Chinese idioms
186 idioms that really come up in everyday life — with their meaning, the nearest English equivalent and an example sentence. Without the curiosities that are on every list and that nobody ever says.
What is not here
Most lists are full of idioms nobody uses. They are colourful, easy to explain and never come up in conversation. This list has a different yardstick: every idiom here is one that can come up in an ordinary week — at work, in conversation, in an email.
So each one comes with three things, and the middle one is what is missing elsewhere:
- The meaning as a sentence, not as a keyword.
- The nearest English equivalent — or the fact that there is none. If you do not know that an idiom has no English equivalent, you translate it word for word, and then nobody understands you.
- An example sentence in which it really occurs.
Idioms are riskier than words. A word used wrongly is a mistake; an idiom used wrongly sounds as though you picked it up somewhere without understanding it. If you read one here for the first time, better wait until you have heard it from someone else before using it.
Said every day
24 idiomsShort formulas that belong to a moment: an apology, a thank-you, a goodbye at the door, a toast. Most are polite rather than formal, many make no sense word for word, and leaving one out is noticed — which is why they are worth learning whole.
Said to apologise for a small inconvenience, to get a stranger’s attention, or to show that you feel awkward about a kindness or a compliment.
English: excuse me; sorry; I feel bad about this
不好意思，我来晚了。Sorry I’m late.
Literally "not a good feeling" — 意思 here is what you feel, not what a word means. It is lighter than 对不起: it is what you say when you squeeze past somebody, ask a stranger the way or keep a friend waiting, while 对不起 owns up to a real fault. It also describes embarrassment: 我有点儿不好意思, "I feel a bit shy about it".
The usual answer to an apology: no harm done. It also reassures somebody who is worried about a small problem.
English: that’s all right; never mind
没关系，杯子不贵，再买一个就行了。Never mind — the cup wasn’t expensive; we’ll just buy another one.
Literally "there is no connection" — nothing follows from it. It answers both 对不起 and 不好意思. It is not the answer to thanks; that is 不客气.
Said by a host to a guest who is leaving, at the door or the lift, and by shop and restaurant staff to departing customers.
English: take care; mind how you go
谢谢你们来，路上小心，慢走！Thanks for coming — take care on the way home!
Literally "walk slowly". It is not about speed: the host is saying "do not hurry off, go safely". Only the person who stays behind says it; the guest answers with 留步, "no need to see me out", or simply 再见.
Said to thank somebody for work they have done for you or with you: colleagues at the end of a long day, a delivery driver, a friend who helped you move house.
English: no single equivalent — "thanks for all your hard work", "you must be worn out"
大家这几天都辛苦了，今天早点儿回家吧。You’ve all worked hard these last few days — go home early today.
Literally "it has been hard work". English thanks people for a result; Chinese acknowledges the effort. A manager says it to staff, and staff can say 您辛苦了 back. The modest answer is 不辛苦 or 应该的, "only what I should do".
Said when you meet somebody you have not seen for a long time.
English: long time no see
好久不见！你最近怎么样？Long time no see! How have you been?
Literally "a very long time, not seen". The English phrase is very probably a word-for-word copy of this one — one of the few Chinese phrases that crossed into everyday English. 好 here means "very", as in 好多, "a great many".
Said when you do not mind which choice is made: what to eat, where to sit, when to meet.
English: whatever you like; I don’t mind; up to you
喝茶还是喝咖啡？随便，你喝什么我就喝什么。Tea or coffee? — I don’t mind; I’ll have whatever you’re having.
Literally "follow convenience". Between friends it is easy-going, and a host says 随便坐, "sit anywhere". As the answer to a host who has asked carefully, a flat 随便 can sound as if you do not care; 都可以, "either is fine", is the safer reply. About a person, 他很随便 means careless or too casual.
Said to drop a matter: to let somebody off, to give up on a plan, or to end an argument that is going nowhere.
English: forget it; never mind; let it go
算了，太晚了，我们明天再说吧。Forget it — it’s too late; let’s talk about it tomorrow.
Literally "count it as done". Everything depends on the voice: said gently it is generous, said sharply it is giving up on the other person. 算了吧 can also mean "oh, come off it".
Said when you ask somebody for a favour, and again when they have done it.
English: sorry to trouble you; thanks for your help
这些材料请你帮我复印一下，麻烦你了。Could you copy these documents for me? Sorry to trouble you.
Literally "(I have) troubled you". Chinese thanks for a favour by naming the trouble rather than the help. With somebody older or more senior it is 麻烦您了, and before a request 麻烦你 works like "would you mind".
Said when you interrupt somebody who is busy, and when you leave after visiting somebody at home or at work.
English: sorry to bother you; excuse me
打扰了，请问王老师在办公室吗？Sorry to bother you — is Teacher Wang in the office?
Literally "(I have) disturbed (you)". Before a question it does the job of "excuse me"; on the way out of somebody’s home it thanks the host for their time, often as 打扰您了. Before a request, 打扰一下 is "sorry to interrupt".
Said by a host or a waiter as the food is put on the table.
English: enjoy your meal
菜都上齐了，各位请慢用。All the dishes are here — please enjoy your meal.
Literally "use slowly", built like 慢走: the "slowly" is courtesy — take your time. It is said by whoever serves, not by the people eating; at a family table the host is more likely to say 吃吧吃吧, "go on, eat".
The modest answer to a compliment, especially on a skill.
English: oh, not at all; you’re too kind
哪里哪里，我的中文还差得远呢。Oh, not at all — my Chinese still has a long way to go.
Literally "where? where?" — where is this quality you think you see? It is a little old-fashioned now, and many younger speakers simply say 谢谢. But a learner who answers praise of their Chinese with it usually gets a laugh and more praise. In 差得远, "a long way short", 差 means "to fall short".
Said to a guest to make them feel at home, and as an answer to thanks.
English: make yourself at home; you’re welcome
别客气，就当在自己家一样。Don’t stand on ceremony — make yourself at home.
Literally "do not be polite". A host says it while filling a guest’s bowl, and a guest who turns food down once or twice out of politeness hears it in return. As an answer to thanks it means the same as 不客气.
A greeting between neighbours and acquaintances, especially around mealtimes.
English: no equivalent; roughly "hi, how’s it going?"
张阿姨，早！吃了吗？Morning, Auntie Zhang! Had breakfast?
Literally "have you eaten?". It is a greeting, not an invitation: the answer is 吃了 or 还没呢, and nobody expects to be fed. It belongs more to neighbours and older people than to an office in a big city, but every speaker knows it. 阿姨, "auntie", is how a younger person addresses a woman of their parents’ age.
Said when you part from somebody you will see again later the same day or soon.
English: see you later
我先去开会，回头见！I’m off to my meeting — see you later!
Literally "turn the head (and) see". 回头 on its own means "in a while, later": 回头再说, "we can talk about it later". Warmer and more casual than 再见.
Said when you fix a time and place to meet: neither of you will leave until the other arrives.
English: see you there — be there!
明天晚上七点电影院门口，不见不散！Seven tomorrow evening outside the cinema — I’ll wait for you, so be there!
Literally "not see, not leave". A friendly promise, said at the end of a call or a message. 不 is said bú here, before the fourth tones of 见 and 散.
Said to somebody who is nervous or in a hurry: there is no need to rush.
English: take your time; one step at a time
别着急，慢慢来，第一次谁都这样。Don’t worry, take your time — everybody’s like this the first time.
Literally "come slowly". Said to a learner driver, to a colleague on their first day, to a child doing up a shoelace — and to yourself. It also means "it will come with time": 学中文要慢慢来.
A greeting at Spring Festival, the lunar new year: may the year bring you wealth.
English: Happy New Year (and may you prosper)
过年见到邻居，大家都笑着说“恭喜发财”。When people meet their neighbours at New Year, they all smile and say "may you prosper".
Literally "congratulations, get rich". Wishing somebody wealth out loud is entirely polite in Chinese, and at New Year it is expected; outside the festival it would sound odd. The plainer greeting is 新年快乐.
Said when you introduce yourself to people you will work or live alongside: new colleagues, neighbours, a new class.
English: I hope we’ll get on well; I look forward to working with you
我叫李华，今天第一天上班，以后请大家多关照。My name is Li Hua and today is my first day — I hope you’ll all help me find my feet.
Literally "please look after (me) a lot". It asks for patience and goodwill rather than for any particular help. Formal and slightly old-fashioned, it is at home in a first-day speech, less so among students.
