yǔ zhòng xīn cháng

sincere and heartfelt words

shuō huà suàn huà

to be as good as one's word; to be true to one's word; to keep one's word

shuō cháng dào duǎn

to indulge in idle gossip

zǒu mǎ kàn huā

A feeling of elation when one's ambition is fulfilled or while traveling; to look roughly and hastily, without being able to get a good look at things

直译: taking a ride on a horse while looking at the flowers

出处: See 走馬觀花／走马观花 (zǒumǎguānhuā).

chāo rán wù wài

to be above worldly considerations; to stand back; to not care and be indifferent about a matter

lù jiàn bù píng

to stand up for the truth and fight for justice

shēn tǐ lì xíng

💡 Хэлсэн зүйлээ өөрөө биечлэн хийж үлгэр үзүүлэх.

shēn lì qí jìng

synonym of 身臨其境 /身临其境 (shēnlínqíjìng, “to be personally on the scene”)

qīng shǒu qīng jiǎo

gently and quietly

qīng ná qīng fàng

to handle with care

qīng qīng yì yì

simple; easy

guò mù bù wàng

to have a photographic memory

guò mù nán wàng

to be hard to forget when one has run eyes over something; unforgettable

yíng nán ér shàng

to go against difficulties and advance

yùn yòng zì rú

to have an effortless command of something

yuǎn dào ér lái

to come a long way; to come afar

sòng jiù yíng xīn

to let go of the old and welcome in the new

shì dé qí suǒ

to be exactly what one wished to be

biàn dì kāi huā

💡 Хаа сайгүй дэлгэрэх, газар бүрт бий болох.

直译: blooming everywhere on the lands

dào lù yǐ mù

People met on the road but dared not speak, only exchanging glances. A metaphor for hatred and fear of tyrannical rule.

lǐ yìng wài hé

to work from the inside in coordination with elements from the outside

chóng xīn zuò rén

to turn over a new leaf

zhòng nán qīng nǚ

💡 Хүү хүүхдийг эрхэмлэж, охиныг дорд үзэх.

zhòng sè qīng yǒu

hoes before bros; prioritising one's opposite-sex friend/partner over one's same-sex friends

chóng jiàn tiān rì

delivered from oppression; to regain freedom

直译: to see the sky and the sun again

tiě bǎn yī kuài

a monolithic whole

tiě shù kāi huā

extremely rare or hard to succeed

直译: king sago palm blossoms

出处: From the fact that king sago palm rarely blossoms, which is especially true if the plant was cultivated outside of tropical areas.

cháng gē dàng kū

to sing to vent one’s grief or indignation

cháng huà duǎn shuō

to make a long story short

jiān bù róng fà

extreme closeness; hair's breadth (of difference, distance, etc); extremely critical; in imminent danger

出处: As recorded in The Book of Rites of Dai the Elder, Chapter LVIII, coined by Zengzi: : Popularised by Mei Sheng (or Mei Cheng, d. 140 B.C.E., pronunciation unclear) in his first letter to a prince of Wu, remonstrating him not to rebel

wén yī zhī shí

to be quick on the uptake; to understand the whole situation from just a few clues

直译: hear one [point], know ten [points]

出处: From the Analects, Book 5 (《論語·公冶長》)

wén míng yú shì

💡 Дэлхийд алдартай, нэр нь дэлхийд түгсэн.

wén míng tiān xià

world-famous; world-renowned

wén jī qǐ wǔ

to be a go-getter; to be a self-starter

直译: to get up and do sword practice upon hearing the rooster’s crow

出处: Based on a story in Zu Ti (祖逖)'s biography in the Book of Jin [648 CE], in which Zu Ti would get up with the sound of the roosters in order to practice his martial arts.

yīn chā yáng cuò

an accident, mistake or event arising from many different unforeseen causes; a strange combination of circumstances; accidentally; serendipitously

直译: both yin and yang are wrong

出处: Constructed from 陰陽 /阴阳 (yīnyáng) and 差錯 /差错 (chācuò).

yīn yáng guài qì

eccentric; peculiar; passive-aggressive

nán shàng jiā nán

to be extremely difficult

nán jiě nán fēn

to be locked in a stalemate in a fight or struggle; to be intimate and inseparable

fēi qián bù xíng

nothing can be done without money (to pay off corrupt officials)