Pre U Mandarin: Idioms

Question 1

骑虎难下

Answer 1

(qí hǔ nán xià）
Lit -Who rides on a tiger can never dismount.
Unable to back down or quit; unable to extricate oneself from a difficult situation

Question 2

画蛇添足

Answer 2

(huà shé tiān zú)
Lit: to paint snake and then add feet to it
Fig: To do unnecessary things; to do something superfluously, to spoil something

Question 3

坐井观天

Answer 3

(zuò jǐng guān tiān)
Lit: Looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.
Fig: Having a narrow view/outlook; ignorant and narrow-minded

Question 4

拔苗助长

Answer 4

(bá miaó zhù zhǎng)
Lit: to pull the shoots to help them grow higher
Fig: to spoil something because of a desire for quick success or Ruin something by forcing its development and disregarding its natural course.

Question 5

对牛弹琴

Answer 5

(duì niú tán qín)
Lit: play the lute to a cow
Fig: Address the wrong audience; talk over someone’s head

Question 6

纸上谈兵

Answer 6

(zhǐ shàng tán bīng)
Lit: Discussing military tactics on paper.
Fig: to have unrealistic ideas; talks armchair strategies

Question 7

自相矛盾

Answer 7

(zì xiāng máo dùn)
Lit: The (best) spear against the (best) shield.
Fig: Self-contradictory; To say or do something to contradict oneself;

Question 8

入乡随俗

Answer 8

(rù xiāng suí sú)
Lit: enter an area and follow the local customs.
Fig: When in Rome, do as the Romans do; to act like a local

Question 9

覆水难收

Answer 9

(fù shuǐ nán shōu)
Lit: It is hard to collect water which has already been poured out
Fig: Things done can’t be undone, it is no use crying over spilt milk

Question 10

唇亡齿寒

Answer 10

(chún wáng chǐ hán)
Lit: The teeth will feel cold if lips are gone.
Fig: This expression describes closely related interests. The first cannot survive without the second.

Question 11

如鱼得水

Answer 11

(rú yŭ dé shuĭ)
Lit: like a fish back in water
Fig: In agreebale circumstances

Question 12

亡羊补牢

Answer 12

(wáng yáng bŭ láo)
Lit: to mend the sheepfold after sheep are lost.
Fig:; to take precautions and action after suffering a loss (to prevent future loss)

Question 13

饮水思源

Answer 13

(yĭn shuĭ sī yuán)
Lit: when drinking water, think of its source
Fig: grateful for favours received or not to forget one’s origins

Question 14

打草惊蛇

Answer 14

(dă căo jīng shé)
Lit: beat the grass and startle the snake in hiding
Fig: fail to keep one’s actions secret, thereby allowing others to take precautions

Question 15

四海为家

Answer 15

(sì hăi wéi jiā)
Lit: to regard the four corners of the world all as home.
Fig: (in one’s wanderings) make one’s home wherever one may be; to be at home everywhere.

Question 16

青出于蓝

Answer 16

(qīng chū yú lán)
Lit: Indigo blue is extracted from the indigo plant (but is bluer than the plant is comes from)/ Indigo came out of blue, but is prettier than blue.
the pupil surpasses the master

Question 17

塞翁失马

Answer 17

• (sài wēng shī mǎ)
• Lit: the old frontiersman, Saiweng, losing one of his horses.
• Fig: A loss may turn out to be a gain, A blessing in disguise; every cloud has a silver lining.

Question 18

闻鸡起舞

Answer 18

• (wén jī qǐ wǔ）
• Lit: Rise up upon hearing the crow of a rooster and practise with the sword
• Fig: Diligent and self-disciplined

Question 19

愚公移山

Answer 19

• (yú ɡōnɡ yí shān）
• Lit: Yu Gong (the foolish old man in a Chinese parable) who removes the mountains.
• Fig: Where there is a will, there is a way; do seemingly impossible things with dogged perseverance and succeed eventually

Question 20

过目不忘

Answer 20

• (guò mù bù wàng）
• Lit: Once read something, one will never forget
• Fig: to have a highly retentive memory

Question 21

水落石出

Answer 21

• (shuǐ luò shí chū)
• Lit: When the water subsides, the rocks emerge.
• Fig: Eventually truth will prevail

Question 22

草船借箭

Answer 22

• (cǎo chuán jiè jiàn)
• Lit: To borrow arrows by using boats with jacks of straw
• Fig: To use others’ manpower and resources for one’s own ends

Question 23

步步为营

Answer 23

• (bù bù wéi yíng)
• Lit: Advance gradually and dig in at every step
• Fig: Act cautiously, to consolidate at every step

Question 24

草木皆兵

Answer 24

• (cǎo mù jiē bīng)
• Lit: One thinks that grass and tree everywhere are enemy soliders
  Be in a state of extreme suspicion and fear

Question 25

鸟语花香

Answer 25

• (niǎo yǔ huā xiāng)
• Lit: Birds sing and flowers give forth fragrance.
• Fig: As on a fine spring day