Discover profound Chinese idioms about life's meaning, perspective, and philosophical wisdom. These expressions capture ancient insights on how to live meaningfully.
180 idioms in this category
yī fān fēng shùn
“One sail, wind favorable”
Plain sailing; everything going smoothly
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qiān lǐ tiáo tiáo
“A thousand miles distant”
Travel a great distance
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mín fù guó qiáng
“People wealthy, country strong”
Prosperous people and powerful nation
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guó tài mín ān
“Country peaceful, people safe”
National peace and public security
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tài píng shèng shì
“Great peace, flourishing era”
Golden age of peace and prosperity
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sì hǎi shēng píng
“Four seas rising in peace”
Peace everywhere; universal harmony
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ān tǔ zhòng qiān
“Content with soil, reluctant to move”
Prefer stability; reluctant to relocate
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gù tǔ nán lí
“Native soil hard to leave”
Hard to leave one's homeland
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luò yè guī gēn
“Falling leaves return to roots”
Return to one's roots; go back home
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chūn fēng mǎn miàn
“Spring wind fills the face”
Look happy and content
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chuí tóu sàng qì
“Drooping head, lost spirit”
Be dejected and dispirited
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xǐ chū wàng wài
“Joy beyond expectation”
Be pleasantly surprised
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dé yì wàng xíng
“So pleased as to forget one's form”
Become carried away by success
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xīn ān lǐ dé
“Heart at peace, reason satisfied”
Feel at ease with a clear conscience
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tǎn tè bù ān
“Heart unsettled and uneasy”
Feel anxious and uneasy
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huàn dé huàn shī
“Worry about gain, worry about loss”
Be anxious about gains and losses
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gù bù zì fēng
“Stick to old ways and restrict oneself”
Be complacent; refuse to improve
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bào cán shǒu quē
“Embrace the incomplete, guard the deficient”
Cling to the old and outdated; resist progress
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zhòng shǐ zhī dì
“Target of many arrows”
Target of public criticism
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yī xiāng qíng yuàn
“One side's wishful feeling”
Wishful thinking; one-sided assumption
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bǎi wú liáo lài
“Hundred times nothing to rely on”
Utterly bored; at loose ends
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bù yóu zì zhǔ
“Not by one's own control”
Involuntarily; can't help but
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wēi bù zú dào
“Tiny not worth mentioning”
Insignificant; not worth mentioning
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jīng dǎ xì suàn
“Carefully calculate precisely”
Calculate carefully; be frugal and precise
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bù kě kāi jiāo
“Cannot open and separate”
Extremely busy; inextricably involved
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yā què wú shēng
“Crows and sparrows without sound”
Completely silent; so quiet you could hear a pin drop
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rì xīn yuè yì
“Day new month different”
Changing rapidly; improving daily
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chuān liú bù xī
“River flows without ceasing”
Continuous flow; never-ending stream
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wú dì zì róng
“No ground to contain oneself”
Extremely ashamed; wish to disappear
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chù mù jīng xīn
“Touch eyes shock heart”
Shocking; deeply disturbing
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rěn wú kě rěn
“Endure without possibility of enduring”
Beyond endurance; can't take it anymore
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shǒu zú wú cuò
“Hands and feet without placement”
At a loss; flustered
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jǐng rán yǒu xù
“Orderly like a well with sequence”
In perfect order; well-organized
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pò bù jí dài
“Urgent cannot reach waiting”
Can't wait; eager
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cùn bù nán xíng
“Inch step difficult to walk”
Unable to move forward at all
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zì shí qí guǒ
“Self eat its fruit”
Reap what one sows; suffer consequences
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dà xiāng jìng tíng
“Greatly different like paths and courtyards”
Vastly different; poles apart
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tài shān yā dǐng
“Mount Tai pressing on the head”
Overwhelming pressure; imminent disaster
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shùn qí zì rán
“Follow its natural course”
Let nature take its course
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sī kōng jiàn guàn
“Minister of Works sees it habitually”
So common as to attract no attention
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yìng jiē bù xiá
“Responding and receiving without leisure”
Too much to cope with; overwhelmed
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xuě shàng jiā shuāng
“Add frost on top of snow”
Add insult to injury; make things worse
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xǐ wén lè jiàn
“Happy to hear delighted to see”
Enjoyed by all; universally popular
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wú suǒ shì shì
“Nothing to do as occupation”
Have nothing to do; be idle
