and bones
雪中送炭 To send charcoal in snowy weather/To help a lame dog over a stile(横栏)/Provide timely help 顺水行舟 Sail with the wind 非驴非马 Neither fish, flesh nor fowl 日暮途穷 本末倒置 粗枝大叶 无孔不入 扬眉吐气 纸醉金迷 开门见山 单枪匹马 风雨飘摇 毛遂自荐 叶公好龙 南柯一梦 四面楚歌 锱铢必较 罄竹难书 初出茅庐 倾国倾城 At the end of one’s rope Put the cart before the horse To be crude and careless (sloppy) to be all-pervasive/seize any opportunity To feel proud and elated/ hold one’s head high A life of luxury and dissipation To come straight to the point
To be single-handed in doing something To be in unstable / turbulent times To volunteer one’s services Professed love of what one really fears A fond dream or illusory joy To be besieged on all sides To haggle over every penny
(of crimes) too numerous to be recorded At the beginning of one’s career (inexperienced) To be exceedingly beautiful (gorgeous)
悬梁刺股 To be extremely hard-working in one’s study 小题大做 Make a mountain out of a molehill 赴汤蹈火 Go through fire and water 洗心革面 Turn over a new leaf 横行霸道 Throw one’s weight about 过河拆桥 Kick down the ladder 乳臭未干 Be wet behind the ears
格格不入 Be like square pegs in round holes
魂不附体 Jump out of one’s skin (to be scared out of one’s wits) 画龙点睛 Add the touch that brings a work of art to life
三顾茅庐 Repeatedly request somebody to take up a responsible post 掩耳盗铃 Plug one’s ears while stealing a bell (to deceive oneself) 杀鸡儆猴 Kill the chicken to frighten the monkey (punish someone as a warning to others)
明枪易躲暗箭难防 It is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow shot from hiding.
城门失火殃及池鱼 A fire on the city wall brings disaster to the fish in the moat.
路遥知马力,日久见人心 As a long road tests a horse’s strength, so a long task proves a person’s heart./Time reveals a person’s heart.
初生牛犊不怕虎 New-born calves make little of tigers./Young people
are fearless.
失之东隅，收之桑榆 Lose where the sun rises and gain where the sun sets./What one loses on the swings one gets back on the roundabouts./What we lose in hake we shall have in herring.
塞翁失马，焉知非福？ When the old man on the frontier lost his mare, who could have guessed it was a blessing in disguise?/A loss may turn out to be a gain.
庆父不死鲁难未已 There will always be trouble until the trouble-maker is removed./Until Qing Fu is done away with, the crisis in the state of Lu will not be over.
此地无银三百两 A guilty person gives himself away by conspicuously protesting his innocence./No 300 taels(两) of silver buried here. 一次被火烧，二次避火苗 A burnt child dreads the fire. 少见多怪 Wonder is the daughter of ignorance. 龙生龙凤生凤 Like begets like.
烂麻搓成绳，也能拉千斤 Many straws may bind an elephant. 渔翁得利 When shepherds quarrel, the wolf has a winning game. 星星之火可以燎原 Little chips light great fires. 三个臭皮匠赛过诸葛亮 Two heads are better than one.
聪明一世糊涂一时 Every man has a fool in his sleeve./Even Homer sometimes nods.
失之毫厘谬以千里 A miss is as good as a mile.
既来之则安之 Take things as they come.
白天不做亏心事，夜半敲门心不惊 A clean hand wants no washing/A clear conscience laughs at false accusation/A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.
只许州官放火不许百姓点灯 One man may steal a horse while another may not look over a hedge.
江山易改本性难移 A leopard cannot change its spots. (A fox may grow grey, but never good.)
好事不出门，坏事传千里 Good news goes on crutches; ill news flies apace.
病来如山倒，病去如抽丝 Agues come on horseback, but go away on foot.
留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 Where there is life there is hope. 欲加之罪何患无辞 Give a dog a bad name and hang him. 强中更有强中手 Diamond cut diamond. 新官上任三把火 A new broom sweeps clean.
癞痢头儿子自家好 Every man thinks his own geese swans. 若要人不知，除非己莫为 What is done by night appears by day. 饱汉不知饿汉饥 The well-fed don’t know how the starving suffer. (A magnate is unconscious of the misfortune of a pauper.) 一物降一物 There is always one thing to conquer another. (Every existence has its vanquisher.)
嘴上没毛，办事不牢 Downy lips make thoughtless slips./A man without moustache or beard may make careless remarks.
吃一堑长一智 A fall in the pit, a gain in the wit./Let us learn from our mistakes.
丈八的灯台—照见人家，照不见自己 To be like a ten-foot lampstand that sheds light on others but none on itself.
一条绳子栓着两蚂蚱—谁也跑不了 Be like two grasshoppers tied to one cord: neither can get away.
肉包子打狗，一去不回头 A dog given a bone doesn’t come back for more.
徐庶入曹营—一语不发 hold my tongue 棺材里伸出手来—死要钱 after my blood 骑着毛驴看书—走着瞧吧 wait and see 孔夫子搬家—净是输（书） lose every fight 连根拔 Tear up by the root
走下坡路 Go downhill/ hit the skids(俚语) 及时雨 Timely rain 一窝蜂 Like a swarm of bees 捋虎须 Stroke a tiger’s whiskers 卷铺盖 Pack up and quit
饱眼福 Feast one’s eye on something 咬耳朵 Whisper in one’s ear