Said when you arrive late or have kept somebody waiting, and by staff when they finally get to a customer.
English: sorry to keep you waiting
路上堵车，让你久等了。The traffic was terrible — sorry to keep you waiting.
Literally "made you wait long". To a customer or somebody senior it is 让您久等了. As in the example, the reason usually comes first and the apology second.
Shouted at a match to cheer a team or a runner on, and said or written to anybody facing something hard: an exam, an interview, a long project.
English: come on!; go for it!; good luck
明天就面试了？加油！Your interview is tomorrow? Go for it!
Literally "add fuel" — 加油站 is a petrol station. It is not a wish for luck but a push to try harder, which is why you can also say it to yourself. Before an exam it does the work English gives to "good luck".
Said to get past people in a crowd: on a bus, in a narrow corridor, in a full lift.
English: excuse me, can I get past?
借过一下，我要下车。Excuse me, could I get past? I need to get off.
Literally "lend (me) a way through". Short and polite; 不好意思 often goes in front. Many speakers say 让一下, "make a little room", for the same thing.
Said to tell somebody that all is well: in answer to an apology, to thanks, or to the question whether you are all right.
English: it’s nothing; I’m fine; don’t mention it
我没事儿，就是有点儿累。I’m fine, just a bit tired.
Literally "there is no matter". It does three jobs that English splits between "that’s all right", "don’t mention it" and "I’m fine". Speakers from the south usually leave off the final -r: 没事.
Said when people raise their glasses together at a meal or a celebration.
English: cheers!
为我们的友谊，干杯！To our friendship — cheers!
Literally "dry the cup". At a formal dinner it can mean exactly that, and the glass is shown empty afterwards. If you only want a sip, say 随意, "as you like", and nobody will mind.
Said when parting from friends or new acquaintances: drop by some time.
English: come round some time; you must visit
我家就在附近，有空来玩儿啊！I live just round the corner — come round whenever you’re free!
Literally "when you have free time, come and play". 玩儿 here means spending time together, not games. Often a friendly formula rather than a firm invitation, much like "you must come round some time" in English; a real invitation names a day.
Keeping a conversation going
19 idiomsReactions, hedges and fillers: how Chinese speakers agree halfway, refuse, show surprise or buy a second to think. Almost all of them belong to speech, and several are too casual for a meeting.
Said of something that is neither good nor bad, often as a modest answer about yourself; said of a person, it means careless.
English: so-so; not bad; (of work) sloppy
你的中文怎么样？马马虎虎，点菜没问题。How’s your Chinese? — So-so; I can order food all right.
Literally "horse horse tiger tiger" — the animals explain nothing. Two uses to keep apart: "so-so", as in the example, and "careless": 他做事太马虎了, "he is far too sloppy". In the second sense the short form 马虎 is more common.
A lukewarm verdict: acceptable, not bad, no more.
English: it’s OK; not bad
这家饭馆的菜还行，就是有点儿贵。The food in this restaurant is all right — it’s just a bit expensive.
Literally "still goes". It ranks below 不错, "pretty good", and above 一般, "average". A careful listener hears faint praise; in answer to "how are you?" it simply means "fine". Mind both readings: 还, not huán, and 行, not háng.
Said with a shrug when something cannot be changed and has to be accepted.
English: there’s nothing for it; it can’t be helped
火车晚点了，没办法，只好等着。The train’s late — nothing for it but to wait.
Literally "there is no method". It accepts a situation rather than complaining about it, often with a sigh. With a person in it, it means "can do nothing with": 我拿他没办法, "I can’t do a thing with him".
Said to grant that the other person has a point, often after arguing the opposite.
English: you’ve got a point; fair enough
说得也是，雨天开车上山太危险了。Fair enough — driving up the mountain in the rain is too dangerous.
Literally "(what you) say is also right". It concedes without a full surrender, and a 不过, "but", often follows. Shorter still: 也是.
Said to agree with part of what somebody has said, usually before adding a reservation.
English: that’s true, I’ll grant you
那倒是，便宜的东西不一定好。That’s true, I’ll grant you — cheap things aren’t necessarily good.
Literally "that, on the other hand, is so". 倒 marks a point you had not expected to concede. Compare 说得也是; this one sounds a touch more reluctant.
Said while you look for the right words, usually because something delicate is coming.
English: how shall I put it
这个电影，怎么说呢，有点儿奇怪。The film was — how shall I put it — a bit odd.
Literally "how to say (it)?". It buys a second to think and warns the listener that a gentle criticism or a complicated answer is on its way.
An exclamation of surprise at news that is hard to believe.
English: really?; seriously?; no way!
真的假的？他下个月就结婚？Seriously? He’s getting married next month?
Literally "true or false?". Nobody expects an answer; it is the sound of surprise. Casual — among friends, not in a meeting. 假 is "false" here, third tone, not the 假 of 放假, "to have a holiday".
An indignant reaction to something unreasonable: a price, a demand, a silly idea.
English: you must be joking!
开什么玩笑！一杯咖啡八十块？You must be joking! Eighty yuan for a cup of coffee?
Literally "what joke are you making?". It is built on 开玩笑, "to joke", with 什么 pushed into the middle — a verb and its object can be split like this. About a real joke it is mild; about a demand it is a flat refusal.
Said to wave away what somebody has just said as an exaggeration or an empty promise.
English: oh, come off it; give me a break
得了吧，你上次也说要减肥。Oh, come off it — you said you were going on a diet last time too.
The character 得 is read dé here, not de or děi. Teasing among friends, rude to anybody else.
A blunt refusal: there is no chance of that happening.
English: no way!; not a chance
想让我一个人打扫整个房子？没门儿！You want me to clean the whole house on my own? No way!
Literally "there is no door". Colloquial, northern in flavour, and as blunt as the English. Use it with friends and family, never with somebody you need to keep on side.
Said when the choice makes no difference to you; said of a person, it means they do not care.
English: I don’t mind; it doesn’t matter (to me)
住哪儿我无所谓，干净就行。I don’t mind where we stay, as long as it’s clean.
Literally "nothing that can be called (anything)". About options it is relaxed, like 随便. About people, duties or results it sounds indifferent: 他对考试成绩无所谓, "he does not care about his exam results".
Said to close a discussion, a meeting or a phone call; in a flat voice, it accepts an outcome you would not have chosen.
English: let’s leave it at that; so be it
今天就这样吧，剩下的明天再做。Let’s leave it there for today and do the rest tomorrow.
Literally "just like this, then". At the end of a phone call it is the signal that both sides can say goodbye.
An enthusiastic yes to a question whose answer is obvious.
English: need you ask?; of course!
你会来我的生日聚会吗？那还用说！Are you coming to my birthday party? — Need you ask!
Literally "does that still need saying?". Warm and emphatic. Inside a sentence, 不用说 does a similar job: "it goes without saying".
Said before a story that would take too long to tell, or to avoid telling it at all.
English: it’s a long story
这事说来话长，我们边吃边聊吧。It’s a long story — let’s talk about it over dinner.
Literally "telling it, the words are long". Four characters, but conversational rather than literary. 长 is "long" here, not 长, "to grow".
Said to doubt that something is as bad, or as serious, as somebody claims.
English: surely not; it can’t be that bad
不至于吧，只迟到五分钟，老板不会生气的。Surely not — you’re only five minutes late; the boss won’t be angry.
From 至于, "to go as far as". The question 至于吗？ says the same thing more sharply: "is that really necessary?"
Said to show that something can be arranged or negotiated; repeated, it is also a modest answer to thanks.
English: that can be arranged; no problem
价格好说，你先看看质量。We can talk about the price — have a look at the quality first.
Literally "easy to talk about". A seller who says it is ready to move on price; a friend who says 好说好说 is waving away thanks. Its opposite, 不好说, means "hard to say".
Said when you cannot or will not commit yet: the answer depends on how things turn out.
English: it depends; we’ll see
周末去不去爬山？看情况吧，下雨就不去了。Are we going hiking at the weekend? — It depends; if it rains, we won’t.
Literally "look at the situation". Honest when the weather really decides it; when it does not, it is a polite way of not saying no.
Said to dismiss a worry and carry on regardless.
English: who cares?; never mind that
管他呢，反正明天放假，今晚多玩儿一会儿。Who cares? We’re off tomorrow anyway — let’s stay out a bit longer tonight.
