Chinese idioms (惯用语)

大虫吃小虫 dà chóng chī xiǎo chóng

big bugs eat small bugs

A variant of 'big fish eat small fish': the strong prey on the weak.
大出血 dàchūxiě

great bleeding

To spend or lose a large sum of money, or pay a heavy price. Colloquial, often used for big discounts or heavy spending, as in 'bleeding money'.
大动脉 dàdòngmài

great artery

A main transport route of a country or region, seen as its lifeline. Neutral to approving.
大饭桶 dàfàntǒng

big rice tub

Someone who eats a lot, or an idiot who is good for nothing but eating. Insulting, mocking.

May offend: vulgar language
大锅饭 dàguōfàn

big-pot meal

A system where everyone shares equally whatever their contribution, which kills incentive. Usually critical, referring to egalitarian pay or welfare.
大海捞针 dàhǎilāozhēn

fish for a needle in the great sea

Trying to find something almost impossible to find. Like 'looking for a needle in a haystack'.
大合唱 dàhéchàng

big chorus

A situation where many people or parts work together, or all voice the same thing. Used figuratively, sometimes with a mildly ironic tone.
大红人 dàhóngrén

big red person

Someone highly favoured and trusted by those in power; the boss's favourite. Often slightly envious or sarcastic.
大化小，小化无 dà huà xiǎo, xiǎo huà wú

make the big small, make the small nothing

A variant of 大事化小，小事化了: play down a dispute until it disappears. Can be neutral or critical of brushing problems aside.
大换血 dàhuànxiě

big blood change

A sweeping replacement of personnel, as in a team or organisation. Informal.
大会战 dàhuìzhàn

great decisive battle

A big concentrated effort by many forces to complete a major task quickly. Often used for campaigns and projects.
大活人让尿憋死 dà huórén ràng niào biēsǐ

a living adult killed by holding in urine

Said of someone who suffers needlessly because they can't think of a very simple solution. Mocking; like 'can't see the wood for the trees'.

May offend: vulgar language
大家庭 dàjiātíng

big family

A large group in which members live and work together harmoniously. Warm and approving.
大开方便之门 dà kāi fāngbiàn zhī mén

throw wide the door of convenience

Originally, to give all kinds of help; now mostly used critically, for making things easy for someone doing wrong.
大老粗 dàlǎocū

big coarse fellow

A person with little or no schooling. Self-deprecating or condescending depending on who says it.
大路货 dàlùhuò

main-road goods

Ordinary goods of average quality that sell widely; figuratively, something run-of-the-mill. Mildly dismissive.
大帽子 dàmàozi

big hat

A serious accusation or label unfairly pinned on someone. Critical.
大帽子底下开小差 dàmàozi dǐxia kāixiǎochāi

desert under a big hat

In a self-criticism, speaking only in lofty generalities while avoiding concrete facts. Critical; the person dodges the real issue.
大气候 dàqìhòu

big climate

The broad political, economic or ideological trend in a wide setting, as against small local conditions.
大染缸 dàrǎngāng

big dye vat

An environment that corrupts anyone who enters it. Critical; like 'a den of corruption' or 'a bad influence'.
大撒手 dàsāshǒu

big letting-go of the hands

To drop all management and let things take their own course. Critical of neglect.
大扫除 dàsǎochú

big sweep-out

A large-scale clean-up or purge of an organisation or problem. Also a literal thorough house cleaning.
大事化小，小事化了 dàshì huàxiǎo, xiǎoshì huàliǎo

turn big matters small, turn small matters into nothing

To play down disputes until they vanish. Can be approving (keeping peace) or critical (covering things up).
大手笔 dàshǒubǐ

big hand-brush

A famous writer or their work; now also a grand-scale undertaking by a master. Approving.
大手术 dàshǒushù

major surgery

A sweeping effort to solve a problem, as in a major reform. Neutral.
大窝脖 dàwōbó

big neck-tuck

To be left embarrassed after being turned down. Colloquial, northern.
大眼瞪小眼 dàyǎn dèng xiǎoyǎn

big eyes glare at small eyes

People staring at each other, at a loss what to do. Humorous or rueful.
大鱼吃小鱼 dàyú chī xiǎoyú

big fish eat small fish

The strong prey on the weak; the law of the jungle. Critical.
大杂烩 dàzáhuì

big mixed stew

A jumble of unrelated things thrown together. Mildly critical.
带话把儿 dàihuàbàr

carry a speech handle

To pepper one's speech with coarse words or swear-like tags. Colloquial, disapproving.