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zhuō jīn jiàn zhǒu
“Pulling collar reveals elbows”
Hard-pressed; financially stretched
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qián suǒ wèi yǒu
“Before never having existed”
Unprecedented; never seen before
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cháng nián lěi yuè
“Long years accumulated months”
Over a long period of time
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bù zhī suǒ cuò
“Not knowing where to put hands and feet”
At a loss; not knowing what to do
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xīn kuàng shén yí
“Heart expansive spirit delighted”
Feeling carefree and happy
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yī lǎn wú yú
“One glance nothing remaining”
Take in everything at a glance
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fēng mǐ yī shí
“Wind bending grass for a time”
Extremely popular for a time
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qiān biàn wàn huà
“Thousand changes ten thousand transformations”
Ever-changing; constantly varying
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xī xī xiāng guān
“Breath to breath mutually connected”
Closely related; intimately connected
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xū jīng yī chǎng
“Empty fright for nothing”
False alarm; scare for nothing
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shì yǔ yuàn wéi
“Events contrary to wishes”
Things turn out contrary to expectations
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huǎng rú gé shì
“Dimly as if separated by lifetimes”
Feeling as if ages have passed
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chù jǐng shēng qíng
“Touching scenery produces feelings”
Moved by the sight of something familiar
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zuǒ yòu wéi nán
“Left and right both difficult”
In a dilemma; caught between difficulties
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yì xiǎng bù dào
“Mind imagines not reaching”
Unexpected; unforeseen
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chuí tóu sàng qì
“Drooping head and dejected spirit”
Dejected; dispirited
This idiom describes the physical posture of dejection - head (头) drooping (垂) and spirit (气) lost (丧). The phrase captures how emotional states manif...
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lǐ suǒ dāng rán
“What reason dictates as natural”
Naturally; as a matter of course
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huàn dé huàn shī
“Worry about gain, worry about loss”
Constantly anxious about gains and losses
This idiom comes from 'The Analects of Confucius,' where it describes petty people who worry (患) about gaining (得) before they have something, then wo...
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fēng hé rì lì
“Wind gentle and sun beautiful”
Perfect weather; favorable conditions
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zuò lì bù ān
“Cannot sit or stand peacefully”
Extremely restless and anxious
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xǐ chū wàng wài
“Joy exceeding expectations”
Overjoyed; pleasantly surprised
This idiom describes joy (喜) that goes beyond (出) one's expectations (望外). It captures the special quality of pleasant surprises that exceed what one ...
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jīn jīn yǒu wèi
“With relishing interest”
With great interest and enjoyment
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jī fēi dàn dǎ
“Chicken flies away and eggs broken”
To lose everything; complete failure
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wú kě nài hé
“Without any way to deal with it”
Helpless; having no alternative
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bié yǒu dòng tiān
“Having another cave heaven”
A hidden paradise; unexpected inner beauty
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dà tóng xiǎo yì
“Largely same, slightly different”
Essentially the same with minor differences
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xīn xuè lái cháo
“Heart's blood comes in a tide”
Acting on a sudden impulse or whim
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wǔ huā bā mén
“Five flowers and eight gates”
A bewildering variety; all kinds of
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jiǔ niú yī máo
“One hair from nine oxen”
A drop in the bucket; negligible amount
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huǒ mào sān zhàng
“Fire rises three zhang”
Explode in extreme anger or rage
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gōng bù yìng qiú
“Supply cannot meet demand”
Demand exceeds available supply
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gēn shēn dì gù
“Roots deep stem firm”
Deeply entrenched and difficult to change
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gāo zhěn wú yōu
“High pillow no worry”
Completely free from worry or concern
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fēng tǔ rén qíng
“Wind earth people feelings”
Local customs and cultural characteristics
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fēng chuī cǎo dòng
“Wind blows grass moves”
React to slightest hint of change or activity
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fēi qín zǒu shòu
“Flying birds walking beasts”
All varieties of wildlife in nature
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dāng wù zhī jí
“Current matter's urgency”
Most urgent priority requiring immediate attention
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dāi ruò mù jī
“Dumbfounded like wooden chicken”
Completely stunned or dumbfounded
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chèn xīn rú yì
“Match heart according wish”
Perfectly satisfying every expectation
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céng chū bù qióng
“Levels emerge without end”
Continuously emerging in endless succession
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cāng hǎi sāng tián
“Blue sea mulberry field”
Profound transformations over time
