By no stretch of the imagination
不自量力
Overrating your own strength
Overreaching yourself, not taking account of true capabilities. Exaggerate level of skill.
Cannon fodder
殃及池鱼 [殃及池魚]
Calamity has spread to the fish in the pond
Suffering collateral damage. Draining a fish pond to search for some treasure would kill off all the fish as a consequence. An action that creates unintended victims.
Cant see the wood for the trees
管中窥豹 [管中窺豹]
View a leopard through a tube
A narrow-minded view of something. Not seeing the full picture.
Can't see the wood for the trees
一叶障目 [一葉障目]
Covering your eyes with a leaf
Not seeing the full picture and so making a flawed analysis of the situation. A blinkered approach often through prejudice.
Cat's pyjamas
干将莫邪 [干將莫邪]
Two famous swords
These are the names of two supreme bronze swords of long ago. Gan Jiang was unable to melt the bronze until he added some hair and nail clippings from his wife Mo Ye. Only then could the swords be made and they were the sharpest swords ever made. Used to honor someone or something as superlative.
Caught like a rabbit in the headlights
呆若木鸡 [呆若木雞]
As dumb as a wooden chicken
Dumbstruck, unable to move or say anything out of fear.
Caught with your hand in the cookie jar
梁上君子
The gentleman on the roof beam
Euphemism for a thief. As traditional Chinese roof tiles were not tacked down it was very easy to access a house via the roof.
Cheek by jowl
一衣带水 [一衣帶水]
Separated by a narrow ditch
Close neighbors. Located physically (or emotionally) close together with very little to separate.
Clear and present danger
人人自危
Everybody in danger
All in danger and in fearful panic.
Climbing the greasy poll
近水楼台先得月 [近水樓台先得月]
A waterfront pavilion sees the moonlight first
An allusion to the wisdom of having friends in high circles that often results in benefits.
Cloud cuckoo land
黄粱美梦 [黃粱美夢]
A golden millet dream
A fanciful day dream. The story is of a man who took a brief nap while his host was cooking a bowl of millet. He dreamed of becoming married to a beautiful wife and immensely rich and living to a great age. When he woke up the millet was cooked but he found he was still poor.
Common ground
休戚相关 [休戚相關]
Share both joys and sorrows
People with close ties and shared interests, Mutual dependency.
Couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery
州官放火
The magistrate burns down the town
Bewailing pompous and incompetent officials. The story is that an official who did not want his name 'Deng' to be used in any official proclamation. The problem arose when the Lantern or 'Deng' festival was to be announced. Instead of 'Deng' he used the character for Fire instead and so announced the coming of Fire throughout the town - causing widespread alarm.
Count your blessings
饮水思源 [㱃水思源]
When drinking water remember the origin
Do not forget the source of your good fortune (particularly your parents)
Cracking the whip
三令五申
Issuing three orders and five injunctions
Giving order after order. Someone who is officious and over-bearing. The use of three and five is often used to give idea of endless repetition.
Creature of habit
未能免俗
Bound up by conventions
Unable to do what you want because social conventions forbid it. Doing something just because it is expected.
Crying 'wolf'
贼喊捉贼 [賊喊捉賊]
A thief cries 'Stop thief!'
Diverting attention to cover misdoing.
Cut your coat to suit your cloth
失败是成功之母 [失敗是成功之母]
Failure is the mother of success
Learning from mistakes.
Cutting off your nose to spite your face
割肉自啖
Eating one's own flesh
A foolish, self defeating stratagem.
Devil take the hindmost
三十六计,走为上策 [三十六計走為上策]
Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best.
Sometimes it is best to avoid conflict altogether. Flight can be the best option. 'The Thirty-Six Stratagems' was written by the great military thinker Sun Zi ➚
争先恐后 [爭先恐後]
Striving to be first and fearing to be last
Striving for position. Over competitive.
Dog eat dog
尔虞我诈 [爾虞我詐]
Cheating and deceiving each other
Mutual distrust and deception. A relationship without any trust.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
得鱼忘筌 [得魚忘筌]
After catching a fish forget the trap
Ungrateful behavior, ignoring help given to make things possible.
Don't change horses midstream
志不可慢时不可失 [志不可慢旹不可失]
Do not let your aspirations weaken; do not waste time
Keep hold of your hopes and dreams, waste no time in achieving them.