Literally "bother about it?". The 他 refers to nobody: it is the "it" of the worry. Carefree among friends, careless if said about something that matters.
In speech: a long time, longer than it should have been.
English: ages; for ages
我找了半天，原来钥匙就在口袋里。I looked for ages — and the keys were in my pocket all along.
Literally "half a day". In conversation it rarely means twelve hours; it exaggerates the way English "ages" does, and a few minutes in a queue can be 等了半天. The literal sense lives on in 请半天假, "to take half a day off".
Work, favours and getting on
20 idiomsColloquial idioms about jobs, bosses and the unwritten rules of getting things done. Most are a verb and its object, three syllables long, and the two halves can be split: a particle, a measure word or the person concerned goes in between. They are informal, and many of them are complaints.
To get something — a job, a school place, a permit — through connections rather than by the proper route.
English: to pull strings; to get in through the back door
她是凭自己的能力找到这个工作的，没有走后门。She got this job on her own merits — she didn’t pull any strings.
Literally "go through the back door". Always disapproving. Like most idioms made of a verb and its object, it can be split: 走了后门, or 走谁的后门 — "whose back door", that is, through whom.
To work or study late into the night, usually to meet a deadline.
English: to burn the midnight oil; to pull an all-nighter
为了准备明天的考试，他昨晚又开夜车了。He burned the midnight oil again last night to get ready for tomorrow’s exam.
Literally "drive the night train". Said of students and of anybody with a deadline. The neutral word for staying up late is 熬夜; 开夜车 adds that you were working.
To dismiss somebody from a job.
English: to fire; to give somebody the sack
他上班老迟到，结果被老板炒了鱿鱼。He was always late for work, and in the end the boss gave him the sack.
Literally "stir-fry squid". Squid curls up into a roll in a hot pan, and the usual explanation is that it looks like a dismissed worker rolling up his bedding to leave. Mostly passive with 被, but it can be turned round: 我炒了老板的鱿鱼, "I quit".
To flatter somebody, especially a superior, to get something out of them.
English: to suck up to; to butter up
他整天拍经理的马屁，同事们都看不惯。He spends all day sucking up to the manager, and his colleagues can’t stand it.
Literally "pat the horse’s rump" — the usual explanation is riders praising each other’s horses with a pat. Crude rather than rude, and always critical. The person whose rump is patted goes in the middle, as in the example; the flatterer is a 马屁精.
To be refused or rebuffed when you ask for something.
English: to be turned down flat; to get a rebuff
我去找经理请假，结果碰了个钉子。I went to ask the manager for some leave and got turned down flat.
Literally "run into a nail". The refusal is the nail; you are the one who walked into it. A measure word often goes in the middle, as in the example, and a polite refusal is 软钉子, "a soft nail".
To take the blame for something somebody else did.
English: to carry the can; to be made the scapegoat
明明是他弄错的，凭什么让我背黑锅？It was obviously his mistake — why should I carry the can?
Literally "carry a black wok on your back". 背 is "to carry on the back", first tone — not 背, "the back".
Of somebody with power: to make life difficult for a person below them in small, deniable ways, usually out of spite.
English: no fixed equivalent; roughly "to make somebody pay for it"
他得罪了主任，担心以后主任给他穿小鞋。He has crossed the head of department and is worried he’ll be made to pay for it later.
Literally "make (somebody) wear shoes that are too small" — nothing you can point to, but every step hurts. Always 给, then the victim, then 穿小鞋.
To back out of something you had agreed to do, out of fear or second thoughts.
English: to get cold feet; to back out
说好一起跑马拉松，他却在最后一刻打退堂鼓。We’d agreed to run the marathon together, but at the last moment he got cold feet.
Literally "beat the drum for leaving the hall": in an old court, a drum marked the end of a session. Said of somebody who was going to do it and then is not.
To act as if you are more important than other people.
English: to put on airs; to give oneself airs
王教授很有名，可是一点儿也不摆架子。Professor Wang is very well known, but he doesn’t put on airs at all.
Literally "set up a frame". Most often negated, as praise: somebody senior who 不摆架子 talks to everybody as an equal.
To discourage somebody who is keen on a plan or an idea.
English: to pour cold water on (something)
他刚有了一点儿信心，你就别给他泼冷水了。He’s only just found a bit of confidence — don’t pour cold water on it.
One of the rare idioms where English and Chinese use exactly the same picture. In Chinese the water is poured on a person rather than on a plan: 给他泼冷水.
A safe job for life, the kind from which nobody is ever dismissed.
English: a job for life
他父母希望他找个铁饭碗，一辈子不用担心失业。His parents want him to find a job for life, so that he never has to worry about losing it.
Literally "an iron rice bowl" — a bowl that cannot break, so the food in it is never lost. Often set against 跳槽, changing jobs.
To leave one employer for another.
English: to change jobs; to move to another company
她在这家公司干了三年，上个月跳槽到了一家外企。She worked at this company for three years, and last month she moved to a foreign firm.
Literally "jump troughs" — a horse leaving its own feeding trough for another one. Neutral today: it is the ordinary word for changing employer, especially for a better offer.
To give permission for something to go ahead — or, critically, to let somebody bypass the rules.
English: to give the green light
公司终于给我们的项目开了绿灯。The company has finally given our project the green light.
The same picture as in English, with one extra sense English does not have: 给熟人开绿灯 is to wave an acquaintance through where everybody else has to wait.
To take the opposite position on purpose, whatever is proposed.
English: to be contrary; always to take the opposite line
不管别人说什么，他总爱唱反调。Whatever anyone says, he always has to take the opposite line.
Literally "sing the opposite tune". 调 is "tune" here, read diào, not tiáo. The person opposed comes first: 跟我唱反调.
To do something for show only, with no intention of doing it properly.
English: to go through the motions; a box-ticking exercise
这次检查只是走过场，谁也没认真看。This inspection was just going through the motions — nobody looked at anything properly.
Literally "cross the stage": in the theatre, a character who walks across the stage without stopping or saying anything. 场 is third tone here.
To have dealings with somebody, regularly or as part of a job.
English: to deal with; to have dealings with
做销售每天都要跟不同的人打交道。In sales you deal with all sorts of people every day.
Literally "strike a road". Always with 跟 or 和 before the person. Neutral and very common: 他很好打交道, "he is easy to deal with".
To fail to turn up to an arrangement without warning.
English: to stand somebody up
我等了他一个小时，结果又被他放鸽子了。I waited an hour for him, and he stood me up again.
Literally "release the pigeons" — once released, they are gone. Colloquial, and used most by younger speakers. The person let down can go in the middle: 放我鸽子.
To undermine somebody’s position; today very often, to lure away their staff, customers or partner.
English: to poach; to undermine
对手公司用高工资挖我们的墙脚。A rival firm is poaching our people with higher salaries.
Literally "dig at the foot of the wall" until it falls. The plain word for luring staff away is 挖人.
To talk in vague official language to avoid giving a real answer.
English: to fob somebody off with official jargon
我问他什么时候能办好，他只会打官腔。I asked him when it would be done, and all he gave me was official waffle.
Literally "strike the official tone". It is not about rank but about the voice: anybody who answers a plain question with "according to the relevant regulations" is doing it.
To give up a secure job, especially a state job, and go into business.
English: to strike out into business; to take the plunge
他三十岁那年辞掉了工作，下海做生意。At thirty he gave up his job and took the plunge into business.
Literally "go down into the sea". It belongs to a time when a safe job was the norm and leaving it felt like a plunge into open water; it sounds a little dated now, but every speaker knows it.
People and how they behave
18 idiomsHow everyday Chinese describes character and mood: the boaster, the scatterbrain, the person who never says no, and the endless business of face. Several are teasing, and one or two are plainly rude.
To feel jealous, above all in love: of a partner’s attention to somebody else.
English: to be jealous
我只是跟同事吃了顿饭，她就吃醋了。I only had dinner with a colleague, and she got jealous.
Literally "eat vinegar". A well-known story traces it to a minister’s wife who drank a cup she was told was poison rather than accept a second wife in the house — and it was vinegar. For envy of somebody’s success, the word is 眼红 or 嫉妒.
To boast, to make yourself out to be more than you are.
English: to brag; to talk big
他又在吹牛了，说自己一顿能吃二十个包子。He’s bragging again — says he can eat twenty buns at one sitting.
Literally "blow up the ox", as you would inflate a hide. The longer form is 吹牛皮, and friends say 别吹了, "stop showing off".
