Chinese idioms (惯用语)

害死人还看出殡的 hàisǐ rén hái kàn chūbìn de

kills someone and then goes to watch the funeral procession

Describes a sly, vicious person who harms others and then looks on as if it had nothing to do with them. Very critical.
邯郸梦 hándānmèng

the Handan dream

A fleeting dream of wealth and glory that comes to nothing; another name for the 'yellow millet dream'. Literary.
含金量 hánjīnliàng

gold content

How valuable or substantial something is, such as a degree, a prize or a contract. Neutral and common in modern use.
旱涝保收 hànlàobǎoshōu

harvest guaranteed in drought or flood

Having a secure income whatever happens, such as a stable job. Often mildly envious.
旱鸭子 hànyāzi

dry-land duck

A person who cannot swim. Humorous, friendly.
好花插在牛粪上 hǎo huā chā zài niúfèn shang

a good flower stuck in cow dung

Said regretfully or mockingly when a fine woman marries a husband thought unworthy of her. Often a jealous or snide remark about a couple.
好了疮疤忘了疼 hǎole chuāngbā wàngle téng

once the sore has healed, forget the pain

A variant of 好了伤疤忘了疼: criticises people who forget past suffering or lessons once they are better off.
好了伤疤忘了疼 hǎole shāngbā wàngle téng

once the scar has healed, forget the pain

Criticises someone who, once out of trouble, forgets the lesson or the help they received and repeats the mistake.
好马不吃回头草 hǎo mǎ bù chī huítóu cǎo

a good horse doesn't eat the grass it has left behind

A person of resolve doesn't go back to old ways, an old job or an ex. Often said when refusing to return to a former situation.
好戏在后头 hǎo xì zài hòutou

the good show is still to come

The best or most dramatic part hasn't happened yet. Used with anticipation or as a warning that more is coming.
好心变了驴肝肺 hǎoxīn biànle lǘgānfèi

good intentions turned into donkey liver and lungs

A variant of 好心当作驴肝肺: one's kindness is misread as malice. Said in complaint.
好心当作驴肝肺 hǎoxīn dàngzuò lǘgānfèi

take good intentions for donkey liver and lungs

Someone mistakes your kindness for ill will. Said resentfully by the well-meaning person: "I meant well and got thrown back in my face."
喝黄汤 hēhuángtāng

drink yellow soup

To drink alcohol, especially rice wine. Slightly humorous or disapproving.
喝苦水 hēkǔshuǐ

drink bitter water

To suffer mental torment or setbacks, often silently.
喝苦药 hēkǔyào

drink bitter medicine

A variant of 喝苦水: to endure suffering or hardship.
喝凉水也塞牙 hē liángshuǐ yě sāi yá

even drinking cold water gets stuck in the teeth

Everything goes wrong; one is out of luck. Similar to "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."
喝猫尿 hēmāoniào

drink cat's urine

A jocular, coarse way of saying to drink alcohol, often to get drunk.

May offend: vulgar language
喝迷魂汤 hēmíhúntāng

drink the soul-bewildering soup

To be taken in by flattery or deception, or to be muddled and unable to see things clearly. Critical.
喝墨水 hēmòshuǐ

drink ink

To go to school and study, or to be educated. Often used jokingly, e.g. of someone with some learning.
喝西北风 hēxīběifēng

drink the northwest wind

To have nothing to eat and go hungry. Often said of what will happen if one has no income.
喝西风 hēxīfēng

drink the west wind

A variant of 喝西北风: to go hungry.
合拍子 hépāizi

in time with the beat

Describes people who work or act together in smooth, instinctive harmony. Approving.
河水不犯井水 héshuǐ bù fàn jǐngshuǐ

river water doesn't encroach on well water

Two parties keep to their own areas and don't interfere with each other. Neutral; close to 'live and let live'.
黑铁塔 hēitiětǎ