May offend: vulgar language
带头羊 dàitóuyáng

lead sheep

The one who leads a group; the pacesetter. Usually approving.
戴高帽子 dàigāomàozi

put a tall hat on someone

To flatter someone. Mildly critical; similar to "butter someone up".
戴官帽子 dàiguānmàozi

wear an official's hat

To become an official or hold office. Often said casually or with a slightly wry tone.
戴假面具 dàijiǎmiànjù

wear a false mask

To put on a false front and hide one's true self. Critical.
戴笼头 dàilóngtou

wear a halter

To be held in check or kept under control, like a bridled animal.
戴绿帽 dàilǜmào

wear a green hat

A short form of 戴绿帽子: said of a man whose wife is unfaithful.

May offend: sexist or sexual
戴绿帽子 dàilǜmàozi

wear a green hat

Said of a man whose wife or girlfriend is having an affair. Mocking, often crude; it means roughly "be cuckolded".

May offend: sexist or sexual
戴纱帽 dàishāmào

wear a gauze hat

A short form of 戴乌纱帽: to become an official.
戴纱帽翅 dàishāmàochì

wear the wings of a gauze hat

A variant of 戴乌纱帽: to hold official position.
戴松紧帽 dàisōngjǐnmào

wear an elastic-band hat

To make criticism that is vague and general, so it fits anyone and hits no one in particular.
戴铁箍子 dàitiěgūzi

wear an iron hoop

To be tightly restricted or controlled by others.
戴乌纱 dàiwūshā

wear the black gauze

A short form of 戴乌纱帽: to be an official.
戴乌纱帽 dàiwūshāmào

wear the black gauze hat

To be an official or hold a leading position, after the hats worn by officials in imperial times. Can be neutral or slightly wry.
戴眼罩 dàiyǎnzhào

put blinkers on someone

To deceive people with smooth talk so they do not see the truth. Critical.
戴有色眼镜 dài yǒusè yǎnjìng

wear tinted glasses

To view things or people with prejudice or preconceptions. Critical; close to "see through tinted glasses".
担担子 dāndànzi

carry a load on a shoulder pole

To take on responsibility.
担风险 dānfēngxiǎn

bear risk

To take on the risk of possible danger or loss.
担凶险 dānxiōngxiǎn

bear great danger

To run a serious risk or face grave danger.
担虚名 dānxūmíng

carry an empty name

To have a reputation that does not match the reality, often to be blamed or credited for something one did not do.
担重担 dānzhòngdàn

carry a heavy load

A variant of 挑重担: to take on heavy responsibility.
单打一 dāndǎyī

play one thing only

To focus on one thing and ignore everything else. Mildly critical.
当红娘 dānghóngniáng

play Hongniang

To act as matchmaker or go-between, from the maid in the play Romance of the Western Chamber who brought two lovers together.
当傀儡 dāngkuǐlěi

be a puppet

To be a person or body controlled by others. Critical.
当炮灰 dāngpàohuī

be cannon fodder

To be sacrificed in an unjust cause, such as a war. Critical.
当人梯 dāngréntī

be a human ladder

To willingly sacrifice oneself so that others can succeed by climbing on one's shoulders. Approving.
当头棒 dāngtóubàng

a blow on the head

A sharp warning that jolts someone awake, from the Zen practice of striking students. Close to "a wake-up call".
挡风墙 dǎngfēngqiáng

windbreak wall

A person or thing that shields others from outside influences or harm.
挡箭牌 dǎngjiànpái

arrow-blocking shield

An excuse or cover used to protect oneself from blame or criticism.
当猴耍 dànghóushuǎ

treat as a monkey to be played with

To make a fool of someone or toy with them. Critical.
当跳板 dàngtiàobǎn

use as a springboard

To use a person or thing as a stepping stone toward one's own aim. Often critical.
刀子嘴，豆腐心 dāozi zuǐ, dòufu xīn

a knife for a mouth, a heart of tofu

Describes someone who speaks sharply but is kind-hearted underneath. Often said fondly or in defence of a blunt person, like 'her bark is worse than her bite'.
捯线头 dáoxiàntóu

hauling in the thread end

To trace something back to its cause or origin, as when you pull in a thread hand over hand. Used for investigating how a matter began.
导火索 dǎohuǒsuǒ

fuse cord

Variant of 导火线: the direct trigger of an event, especially a conflict or dispute. The book gives 导火线 as the usual form, but 导火索 is also widely used. Neutral.
导火线 dǎohuǒxiàn

the fuse line

The fuse that sets off an explosive, used figuratively for the immediate cause that sets off an incident, war or quarrel. Neutral; like 'the spark' or 'the trigger'.
倒牌子 dǎopáizi

the brand falls

A brand, person or organisation loses its good reputation and credibility. Used critically.
倒胃口 dǎowèikǒu

upset the appetite

To make you lose your appetite, or figuratively to disgust or bore you so that you refuse something. Common in everyday speech.
到火候 dàohuǒhou

reach the right heat

Borrowed from cooking: either someone's skill or cultivation has reached a certain level, or the moment is right for action. Approving.
倒插门 dàochāmén

insert oneself in through the door the other way round

A man who marries into his wife's family and settles in her home. It can carry a slightly belittling tone, since the man is seen as reversing the usual arrangement.
倒栽葱 dàozāicōng

a scallion planted upside down

Falling head first, or a head-first tumble. Used humorously or descriptively.
道半个不字 dào bàn gè bù zì

say half a word of 'no'