To join in where something lively is going on; critically, to get involved where you are not needed.
English: to join the fun; (critically) to butt in
听说广场上有表演，我们也去凑热闹吧。There’s a show on the square, apparently — let’s go along too.
Literally "move close to the bustle". 热闹, "lively, bustling", is a good thing in Chinese, and joining it is usually fun. Said to somebody, though, 你别凑热闹了 means "keep out of this".
An insulting word for a foolish, reckless person.
English: idiot; halfwit
只有二百五才会在打雷的时候爬到山顶上去。Only an idiot would climb to the top of a mountain in a thunderstorm.
Literally "two hundred and fifty". Explanations of the number disagree, and none is certain. It is genuinely rude, so learn it to recognise it — and some people avoid the number in prices and gifts for that reason.
Said of somebody who speaks harshly but is kind underneath.
English: a sharp tongue but a soft heart; his bark is worse than his bite
我妈是刀子嘴豆腐心，骂完我又给我做好吃的。My mum has a sharp tongue and a soft heart — she tells me off, then cooks me something nice.
Literally "a knife for a mouth, tofu for a heart". Affectionate, and usually said in the person’s defence.
Somebody who is kind to everybody and never says no, even when they should.
English: a people-pleaser; too nice for one’s own good
他是个老好人，谁找他帮忙他都答应。He’s a people-pleaser — he says yes to anyone who asks him for help.
Literally "an old good person" — 老 as in "good old". Half praise, half criticism: kind, but unwilling to stand up to anybody.
A careless, absent-minded person who keeps forgetting or losing things.
English: scatterbrain
我真是个马大哈，又把手机忘在出租车上了。I’m such a scatterbrain — I’ve left my phone in a taxi again.
The 马 is usually explained as the one in 马虎, "careless". Teasing rather than insulting, and very often said about yourself.
Stubbornly fixed on one way of doing or seeing something.
English: stubborn; single-minded to a fault
你别那么死心眼，这条路走不通就换一条。Don’t be so stubborn — if this road doesn’t get you there, take another.
Literally "a dead heart-eye" — a mind that has stopped moving. Also heard as 死心眼儿. Not to be confused with 死心, "to give up hope".
To be at odds with somebody and sulk, usually over something small.
English: to have a tiff; to be in a sulk
他们俩最近在闹别扭，谁也不理谁。The two of them have had a tiff — they aren’t speaking to each other.
别扭 is "awkward, contrary": biè, fourth tone, not the bié of 别, "don’t". Couples, friends and children all do it.
To lose your temper and let it show.
English: to lose one’s temper; to fly off the handle
有话好好说，别对孩子发脾气。Say what you have to say calmly — don’t lose your temper with the child.
Literally "send out temper". 脾气 alone is "temper, nature": 他脾气很好 is "he is very easy-going". The opening of the example, 有话好好说, is a set phrase of its own: "let’s talk about this calmly".
To lose face: to be shown up in front of others.
English: to lose face
在大家面前被批评，他觉得很丢面子。He felt he’d lost face, being criticised in front of everyone.
面子 is your standing in other people’s eyes, and English took "to lose face" from this very idea. The shorter 丢人 means "embarrassing, shameful".
To do something to show respect for somebody, so that they are not embarrassed in front of others.
English: to show respect; to do it for somebody’s sake
老朋友请你吃饭，你不去就太不给面子了。An old friend has invited you to dinner — not going would be a real snub.
Literally "give face". Turning down an invitation, contradicting somebody in public or refusing a toast can all be 不给面子. As a plea, 给个面子吧 means "do it for my sake".
To know where you stand: to have a clear idea of a situation and of what to do about it.
English: to know what one is doing; to have it all in hand
你放心，这件事怎么办，我心里有数。Don’t worry — I know exactly how to handle this.
Literally "have numbers in the heart". The opposite is 心里没底, "to feel unsure", literally "no floor in the heart".
Said of somebody who behaves like an old friend with people they have only just met.
English: no single equivalent; somebody who makes friends instantly
她是个自来熟，在火车上跟谁都能聊起来。She makes friends with anyone — on a train she’ll strike up a conversation with whoever’s there.
Literally "familiar by itself". Usually a compliment; said with raised eyebrows, it means too familiar too soon.
To be really good at something, often better than anybody expected.
English: to know a thing or two; to be pretty good
没想到你做菜还真有两下子！I had no idea you could cook this well!
Literally "to have two strokes" — two moves worth watching. Praise, usually with a note of surprise.
To show what you can do, usually a practical skill, in front of others.
English: to show what one can do
今天我来露一手，给大家包饺子。Today I’m going to show you what I can do — I’m making dumplings for everyone.
Literally "reveal a hand". 露 is read lòu in everyday words like this one, and lù in more formal ones such as 露天, "open-air".
Easy-going and willing to agree to a request.
English: easy-going; easy to deal with
房东很好说话，房租晚交几天也没关系。The landlord is very easy-going — it doesn’t matter if the rent is a few days late.
Literally "good to talk to" — not a good conversationalist, but somebody who says yes. The opposite, 不好说话, is a person who sticks to the rules.
Somebody, often a younger child, who follows another person everywhere.
English: a tag-along; somebody’s shadow
我弟弟是个跟屁虫，我去哪儿他就跟到哪儿。My little brother is my shadow — wherever I go, he tags along.
Literally "a bug that follows your bottom". Teasing and affectionate about children; said of an adult, it means a hanger-on.
Built on the body
21 idiomsFaces, eyes, ears, hands and noses carry as many idioms in Chinese as in English. Now and then the picture is shared — being led by the nose works in both — but often it is not: a thick-skinned face is shameless in Chinese, not resilient.
To be envious of what somebody else has.
English: to be green with envy
看到邻居买了新车，他有点儿眼红。Seeing the neighbours buy a new car made him a bit envious.
Literally "the eyes go red". English turns green with envy; Chinese eyes turn red. It works as a verb too: 别眼红别人, "don’t envy other people".
Shameless: not embarrassed by things that would embarrass most people.
English: brazen; to have a nerve
他脸皮真厚，借的钱不还，还来借。He’s got some nerve — he never pays back what he borrows and still comes asking for more.
Literally "the skin of the face is thick". In English thick skin is a strength; in Chinese it is shamelessness, though friends use it half in jest. The shy opposite is 脸皮薄. The example has both readings of one character: 还, "pay back", and 还, "still".
Good at saying pleasant things to people, especially to older people.
English: sweet-talking; to have a way with words
这个孩子嘴很甜，见了大人就叫叔叔阿姨。This child is a real charmer — calls every grown-up "uncle" or "auntie".
Literally "a sweet mouth". Praise for a child; of an adult it can hint at flattery. The opposite is 嘴笨, "not good with words" — which people often say of themselves.
Of a problem: troublesome and hard to solve — as well as the literal headache.
English: a headache (in both senses)
孩子不爱吃青菜，真让人头疼。The children won’t eat their greens — it’s a real headache.
English and Chinese share this one: a problem can give you a headache in both. A person can be one too: 让老师头疼的学生, "a pupil who gives the teachers headaches".
Of a problem: hard enough to need a lot of thought.
English: a real puzzle; to rack one’s brains
怎么安排这么多客人的座位，真伤脑筋。Working out where to seat all these guests is a real puzzle.
Literally "hurt the brain-sinews". Close to 头疼, but about thinking rather than annoyance. Its cheerful twin is 动脑筋, "use your head".
To hold back a person or a group who would otherwise do better.
English: to hold somebody back; to be a drag on
我数学不好，总给小组拖后腿。I’m bad at maths and always hold the group back.
Literally "pull the hind leg", as you might hold back an animal. Often said about yourself, as in the example, or about a weak point: 英语拖了他的后腿, "English dragged his marks down".
To be unable to make sense of something at all.
English: can’t make head or tail of it
他说了半天，我还是摸不着头脑。He talked for ages and I still couldn’t make head or tail of it.
Literally "cannot touch the head and brain" — no way to get a grip on it. 着 is read zháo here, as a result after the verb, not zhe.
Completely confused, with no idea what is going on.
English: completely lost; baffled
老师讲得太快，我听得一头雾水。The teacher went so fast that I was completely lost.
Literally "a head full of fog". Very common and quite casual. 一 is said yì before the second tone of 头.
Easily persuaded by whatever you were told last.