black iron tower

Describes a tall, sturdy, dark-skinned man. Usually admiring or humorous.
黑心肠 hēixīncháng

black-hearted

Describes a malicious, cruel person. Critical.
恨铁不成钢 hèn tiě bù chéng gāng

hating that iron won't become steel

Being frustrated that someone you expect much of is not doing well, and wanting them to improve. Said of parents and teachers.
横鼻子竖眼 héng bízi shù yǎn

nose across, eyes upright

Describes a person with a fierce, menacing look.
横撑船 héngchēngchuán

punting a boat sideways

Putting obstacles in the way so that a matter can't proceed smoothly. Critical.
横挑鼻子竖挑眼 héng tiāo bízi shù tiāoyǎn

picking at the nose crosswise and at the eyes lengthwise

Finding fault with everything in every way. Critical; close to 'nitpicking'.
轰下台 hōngxiàtái

drive off the stage

Force someone out of a position of power. Informal and forceful.
红得发紫 hóngdefāzǐ

so red it turns purple

Describes someone at the height of favour and fame. Sometimes slightly ironic.
红头火柴 hóngtóuhuǒchái

red-headed match

Describes a person with a quick temper, who flares up at the slightest touch.
红头文件 hóngtóuwénjiàn

red-header document

An official document issued by Party or government bodies. Sometimes used with a hint of mockery for bureaucracy.
红眼病 hóngyǎnbìng

red-eye disease

Envy of other people's success or gain. Critical; close to 'green-eyed with envy'.
鸿门宴 hóngményàn

the Hongmen banquet

A feast or meeting that is really a trap to harm the guest. From the story of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
猴年马月 hóuniánmǎyuè

year of the monkey, month of the horse

Some unknowable time in the far future, meaning 'never' or 'when pigs fly'. Often said with impatience.
猴跳圈 hóutiàoquān

a monkey jumping through a hoop

Describes someone who keeps changing and cannot be relied on.
后浪催前浪 hòulàng cuī qiánlàng

the back waves urge on the front waves

A variant of 后浪推前浪: new people replace the old.
后浪推前浪 hòulàng tuī qiánlàng

the waves behind push the waves ahead

New things and new people replace the old and surpass them. Said approvingly or with resignation, as each generation yields to the next.
后娘养的 hòuniángyǎngde

raised by the stepmother

Describes a person or unit that is treated unfairly, neglected or looked down on, like an unloved stepchild. Used as a complaint or an insult.
后勤部长 hòuqínbùzhǎng

chief of logistics

Someone who provides the supplies and practical support that let others work on the front line. Approving; often said of a person who handles the behind-the-scenes needs of a team or family.
后台老板 hòutáilǎobǎn

the boss backstage

The person or group that secretly controls or backs someone from behind the scenes. Usually critical, as in a shady operation's hidden mastermind.
后遗症 hòuyízhèng

after-effects symptom

The lingering bad consequences of something that was not handled properly at the start. Also the medical term for after-effects of an illness.
狐狸精 húlijīng

fox spirit

In old tales, a fox that turns into a beautiful woman and harms people. Now an insulting word for a seductive or scheming woman, or a woman accused of luring a man away.

May offend: sexist or sexual
狐狸尾巴 húliwěiba

fox tail

The telltale sign that exposes someone's bad intentions or wrongdoing. In tales, a fox spirit in human form let its tail show. Often 'show the fox's tail' (露出狐狸尾巴).
胡萝卜加大棒 húluóbo jiā dà bàng

carrot and big stick

Winning people over by both reward and punishment, using soft and hard tactics together. Same as the English 'carrot and stick'.
胡子工程 húzigōngchéng

beard project

A project dragging on far past its deadline because of inefficiency, so long that the workers grow beards. Critical.
胡子眉毛一把抓 húzi méimao yībǎzhuā

grabbing beard and eyebrows in one handful

Tackling everything at once without distinguishing what matters most or what is urgent. Critical of poor prioritising.
猢狲散 húsūnsàn

