Chinese Idioms
Explore over 1,000 Chinese idioms (Chengyu) and their corresponding historical narratives. Each entry details the origins, cultural context, and profound wisdom behind these timeless phrases, offering deep insight into the heritage that shaped the Chinese language.
Table of contents
不贪为宝 (Not Coveting as Treasure)
不学无术 (No Learning, No Skill)
不屈不挠 (Never Give In)
不甚了了 (Not Quite Clear)
不食周粟 (Refusing the Grain of Zhou)
不急之务 (A Matter of No Urgency)
不耻下问 (Not Ashamed to Ask)
不能自拔 (Unable to Free Oneself)
不得人心 (Losing Popular Support)
不得要领 (Missing the Main Point)
不谋而同 (Acting Without Prior Agreement)
不堪回首 (Cannot Bear to Look Back)
不欺暗室 (Honest in the Dark)
不遗余力 (Spare No Effort)
不寒而栗 (Shiver Without Cold)
不舞之鹤 (A Crane That Won't Dance)
不辨菽麦 (Cannot Tell Beans from Wheat)
不翼而飞 (Wings Without Flight)
不鼓不成列 (No Battle Without Formation)
不可同日而语 (Not to Be Mentioned in the Same Breath)
不为五斗米折腰 (Not Bowing for Five Pecks of Rice)
不识庐山真面目 (The True Face of Mount Lu)
不敢越雷池一步 (Dare Not Cross the Thunder Pool)
不知人间有羞耻事 (Shameless Beyond Belief)
不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained)
中原逐鹿 (Chasing the Deer in the Central Plains)
中流击楫 (Striking the Oar Midstream)
见利忘义 (Forgetting Honor for Profit)
见怪不怪 (No Surprise at the Strange)
见猎心喜 (Joy at the Hunt)
日下无双 (Peerless Under the Sun)
日不暇给 (No Time to Spare)
日月入怀 (Sun and Moon in My Bosom)
日行千里 (A Thousand Li a Day)
日暮途穷 (The Road Ends at Dusk)
日近长安远 (The Sun Is Near, Chang'an Far)
升堂入室 (Enter the Hall, Enter the Chamber)
升堂拜母 (Paying Homage to the Mother)
仅以身免 (Escaped with Bare Life)
今是昨非 (Today Right, Yesterday Wrong)
毛遂自荐 (Mao Sui Recommends Himself)
乌合之众 (A Crowd of Crows)
乌白马角 (Crows Turn White, Horses Grow Horns)
牛眠地 (The Ox's Resting Ground)
牛刀小试 (A Small Test of a Great Skill)
牛衣对泣 (Weeping in Tattered Cow Clothes)
牛角挂书 (Books Hanging from Ox Horns)
牛饩退敌 (Cattle Feed Repels the Enemy)
牛郎织女 (The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid)
从容不迫 (Calm and Unhurried)
从善如流 (Following Good Advice Like a Flowing Stream)
分我杯羹 (Share Me a Cup of Soup)
分庭抗礼 (Standing as an Equal)
分崩离析 (Disintegration and Collapse)
分道扬镳 (Parting Ways)
手不释卷 (Book Never Left Hand)
长驱直入 (Long Drive Straight In)
长林丰草 (Deep Woods and Tall Grass)
长袖善舞 (Long Sleeves Dance Well)
长揖不拜 (A Bow Without a Kneel)
月下老人 (The Old Man Under the Moon)
月里嫦娥 (Chang'e in the Moon)
气壮山河 (Spirit That Moves Mountains and Rivers)
风声鹤唳 (The Sigh of Wind and Crane)
风马牛不相及 (Horses, Cows, and Wind)
火中取栗 (Pulling Chestnuts from the Fire)
斗南一人 (One of a Kind Under Heaven)
斗酒只鸡 (A Chicken and a Cup of Wine)
斗酒学士 (A Scholar of a Gallon of Wine)
斗粟尺布 (A Peck of Rice, a Foot of Cloth)
为民请命 (Pleading for the People)
为虎作伥 (Aiding the Tiger)
为虺弗摧，为蛇若何 (Kill the Viper, Spare the Serpent)
为渊驱鱼，为丛驱雀 (Driving Fish to Deep Waters)
计无所出 (Out of Ideas)
计日可待 (Counting the Days)
计功行赏 (Reward According to Merit)
计将安出 (Where Shall the Plan Come From)
六出奇计 (Six Ingenious Stratagems)
方寸已乱 (Mind in Disarray)
方面大耳 (Square Face and Big Ears)
文君司马 (Wenjun and Sima)
心旷神怡 (Carefree and Joyful)
心怀叵测 (A Heart Harboring Dark Schemes)
心贯白日 (Heart Pierces the Sun)
心旌摇曳 (Heart and Flag Swaying)
心腹之患 (A Thorn in the Side)
心有灵犀一点通 (Hearts That Beat as One)
予取予求 (Take Whatever You Want)
双管齐下 (Two Brushes at Once)
水中捞月 (Fishing the Moon from Water)
水火无交 (Neither Water Nor Fire)
水火不辞 (Through Fire and Water)
水深火热 (Deep Water, Scorching Fire)
水落石出 (The Truth Surfaces)
以人废言 (Rejecting Words for the Speaker)
以功赎罪 (Redeeming Sin with Merit)
以古非今 (Using the Past to Criticize the Present)
以身试法 (Testing the Law with One's Own Body)
以邻为壑 (Using One's Neighbor as a Drain)