Chinese idioms about laboring towards success
When striving towards a better job, or bringing up a family you may need a proverb to keep yourself determined for the long haul towards success.
蚂蚁啃骨头 [螞蟻啃骨頭]
ant gnaw bone
Like ants gnawing at a bone
Dogged perseverance to achieve a long term end
引锥刺股 [引錐刺股]
pull awl prick thigh
Pricking your thigh with an awl
Study hard with great determination. An awl is a sharp pointed tool for making holes in wood. The story is from the Three Character classic which tells how Su Qin of the Han dynasty pricked himself in the thigh to keep himself awake and alert for study. Used as a parent or teacher's encouragement for children to study diligently.
Hit the books
磨杵成针 [磨杵成針]
grind pestle accomplish needle
Grinding an iron pestle down to a needle
Patiently setting about a great, lengthy task step by step. Anything can be achieved with a firm resolve,
Little strokes fell great oaks
愚公移山
foolish man move mountain
The foolish old man who moved mountains
Anything can be achieved with persistence. ?. The old story ➚ is that an old man wanted to move a mountain that blocked his path. Despite widespread cynicism he and his descendents gradually wore down the mountain. Mao Zedong used this proverb to persuade people that the seemingly impossible was achievable. One version of the story has the gods taking pity on the old man and removing the mountain with mighty powers
Go the extra mile
粗枝大叶
thick branch big leaf
A large branch with large leaves. Unable to draw in fine detail
Lack of attention to detail
走官发财 [走官發財]
from government get rich
Become a government official to get rich
Attain riches by working a government career
说到做到 [說到做到]
speak arrive make arrive
Say and then make
Do what one says
Actions speak louder than words
人心不足蛇吞象
person heart no attain snake swallow elephant
A person's greed is like a snake that seeks to swallow an elephant
Greed is insatiable
常将有日思无日,莫将无时想有时 [常將有日思無日莫將無旹想有旹]
normal support has day think nothing day, noone support nothing time think has time
When rich there is time to think all day, when poor there is no time to think
When rich, you have time to dream, but do not dream of riches when you are poor
镜花水月 [鏡花水月]
mirror flower water moon
Flowers in a mirror and the moon in water
Beautiful but unattainable dreams. Unrealistic ambitions
开天辟地 [開天闢地]
start heaven repel earth
To separate heaven from earth
The beginning of a great task. In one creation myth Pangu set about his momentous work by first separating heaven (yang) from earth (yin). An epic undertaking
To boldly go
五十步笑一百步
50 pace smile 100 pace
Fifty steps laugh at a hundred steps
Being complacent about the future. Believing a job is all but done when only half done.
Pride cometh before a fall
滴水穿石
drip water penetrate stone
Dripping water can bore into stone
Long perseverance will win in the end, even stone wears away. Nothing is permanent
Keep on keeping on
维妙维肖 [維妙維肖]
tie clever tie resemble
Weave skillfully life like images
Produce an image remarkably true to life; highly skilled
破釜沉舟
broken pot sink boat
Smash the pots and sink the boats
A story ➚ at the fall of the Qin dynasty 207BCE tells of the general Xiang Yu who refused to accept possibility of retreat at the battle of Julu by burning the boats and smashing the cooking pots. So it means no going back whatever happens. Cutting off all possibility of retreat
Burning your boats
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.
哀兵必胜 [哀兵必勝]
grief weapons certainly victory
A vengeful army will certainly win
Strong emotion galvanizes effort
一步登天
one stride reach heaven
Approach heaven with a single stride
An attempt to achieve a goal all in one go without hard work
Rome was not built in a day
世外桃源
world foreign peach source
The land of peach blossoms
A mythical land of peace and harmony. The story is of a hidden land that a fisherman found while trying to escape turmoil and war in the Qin dynasty. Try as he might he never found the land again.
Land of milk and honey
Qilin also known as Kylin or Kirin, is a mythical Chinese creature that brings serenity and prosperity
不怕路长只怕志短 [不怕路長只怕志短]
not fear road long only fear aspire short
Not fear a long road; fear aspiration to start
Do not be afraid of a long road to success only be afraid of a shortage of ambition
Rome was not built in a day
有何不可
have what not can
Anything not possible
Anything may be possible
水滴石穿
water drip stone penetrate
Dripping water eventually wears away stone
If you persevere, you will eventually achieve your goal
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
老蚌生珠
old oyster grow pearl
An old oyster yields pearls
Remaining fit and healthy into old age, specifically can mean fathering children in advanced years.