the monkeys scatter

Short for 树倒猢狲散: when a leader falls, his followers disperse. Used of a group falling apart after its head collapses; mocking.
糊涂虫 hútuchóng

muddled bug

A fool; someone who is confused and cannot tell right from wrong. Mildly scolding or teasing.
护犊子 hùdúzi

protect the calf

To shield one's own child (or one's own people) even when they are in the wrong. Often mildly critical.
护官符 hùguānfú

official's protection charm

Originally a list of powerful local families that officials had to know to keep their posts. Now means a protective connection or patron. Critical.
护身符 hùshēnfú

body-protecting talisman

A lucky charm; figuratively, a person or thing that protects someone from harm, or that someone hides behind.
花点子 huādiǎnzi

flowery tricks

A deceitful scheme, or a showy idea with no real worth. Critical.
花花肠子 huāhuachángzi

flowery intestines

Sly thoughts or wicked ideas; a scheming, devious mind. Critical.
花架子 huājiàzi

flower stand

Something showy but without real substance, such as impressive-looking but useless moves or procedures. Critical.
花舌头 huāshétou

flowery tongue

A smooth talker; someone good with words, or using flattering, insincere talk. Usually critical.
划道道儿 huàdàodaor

draw lines

A variant of 划杠杠: setting simple cut-off lines or standards to sort people.
划地盘 huàdìpán

mark out territory

To divide up spheres of influence, each side claiming its own turf.
划杠杠 huàgànggang

draw bars

To set a simple cut-off line, e.g. by age, years of service or pay, to decide who qualifies. Often critical of crude one-size-fits-all rules.
划框框 huàkuàngkuang

draw boxes

To set fixed rules and limits beforehand and allow no going beyond them. Usually critical.
画等号 huàděnghào

draw an equals sign

To treat two things as the same or equivalent. Often used when saying one thing shouldn't be equated with another.
画地饼 huàdìbǐng

draw a cake on the ground

To console or placate people with empty talk or fantasies, like the English 'pie in the sky'. Critical.
画虎不成反成犬 huà hǔ bù chéng fǎn chéng quǎn

trying to draw a tiger and ending up with a dog

A variant of 画虎不成反类犬: copying something ambitious badly and ending up as an embarrassment.
画虎不成反类犬 huà hǔ bù chéng fǎn lèi quǎn

trying to draw a tiger, it ends up looking like a dog

Imitating something without mastering it and ending up with a clumsy, ridiculous result. Mocking; like 'biting off more than one can chew' in spirit.
画句号 huàjùhào

draw a full stop

To bring something to an end or reach a conclusion, as a full stop ends a sentence.
画圈圈 huàquānquan

draw circles

Originally, a leader drawing a circle by their name on a circulated document to show they have read it; by extension, to review and sign off on documents. Neutral, a bit bureaucratic, sometimes mildly mocking of officials who only initial things.
画问号 huàwènhào

draw a question mark

To have doubts about a person or matter; to question whether something is true or reliable. Neutral, colloquial.
画中人 huàzhōngrén

a person in a painting

Describes a woman so graceful and beautiful she looks like she stepped out of a painting. Admiring, literary.
话口袋 huàkǒudai

talk sack

The book gives it as a variant of 话篓子: a person who talks a great deal. Mildly teasing.
话里有话 huàlǐyǒuhuà

words within words

There is a hidden meaning behind what someone says; they imply more than they state. Neutral, often suspicious. Similar to 'reading between the lines'.
话篓子 huàlǒuzi

talk basket

A person who loves to talk and never stops; a chatterbox. Teasing or mildly critical.
怀鬼胎 huáiguǐtāi

carry a ghost foetus

To harbour a secret, ulterior motive that one cannot reveal. Critical.
坏肠子 huàichángzi

bad intestines

Describes someone with a mean, wicked heart, or a person who has lost their conscience; also used for such a person. Critical.
换肚肠 huàndùcháng

