Traditional Chinese wisdom meets wild linguistic creativity. Explore the most fascinating idioms and slang.
亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo)
Means: Better late than never / Lock the barn door after the horse is stolen
打草惊蛇 (dǎ cǎo jīng shé)
Means: Tip off the enemy / Alert the quarry / Let the cat out of the bag
杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng)
Means: Jumping at shadows / Paranoid delusion / Seeing threats that aren't there
杞人忧天 (Qǐ rén yōu tiān)
Means: Catastrophizing / Borrowing trouble / Worrying about things you cannot control
Self-contradicting spear and shield
自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn)
Means: Contradict yourself / Self-defeating argument / Catch-22
叶公好龙 (Yè Gōng hào lóng)
Means: Fake enthusiasm / All talk no action / Claiming to love something you actually fear
刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn)
Means: Rigid thinking / Refusing to adapt / Following a plan that no longer applies
Gaze at plums to quench thirst
望梅止渴 (wàng méi zhǐ kě)
Means: Wishful thinking / Mental placebo / Self-deception through imagination
雪中送炭 (sòng xuī tàn zhōng)
Means: A friend in need / Help when it matters most / Timely assistance
掩耳盗铃 (yǎn ěr dào líng)
Means: Self-deception / Burying your head in the sand / Whistling past the graveyard
班门弄斧 (Bān mén nòng fǔ)
Means: Teach fish to swim / Show off in front of an expert / Carry coals to Newcastle
指鹿为马 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ)
Means: Deliberate deception / Calling black white / Authoritarian gaslighting
守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù)
Means: Waiting for lightning to strike twice / Relying on blind luck / Refusing to adapt
狐假虎威 (hú jiǎ hǔ wēi)
Means: Riding on someone's coattails / Borrowing authority / Name-dropping with power
画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú)
Means: Gild the lily / Overdo it / Ruin something by adding unnecessary details
对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín)
Means: Cast pearls before swine / Preach to the choir / Waste effort on the wrong audience
井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā)
Means: A person with a narrow worldview / Someone who thinks small / Provincial thinker
姜还是老的辣 (jiāng hái shì lǎo de là)
Means: Experience counts / The old guard still has it / You can't teach an old dog new tricks — but you don't need to
泼冷水 (pō lěng shuǐ)
Means: Dampen someone's enthusiasm / Rain on someone's parade / Throw cold water on an idea
穿小鞋 (chuān xiǎo xié)
Means: Make things difficult / Give someone a hard time / Sabotage someone quietly
You can kill me. But you can not fuck me.
你可以杀了我，但你不能搞我 (Nǐ kěyǐ shā le wǒ, dàn nǐ bùnéng gǎo wǒ)
Means: You can kill me, but you can't break my spirit / Do your worst
闻着臭，吃着香 (wén zhe chòu, chī zhe xiāng)
Means: It smells funky but tastes amazing / Stinky yet delicious / An acquired taste with a pungent aroma
Dragon born dragon, chicken born chicken, mouse' son can make hole
龙生龙，凤生凤，老鼠的儿子会打洞 (lóng shēng lóng, fèng shēng fèng, lǎo shǔ de ér zi huì dǎ dòng)
Means: Like father, like son / The apple doesn't fall far from the tree / A chip off the old block / Blood will tell
哪凉快上哪呆着 / 哪儿凉快哪儿待着去 (nǎ liángkuài shàng nǎ dāizhe)
Means: Get lost / Beat it / Take a hike / Go cool off somewhere / Leave me alone
朝三暮四 (zhāo sān mù sì)
Means: Blow hot and cold / Flip-flop / Fickle / Change one's mind constantly
一言既出，驷马难追 (yī yán jì chū, sì mǎ nán zhuī)
Means: A promise is a promise / What's done is done / No take-backs / My word is my bond
半信半疑 (bàn xìn bàn yí)
Means: Take it with a grain of salt / Skeptical / On the fence / Dubious
恭喜发财 / 财归我家 (Gōng xǐ fā cái / Cái guī wǒ jiā)
Means: Wishing you prosperity / May wealth flow to you / Show me the money
心花怒放 (xīn huā nù fàng)
Means: Bursting with joy / Over the moon / Wildly delighted
我俩谁跟谁 (Wǒ liǎ shéi gēn shéi)
Means: We are so close! / You're my best bud, don't mention it! / We go way back
You don't bird me, I don't bird you!
你不鸟我，我也不鸟你 (Nǐ bù niǎo wǒ, wǒ yě bù niǎo nǐ)
Means: If you ignore me, I'll ignore you right back / The silent treatment is mutual
你算什么东西 / 癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉 (Nǐ suàn shénme dōngxī / Làihámá xiǎng chī tiān'é ròu)
Means: Who do you think you are? / Way out of your league
葵花宝典 / 辟邪剑谱 (Kuíhuā Bǎodiǎn / Pìxié Jiànpǔ)
Means: The Sunflower Manual / The ultimate martial arts guide requiring self-castration
You dida-dida me, I huala-huala you
滴水之恩，当涌泉相报 (dī shuǐ zhī ēn, dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào)
Means: Repay a drop of water with a rushing spring / A small favor will be repaid manifold
风马牛不相及 (fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí)
Means: Totally unrelated / Apples and oranges
一不做二不休 (yī bú zuò èr bù xiū)
Means: In for a penny, in for a pound / Might as well go all the way
七上八下 (qī shàng bā xià) / 乱七八糟 (often confused)
Means: Anxious / Having butterflies in one's stomach
纸老虎 (zhǐ lǎo hǔ)
Means: A hollow threat / Someone who appears powerful but is actually weak