English: easily talked round; a soft touch
我爸耳根子软，推销员说几句他就买了。My dad is easily talked round — a salesman only has to say a few words and he buys.
Literally "the root of the ear is soft": the ear lets everything in. Mildly critical.
To give your personal guarantee that something will be done.
English: to vouch for something; to give one’s word
他拍着胸脯说，这件事包在他身上。He thumped his chest and promised he’d take care of it.
Literally "pat your chest" — the gesture that goes with a promise. Usually 拍着胸脯说, "said with a pat on the chest", or 拍胸脯保证, "to guarantee personally".
Said to take a task off somebody’s hands and promise to see it through.
English: leave it to me
找房子的事包在我身上，你放心吧。Leave the flat-hunting to me — don’t worry about it.
Literally "wrap (it) onto my body". A confident promise: the speaker takes on the whole responsibility.
To be rebuffed and come away embarrassed.
English: to come away with a flea in one’s ear
他去找老板要求加薪，结果碰了一鼻子灰。He went to ask the boss for a raise and came away with a flea in his ear.
Literally "bump into (something and get) a noseful of dust". Close to 碰钉子, with embarrassment added.
To be completely controlled by somebody else.
English: to be led by the nose
你要有自己的主意，别被人牵着鼻子走。Make up your own mind — don’t let people lead you by the nose.
The same picture as in English: an ox led by a rope through a ring in its nose. Usually passive, with 被.
To have to watch somebody’s mood, because you depend on them.
English: to have to keep somebody sweet
自己开店虽然累，但不用看老板的脸色。Running your own shop is tiring, but you don’t have to keep a boss happy.
Literally "look at the colour of somebody’s face" — to read their mood there. 脸色 alone is also simply "complexion": 你脸色不太好, "you look pale".
To turn suddenly hostile towards somebody, ending a friendship or a deal.
English: to fall out with; to turn on somebody
为了一点儿钱跟好朋友翻脸，不值得。Falling out with a good friend over a bit of money isn’t worth it.
Literally "turn the face over" — the friendly side down. It happens quickly, unlike a slow drifting apart.
To back somebody up, giving them the confidence or protection to act.
English: to back somebody up
有父母给他撑腰，他什么都不怕。With his parents backing him up, he isn’t afraid of anything.
Literally "prop up the waist". Neutral when it means support; critical when somebody powerful is protecting somebody who is in the wrong.
Spending money freely and wastefully.
English: to throw money around
他花钱大手大脚，每个月都不够用。He throws money around and never makes it to the end of the month.
Literally "big hands, big feet". Almost always about money, with 花钱. The opposite is 节俭, "frugal".
Clumsy with the hands; awkward in movement.
English: clumsy; all thumbs
我笨手笨脚的，又把碗打碎了。I’m so clumsy — I’ve broken another bowl.
Literally "stupid hands, stupid feet". Mild; often said about yourself.
Of a group: all talking at once.
English: everyone talking at once
一说到去哪儿旅游，大家就七嘴八舌地讨论起来。As soon as the question of where to go on holiday came up, everyone started talking at once.
Literally "seven mouths, eight tongues". Chinese often pairs seven and eight for disorder; 乱七八糟, "a complete mess", is another.
To talk cleverly without doing anything, or to show off with words.
English: to be all talk; to be glib
光耍嘴皮子没用，得拿出行动来。Talk alone gets you nowhere — you have to actually do something.
Literally "play with the lips". 得 in the example is "must", read děi.
Short of money for the time being.
English: strapped for cash; money is tight
这个月手头有点儿紧，下个月再还你行吗？Money’s a bit tight this month — is it all right if I pay you back next month?
Literally "tight at hand". A passing state, not poverty; the opposite is 手头宽裕, "comfortably off".
Pictures that do not translate
21 idiomsSquid, vinegar, soy sauce and a chicken in the soup: idioms whose literal picture tells an English speaker nothing at all. Many come from the kitchen, the theatre or old trades, and they are the liveliest part of spoken Chinese.
Somebody who knows a little about a subject and talks as if they knew it all.
English: a smatterer; empty vessels make the most noise
他的英语是半瓶醋，却总喜欢纠正别人的发音。His English is half-baked, yet he loves correcting other people’s pronunciation.
Literally "half a bottle of vinegar": a half-full bottle sloshes about and makes the most noise.
Advice or action that comes when it is already too late to be of use.
English: being wise after the event
事情都结束了你才说，这不是马后炮吗？You only say this now it’s all over — isn’t that being wise after the event?
Literally "the cannon behind the horse", a term borrowed from Chinese chess. Said of anybody who explains afterwards what everybody should have done.
Something or somebody that looks frightening but is weak underneath.
English: a paper tiger
别怕他，他只是个纸老虎，嗓门大而已。Don’t be afraid of him — he’s a paper tiger, a loud voice and nothing more.
Literally "a paper tiger". English took the phrase over from Chinese, so this is one picture the two languages really do share.
Somebody soaked to the skin by rain.
English: like a drowned rat
忘了带伞，一下公交车我就被淋成了落汤鸡。I forgot my umbrella, and the moment I got off the bus I was soaked to the skin.
Literally "a chicken fallen into the soup". English drowns a rat; Chinese drops a chicken in the pot. Said with sympathy and a laugh. 落 is read luò here, not là.
Somebody who stays up late and is most awake at night.
English: a night owl
我是个夜猫子，不到两点睡不着。I’m a night owl — I can’t get to sleep before two.
Literally "night cat" — but this is in fact an old everyday name for the owl, so the picture is the same as in English after all. 睡不着: "cannot get to sleep".
To play a minor role, doing the small jobs while others make the decisions.
English: a bit player; to play second fiddle
我在这个项目里只是跑龙套的，大事都是经理定。I’m only a bit player on this project — the manager decides all the big things.
Literally "run in the dragon costume": in Chinese opera, the extras in identical costumes who run across the stage as an army or a crowd. Often modest, about yourself.
To overcharge somebody who is in no position to argue.
English: to rip somebody off; to fleece
那个司机看我们是外地人，想敲我们的竹杠。The driver saw we weren’t from round here and tried to rip us off.
Literally "knock on the bamboo pole". The victim goes in the middle: 敲我的竹杠. Colloquial, and always a complaint.
To repeat old material with nothing new added.
English: to rehash; the same old stuff
这部新电影没什么新东西，完全是在炒冷饭。There’s nothing new in this film — it’s just a rehash of old ideas.
Literally "stir-fry cold rice" — yesterday’s leftovers, warmed up again. Said of films, books, speeches and anybody who tells the same story twice.
In casual speech: to be there without being involved, or to have nothing to do with the matter.
English: just passing through; nothing to do with me
别问我，我就是来打酱油的。Don’t ask me — I’m only here to make up the numbers.
Literally "to buy soy sauce", once done by taking a bottle to the shop to be filled — an errand that has nothing to do with anything else. The joking sense spread from the internet and is now everyday speech among younger people.
To have nothing to live on.
English: to live on fresh air
你把工作辞了，我们全家喝西北风啊？If you quit your job, what is the family supposed to live on — fresh air?
Literally "drink the north-west wind" — the cold winter wind, which is all there is to swallow when there is no food. Almost always in a question or a warning, as in the example.
To be turned away at somebody’s door, or to have a request refused before it is even heard.
English: to have the door shut in one’s face
我去了三次，三次都吃了闭门羹。I went three times and was turned away all three.
Literally "eat the closed-door soup". Close to 碰钉子, except that you did not even get in.
To worry endlessly at a small or insoluble point.
English: to split hairs; to tie oneself in knots
这个问题不重要，你别钻牛角尖了。This point doesn’t matter — stop tying yourself in knots over it.
Literally "bore into the tip of an ox horn": the further you go in, the narrower it gets, and there is no way out at the end. Also said of somebody brooding over one thought: 他爱钻牛角尖.
Of attention: to wander off, especially in class or at work.
English: to let one’s mind wander; to daydream
上课的时候他又开小差了，老师叫他都没听见。His mind wandered off again in class — he didn’t even hear the teacher call him.
Literally "desert in a small way": a soldier slipping away from his post. 差 is first tone here, as in 出差, a business trip.
To hand in a blank exam paper; to produce nothing for a task.
English: to come back empty-handed; to have nothing to show
老板给了我们一个月，这次可不能交白卷。The boss gave us a month — this time we can’t come back with nothing.
Literally "hand in a white paper", one with nothing written on it. It starts at school but is used of any task.
