Chinese idioms E to I
A list of Chinese proverbs ordered by pinyin spelling.
恩将仇报 [恩將仇報]
kindness will enemy repay
Repay kindness with hostility
Reject kindness
Biting the hand that feeds it
儿行千里母担忧 [兒行千里母擔憂]
child travel 1000 mile mother undertake worry
When children travel far away the mother worries
Mothers will always worry about their children
尔虞我诈 [爾虞我詐]
you cheat me swindle
Cheating and deceiving each other
Mutual distrust and deception. A relationship without any trust.
Dog eat dog
耳目一新
ear eye one new
New sights and sounds
A change of place, everything fresh and new
恶贯满盈 [噁貫滿盈]
evil string of cash everywhere full
If evil was placed like discs on a string it would be always be full.
Evil is all around. Traditionally coins had holes in them and they were strung together.
恶人先告状 [噁人先告狀]
evil person first tell complaint
The offender is the first to complain
The perpetrator diverts attention by being the first to complain
To cry 'wolf'
发愤忘食 [發憤忘食]
to work diligently to forget food
Working so hard as to forget to eat
Concentrating on work so much that appetite is forgotten. Implication that work is interesting rather than drudgery.
翻云覆雨
turn over cloud overturn rain
Conjuring clouds with one hand and rain with the other
Trying too hard to impress
凡人不可貌相, 海水不可斗量 [凡人不可貌相海水不可斗量]
every person can not looks mutual, sea water can not argue capacity
Neither a person can be judged by his looks nor can the sea be fathomed
Judging by appearance is dangerous
Don't judge a book by its cover
防微杜渐 [防微杜漸]
prevent decline restrict gradual
Prevent problems by early action
A stitch in time saves nine. Tackle problems when they are small and can be dealt with before they get out of hand.
Nipping it in the bud
反覆推敲
contrary overturn push and knock
Carefully considering the words push and knock
Spending considerable time to get the words just right. Showing excessive concern on minor details. Said to be the story of an Tang dynasty official who could not choose whether 'knock' or 'push' was the appropriate word in a poem.
Slow but sure
返老还童 [返老還童]
return old return child
Return to youthful vigour
Returning to youthful energy. Turning back the years. Often used as a compliment to someone sprightly in old age.
New lease of life
非驴非马 [非驢非馬]
not donkey not horse
Neither a donkey nor a horse
A person or place that is neither one thing nor another. Indeterminate or strange combination.
Neither fish nor fowl
飞蛾投火 [飛蛾投火]
fly moth hurl fire
A moth throws itself into a flame
Heading for self destruction
Like a moth to a flame
飞黄腾达 [飛黃騰達]
fly yellow gallop extend
To fly in the sky like the legendary horse Fei Huang (flying yellow)
A meteoric rise to success and honour
飞禽走兽 [飛禽走獸]
flying bird walking animal
Birds and beasts
Wildlife
分道扬镳 [分道揚鑣]
divide way raise horsebit
Go separate ways and urge on the horses
Choosing to go separate ways due to different plans and ambitions.
风吹草动 [風吹草動]
wind blow grass move
The wind causes the grass to move
A minor repercussion of a larger action. A trifling consequence
风吹草动 [風吹草動]
wind blow grass move
The wind causes the grass to move
A minor repercussion of a larger action. A trifling consequence
风马牛不相及 [風馬牛不相及]
custom horse cow not each other reach
Horses and cows keep themselves separate
People moving in different circles, different agendas. Having nothing in common.
