Chinese idioms A to D
A list of Chinese proverbs ordered by pinyin spelling.
哀兵必胜 [哀兵必勝]
A vengeful army will certainly win
Strong emotion galvanizes effort.
安步当车 [安步當車]
Choosing to walk rather than take the limousine
Turn down luxury and high office for a simpler life. The story is of a scholar from the Warring States period who was offered great wealth and his own carriage to serve the King of Qi.
安居乐业 [安居樂業]
Live and work in peace and contentment
Wishing you well in a new home.
爱不释手 [愛不釋手]
Locked in love's clutches.
爱屋及乌 [愛屋及烏]
Strong love that encompasses all, including the crow sitting on the roof
In love with everything in the world.
Roughly equivalent to: Love is blind.
按图索骥 [按圖索驥]
Choosing a fine horse using only a picture
Following a rigid framework to carry out a task. Using standard rules to achieve something or discover something. Knowing and following the basic principles.
暗渡陈仓 [暗渡陳倉]
Secretly cross at the Chencang Road
A feigned maneuver designed to outwit. After the fall of the Qin dynasty Liu Bei sent out troops to repair a plank road presumably to mount an attack, but he actually moved his troops across the Wei River at Chencang and so surprised his enemy.
八仙过海,各显神通 [八仙過海各顯神通]
The Eight Immortals crossing the sea all have there own particular skills
Everyone has their own special skills to contribute.
八字没一撇 [八字沒一撇]
The character for eight takes two strokes to write not just one
You can't do everything on your own.
Roughly equivalent to: It takes two to Tango.
班门弄斧 [班門弄斧]
Demonstrating the axe at Ban's door
Lu Ban (c. 500BCE) was a master engineer inventor and carpenter. So trying to show off your skills with an axe (or adze in those days) at Lu Ban's door is behaving rather pretentiously. So the phrase means to stupidly show off your feeble skills in front of a real expert.
Roughly equivalent to: Teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.
包藏祸心 [包藏禍心]
Harboring evil intentions
Having evil intent; concealing malice.
Roughly equivalent to: In league with the devil.
白手起家
Empty hand make house
To build up something from nothing.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: A dab hand.
百闻不如一见 [百聞不如一見]
Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once
Delighted to meet you in person at last. Seeing at first hand gives valuable information. The story is of a Han dynasty veteran general Zhao Chongguo who went to see the situation for himself at the frontier rather than relying on secondhand reports. His wise analysis quickly solved the problem with the incursions of northern tribes.
Roughly equivalent to: Seeing is believing.
百折不挠 [百折不撓]
Not to falter despite many setbacks
Persistence pays off in the end.
Roughly equivalent to: Patience is a virtue.
百足之虫死而不僵 [百足之蟲死而不僵]
A centipede with a hundred legs does not lose its life after one blow
An evil is not easily disposed of; old institutions take a long time to renew.
半斤八两 [半斤八兩]
Two equivalent measures
Nothing to choose between two alternatives.
Roughly equivalent to: Six of one, and half a dozen of the other.
半途而废 [半途而廢]
Give up half way through
To abandon work half done. Lacking determination to see the job through.
Roughly equivalent to: Stick to your guns.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: A sponger.
抱薪救火
Using wood to put out a fire
Not choosing an appropriate solution to a problem. Making matters worse.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: Afraid of your own shadow.
杯水车薪 [杯水車薪]
A glass of water won't put out a car on fire
Not putting in enough effort to solve a problem.
笨鸟先飞早入林 [笨鳥先飛早入林]
A clumsy bird that flies first will get to the forest earlier
Starting early helps achieve success.
Roughly equivalent to: The tortoise beats the hare. The early bird catches the worm.
鞭长莫及 [鞭長莫及]
Beyond the reach of the whip
Too far away to be able to help or beyond one's skill or influence.
别别具一格 [別別具一格]
Possessing a unique style
Doing things your own way.
别无长物 [別無長物]
Having nothing to spare
In great poverty, possessing nothing other than the bare essentials.
Roughly equivalent to: The cupboard is bare.
