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
名落孙山 (Falling Behind Sun Shan)
多多益善 (The More, the Better)
多难兴邦 (Adversity Revives a Nation)
多行不义必自毙 (Doing Many Unjust Deeds Will Destroy Oneself)
后来居上 (The Latecomers Surpass the Early)
后起之秀 (A Rising Star)
后顾之忧 (No Worries Behind)
杀人灭口 (Silence the Witness)
杀马毁车 (Kill the Horse, Burn the Cart)
杀身成仁 (Die to Achieve Virtue)
杀鸡骇猴 (Kill the Chicken to Scare the Monkey)
杀妻求将 (Killed His Wife for Command)
杀彘教子 (Killing the Pig to Teach the Son)
杀鸡焉用牛刀 (Why Use an Ox Cleaver to Kill a Chicken)
行尸走肉 (Walking Corpse)
行将就木 (About to Enter the Coffin)
众志成城 (United We Stand)
众叛亲离 (Abandoned by All)
众怒难犯 (Don't Defy Public Anger)
朱衣点头 (The Red-Robed Official Nods)
自相矛盾 (Self-Contradiction)
自惭形秽 (Ashamed of One's Own Inferiority)
匈奴未灭，何以家为 (The Huns Unconquered, No Home for Me)
庆父不死，鲁难未已 (Until Qingfu Dies, Lu's Troubles Remain)
妄自尊大 (Overestimating One's Own Importance)
问一得三 (Ask One, Learn Three)
问牛知马 (Ask the Ox, Know the Horse)
讳莫如深 (Deep as a Hidden Secret)
讳疾忌医 (Hiding Illness from the Doctor)
论功行封 (Rewarding Merit with Enfeoffment)
并日而食 (Eating Every Other Day)
羊质虎皮 (A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing)
羊狠狼贪 (Sheep's Cruelty, Wolf's Greed)
羊续悬鱼 (Yang Xu Hangs the Fish)
羊裘垂钓 (Fishing in Sheepskin Robes)
决一死战 (Fight to the Death)
决不食言 (Never Break a Promise)
冰壶玉尺 (Jade Vessel, Jade Ruler)
池中之物 (A Fish in a Pond)
汗马功劳 (Battle Scars and Merits)
江郎才尽 (Jiang Yan's Talent Exhausted)
兴利除弊 (Promote Benefits, Abolish Abuses)
兴高采烈 (In High Spirits)
守口如瓶 (Guarding Secrets Like a Sealed Bottle)
守株待兔 (Guarding a Stump for Rabbits)
安如泰山 (Steadfast as Mount Tai)
安步当车 (Walk Instead of Ride)
安然无恙 (Safe and Sound)
交头接耳 (Whispering Ear to Ear)
交浅言深 (Deep Talk with a Stranger)
齐人攫金 (A Man of Qi Steals Gold)
齐大非偶 (Qi Is Too Great a Match)
齐心同力 (United as One)
衣不解带 (Sleepless in Care)
买椟还珠 (Buying the Casket, Returning the Pearl)
寻章摘句 (Searching for Ornate Phrases)
羽毛未丰 (Unfledged Feathers)
防微杜渐 (Nip It in the Bud)
尽入彀中 (All Within the Net)
尽心尽力 (Give It Your All)
尽心竭力 (Giving One's All)
尽忠报国 (Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty)
尽善尽美 (The Utmost Perfection)
好生恶杀 (Love Life, Abhor Killing)
好好先生 (Mr. Goody-Goody)
好谋善断 (Good at Strategy and Decision)
好整以暇 (Calm and Collected)
如火如荼 (Like Fire Like Flower)
如左右手 (Like One's Right Hand)
如鸟兽散 (Scatter Like Birds and Beasts)
如坐针毡 (Like Sitting on a Bed of Nails)
如鱼得水 (Like a Fish in Water)
如泣如诉 (Like Weeping, Like Telling)
如临大敌 (As If Facing a Great Enemy)
如释重负 (Like a Weight Lifted)
约法三章 (Three Simple Rules)
邯郸学步 (Learning to Walk in Handan)
巫山云雨 (Clouds and Rain Over Mount Wu)
励精图治 (Revitalize the State with Vigor)
劳民伤财 (Laboring the People, Wasting Wealth)
劳师袭远 (Exhausting the Army for a Distant Strike)
劳身焦思 (Toiling Body, Anxious Mind)
克己奉公 (Restrain Self, Serve the Public)
两虎相斗 (When Two Tigers Fight)
两败俱伤 (Both Lose)
两部鼓吹 (Two Orchestras Playing)
两袖清风 (Two Sleeves of Clean Wind)
形于言色 (Showing on Face and Words)
形格势禁 (Constrained by Circumstances)
志大才疏 (Great Aspirations, Little Talent)
志在四方 (Ambitions Across the Land)
声名狼藉 (Notorious Reputation)
声色狗马 (Pleasure, Wine, and Hounds)
声色俱厉 (Harsh Voice and Stern Face)
杞人忧天 (The Man of Qi Fears the Sky)
弄巧成拙 (Cleverness Backfires)
赤地千里 (A Thousand Li of Barren Land)
赤膊上阵 (Fighting Bare-Chested)
赤壁鏖兵 (The Battle of Red Cliffs)
束之高阁 (Tied to the Top Shelf)