📂 Idioms & Four-Character Phrases
48 words
不谙世事
bù ān shì shì
Inexperienced in worldly affairs; naive
缠缠绵绵
chán chán mián mián
Lingering; entangled; deeply affectionate; clingy
打开天窗说亮话
dǎ kāi tiān chuāng liàng huà
Speak frankly, open one's heart not to hide anything
放荡不羁
fàng dàng bù jī
Uninhibited / Carefree
佛是金装,人是衣装
fó shì jīn zhuāng, rén shì yī zhuāng
Clothes make the man
福无双至,祸不单行
fú wú shuāng zhì, huò bù dān xíng
Misfortunes never come singly / Blessings do not come in pairs
功败垂成
gōng bài chuí chéng
Fail on the verge of success
好俏不穿棉,冻死不可怜
hǎo qiào bù chuān mián, dòng sǐ bù kě lián
Suffering for fashion; Freezing to look cool without sympathy
后知后觉
hòu zhī hòu jué
Realize later / Hindsight
慌不择路
huāng bù zé lù
Panic and choose any path / Flee in panic
节哀顺变
jié ai shùn biàn
My condolences / Restrain grief and accept the inevitable
金榜题名
jīn bǎng tí míng
Pass an exam / Succeed in the examination
久别重逢
jiǔ bié chóng féng
Reunion after a long separation
可怜之人必有可恨之处
kě lián zhī rén bì yǒu kě hèn zhī chù
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes / Pitiful people have their own hateful qualities
癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉
lài há má xiǎng chī tiān é ròu
A toad wanting to eat swan meat (Craving something out of one「s league)
虎口拔牙
hǔ kǒu bá yá
Pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth (Extremely dangerous)
乐此不疲
lè cǐ bù pí
Never tiring of; deeply engrossed
冷暖自知
lěng nuǎn zì zhī
One knows best by one's own experience
寥寥数语
liáo liáo shù yǔ
A few words
屡败屡战
lǚ bài lǜ zhàn
Keep fighting despite repeated setbacks; never give up
貌不惊人
mào bù jīng rén
Plain-looking / Average appearance
绵薄之力
mián bó zhī lì
Meager effort / Modest contribution
飘忽不定
piāo hū bù dìng
Drifting, erratic, unstable
拳不离手,曲不离口
quán bù lí shǒu,qǔ bù lí kǒu
Practice makes perfect
拳不离手,曲不离口
quán bù lí shǒu,qǔ bù lí kǒu
Practice makes perfect
人前一套人后一套
rén qián yī tào, rén hòu yī tào
Two-faced / Hypocritical
僧多粥少
sēng duō zhōu shǎo
Not enough to go around / Too many monks, too little gruel
少不经事
shào bù jīng shì
Young and inexperienced / Lacking insight
神通广大
shén tōng guǎng dà
Possessing magical powers / Extremely capable / Resourceful
胜败乃兵家常事
shèng bài nǎi bīng jiā cháng shì
Victory and defeat are common in war / Winning and losing is part of the game
生姜脱不了辣气
shēng jiāng tuō bù liǎo là qì
A leopard cannot change its spots / Old habits die hard
贪大求全
tān dà qiú quán
Seek undue size and completeness
掏心掏肺
tāo xīn tāo fèi
Pour one's heart out, wholehearted
歪锅配歪灶
wāi guō pèi wāi zào
Birds of a feather flock together
先知先觉
xiān zhī xiān jué
Foresight / Visionary
行百里者半九十
xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí
The last leg is the hardest
秀才遇见兵,有理讲不清
xiù cái yù jiàn bīng, yǒu lǐ jiǎng bù qīng
Reasoning with the unreasonable is impossible
遥不可及
yáo bù kě jí
Out of reach / Unattainable
一白遮百丑
yī bái zhē bǎi chǒu
A white complexion hides a hundred flaws
有话就说,有屁就放
yǒu huà jiù shuō, yǒu pì jiù fàng
Spit it out / Speak up
忧心忡忡
yōu xīn chōng chōng
Deeply worried / Anxious
欲迎还拒
yù yíng huán jù
Playing hard to get
张弛有度
zhāng chí yǒu dù
Well-balanced / Paced
真的假不了,假的真不了
zhēn de jiǎ bù liǎo, jiǎ de zhēn bù liǎo
Real is real, fake is fake
蒸不熟煮不烂
zhēng bù shú zhǔ bù làn
Stubborn / Intractable / Tough
知耻而后勇
zhī chǐ ér hòu yǒng
Knowing shame leads to courage
舟覆乃见善游,马奔乃见良御
zhōu fù nǎi jiàn shàn yóu, mǎ bēn nǎi jiàn liáng yù
True capability shows in crisis
自成一格
zì chéng yī gé
Unique style / In a class of its own