Image by WaitinZ ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
逼上梁山
Compelled to become a Liangshan rebel
Forced to take an undesirable action. The story is of Lin Chong who was hounded down by Chao Gai because he wanted Lin's wife. After being falsely accused of attempted murder Lin was further victimized by Chao Gai until he was left with no choice but to join the rebels. So it means left with no choice at all.
Roughly equivalent to: Hobson's choice.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: Be my guest.
兵不厌诈 [兵不厭詐]
In conflict cheating is permitted
In warfare nothing is too dishonest.
Roughly equivalent to: All is fair in love and war.
冰冻三尺,非一日之寒 [冰凍三尺非一日之寒]
Three feet of ice is not formed in a single day
It takes time to achieve satisfactory results.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
冰天雪地
Ice in the sky and snow on the ground
Encountering adverse conditions.
避坑落井
Avoid falling into a pit to fall into a well
Avoid one obstacle only to hit another.
髀肉复生 [髀肉復生]
The thigh muscles have recovered
To get fit and become reinvigorated. The story is from the end of the Han dynasty after the battle of Guandu Zhi Zhan when Cao Cao beat Liu Bei. Liu Bei then fled to Henan and took things easy. One day he noticed that he had become flabby particularly in his thighs so he realized he had to get fit again. He did so and eventually beat Cao Cao in battle.
Roughly equivalent to: Get fighting fit.
病入膏肓
The disease has penetrated the vitals
Beyond hope and cure. A hopeless situation.
Roughly equivalent to: Not the ghost of a chance.
伯乐识马 [伯樂識馬]
Bo Le, the horse expert
A person of good judgment. Someone who can quickly appreciate skill. The idiom refers to Bo Le from the Warring States period who was an acclaimed judge of horses. It is said that he came upon an old horse trudging along. Only Bo Le could see that this was once a great horse of strength and stamina.
不耻下问 [不恥下問]
There is no shame in asking help from those less fortunate or senior than yourself.
Roughly equivalent to: A cat may look at a king.
不到黄河不死心 [不到黃河不死心]
Not giving up until one reaches the Yellow River
Keep going until you hit an insurmountable obstacle.
Roughly equivalent to: He who hesitates is lost.
不告而别 [不告而別]
No words spoken when leave
Leave without saying goodbye.
不寒而栗 [不寒而慄]
Shivering yet not cold
Shudder with fear and dread. There is a story of a sadistic official of the Han dynasty who arbitrarily sentenced people to death. When their relatives and friends came to protest he had them executed too. Everyone was quaking with fear when they saw the official.
Roughly equivalent to: Shake like a leaf.
不觉技痒 [不覺技癢]
Itching to show off a skill
Eagerness to impress people with a skill.
不怕路长只怕志短 [不怕路長只怕志短]
Not fear a long road; fear aspiration to start
Do not be afraid of a long road to success only be afraid of a shortage of ambition.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: A rolling stone gathers no moss.
不破不立
If do not destroy will not stand
The old needs to be demolished before building the new.
Roughly equivalent to: Starting again from scratch.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: Fortune favors the brave. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
不撒大网不得大鱼 [不撒大網不得大魚]
Without casting a big net how can a big fish be caught
Need to think big if to succeed.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: Don't put the cart before the horse.
不为五斗米折腰 [不爲五斗米折腰]
Refuse to bow for the sake of five measures of rice
Refusing inducements to betray a principles. Incorruptible. The story is of a man who refused to work for a corrupt and arrogant official even though he lost out on a generous salary.
不知肉味
Not notice the smell of meat
Totally entranced and distracted. The story is from the Analects of Confucius. The great sage was walking in woodland and heard someone performing Shao music. He was so entranced by the blissful sound that he could not be distracted even by the smell of roasting meat (then a rare treat).
Roughly equivalent to: Lost touch with reality.
不自量力
Overrating your own strength
Overreaching yourself, not taking account of true capabilities. Exaggerate level of skill.
Roughly equivalent to: By no stretch of the imagination.
步步高升
Step by step promotion
Congratulation on promotion or a new job.