There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle
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
赐子千金不如教子一艺 [賜子千金不如教子一藝]
grant child thousand cash not like teach child one skill
Better to teach a child a skill than give money
Learning a new skill will pay dividends in the future
东山再起 [東山再起]
east mountain again rise
To rise again from the east mountain
Coming back after voluntary retirement into public life. Particularly for taking on high office after a long break away from all the action.
To make a comeback
不到黄河不死心 [不到黃河不死心]
not arrive Yellow River not die heart
Not giving up until one reaches the Yellow River
Keep going until you hit an insurmountable obstacle
He who hesitates is lost
半途而废 [半途而廢]
half way but give-up
Give up half way through
To abandon work half done. Lacking determination to see the job through
Stick to your guns
山不转路转 [山不轉路轉]
mountain no turn road turn
A mountain cannot turn, but a road can
It is not necessary to continue in the same direction, there are other alternatives to avoid an obstacle
There's more than one way to skin a cat
单枪匹马 [單槍匹馬]
single spear horse
A single spear and a single horse
Taking on a difficult task on your own
凤毛麟角 [鳳毛麟角]
phoenix hair unicorn horn
As rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns
Seeking the unobtainable
孟母三迁 [孟母三遷]
Meng mother three moves
Mencius? mother moved house three times
It's important to spend time getting things just right for your children's education. The famous story is of Mencius (Mengzi) the second sage of Confucian philosophy. To ensure she had chosen the best possible location for her son's education she is reputed to have moved house three times. The legend is mentioned in the three character classic.
铁杵成针 [鐵杵成針]
iron pestle produce needle
Grind an iron rod down to a needle
Perseverance can achieve anything
千里之行始于足下
thousand mile's walk begin goto foot down
A long march starts from a single step
Perseverance will lead to eventual success
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
一意孤行
one idea lonely walk
Obstinately clinging to one's course
Acting dogmatically in pursuit of own objectives without regard to others.Dogged determination. Sometimes this approach is honorable and sometimes leads to ruin but it is the single-mindedness that is being admired.
Steely-eyed
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
输攻墨守 [輸攻墨守]
Shu to attack surname Mo to defend
Shu attacks and Mo defends
Two opponents of equal skill. Back in the Spring and Autumn period the story goes that Gongshu Ban, a carpenter who had developed a new device to aid the attack of cities, was persuaded by the pacifist philosopher MoZi not to deploy it. Mozi was able to defend against any attack by Gongshu Ban giving stalemate.
Fighting to a standstill
有钱能使鬼推磨 [有錢能使鬼推磨]
have money can send devil push grindstone
If you have money you can make the devil push a grind stone
Money can buy you anything
事倍功半
work multiple times merit half
Work very hard for half the result
Work with care rather than speed
Less haste more speed
玉不琢不成器
jade not polished not accomplish gem
Jade requires fashioning to turn into a gem
Training and discipline are needed to build character
人往高处走,水往低处流 [人往高處走水往低處流]
person towards high place walk, water towards low place flow
A person moves up while water always trickles down
There is always room for improvement
Practice makes perfect
兔死狗烹
rabbit dog cook
Trusted helpers are dispensable once their job is done
Watch your back. Once the mission is accomplished you may be sacked
Outliving your usefulness
人心隔肚皮
person heart separate belly
A person's heart is not discernible from looking just at the body
People are inscrutable. Do not judge by appearance
Do not judge a book by its cover
笨鸟先飞早入林 [笨鳥先飛早入林]
stupid bird first fly early enter forest
A clumsy bird that flies first will get to the forest earlier
Starting early helps achieve success
The tortoise beats the hare. The early bird catches the worm
卷土重来 [捲土重來]
sweep dust again come
Sweeping off the dust and trying again
Making a comeback after a setback - determined to have another go. Like getting back on a horse after being thrown off.
