10 Essential Chinese Idioms for the Workplace

Find value among worthless

Literal meaning: Sift sand pick gold

This idiom emerged from gold panning techniques along ancient China's river systems, where sifting (披) through sand (沙) to pick out (拣) gold (金) required patience and discernment. Originally used in Han Dynasty texts to describe the careful evaluation of historical documents, it gained prominence du...

Plan far ahead

Literal meaning: Deep plan far thought

Combining deep (深) planning (谋) with far-reaching (远) consideration (虑), this idiom emerged from Western Han political philosophy. It appeared in historical accounts praising strategists who could anticipate complex consequences of their actions. The phrase gained prominence during the Three Kingdom...

Penetrating deeply to the essence

Literal meaning: Whip strikes into core

This penetrating idiom describes how a whip strike (鞭辟) penetrates (入) to the innermost layer (里), originating from Tang Dynasty literary criticism. It first appeared in evaluations of essays that revealed profound truths beneath surface appearances. The whip metaphor reflected the sharp, cutting po...

Come to an abrupt halt

Literal meaning: Suddenly and stop

This onomatopoeic idiom combines the sharp sound 'jia' (戛) with the character for 'thus' (然) and 'stop' (止), creating a vivid image of sudden cessation, originating from Han Dynasty music criticism. It first described performances where instruments stopped unexpectedly, breaking musical flow. The ha...

Spread widely and rapidly on its own

Literal meaning: Without legs yet walks

This mysterious idiom describes something that walks/spreads (走) without (不) legs (胫), originating from Han Dynasty discussions of information dissemination. It first appeared in texts describing how news traveled rapidly through informal networks despite official efforts to control communication. T...

Creativity permanently dried up

Literal meaning: Jiang Yan's talent exhausted

This creative depletion idiom references poet Jiang Yan's (江郎) talent becoming exhausted (才尽), originating from Southern Dynasty literary criticism. According to historical accounts, Jiang produced brilliant early work but later compositions showed marked decline in quality. Literary historians used...

Forced to act against will

Literal meaning: Body not self-controlled

This constrained idiom describes situations where one's body/self (身) is not (不) governed (由) by oneself (己), originating from Han Dynasty discussions of social obligation. It first appeared in texts examining how individuals must sometimes act against personal inclination due to duty, position, or ...

Extraordinary popularity of intellectual work

Literal meaning: Luoyang paper expensive

This idiom tells of how paper in Luoyang (洛阳) became expensive (纸贵) due to overwhelming demand for a single work. It originated from the Jin Dynasty, when Zuo Si's 'Biography of Lady Wei' became so popular that paper prices in the capital reportedly soared as everyone sought copies. The geographical...

Sophisticated work appreciated by few

Literal meaning: Tune high harmony few

This cultural idiom observes that when a tune is too sophisticated (曲高), few can harmonize (和寡) with it. It originates from the 'Book of Han' biography of music master Li Yannian, whose complex compositions impressed Emperor Wu but remained inaccessible to ordinary listeners. During the Tang Dynasty...

Decisively and firmly without hesitation

Literal meaning: Chop nail cut iron

Born in the workshops of Tang Dynasty metalworkers, this phrase captures the clean, decisive action of chopping nails (斩钉) and cutting iron (截铁). The imagery demands absolute commitment - hesitation ruins both material and tools. Song Dynasty administrators adopted it to describe unequivocal decisio...