Chengyu and Suyu Flashcards
坚定不移
“firm and unswerving, steadfeast and unchanging, resolute”
jian1ding4bu4yi2
引人注目
“draw attention, noticeable, conspicuous”
yin3ren2zhu4mu4
predicate and attributive
好马不吃回头草
hao3 ma3 bu4 chi1 hui2 tou2 cao3
A good man does not backtrack (used singly, neutral)
小菜一碟
xiao3 cai4 yi4 die2
“a piece of cake”
used as a predicate; neutal
太阳从西边出来
tai4yang2 cong2 xi1 bian1 chu1lai
hell freezes over
used as predicate or singly (slightly derogatory)
因地制宜
yin1di4zhi4yi2
“adapt to local conditions”
mainly as predicate and adverbial
自相矛盾
zi4xiang1mao2dun4
“self-contradictory”
成千上万
cheng2qian1shang4wan4
Very many of.
Attributive and predicate
卓有成效
zhuo2you3cheng2xiao4
“outstanding, and having effect”; “highly effective”
Functions as attributive; often preceeded by 进行， 开展 often matches with 合作
当务之急
dang1wu4zhi1ji2
“a matter of great urgency”
nominal element, functions as object or subject
独立自主
du2li4zi4zhu3
“be one’s own master”
This is a foreign policy of China, so frequently used in diplomatic contexts; functions as object or adverbial
脱颖而出
tuo1ying3er2chu1
“talent being fully exposed, talent revealing itself”
functions as predicate
frequently refering to doing exams or competitions etc.
说曹操，曹操到
shuo1cao2cao1, cao2cao1dao4
“speak of the devil”
more common to use “shuo1ren2ren2dao4”
乌鸦嘴
wu1ya1 zui3
“jinx” (person believed to bring bad luck, by saying negative things)
object or predicative
slightly derogatory
二百五
er4bai3wu3
“halfwit”, “peabrain”
functions as a noun
不怕一万，就怕万一
bu2pa4yi2wan4,jiu4pa4wan4yi1
“one can never be too careful”
netural, used singly
吃一堑，长一智
chi1yi2qian4, zhang3yi2zhi4
“a fall in the pit, a gain in your wit”
predicate
无可奈何
Wu2ke3nai4he2 = have no alternative
“helpless, have no way out”
functions mainly as predicate or adverbial modifier
usually used with serious things not
莫名其貌
mo4ming2qi2miao4
“no one can explain it; unable to make head nor tail”
original meaning was too beautiful to be understood sometimes still has that conotation but not always
predicate, complement or adverbial modifier
frequently used with 让人-, 感到-, -的话, -病 (not sure how or why ill)
自力更生
zi4li4geng1sheng1
“rely on oneself”
mainly predicate and adverbial
positive often used in slogans, frequently paired with other idioms;
frequently paired with other expressions talking about working hard.
一如既往
yi4ru2ji4wang3
“formerly”, “in the past”
frequently precided with “将” will
adverbial;
扑朔迷离
pu1shuo4mi2li2
“confusing, hard to distinguish, all mixed up”
“things are intricate and complicated and difficult to distinguish clearly”
often serves as predicate and sometimes as attributive, usually at end of sentence
睁着眼睛说瞎话
zheng1zhe yan3jing shuo1 xia1 hua4
“to flout reality”; “to tell bald-faced lies”
Predicate
Slightly derogatory
近朱者赤，近墨者黑
jin4 zhu1zhe3 chi4, jin4 mo4zhe3 hei1
“one is marked by the company one keeps”
used alone; neutral
物以稀为贵
wu4 yi3 xi1 wei2 gui4
“that which is rare is dear”
used singly or as a predicate
neutral
王婆卖瓜，自卖自夸
Wang2po2mai4gua1, zi4mai4zi4kua1
“every potter praises his own pot”
used singly; slightly derogatory in meaning
不可思议
bu4 ke3 si1 yi4
“unthinkable, inconceivable”
predicate and attributive
坚持不懈
jian1chi2bu2xie4
“persist, persevering, unremitting”
供不应求
gong1bu4ying4qiu2
“in short supply”, supply does not meet demand
Predicate abd attributive; as attrubutive usually followed by 局面， 情况，现象
行之有效
xing2 zhi1 you3 xiao4
“implement with efficiency”, “efficient”
often followed by 办法，方法，做法，措施，政策
周所周知
zhong4suo3zhou1zhi1
“as is known to all”
Used in writing
站着说话不腰疼
zhan4zhe shuo1hua4 bu4 yao1teng2
Not known to my tutor, meaning “talk is cheap, to be an armchair quaterback”
predicate; slightly derogatory and humerous
天下没有不散的筵席
tiān xià méi yǒu bù sàn de yán xí
“all good things must come to an end”
used singly; neutral in meaning
天上掉馅饼
tian1shang diao4 xian4bing3
“to have something fall into your lap”; slighly derogatory
己所不欲，勿施与人
ji3 suo3 bu2 yu4, wu4 shi1 yu2 ren2
“do unto others as you have them do unto you”; used singly; neutral in meaning
兴致勃勃
Xing4 zhi4 bo2bo2
Quite formal - full of interest and enthusiasm
Adverbial offten followd by 参观canguan, 参加canjia, 游览youlian and 访问fangwen.