Dust yourself off and start all over again
忍辱负重 [忍辱負重]
endure disgrace bear repetition
Enduring humiliations in line of duty
Willing to put up with disgrace and humiliation so that work can be done. Often applied to someone given a very difficult but important task.
Taking the flak
一顾之荣 [一顧之榮]
one attend honor
Honored from a single glance
Honored by a visit of someone distinguished who is showing an interest. A passport to getting on in social circles. The story is that a expert of horse was persuaded to give a mere glance at a horse that was for sale and by so doing its price rose enormously in value.
点石成金 [點石成金]
touch stone accomplish gold
Turn stone into gold
To turn something of little worth into something of great value
Improve beyond recognition
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
一身是胆 [一身是膽]
one body is courage
Full of courage
Fearless, intrepid. A heroic disposition.
As bold as brass
小洞不补,大洞吃苦 [小洞不補大洞吃苦]
small hole no mend big hole eat bitter
A small hole not mended in time will soon become a larger hole more difficult to mend
Do not put off taking action to put things right
A stitch in time saves nine
不怕慢就怕站
not fear slow come-near fear halt
Not fear slowing down; fear coming to a halt
Do not be afraid of slowing down as long as you keep going
A rolling stone gathers no moss
见义勇为 [見義勇為]
see justice brave act
See the just cause and act on it
To see what is right and act with courage
千山万水
thousand mountain ten thousand rivers
Many mountains and many rivers
A long and arduous journey
凿璧偷光 [鑿璧偸光]
bore hole steal light
Borrowing light through a hole in the wall
Using a hole in the wall to get light to be able to read with. Striving hard to study diligently. The story is of a boy from a poor family who could not afford to buy candles to study books with. Instead he bored a hole through to his neighbor's room that was well illuminated so he could then read.
困兽犹斗 [困獸猶鬥]
surrounded beast still struggle
A cornered beast continues to struggle
Desperate measures to keep going. To fight like a cornered animal.
A drowning man will clutch at a straw
精卫填海 [精衛填海]
Jing Wei fill ocean
Jingwei tries to fill up the ocean
Even the mythical bird Jing Wei will be unable to fill the oceans with pebbles. Facing a Herculean task. Determined against impossible odds. The story is of Jing Wei who was the daughter of Emperor Yan. A great typhoon came and killed her and she was then transformed into a bird. In revenge for her early death she determined to fill up the ocean by filling it with pebbles one by one.
A forlorn hope
Samantabhadra statue at Golden Summit on Emei Shan, Sichuan. April 2009.
Image by Martin Wettig available under a Creative Commons license ➚
谈何容易 [談何容易]
chat what look easy
Talking makes look easy
Not as easy as it seemed
Easier said than done
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
不入虎穴焉得虎子
not enter tiger den how get tiger cub
Without entering a tiger's den how can you hope to capture a tiger cub?
Great rewards require a great risk.
Fortune favors the brave. Nothing ventured, nothing gained
千虑一得 [千慮一得]
thousand tries one completed
Thousand tries, one success
An expression of modesty when accounting for success. Discounting skill and perseverance as just a lucky break.
Lucky chance
亦步亦趋 [亦步亦趨]
also step also walk fast
To follow in someone's footsteps
To imitate slavishly. The story is of a devoted pupil of Confucius, Yan Hui, who aped everything Confucius did including his walk. Pointless copying
A copycat
日以继夜 [日以繼夜]
day take continue
Day and night continuously
Working without a break. Exhausted
望洋兴叹 [望洋興嘆]
towards ocean excitement sigh
Consider one?s competance before the ocean
To feel inadequate to perform a great task. Feel misgivings before a big endeavor. The story is of the river god of the Huanghe caused a great flood that made the river a mile wide but when it met the sea it was overcome with relative inadequacy.
世上没有无缘无故的爱，也没有无缘无故的恨 [世上沒有無緣無故的愛，也沒有無緣無故的恨]
on earth not have no cause for love also not have no cause for hate
There is no love without a reason there is no hate without a cause
There is a reason behind all strong emotions
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
言犹在耳 [言猶在耳]
words still exist ear
Words still ringing in one?s ears
Still fresh in the mind. Keeping hold of a recent command or argument. Staying true to purpose.
马革裹尸 [馬革裹屍]
horse hide wrap corpse
Wrapping the body in horsehide
A wish to die in action on the battlefield. A heroic wish to serve until death.