藏龙卧虎 [藏龍臥虎]
Hidden dragon, crouching tiger
There are often people around with great power and skill.
草木皆兵
Every bush harbors an enemy
Being paranoid - believing everyone is out to get you. To be beleaguered.
差强人意 [差強人意]
Just passable
Just about good enough an effort. Someone showing minimum of commitment to meet a goal. Barely satisfactory.
Roughly equivalent to: Swinging the lead.
常将有日思无日,莫将无时想有时 [常將有日思無日莫將無旹想有旹]
When rich there is time to think all day, when poor there is no time to think
When rich, you have time to dream, but do not dream of riches when you are poor.
常在河边走,哪能不湿鞋 [常在河邊走哪能不溼鞋]
You cannot routinely walk along a river without sometimes getting your shoes wet
You can't ignore the local conditions.
车载斗量 [車載斗量]
Cartloads and sackfuls
Huge quantity. A very large number. Overabundant.
乘风破浪 [乘風破浪]
Ride the winds and break the waves
To have high ambitions. The story is Zong Que who lived in southern China around 450CE. On his wedding day at the age of 14 (as was the tradition then) a group of bandits attacked the village. Zong Que fought them off almost single-handed. He was asked what was his future ambition and he replied that he wanted to 'ride the wind and break the waves'. He went on to be a leading general who helped maintain the peace in the region.
Roughly equivalent to: Man with a plan.
城门失火,殃及池鱼 [城門失火殃及池魚]
Burning a city gate kills the fish in the moat
A drastic action may unintentionally affect other people. Show consideration for all.
城下之盟
Only under duress
It literally means an embittered agreement at a city wall when a city has surrendered to besieging forces. So it is a reluctant and bitter deal forced by circumstance.
成也萧何,败也萧何 [成也蕭何,敗也蕭何]
Accomplished by Xiao He but also lost by Xiao He
Success and failure of your own making. The story is of Liu Bang before he became Emperor had Xiao He as Prime Minister. Xiao recommended Han Xin for a military command. However Han Xin fell from favor and then plotted a revolt. Xiao He lured him to a meeting at the place and killed him. So Xiao He both launched the career and ended the career of Han Xin,
程门立雪 [程門立雪]
Standing at Cheng's door in the snow
Showing great respect for someone - usually a teacher or scholar. The story is that a great scholar accidentally left two students waiting for him for hours out in the snow.
吃软不吃硬 [吃軟不吃硬]
Only able to chew tender food, not the tough
Unable to withstand harsh criticism.
吃一堑,长一智 [吃一塹長一智]
Fall into a pit but learn from the experience
Gain wisdom from experience of setbacks.
Roughly equivalent to: Learn from your mistakes.
痴人说梦 [痴人說夢]
A fool describing his dream
Talking irrelevant nonsense. Ravings of no possible interest.
Roughly equivalent to: A load of codswallop.
迟开的花未必不香 [遲開的花未必不香]
A late-blooming flower is not necessarily lacking in fragrance
It's never too late to try something new.
重蹈覆辙 [重蹈覆轍]
Following the track of an overturned cart
To repeat a disastrous strategy. Not learning from previous mistakes - slavishly following previous practice. The story is of a virtuous official who risked Han emperor Huan's displeasure by pointing out that he was repeating the mistakes of the second Qin emperor.
Roughly equivalent to: Once bitten, twice shy.
臭不可当 [臭不可噹]
Worst ever smell
To give off an unbearable stink.
穿新鞋,走老路 [穿新鞋走老路]
Wear new shoes but follow old paths
Stick to the old ways while appearing to follow the latest trends.
出尔反尔 [出爾反爾]
Getting just reward
Do as you would be done to. Repay past behavior appropriately. In modern times this has changed meaning to be more to with inconsistency and self contradictory behavior than justice.
Roughly equivalent to: What you sow, so shall you reap.
出奇制勋 [出奇制勛]
Using an ingenious, unexpected ploy
Using a surprise or ingenious scheme to achieve success.
Roughly equivalent to: As cunning as a fox.
出生入死
To risk one's life
Offer unquestioning support.