Complementary.
Bo2 = flourishing
不鸣则已, 一鸣惊人
yi4ming2jing1ren2
(bu4ming2ze2yi1, very normal) - often used before
to achieve overnight success, to amaze with a single brilliant feat.
mainly predicate, can also be attrubutive and adverbial
逃进黄河也洗不清
tiao4jin4Huang2he2xi3bu2qing3
to be unable to clear on’e sname;
predicate or predictive
neuatral or humerous; the more you wash the dirtier you get
拍马屁
pai1ma3pi4
to suck up to someone
predicate
derogatory in meaning
想方设法
xiang3fang1she4fa3
“think of all kinds of ways. Try every possible means”
Mainly a predicate, followed by verb
When encountering difficulties he always tries every possible way to resolve them himself.
千家万户
qian1jia1wan4hu4
“innumerable households; every family”
Nominal element; functions mainly as object or subject
举足轻重
ju3zu2qing1zhong4
“to play a decisive role, to be pivotal in importance”
Functions mainly as attributive often followed by:
地位， 作用，影响，人物，角色
Chinese electronics has a XXX place in the world.
见义勇为
jian4yi4yong2wei2
“see what is right and have the courage to do it”
Functions as attributive;
complementary in meaninng
举世瞩目
ju3shi4zhu3mu4
“attract world-wide attention”
“the entire world focuses its attention on”
functions mainly as attributive followed often by
成就，成绩
情人眼里出西施
qing2ren2yan3li3chu1xi1shi1
“love is blind”
always used for women.
Used singly
Neutral or humerous in meaning
打酱油
da3 jiang4you2
I coulnd’t care less
that’s above my pay grade
functions as predicate
humerous from internet 2008 meme
走着瞧
zou3zhe qiao2
wait and see
functions as predicate
slightly derogatory or neutral
不管三七二十一
to throw caution to the wind
functions as predicate or used singly
slightly derogatory
小心翼翼
xiao3xin1yi4yi4
To be careful and cautious;
often used adverbially to mean “cautiously”
mainly an adverbial but can also serve as predicate
“Archelological workers very carefully and cautionously inspect every item from the arrchieological site”
“his life is overcautions; regarding every matter, he is careful and cautious, deathly afraid that he will cause others to be upset”
源远流长
yuan2 yuan3 liu2 chang2
literal: the source of a strema is distant and the water flows a long distance
Freer translation: age-old, long-standing, well-established;
functions mainly as predicate but can also serve as attributive
China has an age-old tea culture
The friendship between the people’s of the two coutnries is long-standing and well-established.
