suì bù wǒ yǔ

to have missed an opportunity; time and tide wait for no man

直译: the years do not wait for us

出处: From the Analects, Book 17 (《論語·陽貨》). Yang Huo (陽貨) is trying to persuade Confucius into taking office

qiǎo yán rú liú

to tell lies convincingly and fluently

chā qiáng rén yì

just passable; fair; adequate; below standard and not quite satisfactory; barely acceptable; not that great; just ok

出处: Sense #2 is a recent re-interpretation of the 差 in this idiom as “below standard”.

shī chū wú míng

to act without a good and proper reason

shī dào zūn yán

the dignity of the teaching profession

píng ān wú shì

safe and sound

píng píng wú qí

ordinary and unremarkable

píng xīn ér lùn

objectively speaking

píng bù qīng yún

💡 Зүгээр алхаад хөх үүлэнд хүрэх мэт хурдан дэвших.

píng mín bǎi xìng

💡 Жирийн ард түмэн.

píng bái wú gù

without any cause or reason; groundless

nián fù lì qiáng

💡 Нас залуу, хүч чадал дүүрэн.

guǎng tǔ zhòng mín

a vast territory with a large population

出处: From Mencius

guǎng kāi yán lù

to encourage the free airing of views; to create conditions for the subordinates and the masses to fully express their opinions

出处: From the Book of the Later Han.

yìng fù zì rú

to handle something with skill and ease

yìng tiān shòu mìng

to conform to the laws of Heaven and accept the Mandate of Heaven; to assume the throne

yìng tiān shùn rén

to conform to the wishes of both heaven and the people

kāi xīn jiàn chéng

to treat each other with frankness and sincerity

kāi kē qǔ shì

to hold imperial examinations in order to select talented scholars (to become officials)

qì jiù tú xīn

to turn over a new leaf

qì jiù huàn xīn

to abandon the old and exchange it for the new

qì jū bǎo shuài

to sacrifice something of lesser importance to preserve something crucial

直译: (in the Xiangqi chess game) to abandon a chariot in order to protect the general

nòng jiǎ chéng zhēn

to turn simulation into reality unintentionally; fantasy becomes reality

yǐn yǐ wéi ào

to take pride in someone or something

yǐn huǒ shāo shēn

to play with fire and bring trouble to oneself; to invite trouble; to volunteer one's own shortcomings and errors to encourage criticism from others

yǐn ér bù fā

to be good at guiding others while leaving them to act on their own; to prepare and wait for action

直译: to draw the bow without shooting

出处: From the Mencius.

qiǎng rén suǒ nán

to force someone to do something that he or she does not wish to do or is unable to do

qiǎng yán huān xiào

to put on a forced or strained smile

dāng tóu bàng hè

to receive a blow with a stick or a yell by his master to bring about instant realization or awakening; stern warning; wake-up call

dāng dǎ zhī nián

one's prime time; one's most active and successful time in life

出处: Originally used to describe martial artists.

wǎng shì rú yān

past events have faded like a puff of smoke

dài rén jiē wù

getting along with others; dealing with people

dé ér fù shī

to lose something after one had gained possession of it

wēi hū qí wēi

very little; next to nothing

xīn luàn rú má

to have one's mind as confused as a tangled skein; to be utterly confused and disconcerted; to be terribly upset

xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ

one's mind is as calm as still water; to remain unmoved by circumstances; at peace with oneself

xīn guǎng tǐ pán

synonym of 心寬體胖 /心宽体胖 (xīnkuāntǐpán, “carefree and contented; fit and happy”)

xīn huái èr yì

to harbor disloyal sentiments; to have two faces

xīn jīng ròu tiào

to palpitate with anxiety and fear; to be filled with apprehension