Don't cut off your nose to spite your face
饮鸠止渴 [㱃鳩止渴]
To quench one's thirst with poisoned wine. The blood of the dove was considered poisonous
To take reckless action regardless of the consequences.
Don't judge a book by its cover
凡人不可貌相, 海水不可斗量 [凡人不可貌相海水不可斗量]
Neither a person can be judged by his looks nor can the sea be fathomed
Judging by appearance is dangerous.
人心隔肚皮
A person's heart is not discernible from looking just at the body
People are inscrutable. Do not judge by appearance.
笑里藏刀
A dagger concealed in a smile
Malice concealed by apparent friendliness. There is a story of Li Yifu who was a great flatterer of the early Tang dynasty. He was always smiles but sought to blackmail and deceive. Eventually Emperor Gaozong discovered his duplicity and he was banished.
牝牡骊黄 [牝牡驪黃]
Choose a black mare instead of a yellow stallion
Don't judge by outward appearance. The horse's ability is more important than the external appearance. The story is that a Duke of Qin wanted a good horse. He was told a yellow stallion had been selected. On seeing it was in fact a black mare the duke was annoyed but the horse expert stood his ground saying it was the character and ability that was the important thing.
外强中干 [外強中乾]
Outwardly strong but inwardly weak
Looking strong and powerful but actually weak. Flattering appearance that does not represent true worth.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
千里送鹅毛 [千里送鵝毛]
A swan feather from a thousand miles away
Showing appreciation on receiving a gift that shows the sender has taken time and trouble to choose it. Traveling a very long way to deliver what seems to be a trifle. The tale is from the Tang dynasty when Mian Bogai sent a gift of a special swan to the Emperor. However one feather was all that was left from the swan when he eventually arrived. So this is a rejoinder when someone receives a gift that is seemingly of low value.
Don't put off until tomorrow what can be done today
今日事,今日毕 [今日事今日畢]
Today's task, today's job to complete
Finish the current job before starting something new.
Don't put the cart before the horse
不善始者不善终 [不善始者不善終]
A bad beginning leads to a bad ending
Need to plan everything from the beginning.
Don't stop while you are winning
势如破竹 [勢如破竹]
Like splitting bamboo
Continuing a successful series. Once you get the knack of splitting bamboo it's best to keep on going. The story is of a general who was advised to rest his army for the winter after a series of successes. The general disagreed, his army had high morale and went on to complete the victory.
Dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's
画龙点睛 [畫龍點睛]
To add eyes to a painted dragon
Make the final vital addition to complete something. Add finishing touches. The story is of a great painter who painted four dragons without completing the eyes. When challenged he claimed that it was to ensure they did not come to life and fly away. When pressured he drew in the eyes of two dragons and they promptly came to life and flew away.
Driving ambition
志在四方
Having high ambition
Willing to travel far and wide to achieve aims. Aspiring to achieve great things in life.
Dust yourself off and start all over again
卷土重来 [捲土重來]
Sweeping off the dust and trying again
Making a comeback after a setback - determined to have another go. Like getting back on a horse after being thrown off.
Each to his own
萝卜白菜,各有所爱 [蘿卜白菜各有所愛]
Some prefer radish while others like cabbage
Everyone has their own preferences.
Easier said than done
谈何容易 [談何容易]
Talking makes look easy
Not as easy as it seemed.
Empty vessels make the most noise
雷声大,雨点小 [雷聲大雨點小]
Thunder is loud but little rain falls
Overly portentous. Reality does not match expectations.
Empty words
空洞无物 [空洞無物]
Vacuous
Empty and devoid of worthwhile content. Usually applied to poor writing that is devoid of meaning.
Enough is as good as a feast
得过且过 [得過且過]
Getting by
Muddling through life without great ambitions. Contended to just live from day to day.
Every cloud has a silver lining
塞翁失马,安知非福 [塞翁失馬安知非福]
When the old man from the frontier lost his horse; how could he have known that it would not be fortuitous?
The story ➚ is that a man lost his horse but actually it went over the Great Wall and brought back several horses with it. A setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Every trick in the book
鸡鸣狗盗 [雞鳴狗盜]
Able to crow like a cockerel and steal like a dog
A person with a range of useful tricks. The story is of someone back in the Warring States period who helped a prince out of difficulty by imitating a dog to distract prison guards and to crow like a cockerel to trick them into thinking it was already morning.