To waste time on mistakes that could have been avoided.
English: to go the long way round; to make avoidable mistakes
多听听有经验的人的意见，可以少走弯路。Listen to people with experience and you’ll make fewer avoidable mistakes.
Literally "walk the winding road". Advice to the young often comes in this shape: 少走弯路, "save yourself the detours".
To talk round a subject instead of coming to the point.
English: to beat about the bush
有什么话就直说，别绕弯子了。If you’ve got something to say, say it — stop beating about the bush.
Literally "go round the bends". The opposite is 直说, "say it straight".
Somebody who works hard for years without complaint or reward.
English: a workhorse
李师傅在厂里干了三十年，大家都说他是老黄牛。Master Li has worked at the factory for thirty years — everyone calls him the old workhorse.
Literally "old yellow ox", the animal that pulled the plough. Praise, with a hint that the person is taken for granted. 师傅 is the polite way to address a skilled worker.
Said when something that seemed certain slips away at the last moment.
English: it slipped through our fingers
合同差一点儿就签了，结果煮熟的鸭子飞了。We were this close to signing the contract — and then it slipped through our fingers.
Literally "the cooked duck flew away" — something that cannot happen, and did. Said with rueful humour.
To suffer a loss you cannot complain about, because you have no proof or nobody to complain to.
English: to have to grin and bear it
东西是在路边买的，没有发票，只好吃哑巴亏。I bought it at a street stall with no receipt, so I just had to swallow the loss.
Literally "suffer a mute’s loss": you were wronged and cannot say so. 吃亏 on its own is "to lose out".
To keep up appearances that you cannot afford.
English: to keep up with the Joneses; to live beyond one’s means for show
没钱就别买名牌，何必打肿脸充胖子呢？If you can’t afford designer labels, don’t buy them — why pretend to be richer than you are?
Literally "slap your face until it swells, to pass for a fat man" — in poorer times a round face meant a well-fed, prosperous person. Critical, or rueful about yourself.
To flatter somebody, usually because you want something.
English: to butter somebody up
你别给我戴高帽了，有什么事直接说吧。Enough of the flattery — if you want something, just say so.
Literally "put a tall hat on somebody". Also 戴高帽子. Gentler than 拍马屁: it describes the praise, not the person giving it.
Proverbs and sayings
31 idiomsThe sayings people actually quote, from Confucius to the market stall. Many have two halves, and a speaker often says only the first and leaves the listener to supply the rest. They are at home in conversation, in speeches and in advice to the young.
At home you can count on your family; away from home you depend on friends — so help people who are far from home.
English: no fixed equivalent; roughly "away from home, friends are everything"
你刚来这个城市，有事就找我，在家靠父母，出门靠朋友嘛。You’ve only just arrived in this city, so if you need anything, come to me — away from home, friends are all you have.
Literally "at home rely on your parents, out of the door rely on friends". Said when offering help to somebody far from home, and by travellers thanking the people who helped them. 出门 here means being away from home, not just stepping outside.
Everybody has something to teach you, if you are willing to learn.
English: no fixed equivalent; roughly "you can learn from anyone"
三人行，必有我师，每个同事身上都有值得我学习的地方。You can learn from anyone — every one of my colleagues has something worth learning from.
From the Analects of Confucius: "when three people walk together, one of them is sure to be my teacher". 行 is "to walk" here. Quoted to show modesty and an open mind.
There is no age at which you stop learning.
English: you’re never too old to learn; live and learn
我奶奶七十岁开始学用电脑，真是活到老，学到老。My grandmother started learning to use a computer at seventy — you’re never too old to learn.
Literally "live until old, learn until old". Said with admiration of older learners, and by older people as a modest explanation of what they are doing.
Price and quality go together: what costs more is usually better.
English: you get what you pay for
这双鞋贵是贵，可是一分钱一分货，穿了三年还跟新的一样。These shoes were expensive, all right, but you get what you pay for — after three years they still look new.
Literally "one cent of money, one cent of goods". A favourite of shopkeepers defending a price, and of customers explaining why they paid it. 分 is the smallest unit of money, a hundredth of a yuan.
Something unusually cheap is probably poor quality.
English: cheap means nasty; buy cheap, buy twice
这么便宜的充电器你也敢用？便宜没好货啊。You’d use a charger that cheap? Cheap means nasty, you know.
Literally "cheap has no good goods". The full saying adds a second half, 好货不便宜, "and good goods are not cheap". 便宜 is read pián, not the biàn of 方便.
Ordinary people thinking together can match one genius.
English: two heads are better than one
别一个人发愁了，三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮，大家一起想办法吧。Don’t worry about it on your own — two heads are better than one; let’s all think it through together.
Literally "three smelly cobblers make one Zhuge Liang" — the strategist of the Three Kingdoms period, whose name is a byword for brilliance. English counts two heads; Chinese needs three cobblers to match one genius.
If you are determined enough, you will succeed in the end.
English: where there’s a will, there’s a way
他考了三次终于考上了，真是有志者，事竟成。He sat the entrance exam three times and finally got in — where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Literally "for one who has the will, the thing is achieved in the end". Classical in grammar — 者 means "the one who" — and a favourite of speeches and school essays.
The beginning of anything is the hardest part.
English: every beginning is hard; the first step is the hardest
刚开始学汉字的时候觉得很难，不过万事开头难，慢慢就好了。Characters feel hard when you first start, but every beginning is hard — it gets easier.
Literally "in all things, the start is hard". Said to encourage, never to complain.
Seeing something once tells you more than hearing about it many times.
English: seeing is believing
早就听说长城很壮观，今天亲眼看到，才知道什么叫百闻不如一见。I’d long heard the Great Wall was magnificent, but only seeing it with my own eyes today did I understand what "seeing is believing" means.
Literally "hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once". Classical in shape, everyday in use; travellers say it all the time.
Do not worry too much in advance: a way through will turn up when you need it.
English: we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it
现在担心也没用，车到山前必有路。There’s no point worrying now — we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Literally "when the cart reaches the mountain, there is sure to be a road". It is often paired with 船到桥头自然直, "when the boat reaches the bridge, it straightens by itself", which says the same thing again.
A neighbour close by is more help than family far away.
English: a good neighbour is worth more than a distant relative
孩子半夜发烧，多亏邻居开车送我们去医院，真是远亲不如近邻。When our child had a fever in the middle of the night, the neighbours drove us to hospital — a good neighbour really is worth more than a distant relative.
Literally "distant relatives are not as good as near neighbours". Quoted with gratitude, usually just after a neighbour has helped.
Most illnesses come from what you eat and drink.
English: no fixed equivalent; be careful what you eat
路边的东西少吃点儿，病从口入。Go easy on food from street stalls — what you eat is what makes you ill.
Literally "illness enters by the mouth". The full saying has a second half, 祸从口出, "and trouble comes out of it" — a warning about careless talk.
You learn from failure what you need to succeed.
English: failure is the mother of success
别灰心，失败是成功之母，下次一定行。Don’t lose heart — failure is the mother of success; you’ll do it next time.
Literally "failure is the mother of success". 之 is the classical form of 的. A standard comfort for students after a bad exam.
Time spent preparing properly is not time lost.
English: measure twice, cut once
先把计划做好再动手，磨刀不误砍柴工。Get the plan right before you start — time spent sharpening the axe is never wasted.
Literally "sharpening the knife does not hold up the wood-cutting". 误 means "to hold up, to waste". Said to somebody impatient to get going.
Every gathering, however good, must come to an end.
English: all good things must come to an end
毕业以后大家要去不同的城市了，可天下没有不散的筵席啊。After graduation we’re all off to different cities — but all good things must come to an end.
Literally "under heaven there is no banquet that does not break up". Said at farewells, and as comfort to whoever is staying behind.
You have not really done it until you reach the goal you set yourself.
English: no fixed equivalent; roughly "don’t give up before the top"
来北京一定要去爬长城，不到长城非好汉嘛！If you come to Beijing you have to climb the Great Wall — you’re not a real traveller until you have!
Literally "whoever has not reached the Great Wall is no hero". Quoted half in jest to visitors, and more seriously to mean "do not give up before you reach the end".
Every setback teaches you something.
English: once bitten, twice shy; live and learn
上次没备份，文件全丢了。吃一堑，长一智，现在我每天都备份。Last time I hadn’t made a backup and lost all my files. Once bitten, twice shy — now I back up every day.