Roughly equivalent to: Through thick and thin.
初生之犊不怕虎 [初生之犢不怕虎]
A baby calf does not fear a tiger
Innocence about the dangers involved.
唇亡齿寒 [唇亡齒寒]
Without lips the teeth feel the cold
Two interdependent things or people. The story of is of an attack on two kingdoms, as they were so mutually dependent the fall of one led directly to the fall of the other.
此地无银三百两 [此地無銀三百兩]
Three hundred silver taels are not buried here
Accidentally giving away the hidden truth in an explanation. The story is of a man who buried 300 pieces of stolen silver. Strangely he put up a sign on top of his horde to say that the 300 pieces were not buried there. Someone a little smarter dug up the cash and replaced the sign to say he had not dug up the silver buried there.
赐子千金不如教子一艺 [賜子千金不如教子一藝]
Better to teach a child a skill than give money
Learning a new skill will pay dividends in the future.
从容不迫 [從容不迫]
Calm and unhurried
Taking life calmly and in your stride. Untroubled.
Roughly equivalent to: Without a care in the world.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: Following the flow.
粗茶淡饭 [粗茶淡飯]
On a starvation diet
Eat simple home-made food and yet be healthy.
Image by Sinopitt ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
粗枝大叶
A large branch with large leaves. Unable to draw in fine detail
Lack of attention to detail.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: As bold as brass.
大器晚成
Large vessels take longer to complete
It takes a long time and great care to make something worthwhile. An admonishment to persevere in studies or work. Often used to describe late developing talent.
Roughly equivalent to: Rome was not built in a day.
倒绷孩儿 [倒繃孩兒]
Wrap up a baby upside down
Accidentally wrapping a new-born baby the wrong way round. Said of someone who though skilled can sometimes make mistakes. An occasional error out of character.
倒戈相向
Attack own party
Betray one's own side.
呆若木鸡 [呆若木雞]
As dumb as a wooden chicken
Dumbstruck, unable to move or say anything out of fear.
Roughly equivalent to: Caught like a rabbit in the headlights.
单枪匹马 [單槍匹馬]
A single spear and a single horse
Taking on a difficult task on your own.
当局者迷,旁观者清 [噹局者迷旁觀者清]
Spectators get a better appreciation of the game than the players
If too closely involved may not see all the issues involved.
刀山火海
A mountain of knives; a sea of fires
An extremely difficult and dangerous situation.
打草惊蛇 [打草驚蛇]
Striking the grass alerts the snake
It is unwise to alert an enemy of your presence.
Roughly equivalent to: Let sleeping dogs lie.
打人不打脸 [打人不打臉]
Better to hit a person than their reputation. Losing 'face' is a major consideration for Chinese people
Be diplomatic and tactful when being critical.
Roughly equivalent to: To err is human; to forgive divine.
大材小用
Big ability barely used
Wasting talent on trivial things. Using someone talented for a menial task.
Roughly equivalent to: All dressed up and nowhere to go.
大发雷霆 [大發雷霆]
Develop large thunderstorm
Fly into a furious rage.
Roughly equivalent to: To spit nails.
大公无私 [大公無私]
Selflessness
Helping everyone else. Not motivated by self-interest.
大手大脚 [大手大腳]
Large hands and feet
Lavish and grandiose expenditure on tasteless trifles.
Roughly equivalent to: A fool and his money are soon parted.
大义灭亲 [大義滅親]
Uphold justice by killing one's own family
Prepared to kill one's own family to keep to the law. Back in the Spring and Autumn Period a father, Shi Que, uncovered the murder of the king of Wei was done by a treasonous group which included his own son Shi Hou. Believing he could not show him special treatment he had him executed.
大智若愚
A wise person may seem silent as often remains silent
A wise person holds his counsel.
Roughly equivalent to: Still waters run deep.
倒屣相迎
Putting on shoes the wrong way around when greeting a guest
So keen to meet a guest that shoes are put on the wrong way around. Excitement about meeting someone who is loved or idolized.
Roughly equivalent to: Go weak at the knees.