Apples and oranges
风雨同舟 [風雨同舟]
wind rain same boat
In the same boat in a storm
Facing troubles together
A trouble shared is a trouble halved
焚林而畋,竭泽而渔 [焚林而畋竭澤而漁]
burn forest but cultivate, exhaust pool but fishing
Burn a forest to farm; drain a pond to fish
Ignoring the consequences
Marry in haste, repent at leisure
逢奸宁可玉碎,气正不求瓦全 [逢奸宁可玉碎氣正不求瓦全]
come upon traitor stand approve jade, spirit straight no beg tile complete
In face of evil, rather be a broken jade than an intact brick
It is better to die with honor than surrender
废寝忘食 [廢寑忘食]
abandon sleep forget eat
To forget to sleep and eat
To be absorbed in work and study
凤毛麟角 [鳳毛麟角]
phoenix hair unicorn horn
As rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns
Seeking the unobtainable
福无重至,祸不单行 [福無重至旤不單行]
good fortune not double arrive, misfortune not single walk
Blessings come along alone; troubles often come together
Bad fortune is more frequent than good
Ill fortune comes in threes
斧快不怕木柴硬
axe sharp no fear wood hard
A sharp axe does not fear hard wood
A talented person is not afraid of a difficult task
富丽堂皇 [富麗堂皇]
good fortune beautiful hall emperor
Prosperous and beautiful
To have the best of good fortune
覆巢无完卵 [覆巢無完卵]
overturn nest no entire egg
When the nest is overturned, no egg is left unbroken
In a disaster everyone will feel the consequences. Failure will affect everyone involved
覆水难收 [覆水難收]
spilled water difficult collect
Spilled water can not be recovered
What is done is done. The situation can not be restored to how it once was
There's no use crying over spilt milk
负荆请罪 [負荊請罪]
carry thorns ask pain
To carry a cane and ask to be punished
Admit a fault and offer an apology. The story is from the Zhou dynasty when Lin Xiangru of the Zhao kingdom had an adversity in Lian Po. Lian Po used every opportunity to dis his boss Lin Xiangru. Lian Po was then shown that solidarity was key to the state's survival and offered a humble apology. Lian Po carried brambles on his back for some distance to show his contrition
Swallowing your pride
赴汤蹈火 [赴湯蹈火]
wade hot water tread fire
Wade through scolding water and burning flame
Showing great courage and valour
干将莫邪 [干將莫邪]
Gan Jiang and Mo Ye
Two famous swords
These are the names of two supreme bronze swords of long ago. Gan Jiang was unable to melt the bronze until he added some hair and nail clippings from his wife Mo Ye. Only then could the swords be made and they were the sharpest swords ever made. Used to honor someone or something as superlative.
Cat's pyjamas
高不成低不就
high no accomplish low no come near
Although not qualified for high office will not accept a lower position
Exaggerating one's skills
高山流水
high mountain flow water
High mountains and flowing water
A description of beautiful music and by analogy a deep friendship.
Boon companion
高屋建瓴
high house make water tank
Pouring water from the roof of a tall building
Being in a good position to repel attackers. Holding a commanding position
改邪归正 [改邪歸正]
change evil return correct
Abandon evil and turn to good
Reject bad ways and turn to the good
Turn over a new leaf
感恩图报 [感恩圖報]
feeling kindness plan recompense
Gratefully returning kindness
Repaying a debt of kindness. The story is from the Zhou dynasty when the state of Wu was mounting a war against the state of Zheng. A Zheng fisherman offered to try to stop the conflict. He boldly went to the enemy general Wu Zixu and reminded him that his father had saved Wu's life a long time ago. The general then recalled the incident and in repayment of the kindness called off his attack on Zheng.
One good turn deserves another
干活不由东累死也无功 [干活不由東累死也無功]
do live no reason master pile up die also no merit
Working without obeying the boss will bring only hard work and no merit
Only work on what is needed to be done
割肉自啖
cut flesh oneself eat
Eating one's own flesh
A foolish, self defeating stratagem.
Cutting off your nose to spite your face
隔岸观火 [隔岸觀火]
separate bank observe fire
Watch the fire burn from the other side of the river
Refusing to help others when it is needed
隔靴搔痒
separate boot scratch itch
Scratching an itch from outside of the shoe
An ineffective solution to a problem
各自为政 [各自為政]
each person act as government
Each following his own policy
Acting selfishly. Following own plans and ideas with no regard for others.