Literally "fall into a moat once, grow wiser once". 堑, a ditch or moat, hardly appears outside this saying, and 长 is "to grow", not 长, "long".
Time is precious and should not be wasted.
English: time is precious; time is money
一寸光阴一寸金，别把时间都花在手机上。Time is precious — don’t spend all of it on your phone.
Literally "an inch of time is an inch of gold". The full couplet goes on: 寸金难买寸光阴, "but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time". English values time as money; the Chinese saying ends up valuing it above money.
Said when somebody you were just talking about walks in.
English: speak of the devil
说曹操，曹操到，我们正说你呢！Speak of the devil — we were just talking about you!
Literally "speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives" — the warlord of the Three Kingdoms period. In English it is the devil who turns up.
The person you love looks beautiful to you, whatever others think.
English: beauty is in the eye of the beholder
大家都说他女朋友很普通，可在他看来她最漂亮。情人眼里出西施嘛。Everyone says his girlfriend is quite ordinary, but to him she’s the most beautiful woman in the world. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Literally "in a lover’s eyes appears Xi Shi", the most famous beauty of ancient China. English speaks of any beholder; Chinese only of the one in love.
A serious problem has been building up for a long time.
English: it’s been a long time coming
他们的矛盾不是一天两天的事，冰冻三尺，非一日之寒。Their quarrel didn’t start yesterday — it’s been a long time building.
Literally "ice three feet thick is not the cold of a single day". English says "Rome wasn’t built in a day" about achievements; this says it mostly about trouble, though it is also used of skills that take years.
Things and people that are strange at first become familiar the second time.
English: it gets easier; strangers once, friends next time
第一次见面有点儿紧张很正常，一回生，二回熟嘛。It’s normal to be a bit nervous the first time you meet — next time you’ll be old friends.
Literally "first time raw, second time cooked" — 生 and 熟 are the words for raw and cooked food, and also for strange and familiar. Said of people and of new skills alike.
You cannot judge a person by their appearance.
English: don’t judge a book by its cover
人不可貌相，那位穿得很普通的老人原来是有名的画家。You can’t judge people by appearances — that plainly dressed old man turned out to be a famous painter.
相 here is "to size somebody up by their looks", fourth tone. The full saying adds 海水不可斗量, "and the sea cannot be measured by the bucket".
The people involved in a situation see it less clearly than those watching from outside.
English: onlookers see more of the game
你自己看不清楚也正常，当局者迷，旁观者清嘛。It’s natural that you can’t see it yourself — onlookers see more of the game.
Literally "the player is confused, the onlooker is clear" — originally about a board game. Often said just before giving advice nobody asked for.
Writing something down is more reliable than the best memory.
English: the palest ink is better than the best memory
开会的时候最好记下来，好记性不如烂笔头。Take notes in meetings — the palest ink beats the best memory.
Literally "a good memory is not as good as a worn-out pen". Teachers are fond of it.
To make a frantic effort at the last minute, usually before an exam.
English: to cram; to leave it to the last minute
平时不努力，考试前临时抱佛脚是没用的。If you don’t work during the term, cramming just before the exam won’t help.
Literally "embrace the Buddha’s feet at the last moment" — praying only when you are already in trouble. Often just 抱佛脚, and students say it about themselves with a sigh.
Said of somebody who wants something — often a person — far beyond their reach.
English: to aim far too high; to cry for the moon
一家小店想收购全国最大的连锁超市，有人笑它是癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉。A little shop wants to buy the biggest supermarket chain in the country — some people laugh that it’s a toad dreaming of swan meat.
Literally "the toad wants to eat swan meat". Insulting, above all when said of a man courting a woman thought far above him; aim it at a plan rather than a person.
Experience counts: an old hand often knows better.
English: there’s no substitute for experience
这么难的问题，老师傅十分钟就解决了，姜还是老的辣。Such a tricky problem, and the old master fixed it in ten minutes — there’s no substitute for experience.
Literally "ginger is hotter when it is old". Praise for an older person who outdoes the young.
Those who start early get the best chances.
English: the early bird catches the worm
我六点就去排队了，早起的鸟儿有虫吃，买到了最后两张票。I went to queue at six — the early bird catches the worm: I got the last two tickets.
Borrowed from the English proverb, and now entirely at home in Chinese.
Talking about what you can do proves nothing; you have to show it.
English: talk is cheap
光说不练假把式，你说你会游泳，那就下水试试。Talk is cheap — you say you can swim, so get in the water and show us.
Literally "all talk and no practice makes a fake fighter". 把式 is an old word for martial-arts skill.
Every great undertaking starts with one small first step.
English: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
学好一门语言要很多年，可是千里之行，始于足下，今天就开始吧。Learning a language properly takes years — but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so start today.
From the Daodejing, the book attributed to Laozi: "a journey of a thousand li begins beneath your feet". The English proverb is a translation of this line. 行 is "journey" here.
Four-character expressions with a story
32 idiomsFour characters, one idea, and behind most of them an anecdote from an old text: a farmer waiting by a tree stump, a man who drew feet on a snake. Educated speakers use them in writing and in careful speech, and knowing the story is what makes them stick. The four-character expressions in the word lists are not repeated here.
To worry about things that will never happen.
English: to worry needlessly; to fear that the sky will fall in
别杞人忧天了，你准备得这么好，不会考不好的。Stop worrying about nothing — you’ve prepared so well that you won’t do badly.
Literally "the man of Qi worries about the sky": he was so afraid that the sky would fall on him that he could neither eat nor sleep. Said to calm somebody down, kindly or not.
To fill a place in a group without having the skill for it.
English: to make up the numbers
我唱歌不行，在合唱团里只是滥竽充数。I’m no singer — in the choir I’m just making up the numbers.
Literally "a player who cannot play the 竽 making up the number". A king liked to hear his three hundred players of the 竽, a reed instrument, all at once; a man who could not play hid among them for years — and fled when the next king asked to hear them one at a time. Usually modest, about yourself.
To apologise humbly and in person, admitting you were completely in the wrong.
English: to eat humble pie; to come cap in hand to apologise
那天是我不对，今天我是来负荆请罪的。I was in the wrong that day — I’ve come today to apologise properly.
Literally "carry thorns on your back and ask to be punished". A general who had insulted a minister went to his door with a bundle of thorny sticks on his bare back, so that the minister could beat him with them; the two became firm friends. Today it is often half joking, as in the example.
To put yourself forward for a task without waiting to be asked.
English: to volunteer oneself; to throw one’s hat into the ring
没有人愿意负责这个项目，她就毛遂自荐了。Nobody wanted to take charge of the project, so she volunteered.
Literally "Mao Sui recommends himself". Mao Sui, a retainer nobody had noticed in three years, asked to join a mission and proved himself on it. Praise for initiative, and also the word for applying for something on your own initiative.
To keep changing your mind, or your affections.
English: to chop and change; fickle
他做事朝三暮四，一年换了三个专业。He keeps chopping and changing — three different subjects in one year.
Literally "three in the morning, four in the evening". A keeper offered his monkeys three nuts in the morning and four in the evening; they were furious, so he offered four in the morning and three in the evening, and they were delighted. Today it means fickleness, in love above all. 朝 is "morning" here, not 朝, "towards".
Of somebody unknown: to astonish everybody with a sudden success.
English: to burst onto the scene; to make a splash
这位年轻作家的第一本小说就一鸣惊人。This young writer made a splash with her very first novel.
Literally "one cry that startles everybody" — a bird that had not sung for three years and then astonished everyone with its first note. Praise, and often a hope: 希望他能一鸣惊人.
To wait for luck to come your way instead of making an effort.
English: to wait for something to fall into one’s lap
找工作要主动，在家守株待兔是等不来机会的。You have to go out and look for work — sitting at home waiting won’t bring you any chances.
Literally "guard the stump, wait for a hare". A farmer saw a hare run into a tree stump and break its neck; he gave up farming and sat by the stump waiting for the next one, which never came.
Somebody with a narrow view who thinks they know the whole world.
English: a frog in a well; narrow-minded
多出去走走，看看外面的世界，别做井底之蛙。Get out and see the world — don’t be a frog at the bottom of a well.
Literally "a frog at the bottom of a well", who takes the circle of sky above it for the whole of heaven. Critical, but also said modestly about yourself.
To fool yourself by ignoring something that everybody else can see.