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zì yóu zì zài
“Self from self exist”
Completely free and unrestrained
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wú yuán wú gù
“No connection no reason”
Completely without reason or provocation
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lěng lěng qīng qīng
“Cold cold quiet quiet”
Deserted and lifeless atmosphere
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ruò yǒu suǒ sī
“As if having something think”
Lost in thought with a contemplative expression
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luàn qī bā zāo
“Chaotic seven eight messy”
Complete disorganization and messiness
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tí xīn diào dǎn
“Lift heart hang gall”
Extreme anxiety with physical symptoms
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bǎo jīng cāng sāng
“Fully experience seas to mulberry fields”
Weathered profound life transformations
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ān rú tài shān
“Stable like Mount Tai”
Absolutely stable and unshakable
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ān rán wú yàng
“Peaceful without illness”
Completely safe and unharmed through danger
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ān jū lè yè
“Peaceful dwelling happy occupation”
Live peacefully and work happily
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ān bù dāng chē
“Peaceful walking substitutes carriage”
Choose simpler pleasures over status displays
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ài bù shì shǒu
“Love not release hand”
Cherish something too much to put it down
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zhī zú cháng lè
“Know enough constant happiness”
Contentment with what one has brings happiness
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yǔ rì jù zēng
“With day together increase”
Steadily increasing as time passes
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yōu shèng liè tài
“Superior wins inferior eliminated”
Natural selection eliminates the unfit
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yōng rén zì rǎo
“Mediocre person self-disturbs”
Creating unnecessary troubles for oneself
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zǒu mǎ kàn huā
“Galloping horse views flowers”
Superficial observation without depth
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cǎo mù jiē bīng
“Grass trees all soldiers”
Extreme paranoia sees threats everywhere
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fēng huá zhèng mào
“Prime of youth and vigor”
At peak of youth's ability
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zhǐ shàng fù guì
“Wealth on paper only”
Success in theory not reality
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rén shān rén hǎi
“People mountain people sea”
Vast crowds of people
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shēn bù yóu jǐ
“Body not self-controlled”
Forced to act against will
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qí hǔ nán xià
“Hard to dismount tiger”
Unable to stop dangerous course
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rěn jùn bù jīn
“Cannot suppress a smile”
Unable to hide amusement
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huà bǐng chōng jī
“Draw cakes to alleviate hunger”
Empty promises satisfy nothing
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gū xī yǎng jiān
“Tolerate evil, nurture harm”
Leniency encourages worse behavior
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rú lǚ báo bīng
“Like walking on thin ice”
Extreme caution in risky situations
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jiāng láng cái jìn
“Jiang Yan's talent exhausted”
Creativity permanently dried up
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huì jí jì yī
“Conceal illness, avoid doctors”
Hiding problems worsens them
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fù shuǐ nán shōu
“Spilled water hard to recover”
Actions cannot be undone
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chà qiáng rén yì
“Barely satisfies expectations”
Meets minimum standards only
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yú mù hùn zhū
“Fish eyes as pearls”
Passing fakes as genuine
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hè fà tóng yán
“Crane hair, child face”
Youthful despite old age
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qī shàng bā xià
“Seven up eight down”
Anxious and unsettled
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fú guāng lüè yǐng
“Floating light fleeting shadow”
Superficial impression without depth
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míng cún shí wáng
“Name exists reality gone”
Exist in name only
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rú zuì rú mèng
“Like drunk like dream”
Entranced in dreamlike state
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kǒu gān shé zào
“Mouth dry tongue parched”
Exhausted from excessive talking
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qǐ rén yōu tiān
“Qi person worries sky”
Worry needlessly about impossible disasters
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bù tòng bù yǎng
“Neither painful nor itchy”
Ineffective and inconsequential
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xīn yuán yì mǎ
“Heart monkey mind horse”
Restless, unfocused mind
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bù jìng ér zǒu
“Without legs yet walks”
Spread widely and rapidly on its own
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zǒu mǎ guān huā
“View flowers from galloping horse”
Observe hastily and superficially
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chéng mén shī huǒ
“City gate catches fire”
Innocent bystanders suffer from others' problems
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wàn mǎ bēn téng
“Ten thousand horses galloping”
Powerful unstoppable momentum
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jiá rán ér zhǐ
“Suddenly and stop”
Come to an abrupt halt
