Chinese Idioms Flashcards
(27 cards)
成语
chéng yǔ - Chinese idiom
闲言少叙
xían yán shǎo xù - without further ado
半途而废
bàn tú ér fèi - to give up halfway
半 - Half
途 - Path; Way
而 - Connects a condition to a result (半 & 废)
废 - To give up; Abandon
不可思议
bù kě sī yì - Inconceivable
不 - Not
可 - Can
思 - To think; Consider
议 - Speech; Language
废寝忘食
fèi qǐn wáng shí - To forget food and rest
废 - To give up; Abandon
寝 - Sleep
忘 - Forget
食 - Food
Not used for someone with poor sleep/eating habits; used to praise someone for working hard (job, exams, etc.)
东张西望
dōng xhāng xī wàng - To look this way and that way
东 - East
西 - West
张望 - To look
Used to describe someone looking around aimlessly or someone standing around idly looking lost
不相上下
bù xiāng shàng xià - Evenly matched; Little difference
不 - Not
相 - Each other (Connecting two things together
上 - Up
下 - Down
小心翼翼
xiǎo xīn yì yì - With great care; Very cautious
小 - Small 心 - Heart 小心 - To be careful 翼 - Wing 翼翼 - Respectful; Serious
爱不释手
ài bú shì shǒu - To love something too much to part with it
爱 - Love
不 - Not
释 - Release; Let go
手 - Hand
Not used to talk about people, and must be small enough to carry
迫不及待
pò bù jí dài - Can’t wait
迫 - Urgency
不 - Not
及 - In time for
待 - To wait
知足常乐
zhī zú cháng lè - Contentment is happiness
知 - To know 足 - Sufficient 知足 - To be content 常 - Constant 乐 - Happiness
Describes a certain attitude towards life (Basically saying “It could be worse” and you have to be happy with what you have)
丢三落四
diū sān là sì - Scatterbrained; Forgetful
丢 - To lose 三 - Three 落 - To forget to bring 四 - Four 三四 - Used often as "this and that"
莫名其妙 & 莫明其妙
mò míng qí miào - Indescribable; Baffling
莫 - No one 名 - To express; Describe 明 - To understand 其 - References whatever is being talked about 妙 - Mysterious
无能为力
wú néng wéi lì - Powerless; Helpless
无 - To not have
能 - Ability
为 - As
力 - Power
有条不紊
yǒu tiáo bù wěn - Methodical; Orderly
有 - To have
条 - Order
不 - Not
紊 - Disorder
想方设法
xiǎng fāng shè fǎ - To think really hard about how to do something
想 - To think
设 - To design
方法 - Method
岂有此理
qǐ yǒu cǐ lǐ - Absurd; Preposterous
岂 - How
有 - To have
此 - This
理 - Logic; Reason
物美价廉
wù měi jià lián - Cheap but good; Bargain
物 - Object
美 - Good; Pleasing
价 - Price
廉 - Cheap; Inexpensive
吞吞吐吐
tūn tūn tǔ tǔ - To stumble words; To mutter and mumble
吞 - To swallow; Gulp
吐 - To spit; Throw up
恍然大悟
huǎng rán dà wù - To suddenly understand; Realize
恍 - Sudden; Abrupt
然 - Adverbial suffix
大 - Large; Great
悟 - Realization; Understanding
千方百计
qiān fāng bǎi jì - Every possible way
千 - Thousand
方 - Method; Way
百 - Hundred
计 - Plan
急于求成
jí yú quí chéng - Over-anxious to finish; Rushing for results
急 - Urgency; Impatience
于 - To seek for; Strive for
求 - Completion
成 - Indicates aim or goal of preceding word
齐心协力
qí xīn xié lì - To work as one
齐 - To bring together
心 - Heart; Mind
协 - To join
力 - Power; Ability
无微不至
wú wēi bú zhì - Meticulously
无 - To not have
微 - Tiny
不 - Not
至 - To reach
