| Entry | Pinyin | Meaning | English Equivalent | Story? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 弹冠相庆 | tán guān xiāng qìng |
When you congratulate a friend on their promotion or new position, and they congratulate you back (because they'll probably use their connections to get you a job or a promotion as well) |
None |
Yes |
| 谈虎色变 | tán hǔ sè biàn |
To become frightened at the mere mention of something terrible, so much so that one's face even goes pale |
None |
Yes |
| 贪赃枉法 | tān zāng wǎng fǎ |
Take bribes and circumvent the law |
None |
No |
| 讨价还价 | tǎo jià huán jià |
To haggle over an item's price; to bargain (over an item, an arrangement, etc) |
To haggle |
No |
| 滔滔不绝 | tāo tāo bù jué |
Indicates that something continues without stopping. Can be used in reference to one's speech |
None |
No |
| 天伦之乐 | tiān lún zhī lè |
The happiness that comes from family gathering together |
None |
No |
| 天衣无缝 | tiān yī wú fèng |
Indicates that something is absolutely perfect; without even a single flaw |
None |
Yes |
| 铁杵成针 | tiě chǔ chéng zhēn |
When doing a task, all you need to do is persevere, and success will come naturally |
None |
Yes |
| 统筹兼顾 | tǒng chóu jiān gù |
To take everything into account while planning |
None |
No |
| 同流合污 | tóng liú hé wū |
To do bad things with bad people; to associate oneself with bad trends or social customs due to lack of personal principles |
To fall in with a bad crowd/bad people/group |
Yes |
| 投笔从戎 | tóu bǐ cóng róng |
Refers to an educated person who abandons their life as a scholar to join the military |
None |
Yes |
| 图穷匕见 | tú qióng bǐ xiàn |
When the truth is revealed at the end of some event |
None |
Yes |
| 兔死狗烹 | tù sǐ gǒu pēng |
This refers to when someone casts aside or even kills the person(s) who helped them accomplish a task |
None |
Yes |
| 退避三舍 | tuì bì sān shè |
To deliberately avoid or retreat from a situation or person |
None |
Yes |
| 吞吞吐吐 | tūn tūn tǔ tǔ |
To be uncertain what to say when speaking; to be unwilling or hesitant to say something directly |
To hem and haw |
No |
| 完璧归赵 | wán bì guī zhào |
To return something undamaged to its original owner |
To return in one piece |
Yes |
| 顽石点头 | wàn shí diǎn tóu |
To be very persuasive |
None |
Yes |
| 望梅止渴 | wàng méi zhǐ kě |
Refers to situations where one's hopes cannot be realized, so one must resort to using imagination to comfort oneself |
Wishful thinking |
Yes |
| 亡羊补牢 | wáng yáng bǔ láo |
When, after experiencing some sort of issue, someone takes timely steps to ensure that they don't face that issue again |
None |
Yes |
| 望洋兴叹 | wàng yáng xīng tàn |
To feel helpless when attempting to do a task because of one's inadequacies or shortcomings. Originally referred to standing before a great object or creature and lamenting one's insignificance |
None |
Yes |
| 望子成龙 | wàng zǐ chéng lóng |
To hope that one's son will become successful and noble |
None |
No |
| 微不足道 | wēi bù zú dào |
So tiny and insignificant that it's not worth mentioning |
None |
No |
| 未雨绸缪 | wèi yǔ chóu móu |
To plan in advance |
None |
Yes |
| 卧薪尝胆 | wò xīn cháng dǎn |
Refers to when one pushes oneself to realize a goal (esp. to become more powerful or wealthy) despite hardship or difficulty |
None |
Yes |
| 无动于衷 | wú dòng yú zhōng |
Not feeling anything towards something that you should have feelings for; utterly unmoved; aloof; indifferent |
None |
No |