| Entry | Pinyin | Meaning | Era |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一箭双雕 | yī jiàn shuāng diāo |
To achieve two things despite taking only a single action |
Zhou Dynasty |
| 不可救药 | bù kě jiù yào |
Refers to situations or people that have worsened beyond the point of repair or helping (figurative or literal) |
Zhou Dynasty |
| 杞人忧天 | qǐ rén yōu tiān |
To have groundless or baseless fears |
Zhou Dynasty |
| 一举两得 | yī jǔ liǎng dé |
To achieve two goals with a single action |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 一叶障目 | yī yè zhàng mù |
To be unable to see the true origin of the problem or the situation as a whole because a part of the problem is particularly perplexing |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 一鸣惊人 | yī míng jīng rén |
This is used when a person generally does not appear to do anything impressive/be out of the ordinary, but then astounds others by accomplishing a great feat |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 一鼓作气 | yī gǔ zuò qì |
To go all out; to do one's best; to get something finished with a single effort |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 不耻下问 | bù chǐ xià wèn |
Often used to describe that someone is modest and good student |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 东施效颦 | dōng shī xiào pín |
Refers to blindly imitating others and ending up achieving the opposite of what was intended |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 举一反三 | jǔ yī fǎn sān |
Used to indicate that one can infer many things after receiving just one piece of information |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 买椟还珠 | mǎi dú huán zhū |
Used to indicate one has poor judgement |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 争先恐后 | zhēng xiān kǒng hòu |
To fight to be ahead and fear to fall behind |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 价值连城 | jià zhí lián chéng |
Refers to something extremely costly and/or precious |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 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 |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 呆若木鸡 | dāi ruò mù jī |
To be dumbstruck with fear or shock |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 大公无私 | dà gōng wú sī |
To put the interests of the people and country ahead of one's own; to handle matters justly and fairly |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 安居乐业 | ān jū lè yè |
To live peacefully and work happily |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 废寝忘食 | fèi qǐn wàng shí |
To be completely absorbed in one's work; to focus on something with single-minded devotion |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 按图索骥 | àn tú suǒ jì |
To follow clues to search for something; to be unable to change one's ways or adapt |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 暗箭伤人 | àn jiàn shāng rén |
To use underhanded methods to secretly attack or harm someone |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 楚材晋用 | chǔ cái jìn yòng |
Outflow of skilled workers; talented people go elsewhere for work; brain drain |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 沉鱼落雁 | chén yú luò yàn |
An extraordinarily beautiful woman |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 病入膏肓 | bìng rù gāo huāng |
A situation that is so serious it cannot be resolved |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 竭泽而渔 | jié zé ér yú |
When people focus only on immediate interests and don't make any long-term plans or considerations; to stop at nothing to achieve a goal regardless of the potential consequences |
Spring and Autumn Period |
| 自相矛盾 | zì xiāng máo dùn |
Used when words or actions are contradictory |
Spring and Autumn Period |