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."

kǒng fū zǐ bān jiā jìng shì shū

to have always lost and never won a single time

直译: Confucius moves to a new home - everything is just books

出处: 淨是書 /净是书 (jìng shì shū) is a pun on 盡是輸 /尽是输 (jìn shì shū, “to have always lost”).

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)

ní pú sà guò jiāng zì shēn nán bǎo

to be in trouble oneself and thus unable to help others

直译: a clay bodhisattva statue crosses the river ― unable to even protect oneself

gǒu yǎo lǚ dòng bīn

short for 狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心／狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心 (gǒu yǎo Lǚ Dòngbīn, bùshí hǎorén xīn, “to bite the hand that feeds you”)

出处: See 狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心／狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心 (gǒu yǎo Lǚ Dòngbīn, bùshí hǎorén xīn).

gǒu yǎo lǚ dòng bīn bù shí hǎo rén xīn

to bite the hand that feeds you

直译: a dog bites Lü Dongbin ― to fail to see the heart of a good person

zhū bā jiè chī rén shēn guǒ quán bù zhī zī wèi

to be unable to appreciate something or know its value

直译: Zhu Bajie eating a ginseng fruit - doesn't know its taste at all

zhū bā jiè chuān hóng páo bù lún bù lèi

out of place

直译: Zhu Bajie wearing a red robe - fitting in no category

zhū tóu sān shēng

Referring to animals (bull, sheep and pig) used in sacrifice, or sacrificial offering in general.

出处: This idiom arose from 豬頭／猪头 (zhūtóu, “pig head”). In Wu it is reinterpreted as a xiehouyu: 豬頭三──牲, i.e. "A 豬頭三 is an animal/a beast/an idiot".

māo kū lǎo shǔ jiǎ cí bēi

to cry crocodile tears

直译: Cat cries over mouse ― fake sympathy

māo kū hào zi jiǎ cí bēi

to cry crocodile tears

shén xiān fàng pì bù tóng fán xiǎng

outstanding; out of the ordinary

直译: when an immortal farts ― a sound from an extraordinary being

qiū hòu dì mà zha

someone or something (especially being unpleasant) that is active now, but is ultimately doomed to fail

出处: From 秋後的螞蚱——蹦躂不了幾天／秋后的蚂蚱——蹦跶不了几天 (qiūhòu dì màzha, bèngda bùliǎo jǐtiān).

qiū hòu dì mà zha bèng da bù liǎo jǐ tiān

someone or something (especially being unpleasant) that is active now, but is ultimately doomed to fail

直译: grasshopper after autumn ― can only hop for a few more days

出处: Adult grasshoppers and locusts die in winter.

lǎo shǔ lā guī

to have no clue about how to handle a problem

直译: a rat tries to pull a turtle

出处: The idiom is a Cantonese xiehouyu and the second part may be 無從下手 /无从下手 (wúcóng xiàshǒu), 無處下手 /无处下手 (wúchù xiàshǒu) (in Mandarin) or 冇埞埋手 (mou⁵ deng⁶ maai⁴ sau²) (in Cantonese).

páng xiè guò hé qī shǒu bā jiǎo

chaotic; many people lending a hand

zhū gě liàng jiè dōng fēng shén jī miào suàn

a brilliant plan

直译: Zhuge Liang borrows the easterly wind—a brilliant plan

tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù

One will search high and low only to find it when one least expects to.

直译: One can wear out iron shoes searching for something with no success.

出处: Comes from the phrase: 踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫.

tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù dé lái quán bù fèi gōng fu

One will search high and low only to find it when one least expects to.

直译: One can wear out iron shoes searching for something with no success, only to acquire it by accident through no effort of one's own

xùn léi bù jí yǎn ěr dào líng

synonym of 迅雷不及掩耳 (xùnléi bùjí yǎn ěr)

出处: Blend of 迅雷不及掩耳 (xùnléi bùjí yǎn ěr) + 掩耳盜鈴 /掩耳盗铃 (yǎn'ěrdàolíng).

yán luó wáng tiē gào shì guǐ huà lián piān

to talk a lot of nonsense; to tell a series of untruths

直译: Yama posts notices – pieces in devil's language

bà wáng jìng jiǔ bù gān yě dé gān

to have no choice in a matter

直译: The hegemon toasts you - drink up even if you don't wish to