ròu bāo zi dǎ gǒu

never return

直译: to hit a dog with a meat bun

出处: A xiehouyu. The second part is 有去無回 /有去无回 (yǒuqùwúhuí). When one throws a meat bun to a dog, it will always eat it, and the person can never get the bun back.

ǎi zi qí dà mǎ shàng xià liǎng nán

stuck between two difficult choices

直译: A dwarf riding a tall horse - getting on and off are both difficult

zhàng bā dēng tái — zhào dé jiàn rén jiā, zhào bú jiàn zì jiā⚠ 拼音待校

seeing other people's shortcomings but not one's own

直译: 1.8 zhang lampstand ― lighting up the far side but not the near side

xiù cái bù chū mén quán zhī tiān xià shì

synonym of 秀才不出門，能知天下事 /秀才不出门，能知天下事 (xiùcái bù chūmén, néng zhī tiānxià shì)

xiù cái bù chū mén néng zhī tiān xià shì

Even if a (true) scholar never leaves his house, he can know about everything under the heavens (if he reads and studies enough).

fēi xiàng guò hé

to move one's elephant across the river (a move that is against the rules of xiangqi); to be unreasonable; to get food from the far side of a dish

xián cài shāo dòu fu

salted vegetables and tofu (dish); to make it clear beforehand; to forewarn

出处: For the idiom, it is short for 鹹菜燒豆腐，有鹽在先／咸菜烧豆腐，有盐在先 (“salted vegetables and tofu, have the salted one first”), a wordplay on 有言在先 (yǒuyán zàixiān).

mō zhe shí tou guò hé zǒu yī bù suàn yī bù

to figure things out as one goes; to take things one step at a time

直译: To feel the rocks (on the riverbed) as one crosses the river ― taking one step at a time.

xiù cái zào fǎn sān nián bù chéng

intellectuals, being disconnected from practical realities, cannot accomplish things

直译: a intellectual rebels — takes 3 years to fail

lǎo tài pó de guǒ jiǎo bù yòu chòu yòu cháng

to be over-long or loquacious in speech or writing

直译: An old woman's foot-binding cloth - both long and smelly

lǎo shǔ guò jiē rén rén hǎn dǎ

to be universally despised

直译: a rat crosses the street - everyone yells 'beat it!'

guò jiē lǎo shǔ

person detested or despised by everyone

出处: From 過街老鼠——人人喊打／过街老鼠——人人喊打 (guòjiē lǎoshǔ, rénrén hǎn dǎ).

guò jiē lǎo shǔ rén rén hǎn dǎ

person detested or despised by everyone

直译: a rat crosses the street ― everyone cries to kill it

shí wǔ gè diào tǒng dǎ shuǐ qī shàng bā xià

to be nervous; to be anxious

直译: Fifteen buckets draw water from the well—seven buckets aboveground, eight below ground.

hé shàng dǎ sǎn — wú fā wú tiān⚠ 拼音待校

no respect for law and order; unruly

出处: Literally: (like a) monk holding up an umbrella ― no (respect for) law and order. A Chinese pun for lawless and hairless.

hé shàng xùn dào shi guǎn dé kuān

to be a busybody

直译: A Buddhist monk teaches a Daoist priest a lesson - interfering beyond his own business.

xiǎo hé shàng niàn jīng — yǒu kǒu wú xīn⚠ 拼音待校

to not fully understand; to be half-hearted

直译: Little monk recites scripture ― has a mouth but no heart

xiǎo dà jiě r cái xiè zi

getting ready for what's to come while there's time to spare

直译: An [unmarried] young girl cutting up diapers [for the future baby]

出处: Short for 小大姐兒裁械子——閒時置下忙時用／小大姐儿裁械子——闲时置下忙时用 (“put aside when not busy, use when busy”)

niú pí dēng long

stupid or stubborn person; someone who does not understand or listen to others; someone who understands in one's mind

直译: lantern made of cattle hide

出处: First part of a xiehouyu. The second part could be: * 點不明 (Mandarin) / 點極都唔明 (Cantonese) – cannot be lit / cannot be made to understand * 肚裡亮 – bright inside / understand in one's mind

zhū bā jiè zhào jìng zi lǐ wài bù shì rén

to be unable to make anybody happy; to please none of them

直译: Zhu Bajie looks at the mirror - not a human both inside and outside

wáng bā kàn lǜ dòu — kàn duì yǎn le⚠ 拼音待校

Describes two ugly people who find each other attractive.