English: to bury one’s head in the sand
把问题藏起来不让老板知道，这不是掩耳盗铃吗？Hiding the problem so the boss won’t find out — isn’t that just burying your head in the sand?
Literally "cover your ears to steal a bell": a thief who thought that if he could not hear the bell ringing, nobody else could either.
To spoil something by trying to hurry it along.
English: to force the pace; more haste, less speed
孩子才三岁就上五个补习班，这不是拔苗助长吗？The child is only three and goes to five extra classes — isn’t that forcing things?
Literally "pull up the seedlings to help them grow". A farmer, impatient with his crop, tugged every seedling up a little — and by the next morning they had all withered. Said above all about children and schooling. 长 is "to grow" here.
To bully others with power borrowed from somebody stronger.
English: to throw one’s weight around on borrowed authority
他仗着自己是经理的亲戚，在公司里狐假虎威。Because he’s the manager’s relative, he throws his weight around the office.
Literally "the fox borrows the tiger’s might". In the fable, a fox caught by a tiger claimed to be king of the animals and told the tiger to walk behind him and watch; every animal fled — from the tiger, not the fox. 假 means "to borrow" here.
To claim to love something that you actually fear or do not want once it is in front of you.
English: no fixed equivalent; roughly "all talk"
他总说喜欢狗，可邻居的狗一跑过来他就吓得大叫，真是叶公好龙。He’s always saying he loves dogs, but the moment the neighbour’s dog runs up he shrieks — he loves them in theory only.
Literally "Lord Ye loves dragons". He covered his house with dragons, and when a real one came to visit, he fled. 好 is "to be fond of" here, fourth tone, as in 爱好.
To keep to a method after the situation it was made for has changed.
English: no fixed equivalent; to go by a rule that no longer fits
市场变了，还用十年前的办法，就像刻舟求剑。The market has changed — sticking to the methods of ten years ago is like marking the boat to find the sword.
Literally "carve the boat to look for the sword". A man dropped his sword over the side of a moving boat, cut a mark on the boat where it fell, and dived in at the mark when the boat stopped.
To comfort yourself with the thought of something you cannot actually have.
English: to console oneself with daydreams
减肥的时候看美食视频，只能望梅止渴。Watching food videos while you’re on a diet is a poor substitute for eating.
Literally "look towards the plums to quench thirst". A general whose army was suffering from thirst on a march told them there was a plum grove ahead; the thought of the sour fruit made their mouths water, and they kept going.
To be frightened by something imaginary.
English: to jump at shadows
一点儿小咳嗽就以为得了大病，真是杯弓蛇影。Thinking a little cough means a serious illness — that’s jumping at shadows.
Literally "a bow in the cup, a snake’s shadow". A guest saw a snake in his wine, drank it anyway out of politeness, and fell ill with fear. It was the reflection of a bow hanging on the wall; when he was shown this, he recovered at once.
Acting in a way that takes you further from your own goal.
English: to work against oneself
想减肥又天天吃夜宵，这不是南辕北辙吗？Trying to lose weight and eating a late-night snack every day — aren’t you working against yourself?
Literally "shafts to the south, wheel tracks to the north". A man set out northwards for a kingdom in the south, insisting that his good horse, his money and his skilled driver would get him there — every one of which only took him further away.
To show off in front of an expert; usually said modestly about yourself.
English: to teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs
在您这位书法家面前写字，我这是班门弄斧了。Writing characters in front of a calligrapher like you — I’m out of my league.
Literally "wield an axe at Ban’s door" — Lu Ban, the legendary master carpenter. Most often a polite disclaimer before showing your own work.
To call black white on purpose, counting on nobody daring to contradict.
English: to call black white
明明是他的错，他却指鹿为马，说是系统出了问题。It was obviously his mistake, but he called black white and blamed the system.
Literally "point at a deer and call it a horse". In the story an official presented a deer at court as a horse, to see who would dare to contradict him. 为 is "to be, to call" here, second tone.
To cut off your own retreat so that you have to succeed.
English: to burn one’s boats
她辞掉了工作，破釜沉舟地开了自己的公司。She quit her job and burned her boats to start her own company.
Literally "break the cooking pots, sink the boats" — a general’s order after crossing a river, so that his army could neither retreat nor wait. English says almost exactly the same thing.
To talk about something in theory with no practical experience of it.
English: armchair theorising
光看书学开车只是纸上谈兵，得真的上路练才行。Learning to drive from a book is all theory — you have to get out on the road and practise.
Literally "discuss warfare on paper". In the story a young general could quote every book on war and lost his first real battle.
To visit somebody again and again to persuade them to join you.
English: no fixed equivalent; to court somebody persistently
为了请这位专家加入，老板三顾茅庐，终于打动了他。To bring the expert on board, the boss went to see him again and again and finally won him over.
Literally "visit the thatched hut three times": Liu Bei calling on Zhuge Liang three times before he agreed to serve him, in the Three Kingdoms period. Praise for the visitor’s sincerity.
So frightened that everything looks like a threat.
English: to see danger everywhere
她被骗过一次，现在草木皆兵，陌生电话一概不接。She was scammed once, and now she sees danger everywhere — she won’t answer any unknown number.
Literally "grass and trees are all soldiers": a defeated army, looking back at the hillside, took every bush for an enemy.
To stand out clearly from the people around you.
English: to stand head and shoulders above the rest
他一米九的个子，站在人群里像鹤立鸡群。At one metre ninety, he stands out in any crowd like a crane among chickens.
Literally "a crane standing among chickens". Praise, for looks, talent or height; said about yourself it sounds arrogant.
To give help exactly when somebody needs it most.
English: a friend in need is a friend indeed
我最困难的时候他借钱给我，真是雪中送炭。He lent me money when I was at my lowest — that’s what real help looks like.
Literally "bring charcoal in the snow". Its partner is 锦上添花, and the two are often quoted together: helping the successful is easy, helping somebody in trouble is what counts.
To make something good even better.
English: the icing on the cake
这道菜已经很好吃了，再撒点儿香菜就是锦上添花。This dish is already delicious — a sprinkle of coriander would be the icing on the cake.
Literally "add flowers to brocade". Pleasant, but see 雪中送炭: of the pair, this is the easier kind of kindness.
A tiny amount compared with the whole.
English: a drop in the ocean
这点儿钱对大公司来说只是九牛一毛。For a big company, that sum is a drop in the ocean.
Literally "one hair from nine oxen". English measures the drop against an ocean; Chinese counts hairs.
Two things or people that are equally good — or, more often, equally bad.
English: six of one and half a dozen of the other
你们俩做饭的水平半斤八两，谁也别笑谁。You two are as bad as each other at cooking — neither of you can laugh at the other.
Literally "half a jin, eight liang". On the old scale a jin had sixteen liang, so the two are exactly the same weight. English plays the same trick with six and half a dozen.
Of the heart: anxious and unsettled.
English: on tenterhooks; a bundle of nerves
等面试结果的时候，我心里七上八下的。Waiting for the interview result, I was on tenterhooks.
Literally "seven up, eight down", like buckets going up and down a well. Almost always with 心里.
To achieve two aims with one action.
English: to kill two birds with one stone
骑自行车上班既锻炼了身体又省了钱，真是一箭双雕。Cycling to work keeps you fit and saves money — two birds with one stone.
Literally "one arrow, two eagles". English kills its birds with a stone; Chinese brings down its eagles with an arrow.
To love everything connected with a person because you love the person.
English: love me, love my dog
她喜欢那个歌手，爱屋及乌，连他的家乡也想去看看。She’s such a fan of that singer that she even wants to visit his home town — love me, love my dog.
Literally "love the house, and the crow on its roof too". The crow was an unlucky bird, so loving it shows how far the love goes. English uses a dog for the same idea.
To endure hardship for a long time while working to recover from a defeat.
English: no fixed equivalent; to bide one’s time and work for a comeback
去年输了决赛以后，球队卧薪尝胆，今年终于拿到了冠军。After losing the final last year, the team knuckled down and worked hard, and this year they finally won the title.
Literally "sleep on brushwood, taste gall". A defeated king did both every day for years, so that he would never forget the defeat or grow comfortable, until he finally won back his kingdom.
To keep a secret completely.
English: to keep mum; to be tight-lipped
这件事你一定要守口如瓶，谁也别告诉。You must keep this strictly to yourself — don’t tell anyone.
Literally "guard the mouth like a sealed bottle". Praise for discretion.
Practise the idioms
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