欺世盗名 [欺世盜名]
Deceiving the public to gain fame
A con artist. Someone who sets out to become famous by lies and deception.
Everything comes to him who waits
留得青山在,不怕没柴烧 [留得青山在不怕沒柴燒]
So long as the green mountains are preserved, there will be no shortage of firewood
Do not despair, there is plenty of time and opportunity.
Failing to plan is planning to fail
临渴掘井 [臨渴掘井]
Digging a well only when starting to feel thirsty
Begin taking action when it is far too late.
Fair weather friends
酒肉朋友
Friends only for the food and drink
Cupboard love.
Fall on your sword
宁为玉碎,不为瓦全 [宁為玉碎不為瓦全]
Don't be a proud piece of broken jade, be a complete tile
Stand up against enemies do not give in. Keep your integrity and stand firm.
Feed one's mind
开卷有益 [開卷有益]
Reading is always beneficial
There is always something new to be learned from books. An admonishment to keep on studying and learning.
Fight the good fight
嫉恶如仇 [嫉惡如仇]
Treating evil as an enemy
Determined to confront evil. Not letting evil people or things continue.
Fighting to a standstill
输攻墨守 [輸攻墨守]
Shu attacks and Mo defends
Two opponents of equal skill. Back in the Spring and Autumn period the story goes that Gongshu Ban, a carpenter had developed a new device to attack cities. He was persuaded by the pacifist philosopher Mo Zi not to deploy it. Mo Zi was able to defend against any attack by Gongshu Ban leading to stalemate.
First catch your hare
灭此朝食 [滅此朝食]
Wipe out the enemy before breakfast
Grasp current opportunity; anxious to do battle. Tackle the important problem first.
Flogging a dead horse
死马当活马医 [死馬噹活馬醫]
Treating a dead horse as if it is still alive
Persevering when it is already too late. A lost cause.
Following the flow
从善如流 [從善如流]
Following good advice just as water flows
Willing to accept other people's advice just as all water in a stream follows the flow. Readily following good leadership.
For the want of a nail .,. the kingdom was lost
万事俱备,只欠东风 [萬事俱備,只欠東風]
Everything is ready, except for the east wind
Lacking one small, but crucial item. It refers to the battle of Red Cliff in the Three Kingdoms period when Cao Cao's great army threatened to overcome his adversaries on the Yangzi River. The clever strategy advocated by Zhuge Liang was to send fire boats into Cao Cao's navy to destroy the boats. Everything was prepared but for ages the wind was in the wrong direction. At last it changed to the east, the fire boats were launched and Cao Cao was defeated.
Forewarned is forearmed
山雨欲来风满楼 [山雨欲來風滿樓]
The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountain
A premonition of something significant about to happen.
胸有成竹
Keeping the appearance of bamboo in mind
To be able to paint bamboo (or anything else), you have to have a mental image of how it looks. An admonishment to plan ahead carefully and acquire the skill to carry it out.
Forgive and forget
既往不咎
It is pointless to blame past events
What is done is done. It is pointless to live a life of regret for things that can't be changed.
Image by Farm ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
Fortune favors the brave. Nothing ventured, nothing gained
不入虎穴焉得虎子
Without entering a tiger's den how can you hope to capture a tiger cub?
Great rewards require a great risk.
Frightened of your own shadow
鬼由心生
Ghosts are figments of the mind
Being scared of the paranormal; irrational fear of dark and shadows.
Full of beans
余勇可贾 [餘勇可賈]
Surplus courage for sale
Enthusiastic to carry on after success. Full of energy.
Our proverbs come with full information. The modern Chinese characters are given first with links that give information on the character. As proverbs are so old you will often see them written using the traditional form of characters; so if some of the characters have been simplified the traditional form is shown in brackets and gray text. The characters are followed by the proverb (normally a 成语 chéng yǔ) in pinyin. Next, there is a crude character by character transliteration into English, followed by a more accurate English translation. If this is a Chinese proverb alluding to history the meaning may still not be clear in English, so the general meaning follows. Finally some proverbs have fairly direct English equivalents, if so the English proverb is shown.
For background on the types and history of proverbs please see our guide.