弄虚作假
nòngxūzuòjiǎ
to practice fraud; “use trickery or deception to create a false appearance”
predicate and adverbial
derogatory
自言自语
自言自语[—語] zìyánzìyǔ {C}
f.e. ①think aloud ②talk to one’s self | Nǐ zìyánzìyǔ zài shuō shénme ne? 你自言自语在说什么呢? What are you talking to yourself about?
adverbial and predicate
纸上谈兵
纸上谈兵[紙-談-] zhǐshàngtánbīng {E} id. be an armchair strategist | Tā zhǐ huì zhǐshàngtánbīng. 他只会纸上谈兵。 He’s only an armchair strategist.
predicate or attributive
名副其实
名副其实[—實] míngfùqíshí* {D} f.e. ①name matches reality ②be worthy of the name | Yǒurén shuō Xiàwēiyí shì míngfùqíshí de tiāntáng. 有人说夏威夷是名副其实的天堂。 People say that Hawaii is worthy of the name “paradise.”
attributive or predicate
sometimes 符 （2nd tone) instead
日新月异
日新月异[—異] rìxīnyuèyì {E} f.e. sth. new each day | Zhèige chéngshì rìxīnyuèyì. 这个城市日新月异。 This city changes everyday.
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
change rapidly each day
predicate, attributive
complementary
得天独厚
得天独厚[–獨-] détiāndúhòu {E} f.e. be particularly favored by nature
in a favourable position
enjoy exceptional advantages
attibutive often followed by 优势 or 条件
吃着碗里的，看着锅里的
chi1zhe wan3li3 de, kan4zhe guo1 li3 de
Slightly derogatory and humerous
to be unsatisifed with what one has
It seems he´s after his wife´s sister
He´s so unfaithdful, eating what´s in the bowl while eyeing what´s in the pot
钻牛角尖
zuan1niu2jiao3jian3
To split hairs (squeeze a bull horn tip)
To go down a dead end
Europeans have an advantage in learning languages. An average European can speak two or three languages.
No, a lot of English people can only speak English?
Why are you splitting hairs, I was speaking generally.
人不可貌相，海水不可斗量
ren2bu4ke3mao4xiang4, hai3shui3bu4ke3 dou3liang4
You can’t judge a person by appearrance, just as you can’t
measure the sea with a pint pot. [idiom.]
“you can´t judge a book by it´s cover”
netural in tone
林子大了，什么鸟都有
lin2zi da4 le, shen2me nao3 dou1 you3
There are all kinds of fish in the sea.
Used singly, slightly derogatory
I’ve heard there’s a person who reads upside down.
There are all kinds of fish in the sea.
鸡毛蒜皮
鸡毛蒜皮[雞—] jīmáosuànpí {E} f.e. trifles; trivialities
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
Slightly derogatory in meaning
Our leader can’t handle big issues, he only talks about trivial matters and I’m sick of it.
咱们头儿大事干不了，整天讲一些鸡毛蒜皮的事情，都烦死我了
鲜花插在牛粪上
鲜花插在牛粪上[鮮—-糞-] xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng id. a belle married to a guttersnipe
a beatufil woman married to an ugle man;
mainly predicate or predicative
derogatory in meaning
醉翁之意不在酒
醉翁之意不在酒 zuìwēng zhī yì bù zài jiǔ id. have an ulterior motive
humourous or neutral in meaning
情不自禁
情不自禁 qíngbụ̀zìjìn {E} f.e. can’t help (doing sth.) | Wǒ qíngbụ̀zìjìn de xiàole qǐlai. 我情不自禁地笑了起来。 I couldn’t help laughing.
1.7 [XHPC:3] average occurrences per million characters of text
functions as adverbial
不以为然
不以为然[–為-] bùyǐwéirán {E} f.e. consider sth. not so/right/acceptable | Tā bùyǐwéirán. 他不以为然。 He did not think this was so.
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
think otherwise, take exception to, dissaprove
functions mainly as predicate and adverbial
the view that many young people have of older people is very dissaproving, believing that their views are all outdated.
不少年轻人对老年人的看法不以为然，认为他们的看法通通陈旧了。
络绎不绝
络绎不绝[絡繹-絕] luòyìbùjué {E} f.e. in an endless stream; continuous | Xiàtiān yóukè luòyìbùjué. 夏天游客络绎不绝。 Tourists come continuously during the summer.
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
continuous flow, unending stream
generally used to describe people
不约而同
不约而同[-約–] bùyuē’értóng {E} f.e. happen to coincide; coincidentally do sth. | Tāmen bùyuē’értóng, dōu zài Liùyuè jiéhūn le. 他们不约而同, 都在六月结婚了。 It so happened that they all got married in June.