To voice even the slightest objection. Usually used in negatives, as in 'no one dared say a word against it'.
得白财 débáicái

get white wealth

To get money or goods for nothing, without working for them.
得彩头 décǎitou

win a prize

To win money or goods in gambling or a lottery draw.
得势的猫凶似虎 déshì de māo xiōng sì hǔ

a cat in power is fiercer than a tiger

A petty person who gains power becomes arrogant and domineering. Critical, like 'put a beggar on horseback'.
得甜头 détiántou

get a taste of sweetness

To get a first taste of a benefit that tempts you to continue. The book says it is usually written 尝甜头.
得正果 dézhèngguǒ

attain the proper fruit

Same as 成正果: to reach a successful result after long effort, originally to attain enlightenment in Buddhism.
灯下黑 dēngxiàhēi

dark beneath the lamp

Problems often arise right next to those who should see them; people overlook what is closest to them. Used critically about oversight failures.
登鼻子上脸 dēng bízi shàng liǎn

climb onto the nose and up the face

To take advantage and become more and more presumptuous. Like 'give an inch, take a mile'. Critical.
登龙门 dēnglóngmén

climb the Dragon Gate

Same as 跳龙门: a sudden rise to fame or high status, especially through success in exams.
登末班车 dēngmòbānchē

catch the last bus

A variant of 乘末班车: to take a last chance before it is too late.
等米下锅 děngmǐxiàguō

wait for rice to put in the pot

Sit passively waiting for help from above instead of finding a way to overcome a difficulty oneself. Critical.
等于零 děngyúlíng

equals zero

Amounts to nothing; completely lost or almost non-existent. Used flatly to say that something has no value or effect.
底儿朝天 dǐrchaótiān

bottom facing the sky

Turned upside down. Figuratively, to search something thoroughly or expose a matter completely.
地方粮票 dìfāng liángpiào

local grain coupons

Figuratively, quotas for jobs, pay or job titles that a locality or organisation sets within national policy and that are valid only there. Somewhat wry, and refers to the old ration-coupon system.
地老鼠 dìlǎoshǔ

ground rat

A person who is good at wangling their way in, a sneaky social climber. Derogatory.
地头蛇 dìtóushé

a snake on its home ground

A local bully or gang that dominates an area and that outsiders cannot easily cross. Critical. Compare 'a big fish in a small pond', though more sinister.
点鬼火 diǎnguǐhuǒ

light ghost fires

To stir others up behind the scenes and provoke trouble. Critical.
电老虎 diànlǎohǔ

electric tiger

Either an organisation that uses huge amounts of power, or a power supplier that uses its authority to make things hard for customers and extort them. The second sense is critical.
电老鼠 diànlǎoshǔ

electric rat

A person who steals electricity. Derogatory.
垫脚石 diànjiǎoshí

stepping stone

A person or thing used to climb upward, often at someone else's expense. Compare 'stepping stone', which is often neutral in English; the Chinese is usually critical.
吊膀子 diàobǎngzi

hang on an arm

To flirt, usually in a slightly disreputable way, with someone of the opposite sex.
吊胃口 diàowèikǒu

dangle the appetite

To tempt someone and arouse their desire or curiosity, often by holding something back. Like 'whet the appetite' or 'keep someone hanging'.
钓大鱼 diàodàyú

fish for big fish

To use lures to gain a very large benefit. Often implies scheming.
钓胃口 diàowèikǒu

fish for the appetite

A variant of 吊胃口: to tempt and tease someone's desire or curiosity.
掉链子 diàoliànzi

the chain falls off

To fail at a crucial moment, as a link in a process breaks down. Commonly said of someone who lets the team down.
掉书袋 diàoshūdài

swing the book bag

To show off learning by piling on quotations from the classics. Mildly critical.
叮当响 dīngdāngxiǎng

clinking and clanging

Describes being penniless, as if only a few coins rattled in your pocket. Often '穷得叮当响'.
钉子户 dīngzihù

nail household

A household that refuses to move out when land is taken for development, holding up the work. The usual English is 'holdout'; the tone depends on the speaker's sympathies.
顶风上 dǐngfēngshàng

go up against the wind

To press ahead boldly against an unfavourable situation. Can be approving or critical.
顶梁柱 dǐngliángzhù

the pillar holding up the beam

An indispensable key person, such as the main breadwinner or the mainstay of a team. Approving.
顶门杠 dǐngméngàng

the bar that braces the door

A person who obstructs and blocks a matter from going smoothly. Critical.

Every kind of Chinese saying