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Chinese Proverbs & Sayings

75 cards · 🇺🇸 English → 🇨🇳 中文

Learn essential Chinese chengyu (成语) - traditional four-character idioms that convey wisdom, morals, and cultural insights. Understand both literal and figurative meanings.

LanguagesChinese (Mandarin)

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What is a 'chengyu' (成语)?

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1What is a 'chengyu' (成语)?
A traditional Chinese idiomatic expression, usually 4 characters, conveying wisdom or moral lessons from ancient literature.
2破釜沉舟 (pò fǔ chén zhōu) - Literal meaning?
Break the cauldrons and sink the boats
3破釜沉舟 (pò fǔ chén zhōu) - Idiomatic meaning?
Burn bridges; commit oneself irrevocably (like the English 'point of no return'). From General Xiang Yu's strategy.
4井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā) - Literal meaning?
A frog in the bottom of the well
5井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā) - Idiomatic meaning?
A person with limited outlook or narrow perspective. From Zhuangzi.
6指鹿为马 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) - Literal meaning?
Call a deer a horse
7指鹿为马 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) - Idiomatic meaning?
Deliberately misrepresent facts; distort the truth. From the story of Zhao Gao.
8一箭双雕 (yí jiàn shuāng diāo) - Literal meaning?
Kill two eagles with one arrow
9一箭双雕 (yí jiàn shuāng diāo) - Idiomatic meaning?
Kill two birds with one stone; achieve two aims at once.
10守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) - Literal meaning?
Guard a tree-stump to wait for rabbits
11守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) - Idiomatic meaning?
Wait idly for a reward; expect success without effort. From Han Feizi.
12亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) - Literal meaning?
Mend the pen after sheep are lost
13亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) - Idiomatic meaning?
Close the stable door after the horse has bolted; try too late to prevent harm.
14三人成虎 (sān rén chéng hǔ) - Literal meaning?
Three men make a tiger
15三人成虎 (sān rén chéng hǔ) - Idiomatic meaning?
A repeated rumor becomes accepted as fact; if enough people say it, it becomes believed.
16塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ) - Literal meaning?
Old man from the frontier lost his horse
17塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ) - Idiomatic meaning?
A blessing in disguise; bad luck may turn into good fortune. From Huainanzi.
18刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn) - Literal meaning?
Carve the boat in search of the sword
19刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn) - Idiomatic meaning?
Approach without considering the reality of a situation; be rigid and inflexible.
20画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) - Literal meaning?
Add feet when drawing a snake
21画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) - Idiomatic meaning?
Improve something unnecessarily; ruin something by adding superfluous details.
22画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng) - Literal meaning?
Add eyes when painting a dragon
23画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng) - Idiomatic meaning?
Add the finishing touch to something; the crucial detail that brings something to life.
24对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) - Literal meaning?
Play the guqin to a cow
25对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) - Idiomatic meaning?
To communicate well, you need to understand your audience; casting pearls before swine.
26纸上谈兵 (zhǐ shàng tán bīng) - Literal meaning?
Talk about military tactics on paper
27纸上谈兵 (zhǐ shàng tán bīng) - Idiomatic meaning?
Theoretical discussion useless in practice; armchair strategizing. From Zhao Kuo's story.
28负荆请罪 (fù jīng qǐng zuì) - Literal meaning?
Carry a bramble and ask for punishment
29负荆请罪 (fù jīng qǐng zuì) - Idiomatic meaning?
Offer a humble apology; make sincere atonement. From General Lian Po's story.
30完璧归赵 (wán bì guī zhào) - Literal meaning?
Return the jade to Zhao