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
functions adverbially
“have the same view or take the same action as someone else but without prior consultation with them”
猴年马月
hou2 nian2 ma3 yue4
“it’s be a cold day in hell when..”
functions as adverbial.
眼不见为净
yan3 bu2 jian4 wei2 jing4
“what somebody doens’t know/see can’t hurt them”
functions mainly as predicate
姜是老的辣
jiang1 shi4 lao3 de la4
“with experience comes wisdom (ginger becomes a spice as it gets older)”
used singly
neutral in meaning
千千万万
qian1qian1 wan4wan4
千千万万[–萬萬] qiānqiānwànwàn r.f. thousands upon thousands; myriads
“a great number of”
functions as attributive, usually describes people
“his lecture touched the hearts of thousannds of people in the audience”
be careful with 千万千万 which is negative
齐心协力
qíxīnxiélì {E} f.e. make concerted efforts
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
“make a united effort, work as one”
functions mainly as predicate
complimentary
卧薪尝胆
卧薪尝胆[臥-嘗膽] wòxīnchángdǎn {E} id. inure oneself for future trials
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
“undergo hardships to achieve one’s purpose”
functions as attributive, sometimes independant.
大街小巷
◎ 大街小巷 dàjiē-xiǎoxiàng
[high streets and back lanes] 大大小小的街道胡同,泛指城里的各处地方
all the streets and lanes
usually noun as subject or object
不由自主
bùyóuzìzhǔ {E} f.e. can’t help; involuntarily
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
“not be able to restrain oneself, feel an irrisistable urge”
mainly adverbial
应运而生
yìngyùn’érshēng {E} f.e. emerge because of a favorable situation | Yụ̌ wǎngluò xiāngguān de gōngsī yìngyùn’érshēng. 与网络相关的公司应运而生。 New companies related to the Internet have emerged because of the favorable situation.
arise in response to the needs of the times
predicate
形形色色
íngxíngsèsè {E} r.f. of every shade and description
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
of all colours and kinds, of all outward appearances
functions as attributive
姜是老的辣
jiang1 shi4 lao3 de la4
with experience comes wisdom
used singly; humorous; neutral
留得青山在，不怕没柴烧
liu2 de2 qing1 shan1 zai4, bu2 pa4 mei2 chai2 shao1
where there’s life there’s’ hope. Used singly.
走桃花运
Zǒu táohuāyùn
to be lucky in love; predicate; neutral
成事不足，败事有余
Chéngshì bùzú, bài shì yǒuyú
everything one touches turns to dust;
derogatory; used as predicate or attributive;
名列前茅
mínglièqiánmáo {E} f.e. be among the best of successful candidates | Tā de chéngjì zǒngshì mínglièqiánmáo. 他的成绩总是名列前茅。 His test scores are always among the best of the successful candidates.
mainly predicate
家喻户晓
jiāyùhùxiǎo {D} f.e. become a household word; be known to every family/household
9 [gr:D] average occurrences per million characters of text
freer translation - to be known to every family, to be widely known
mainly attributive and predicate
兴高采烈
xìnggāocǎiliè {C} f.e. in high spirits; jubilant
8.9 [XHPC:16] average occurrences per million characters of text
mainly adverbial
排忧解难
páiyōujiěnàn {E} f.e. get rid of worries and overcome difficulties
5 [gr:E] average occurrences per million characters of text
freeer translation - help others overcome their difficulties,
often predicate in this structure for example:
为老人排忧解难
以其人之道还治其人之身
Yǐ qí rén zhī dào huán zhì qí rén zhī shēn
To give someone a taste of their own medicine;
predicate
neutral
拿得起，放得下
na2 de qi3, fang4 de xia4
to be able to go with the flow
predicate neutral or complimentary
留得青山在，不怕没柴烧
liu2 de2 qing1 shan1 zai4, bu2 pa4 mei2 chai2 shao1
where there’s life there’s’ hope. Used singly.
皇上不急太监急
Huángshàng bù jí tàijiàn jí
the person involved is calm and collected but observers are worried
used singly or predicate
三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮
Sān gè chòu píjiàng, dǐng gè zhūgéliàng
two heads are better than one
(three common minds better than one great mind)
脚踩两只船
Jiǎo cǎi liǎng zhī chuán
to have a foot in both camps
predicate
slightly derogatory