With all guns blazing
熟能生巧
mature can produce skill
Learning a skill from long experience
With long practice one can learn any skill. Sometimes used disparagingly of a skill anyone can learn given enough time.
Practice makes perfect
百折不挠 [百折不撓]
hundred bend not scratch
Not to falter despite many setbacks
Persistence pays off in the end
Patience is a virtue
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
志在四方
ambition exist four directions
Having high ambition
Willing to travel far and wide to achieve aims. Aspiring to achieve great things in life.
Driving ambition
集腋成裘
gather armpit accomplish fur coat
A fur coat can be made from poor scraps
Make do with what you have
Beggars can't be choosers
一步一个脚印儿 [一步一個腳印兒]
one stride one footprint
Every step leaves a footprint
Work steadily one step at a time in order to make solid progress
Rome was not built in a day
身体力行 [身體力行]
health strength walk
To maintain health by strenuous walk
Following the advice given oneself
Practice what you preach
立锥之地 [立錐之地]
establish awl's place
A place to stick an awl
A very small piece of property. Often said of someone who has fallen on hard times and has only a very small place to live or just to describe a very small space.
No space to swing a cat
A page from the oldest known printed book - the Diamond Sutra, discovered near Dunhuang by Sir Marc Aurel Stein ➚ in 1907.
British Library, London
Image available under a Creative Commons license ➚
势如破竹 [勢如破竹]
situation as if split bamboo
Like splitting bamboo
Continuing a successful series. Once you get the knack of splitting bamboo it's best to keep on going. The story is of a general who was advised to rest his army for the winter after a series of successes. The general disagreed, his army had high morale and went on to complete the victory.
Don't stop while you are winning
一分耕耘, 一分收获 [一分耕耘一分收獲]
one part cultivation, one part harvest
Half growing the crop; half harvesting it.
Hard work is needed to achieve a good result. Can't expect a harvest without cultivating the crop.
Hard work never did anyone any harm
程门立雪 [程門立雪]
Cheng door stand snow
Standing at Cheng?s door in the snow
Showing great respect for someone - usually a teacher or scholar. The story is that a great scholar accidentally left two students waiting for him for hours out in the snow.
离乡背井 [离鄉背井]
leave village behind well
Leave one's own village
A stranger away from home
闻鸡起舞 [聞雞起舞]
reputation chicken rise dance
Begin at cock?s crow
Keen to begin a task even at daybreak. Diligent in action, losing no time.
The early bird catches the worm
志不可慢时不可失 [志不可慢旹不可失]
aspiration not can slow, time not can lose
Do not let your aspirations weaken; do not waste time
Keep hold of your hopes and dreams, waste no time in achieving them
Don't change horses midstream
专心致志 [專心致志]
concentrate mind devote ambition
Study hard to achieve ambitions
An admonishment to encourage full concentration in order to study effectively and so achieve ambitions.
徒劳无功 [徒勞無功]
no avail toil no result
Futile effort
Pointless effort that will achieve nothing.
A fool's errand
逆境出人才
disobey border go out person ability
Rebellion creates capability
Hardship and adversity foster talent
If life deals you lemons, make lemonade
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
夸父追日
Kua Fu chase after sun
Kua Fu chasing the sun
Pride leading to attempting the impossible. Over confidence in skills. Over-arching ambition. The story is of a giant called Kua Fu who was immensely strong and swift. He attempted to chase the sun but in so doing became so hot he died from thirst that could not be quenched. A similar tale to Icarus flying too close to the sun.
Pride comes before a fall
开卷有益 [開卷有益]
start book exist benefit
Reading is always beneficial
There is always something new to be learned from books. An admonishment to keep on studying and learning.
Feed one's mind
你死我活
you die I live
Fight to the death
To fight to the bitter end
得心应手 [得心應手]
permit mind/heart respond hand
Hand and mind in harmony
Things moving smoothly and naturally. Heart and mind working together with hands to achieve a task.
Our proverbs come with full information. The modern Chinese characters are given first with links that give information on the character. If the phrase uses traditional characters these are shown in brackets and gray text. As proverbs are so old you will often see them written in the old form. 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 included at the end.
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.
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