Chinese Idioms

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

牧豕听经 (Herding Pigs, Learning Classics) 物以类聚 (Birds of a Feather) 鱼目混珠 (Fish Eyes Mixed with Pearls) 狐奔鼠窜 (Foxes Flee, Rats Scatter) 狐狸尾巴 (The Fox's Tail) 狐假虎威 (The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Might) 狐疑不决 (Fox's Hesitation) 狗尾续貂 (A Dog's Tail Joined to a Mink) 舍本逐末 (Neglect the Root for the Branch) 贪小失大 (Penny Wise, Pound Foolish) 贪天之功 (Claiming Heaven's Credit) 贪生怕死 (Clinging to Life, Fearing Death) 贪多务得 (Greedy for More, Determined to Win) 贪财好色 (Greedy for Wealth and Lust) 贪得无厌 (Insatiable Greed) 金石为开 (Sincerity Moves Metal and Stone) 金针度人 (Passing the Golden Needle) 金瓯无缺 (The Golden Bowl Unbroken) 金城汤池 (Impregnable Fortress) 金屋藏娇 (A Golden House for a Beloved) 金玉其外，败絮其中 (Gold and Jade Outside, Rotten Inside) 知难而退 (Know When to Retreat) 庖丁解牛 (Butcher Ding Carves an Ox) 废寝忘食 (Neglecting Sleep and Food) 盲人摸象 (Blind Men and the Elephant) 盲人骑瞎马 (A Blind Man on a Blind Horse) 怙恶不悛 (Unrepentant in Wrongdoing) 刻舟求剑 (Notching the Boat to Find the Sword) 刻鹄类鹜 (Carving a Swan, Getting a Duck) 法出多门 (Laws from Many Doors) 沾沾自喜 (Self-Satisfied Pride) 河东狮吼 (The Lion's Roar from Hedong) 河鱼腹疾 (River Fish Belly Ache) 宠辱不惊 (Unmoved by Favor or Disgrace) 学富五车 (Five Carts of Learning) 放纵不羁 (Unbridled and Unrestrained) 放荡不羁 (Unbridled and Unrestrained) 空中楼阁 (Castles in the Air) 空言虚语 (Empty Words and Hollow Phrases) 空前绝后 (Unprecedented and Unmatched) 空洞无物 (Empty Inside) 夜以继日 (Night and Day) 夜郎自大 (Yelang's Arrogance) 变化无方 (Boundless Transformation) 变生肘腋 (Trouble Close at Hand) 变名易姓 (Changing Names and Surnames) 视民如子 (Treating People as One's Own Children) 视死如归 (View Death as Homecoming) 视同儿戏 (Treating It as Child's Play) 驷马高车 (Four-Horse Grand Carriage) 驷马难追 (Even Four Horses Cannot Overtake) 艰难险阻 (Hardships and Dangers) 贯虱穿杨 (Piercing the Flea, Splitting the Willow) 始终不渝 (Never Wavering) 姗姗来迟 (Slow to Arrive) 姑息养奸 (Tolerating Evil Breeds Disaster) 居安思危 (Think of Danger in Safety) 织锦回文 (Brocade Reversed) 孤注一掷 (Betting Everything on One Throw) 甚嚣尘上 (A Great Clamor) 郦寄卖友 (Li Ji Betrays His Friend) 项庄舞剑 (Xiang Zhuang's Sword Dance) 城下之盟 (A Treaty Signed at the City Gate) 城门失火，殃及池鱼 (A City Gate Fire Dooms the Moat Fish) 封豕长蛇 (The Giant Boar and the Long Serpent) 赴汤蹈火 (Through Fire and Water) 带牛佩犊 (Carrying Oxen, Wearing Calves) 要言不烦 (Words Not Wasted) 草木皆兵 (Every Bush and Tree an Enemy) 草菅人命 (Treating Human Life Like Straw) 威武不屈 (Mighty and Unyielding) 威福自己 (Arrogating All Power) 南山隐豹 (The Hidden Leopard of South Mountain) 南风不竞 (The Southern Wind Fails) 南州冠冕 (Crown of the Southern Lands) 南阮北阮 (Southern Ruan, Northern Ruan) 南柯一梦 (A Dream of Nanke) 南冠楚囚 (Southern Cap, Chu Prisoner) 南辕北辙 (South by North) 残杯冷炙 (Leftover Wine and Cold Meat) 面折廷争 (Face Down the Court) 挺身而出 (Step Forward Bravely) 挂羊头卖狗肉 (Hang a Sheep's Head, Sell Dog Meat) 挥汗成雨 (Sweat Turns to Rain) 挟天子以令诸侯 (Hold the Emperor, Command the Lords) 按兵不动 (Hold the Troops Back) 按图索骥 (Looking for a Steed by Its Picture) 持久之计 (A Long-Term Strategy) 指鹿为马 (Calling a Deer a Horse) 轻于鸿毛 (Lighter Than a Swan's Feather) 轻财好施 (Generous with Wealth) 轻财重义 (Valuing Righteousness Over Wealth) 栋折榱崩 (The Beam Breaks, the Rafters Collapse) 标新立异 (Setting New Trends) 枯木朽株 (Withered Trees and Rotten Stumps) 枯鱼之肆 (The Dried Fish Market) 柳暗花明 (Willows Shade, Blossoms Bright) 相见恨晚 (Regret Not Meeting Sooner) 相依为命 (Dependent on Each Other) 相顾失色 (Exchanging Pale Looks)