功亏一篑 [功虧一簣]
completion lost one basket of earth
A new dam is left incomplete due to the lack of one basket of earth
See things through to the end
狗急跳墙 [狗急跳墻]
dog anxious leap wall
A cornered dog will leap over a wall
Extreme circumstances require extreme measures
The end justifies the means
狗猛酒酸
dog fierce wine acid
A fierce dog bankrupts a liquor store. A story of a shopkeeper who lost all his customers due to his ferocious dog
Bad company discourages true friends
狗尾续貂 [狗尾續貂]
dog tail to replace sable
Use a dog?s tail to replace a sable
A poor substitute for the original. Said of poor follow-up to promising earlier work. The story is of a usurper to the Jin dynasty throne who gave honors and titles to his whole family and household. There was insufficient sable tails to make the formal robes for all these people so dog tails were used instead.
苟延残喘 [苟延殘喘]
temporarily prolong survive gasp
Lingering at last gasp
In the throes of dying. Making a final desperate action prior to dying.
At death's door
刮目相看
scrape eye appearance look at
Rubbing one?s eyes when seeing someone
Noticing that someone has changed for the better. Show respect for improvement and progress. Changing a view of someone's abilities.
Seeing someone in a new light
瓜田李下
melon field plum below
In a melon field and under a plum tree
Avoid circumstances that give rise to false suspicion, If someone is seen near ripe melons or under a plum tree they are open to suspicion of theft. A longer form of the saying makes it clear that you should not tie up your shoes in a melon field or out on a hat under a plum tree as these actions are
管中窥豹 [管中窺豹]
tube middle peep leopard
View a leopard through a tube
A narrow-minded view of something. Not seeing the full picture.
Cant see the wood for the trees
挂羊头卖狗肉 [掛羊頭賣狗肉]
hang up sheep head sell dog meat
Hanging up a sheep?s head but selling dog meat
Deceiving people into believing you are selling something much less valuable than it appears to be. A con trick. Dishonest advertising.
Buying a pig in a poke
鬼由心生
ghost caused by mind life
Ghosts are figments of the mind
Being scared of the paranormal; irrational fear of dark and shadows.
Frightened of your own shadow
裹足不前
bind foot not ahead
Dithering about
Unable to move forward due to misgivings. To hesitate about getting on and doing something.
All of a dither
过河拆桥 [過河拆橋]
go river destroy bridge
Dismantling the bridge after crossing it
Not showing due consideration for others
孤掌难鸣 [孤掌難鳴]
solitary palm difficult sound
You can not clap with just one hand
It is difficult to achieve anything on your own
It takes two to Tango
孤注一掷 [孤注一擲]
single stake one toss
Stake all on a single throw
Taking desperate measures to try to save a situation. Gambling everything on a change of fortune.
Last throw of the dice
古为今用 [古為今用]
ancient pride modern apply
Applying ancient ways to the present day
Learning from history. Applying past history to the current situation
骨瘦如柴
bone thin as lath
Nothing but skin and bones
Emaciated
顾左右而言他 [顧左右而言他]
look at left and right sides but then talk him
Looking both ways and changing the subject
Avoiding talking about something; taking a long digression
含沙射影
keep sand shoot shadow
Making insinuations
To spit sand at someone's shadow, in other words to attack someone indirectly by innuendo. There is a legend of a three-legged turtle that would spit out sand at anyone who passed. Its spittle was so noxious that it would infect someone even if it only hit their shadow.
邯郸学步 [邯鄲學步]
Handan study gait
Trying too hard to impress
Learning how the residents of Handan walk ➚. The story is of a man back in the Warring States period who took on the gait of grand city folk trying to impress but could no longer walk properly. Pompous and pretentious.