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zhǐ lù wéi mǎ
“Point deer call horse”
Deliberately distort truth as power display
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tán huā yī xiàn
“Night flower appears once”
Brief, fleeting appearance
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fēng yuè wú biān
“Wind moon without boundaries”
Boundless natural beauty and romance
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kè gǔ míng xīn
“Carve bone inscribe heart”
Deeply and permanently affected
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fān yún fù yǔ
“翻Turn clouds overturn rain”
Unpredictable, dramatic changes
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míng zhé bǎo shēn
“Wise person protects self”
Protect oneself from danger wisely
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shù shǒu wú cè
“Bind hands no strategy”
Completely helpless without options
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chā chì nán fēi
“Add wings difficult fly”
Utterly impossible to escape
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zhǐ zuì jīn mí
“Paper drunk gold confused”
Decadent luxury lifestyle
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wàng yáng xìng tàn
“Gaze at ocean sigh deeply”
Feel overwhelmed by greatness
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gé àn guān huǒ
“Watch fire from opposite shore”
Observe troubles from safe distance
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gōng kuī yī kuì
“Work fails one basket”
Fail due to giving up near the end
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mù bù xiá jǐ
“Eyes too busy to attend”
Too much to take in
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pò zài méi jié
“Urgent as brow and lash”
Extremely urgent
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kuā kuā qí tán
“Talk big and empty”
All talk no substance
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chún wáng chǐ hán
“Lips gone teeth cold”
Fates linked together
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liáo ruò chén xīng
“Sparse as morning stars”
Very rare
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bēi gōng shé yǐng
“Bow in cup snake shadow”
Needlessly suspicious
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zhěn liú shù shí
“Pillow stream rinse stone”
Live simply
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liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng
“Two tigers fight”
Fierce competition between equals
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yǐ xuē huài dī
“Ant holes break dike”
Small problems cause disaster
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sì hǎi wéi jiā
“Four seas become home”
At home anywhere
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yǐn huǒ shāo shēn
“Draw fire burn self”
Bring trouble upon oneself
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shì wài táo yuán
“Peach spring beyond world”
Perfect peaceful place
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zhěn shí shù liú
“Pillow stone rinse stream”
Endure hardship for goals
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liǔ àn huā míng
“Dark willows bright flowers”
Hope appears in darkness
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jiè huā xiàn fó
“Borrow flower offer Buddha”
Use others' resources
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xiào lǐ cáng dāo
“Hide knife in smile”
Hide malice behind smile
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guā shú dì luò
“Melon ripe stem falls”
Things happen when ready
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shǒu zhū dài tù
“Guard tree wait rabbit”
Wait passively for luck
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kǒu mì fù jiàn
“Mouth honey belly sword”
Hide evil behind sweet words
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fēng yún tū biàn
“Wind cloud sudden change”
Sudden dramatic change
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tōu liáng huàn zhù
“Steal beam swap pillar”
Deceive by substitution
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zhòng kǒu shuò jīn
“Many mouths melt gold”
Public opinion is powerful
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shí lái yùn zhuǎn
“Time comes and fortune turns”
Fortune's wheel will turn.
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qián lǘ jì qióng
“Donkey's tricks exhausted”
Run out of tricks
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jīn fēng yù lù
“Golden wind jade dew”
Perfect timing and conditions
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wàng méi zhǐ ké
“Think of plums stop thirst”
Console with false hopes
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fēng shēng hè lì
“Wind sound crane call”
Overly fearful and suspicious
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wèi yǔ chóu móu
“Prepare umbrella before rain”
Prepare before problems arise
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sì miàn chǔ gē
“Chu songs from four sides”
Surrounded by hostility
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yīn guǒ bào yìng
“Cause and effect return”
Actions have consequences
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yè láng zì dà
“Small kingdom thinks itself great”
Overestimate oneself
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jìn shuǐ lóu tái
“Pavilion close to water”
Advantage from close connections
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sài wēng shī mǎ
“Old man loses horse”
Misfortune might be a blessing
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wù jí bì fǎn
“Things at extreme reverse”
Extremes lead to reversal
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hào yì wù láo
“Love ease hate work”
Love ease, hate work
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gǎi xié guī zhèng
“Turn from wrong return to right”
Return to righteousness
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yī bō sān zhé
“One wave three turns”
Many twists and turns
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