道高一尺,魔高一丈 [道高一尺魔高一丈]
Where good flourishes, evil can flourish even more
There is always opportunity for evil to take root.
道听途说 [道聽途說]
Paying heed to gossip
Listening to roadside gossip or tittle-tattle.
得过且过 [得過且過]
Getting by
Muddling through life without great ambitions. Contended to just live from day to day.
Roughly equivalent to: Enough is as good as a feast.
得心应手 [得心應手]
Hand and mind in harmony
Things moving smoothly and naturally. Heart and mind working together with hands to achieve a task.
得意洋洋
Smug and self-satisfied
To be very pleased with oneself. Giving an air of sublime complacency.
Roughly equivalent to: I'm all right Jack.
得鱼忘筌 [得魚忘筌]
After catching a fish forget the trap
Ungrateful behavior, ignoring help given to make things possible.
Roughly equivalent to: Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
点石成金 [點石成金]
Turn stone into gold
To turn something of little worth into something of great value.
Roughly equivalent to: Improve beyond recognition.
调虎离山 [調虎离山]
Lure a tiger down from its mountain. This is one of the age old strategms of war.
Lure an enemy out of its home territory in order to attack it.
滴水穿石
Dripping water can bore into stone
Long perseverance will win in the end, even stone wears away. Nothing is permanent.
Roughly equivalent to: Keep on keeping on.
东奔西走 [東奔西走]
Busy everywhere
Be busy; bustling about.
东窗事发 [東窗事發]
The plot at the east window has been exposed
The game is up. Generally said of villains whose evil plans have been thwarted. The story is of Qin Hui of the Song dynasty who hatched a plot under the east window of his house to tell lies about General Yue Fei. Qin Hui and his son died shortly after Yue Fei was executed. Qin's wife Wang used a necromancer who discovered the truth and was told by Qin's spirit that the East window plot had been exposed.
Roughly equivalent to: The chickens have come home to roost.
东山再起 [東山再起]
To rise again from the east mountain
Coming back after voluntary retirement into public life. Particularly for taking on high office after a long break away from all the action.
Roughly equivalent to: To make a comeback.
东施效颦 [東施效顰]
Ludicrous self conceit
The story is of Dong Shi, an ugly person imitating the posture of famous beautiful woman Xi Shi ➚ by knitting his eyebrows.
Roughly equivalent to: Mutton dressed as lamb.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: Butter one's bread on both sides.
对牛弹琴 [對牛彈琴]
To play a lute to a cow
Wasting your time on pointless efforts. The 'lute' in this case is the qin, a traditional musical instrument. To address an inappropriate and unappreciative audience. A story from the Han dynasty when Mouzi Lihuolun, a Confucian scholar, tried to describe Buddhist teaching to an audience but failed because his audience had no basic understanding of the concepts.
Roughly equivalent to: Pearls before swine.
对症下药 [對症下葯]
Suiting the right medicine for an illness
Take the right measures to solve a problem to achieve the desired result.
咄咄怪事
Something's strange
A matter or incident that is absurd, extraordinary or strange.
多多益善
The more, the better
Safety in numbers. Wanting to invite as many people as possible to improve chances of success.
Roughly equivalent to: Many hands make light work.
多难兴邦 [多難興邦]
Many hardships can rejuvenate a nation
A calamity that may prompt a resurgence. An encouragement to continue striving in the hope that things will improve.
Roughly equivalent to: Hope springs eternal.
多行不义必自毙 [多行不義必自斃]
Persisting in evil leads to self-destruction
Turning to bad deeds will ultimately bring ruin. This is a form of Karma - divine justice will catch up with you one day.
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.
Roughly equivalent to: All pull together.
独木难支 [獨木難支]
A single stick will not prop up a whole building
It often requires more than one person to resolve problems.
Roughly equivalent to: Two heads are better than one.
读万卷书不如行万里路 [讀万卷書不如行万里路]
Reading ten thousand books is not the same as walking a thousand miles
Learn from practical experience not from books.
度日如年 [度日如年]
Each day passes as a year
Time seems to pass very slowly.
Roughly equivalent to: Time drags on.
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.