Make an ass of yourself
海纳百川 [海納百川]
sea admit hundred rivers
All rivers run to the sea
We all shared a common destiny
好好先生
good good mister
Yes-man
Someone who agrees with everything said. More likely to be so as to not give any offense rather than ingratiating
好马不吃回头草 [好馬不吃回頭草]
good horse no eat return head grass
A good horse will not eat the grass behind it
Pride may forbid a person going back to his home town after failure. Do not dwell on past actions, progress forward
好人好事
good person; good deeds
Good personality good deeds
Pleasant person who behaves well
A good man is hard to find
害群之马 [害群之馬]
injure crowd this horse
The horse that causes trouble to the herd
The bad person of the family or group
Bad apple; Black sheep
合浦珠还 [合浦珠還]
Hepu pearl return
The Hepu pearls return home
Something or someone returns to its original source. Often said of someone returning to their original home district after years of wandering. The story is from the Han dynasty of Hepu, Gunagxi which was a leading center for pearl fishing until a local official over exploited the beds of pearls leading to Vietnam taking over as the leading procedure. Only when the pearl beds were left for years to recover did the pearl industry return.
The wheel has come full circle
和颜悦色 [和顏悅色]
harmony face contended colour
Having a happy face looking contented
Amiable appearance
河东狮吼 [河東獅吼]
He Dong lion roar
The lioness from Hedong roars
A husband under the control of a domineering wife. The story is of Chen Zao of the Song dynasty who often had guests around in the evening. If his wife got to hear that there were other women with him she would knock on the wall and roar. A hen-pecked man.
She who must be obeyed
涸辙之鲋 [涸轍之鮒]
dry rut silver carp
A carp in a dry rut
In a desperate situation. A fish stuck in a rut in the road will soon die if not moved. In need of immediate assistance.
In dire straits
横行霸道 [橫行霸道]
across walk bully road
Walking sidewise to block the way
Being deliberately obstructive
鹤立鸡群 [鶴立雞群]
crane stand chicken crowd
A crane standing amidst a flock of chickens
Being conspicuously different (often superior)
Standing head and shoulders above the opposition.
鸿鹄之志 [鴻鵠之志]
great swan 's aspiration
The aspirations of a great swan
Having unrealistic ambitions.
Wish for the moon
侯门似海 [侯門似海]
nobleman house appear sea
A noble?s house is as vast as the sea
A very tough task. A nobleman in ancient China would have a courtyard house with high walls and no easy entry. It was also hard to get any way to get an invite to visit such a noble. And so represents a high physical and social barrier.
Beyond your wildest dreams
后顾之忧
back attend worries
Looking after troubles behind you
Worried about events back at home. Said of someone concerned about goings on at home rather than things immediately to hand.
后来居上 [後來居上]
behind arrive reside above
A later-comer surpasses everyone
A new arrival outperforms everyone present. A youngster outstrips the older generation
Put everyone in the shade
后起之秀 [後起之秀]
after raise him refined
Promising young talent
Said of someone showing talent at an early age.
He/she will go far
Image by Mgmoscatello ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚
花花世界
flower flower lifespan limit
Life full of experience. Dazzling world of excitement
World seething with life
华而不实 [華而不實]
flower but not fruit
Flowering but not bearing fruit
Said of someone is all show and no substance
All that glitters is not gold
怀安丧志 [懷安喪志]
heart content lose ambition
A contented life saps the will
Living a life of idleness and contentment can lead to idleness and laziness.
A Lotus eater
黄粱美梦 [黃粱美夢]
golden sorghum beautiful dream
A golden millet dream
A fanciful day dream. The story is of a man who took a brief nap while his host was cooking a bowl of millet. He dreamed of becoming married to a beautiful wife and immensely rich and living to a great age. When he woke up the millet was cooked but he found he was still poor.