change one's guts

To turn bad at heart; to become mean or treacherous. Critical.
换空气 huànkōngqì

change the air

To change the surroundings or atmosphere, e.g. by going somewhere new for a fresh start. Neutral, figurative.
换口气 huànkǒuqi

change one's tone

To change one's manner of speaking, attitude or stance; to change one's mind. Neutral.
换口味 huànkǒuwèi

change the taste

To vary one's food or cooking for a change; figuratively, to try something different for variety, as in games or activities. Like 'for a change of pace'.
换脑瓜子 huànnǎoguāzi

change one's head

A more colloquial way of saying 换脑筋: to change one's thinking and take on new ideas.
换脑筋 huànnǎojīn

change one's brain

To change one's way of thinking and update old ideas. Often an urging to be less rigid.
换汤不换药 huàn tāng bù huàn yào

change the broth but not the medicine

Only the form changes while the substance stays the same. Critical; like 'old wine in new bottles'.
换胃口 huànwèikǒu

change the appetite

Given by the book as meaning the same as 换口味: to try something different for variety. Colloquial.
慌了手脚 huāngleshǒujiǎo

flustered hands and feet

To lose one's composure from fear or alarm and not know what to do. Like 'to be thrown into a panic'.
慌手慌脚 huāngshǒuhuāngjiǎo

flustered hands, flustered feet

Doing things in a hurried, flustered and clumsy way. Mildly critical.
皇帝不急急太监 huángdì bù jí jí tàijiàn

the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is

The person concerned is calm while onlookers fret on their behalf. Humorous; like "more worried than the one concerned".
皇帝的女儿 huángdì de nǚ'ér

the emperor's daughter

Short for 皇帝的女儿不愁嫁: used figuratively for talented people or valuable goods that are always in demand.
黄河清 huánghéqīng

the Yellow River runs clear

Something that will never happen, since the Yellow River is full of silt. Used of an impossible hope; also a sign of a rare golden age.
黄花女 huánghuānǚ

yellow-flower girl

A young woman who is a virgin. Somewhat old-fashioned and bookish.

May offend: sexist or sexual
黄昏恋 huánghūnliàn

twilight romance

A new romance late in life, between widowed or divorced older people. Neutral to warm.
黄金屋 huángjīnwū

house of gold

Great wealth. Mostly known from the phrase 'in books there is a house of gold', i.e. study brings riches.
黄粱梦 huángliángmèng

yellow millet dream

A fine dream that comes to nothing; hopes or fantasies that collapse. From the tale of a man who dreamed of wealth while millet cooked. Compare 'castles in the air'.
黄牌警告 huángpáijǐnggào

yellow-card warning

A formal warning, borrowed from the football yellow card. Usually written 亮黄牌.
黄土埋半截 huángtǔ mái bànjié

yellow earth already buried half of one

Said of someone very old who does not have long to live. Often self-deprecating or grim.
凰求凤 huángqiúfèng

the hen phoenix seeks the male phoenix

A woman proposing marriage to a man, reversing the usual 'phoenix seeks mate' (凤求凰).
挥锄头 huīchútou

swing a hoe

To do hard physical work, especially farming.
挥泪斩马谡 huīlèi zhǎn mǎsù

weeping, execute Ma Su

To punish a capable subordinate severely despite personal pain, because rules require it. From Zhuge Liang executing Ma Su after he lost Jieting.
回过味儿 huíguòwèir

get the taste back

To realise only afterward what was really going on, or what someone meant.
回老家 huílǎojiā

go back to the old home

A euphemistic, often joking way to say someone has died. Can also mean literally going home.
回娘家 huíniángjia

return to one's mother's home

For a married woman, to visit her parents; figuratively, to return to a place or organisation where one once lived, studied or worked.
回头看 huítóukàn

look back

To review and check on the work or situation of an earlier period.

Every kind of Chinese saying