Chinese Idioms & Proverbs

huà shé tiān zú

To ruin something by adding unnecessary details; to overdo it; to gild the lily

shǒu zhū dài tù

To trust to chance and luck; to wait passively for opportunities without taking action; to rely on luck rather than hard work

yǎn ěr dào líng

To deceive oneself; to think that by hiding the truth from oneself, others won't notice; self-deception

hú jiǎ hǔ wēi

To use someone else's power or authority to intimidate others; to bully others by relying on a powerful connection

wáng yáng bǔ láo

It's never too late to fix a mistake; to take corrective action after a loss; better late than never

kè zhōu qiú jiàn

To be inflexible and fail to adapt to changing circumstances; to use outdated methods to solve new problems

zì xiāng máo dùn

To contradict oneself; to be self-contradictory; to have conflicting statements or actions

yè gōng hào lóng

To profess love for something but actually fear it; to claim to like something but avoid it when it appears; false enthusiasm

jǐng dǐ zhī wā

A person with a narrow view; someone with limited knowledge and experience; a person who is ignorant of the wider world

bēi gōng shé yǐng

To be overly suspicious and frightened by imaginary fears; to be paranoid; to see danger where there is none

duì niú tán qín

To speak to someone who cannot understand; to waste one's effort on an unreceptive audience; to cast pearls before swine

duō cǐ yī jǔ

To do something superfluous or unnecessary; to take an unnecessary action; to go to unnecessary trouble

yī chéng bù biàn

Unchanging; fixed and rigid; immutable; to remain the same without any variation

kǒu shì xīn fēi

To say yes but mean no; to be insincere; to speak one thing but think another; to be two-faced

nòng qiǎo chéng zhuō

To outsmart oneself; to try to be clever but end up making things worse; cleverness that backfires

huà lóng diǎn jīng

To add the finishing touch; the crucial point that brings something to life; the key detail that makes everything perfect

qià dào hǎo chù

To be exactly right; perfectly appropriate; neither too much nor too little; hitting the perfect balance

zuò xiǎng qí chéng

To sit idle and enjoy the fruits of others' labor; to reap benefits without working; to benefit from others' efforts without contributing

bù láo ér huò

To reap without sowing; to gain benefits without putting in effort; to get something for nothing

zì qī qī rén

To deceive oneself as well as others; self-deception; to fool oneself and others; to be in denial

yī yè zhàng mù

To be unable to see the big picture because of a small detail; to let a small thing obscure the whole situation; to be blinded by a single detail

yí shén yí guǐ

To be overly suspicious; to imagine dangers everywhere; to be paranoid; to see threats where none exist

cǎo mù jiē bīng

To see soldiers in every tree and blade of grass; to be overly fearful; to be in a state of extreme panic; to imagine enemies everywhere

gǒu zhàng rén shì

To bully others with borrowed authority; to act arrogantly because of someone else's power; to be a bully's lackey

mò shǒu chéng guī

To stick to old rules; to be conservative and inflexible; to follow established practices rigidly; to be resistant to change

zhàng shì qī rén

To bully others by relying on power or influence; to abuse one's authority; to take advantage of one's position to mistreat others

fù shuǐ nán shōu

What's done cannot be undone; spilled water cannot be gathered up; irreversible actions; no turning back

jiàn duō shí guǎng

Well-traveled and knowledgeable; experienced and well-informed; to have broad knowledge from extensive experience

bó xué duō cái

Erudite and versatile; learned and talented; to have extensive knowledge and many talents

zì lì gēng shēng

To rely on one's own efforts; self-reliance; to be self-sufficient; to build oneself up through one's own work

zhēn cái shí xué

Real talent and learning; genuine ability; true knowledge and actual skills; authentic expertise

suí jī yìng biàn

To adapt to circumstances; to be flexible; to adjust according to the situation; to improvise as needed

yǔ shí jù jìn

To keep pace with the times; to advance with the times; to move forward with the era; to stay current