Cloud cuckoo land
画饼充饥 [畫餅充飢]
draw biscuit fill hunger
Drawing a biscuit to satisfy hunger
To act foolishly and ineffectively. Wasting time on fruitless projects
Soft in the head
画虎类犬 [畫虎類犬]
draw tiger like dog
A drawing of a tiger that looks like a dog
Foolishly undertaking something over-ambitious and coming a cropper. Taking on something beyond your ability. Puffed up with self-conceit.
The pride of the peacock
画龙点睛 [畫龍點睛]
draw dragon dot eye
To add eyes to a painted dragon
Make the final vital addition to complete something. Add finishing touches. The story is of a great painter who painted four dragons without completing the eyes. When challenged he claimed that it was to ensure they did not come to life and fly away. When pressured he drew in the eyes of two dragons and they promptly came to life and flew away.
Dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's
画蛇添足 [畫蛇添足]
draw snake add foot
Drawing a foot on a snake
Ruin by over working something. Add superfluous detail. Too meticulous
Gilding the lily
话里有话 [話里有話]
speech inside has speech
Within the talk there is more meaning
There is more in what was said than is obvious
患难见真情 [患難見真情]
suffer difficult see true affection
In adversity, true feelings are shown
Only in a crisis do you know who your friends really are
A friend in need is a friend indeed
换汤不换药 [換湯不換葯]
change hot water no change medicine
Change the soup but not the medicine
Not getting to the root of a problem, making superficial changes
Rearranging the deckchairs while the ship is sinking
挥汗成雨,比肩继踵 [揮汗成雨,比肩繼踵]
scatter sweat become rain, contrast shoulder succeed heel
Sweat dripping like rain?shoulder to shoulder and toes touching heels
Stuck in a very large crowd of people with no space to move.
讳疾忌医 [諱疾忌醫]
avoid mentioning sickness fear medical
Hiding sickness for fear of treatment
Keeping mistakes and shortcomings to yourself. Refuse to listen to advice.
Sweep it under the carpet
祸不单行 [旤不單行]
disaster not alone walk
Disasters do not walk alone
Misfortunes tend to come all at once
When it rains, it pours
祸从口出 [旤從口出]
disaster from mouth emerge
The wrong words can bring disaster
Be careful what you say
囫囵吞枣 [囫圇吞棗]
whole all swallow date
Swallow a date along with its stone
To read something without fully understanding it
None the wiser
狐假虎威
fox fake tiger power
A trick of cunning to exaggerate self importance
A fox will pretend to have the power of a tiger. The story is that a fox followed a tiger in a parade. The animals panicked and the fox claimed that this was because they were frightened of the fox not the tiger. It goes back to the Warring States Period.
虎父无犬子 [虎父無犬子]
tiger father not dog child
A tiger does not father a dog
A son is similar to his father
Like father, like son
虎口拔牙
tiger mouth pull up tooth
To extract a tooth from a tiger's mouth
To be very daring and/or to take unnecessary risks
虎口余生 [虎口餘生]
tiger den me save
Saved from the tiger?s den
A narrow escape from a dangerous situation.
虎视眈眈 [虎眎眈眈]
tiger look at stare stare
A tiger's stare. To look covetously
To eye enviously
虎头蛇尾 [虎頭蛇尾]
tiger head snake tail
Tiger's head; snake's tail
Begins promisingly but ends badly
Our proverbs come with full information. The modern Chinese characters are given first with links that give information on the character. As proverbs are so old you will often see them written using the traditional form of characters; so if of the characters have been simplified the phrase is shown in brackets and gray text. . The characters are followed by the proverb (Chengyu) in pinyin. Next, there is a crude character by character transliteration into English, followed by a more accurate English translation. If this is a Chinese proverb alluding to history the meaning may still not be clear in English, so the general meaning follows. Finally some proverbs have fairly direct English equivalents, if so the English proverb is shown.
Our translations are in need of improvement, so please let us know your ideas. For background on the types and history of proverbs please see our guide.