熟能生巧 practice makes perfect
事实胜于雄辩 facts speak louder than words 笑掉大牙 laugh off one’s head 乱七八糟 at sixes and sevens 东张西望 look right and left
抛砖引玉 to throw a sprat to catch a herring 缘木求鱼 seek a hare in hen’s nest 挥金如土 to spend money like water 胆小如鼠 as timid as a hare 瓮中之鳖 like a rat in a hole
无风不起浪 there is no smoke without fire 挂羊头卖狗肉 cry up wine and sell vinegar 有志者事竟成 where there is a will there is a way 新官上任三把火 new brooms sweep clean 偷鸡不成蚀把米 go for wool and come back shorn 己所不欲，勿施于人 do as you would be done by 以眼还眼 an eye for an eye 君子协定 a gentleman’s agreement 武装到牙齿 armed to the teeth 班门弄斧 show off your proficiency 洗心革面/脱胎换骨 turn over a new leaf 囊中羞涩 financially embarrassed
失之交臂 lose opportunity or sth. at hand/fail to meet sb. by a narrow chance/miss sth. very desirable/miss a good chance
爱屋及乌 1. love me, love my dog 2. the love for the house extends even to the ominous crows perching on it. 3. love one thing on account of another
避坑落井 1. to get out of a bad situation and end up in one that is even worse 2. dodge a pit only to fall into a well 3. out of the frying pan and into the fire 3. out of the frying pan and into the fire
新官上任三把火 1. a new official applies strict measures 2. a new broom sweeps clean
江山易改，本性难移 1. it’s easy to change rivers and mountains but hard to change a person’s nature. 2. a leopard cannot change its spots. 覆水难收 1. spilt water cannot be gathered 2. what is done cannot be undone 3. there is no use crying over spilt milk
孤掌难鸣 1. you can’t clap with one hand 2.it’s difficult to achieve anything without support 3. he who stands alone has no power 忠言逆耳 1. faithful words offend the ears 2. truth hurts 3. truth is a hard pill to swallow
指鹿为马 1. call a stag a horse 2. willful misrepresentation 3. talk black into white
涸泽而渔 1. drain the pond to catch all the fish 2. ruin the source of supply 3. kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
换汤不换药 1. change the liquid but not the drugs 2. a change in form but not in essence 3. kill the goose that lays the golden eggs 鸡犬不宁 great disorders 搬弄是非 tell tales