直译: A tortoise gazes at two mung beans ― taking a fancy to each other. (because a tortoise's eyes look like two mung beans)

huáng dì de nǚ ér bù chóu jià

someone or something that is always in demand

直译: The emperor's daughter - need not worry about the lack of a marital match

xiù cái yù dào bīng yǒu lǐ shuō bù qīng

like talking to a wall

直译: A scholar meets a soldier ― cannot use reason with him.

lǎo wáng mài guā zì mài zì kuā

to boast about one's own products or works

直译: Old Wang selling melons - he sells and boasts about them himself

huáng shǔ láng gěi jī bài nián méi ān hǎo xīn

Greeks bearing gifts; wolf in sheep's clothing

直译: The weasel pays the chicken a courtesy call on New Year's Day ― he does not have good intentions!

出处: Weasels are known to prey on chickens in some circumstances.

shàng shān zhuō xiè nán

to attempt something that is impossible

bā xiān guò hǎi

winning hand composed of the eight flower tiles

liú bèi jiè jīng zhōu yǒu jiè wú huán

something borrowed will not be returned

直译: Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou - borrowing without returning

出处: From the plot of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where Liu Bei asked Sun Quan to lend Jingzhou to him, but Liu refused to return Sun's land when asked to.

dào huǒ shén miào qiú yǔ zhǎo cuò le mén

to seek help at the wrong place

直译: to go to the Fire God's temple to pray for rain - at the wrong place

běi gǎng xiāng lú rén rén chā

a sexually promiscuous woman; a town bicycle

直译: the incense burner at Chaotian Temple of Beigang - everyone puts (incenses) into it

sī mǎ zhāo zhī xīn lù rén jiē zhī

one's evil ambitions are apparent to everyone

直译: Sima Zhao's heart ― every passer-by knows

出处: From Cao Mao (fifth emperor of Cao Wei)'s statement of ousting Sima Zhao the night before getting assassinated by a servant of Sima on June 2, 260 CE. This text was later quoted by the historian Pei Songzhi in his annotated version of the Records of the Three Kingdoms

zhōu yú dǎ huáng gài yī ge yuàn dǎ yī ge yuàn ái

one is willing to give a beating, and one is willing to take a beating; both parties agree of free will, mutual consent; to willingly submit to something

直译: Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai ― one is willing to give a beating, and one is willing to take a beating

出处: A xiehouyu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Zhou Yu wanted Huang Gai, his subordinate, to pretend to defect to Cao Cao's side so that Huang Gai could gain Cao Cao's trust. This allowed Huang Gai to set fire to Cao Cao's fleet during the Battle of Red Cliffs, forcing Cao Cao to retreat. Zhou Yu had Huang Gai flogged in front of Cao Cao's spies so that they would not be suspicious.

yǎ ba chī huáng lián yǒu kǔ shuō bù chū

to be unable to express one's discomfort; to be forced to suffer in silence

直译: a mute person tasting ineffably bitter herbs

fén tóu shàng shuǎ dà dāo xià guǐ

to be unable to scare people

直译: play with a large broadsword on a grave mound – scare ghosts

wài shēng dǎ dēng lóng zhào jiù

to remain the same; to be as before

直译: nephew carries a lantern ― to be as before

出处: 照舊／照旧 (zhàojiù, “to be as before”) is a pun on the homophone 照舅 (zhào jiù, “to shine on one's maternal uncle”).

jiāng tài gōng fēng shén lòu liǎo zì jǐ

to omit oneself

直译: Grand Duke Jiang deifies – leaving himself out

jiāng tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu

like the fish rising to Grand Duke Jiang's hookless and baitless line; a willing victim letting himself be caught of his own will

直译: Grand Duke Jiang goes fishing ― a willing person takes the bait.

出处: Grand Duke Jiang often went angling at the Weishui River, but he would fish in a bizarre way. He hung a straight hook, with no bait, three feet above the water. Over and over again, he said to himself, "Fish, if you are desperate to live, come and gulp down the hook by yourself."

sūn wù kōng dà nào tiān gōng huāng le shén

to be disoriented and confused after experiencing shock

直译: the Monkey King wreaks havoc in the heavenly palace—causing the gods to be flustered (to be disoriented and confused)

wǔ zé tiān shǒu guǎ shī qù lǐ zhì

to have lost one's mind

直译: When Wu Zetian became a widow - she had lost Li Zhi (her mind)

出处: Wu Zetian's husband was Emperor Gaozong of Tang, whose real name was 李治 (Lǐ Zhì) and is now homophonous to 理智 (lǐzhì) in Mandarin.