500 Common Chinese Idioms: An Annotated Frequency Dictionary / 成语五百条 [Book] [1 ed.] 9780415598934, 9780415776820, 9780203839140

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500 Common Chinese Idioms ‘The authors have done a magnificent job explaining this important dimension in the use of Chinese. Learners will appreciate the care they have taken to ensure that the material is maximally relevant and clear. The dictionary will be an invaluable aid to both comprehension and production.’ David Crystal, Honorary Professor of Linguistics, The University of Wales, UK ‘Grounded in corpus research, this dictionary has a number of laudable features: with focused attention on learner usage, entries are clearly analyzed, exemplified and contextualized.’ Zheng-sheng Zhang, San Diego State University, USA 500 Common Chinese Idioms is the ideal tool for all intermediate to advanced learners of Chinese. Based on large corpuses of authentic language data, it presents the 500 most commonly used Chinese idioms or chéngyj, along with a variety of synonyms, antonyms and the most common structures, enabling the reader to make educated guesses about the meanings of hundreds of unfamiliar idioms. Key features include: v v v v

the idiom in both simplified and traditional characters a literal English translation and English equivalents two suitable example sentences, plus explanations and usage notes a pinyin index and stroke order index.

This practical dictionary is suitable both for class use and independent study and will be of interest to students and teachers of Chinese alike. Liwei Jiao is Lecturer in Chinese at the University of Pennsylvania. His publications include The Routledge Advanced Chinese Multimedia Course: Crossing Cultural Boundaries (co-authored with Kun-shan Carolyn Lee, Hsin-Hsin Liang and Julian Wheatley, Routledge 2009). Cornelius C. Kubler is Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies at Williams College. He has authored or co-authored nine books and over 50 articles on Chinese language pedagogy and linguistics. Weiguo Zhang is Emeritus Professor of Chinese Linguistics at Renmin University of China. He is currently Visiting Professor and Co-director of the Confucius Institute for Ireland at University College Dublin. He has published several books on computer language.

500 Common Chinese Idioms An annotated frequency dictionary Liwei Jiao, Cornelius C. Kubler and Weiguo Zhang

First published 2011 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2011 Liwei Jiao, Cornelius C. Kubler and Weiguo Zhang The rights of Liwei Jiao, Cornelius C. Kubler and Weiguo Zhang to be identified as authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Typeset in GraphSwift Light by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Jiao, Liwei. 500 common Chinese idioms / Liwei Jiao, Cornelius C. Kubler, Weiguo Zhang. — 1st ed. p. cm. Chinese language—Idioms—Dictionaries—English. 2. Chinese language— Terms and phrases. I. Kubler, Cornelius C. II. Zhang, Weiguo. III. Title. IV. Title: Five hundred common Chinese idioms. PL1273.J53 2010 495.1a313—dc22 2010019805 ISBN 13: 978-0-415-59893-4 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-415-77682-0 (pbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-203-83914-0 (ebk)

Contents Introduction Chinese idioms and why they are important Special characteristics of this dictionary How the entries of this dictionary were determined How this dictionary is organized How to use this dictionary Background of the compilation of this dictionary and acknowledgments

vi vi vii viii ix x xi

List of entries

xii

500 common Chinese idioms

1

Appendix one: common structural patterns of Chinese idioms

298

Appendix two: Pinyin index of 500 common Chinese idioms

301

Appendix three: stroke index of 500 common Chinese idioms

307

Introduction 500 Common Chinese Idioms: An Annotated Frequency Dictionary is a dictionary of common Chinese idioms that is based on frequency statistics. Designed for native Englishspeaking learners of Chinese at the intermediate level or above, it is designed so that it can both serve as a reference work and also function as a supplementary textbook for either class instruction or independent learning. In addition, the dictionary can be used as a resource by teachers of Chinese as a second/foreign language for developing pedagogical materials or assessment tools.

Chinese idioms and why they are important There exist in both spoken and written Chinese a great number of idioms called ៤䇁 (៤䁲 chéngyj), literally ‘set language’ or ‘set expressions,’ which we here translate into English as ‘idiom.’ These may be general in nature or they may allude to famous events or stories from Chinese history, or they may be direct quotations from famous works of Chinese literature. The great majority of Chinese idioms is composed of four characters, which usually – though not always – can be parsed in groups of two. Chinese idioms are usually composed in Classical Chinese and thus typically have a different grammatical structure from that of Modern Chinese. In their speech and writing, Chinese people make frequent use of idioms, since these often sum up succinctly a meaning which it would otherwise take many words to express. Contextually appropriate use of idioms tends to impress hearers as to the educational level and eloquence of the speaker. Since idioms are frequently used in formal speech and higher-level written materials, such as newspaper editorials and commentaries, they serve as a useful medium for helping learners move up on the proficiency ladder. Familiarity with idioms can also be helpful for the nonnative in gaining credibility in Chinese society. Indeed, almost nothing impresses a Chinese person more than an aptly used idiom coming from the mouth of a foreigner. There is a great number of idioms in Chinese, with certain dictionaries of idioms including well over 20,000 entries. All Chinese people know idioms, even though the total number known by any one individual will depend on her or his education, linguistic talent, general intelligence, etc. Idioms are such an important part of Chinese popular culture that there even exists a game called ៤䇁᥹啭 (៤䁲᥹啡 chéngyj jiblóng) that involves someone calling out an idiom, with someone else then being supposed to think of another idiom to link up with the first one, so that the last character of the first idiom is the same as the first character of the second idiom, and so forth. According to the Chinese search engine Baidu, the longest idiom chain ever created was all of 1,788 idioms long!

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vii

For the learner of Chinese as a second/foreign language, idioms are not so easy to understand, since the functional meaning of idioms is often different from the surface meaning and may, to quote an English idiom, be ‘greater than the sum of its parts.’ This is because Chinese idioms frequently involve literary allusions, extended meanings, and metaphors. For example, take the idiom 䲾Ё䗕⚁ (䲾Ё䗕⚁ xug zhdng sòng tàn). This could be translated literally as ‘in the snow to deliver charcoal’; however, the actual meaning usually has nothing at all to do with ‘snow’ or ‘charcoal,’ but rather involves the rendering of aid to someone at a time of need. Similarly, it is not so easy to use idioms. For example, consider the idiom 㸷亳ԣ㸠 (㸷亳ԣ㸠 yc shí zhù xíng). The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘food, clothing, shelter, and transportation,’ that is, ‘the basic necessities of life.’ This would seem to be not that difficult to understand. However, in speech or in written compositions, students will frequently produce a sentence such as *↣ϾҎ䛑᳝㸷亳ԣ㸠, with the intended meaning: ‘Everyone possesses the basic necessities of life’; yet this idiom cannot be used in such a way. The basic problem here is that students understand only the general meaning of the idiom but are not clear about how to use it appropriately in their own speech or writing. And precisely because idioms are difficult to use appropriately, students tend to avoid them in their Chinese. Idioms have a long history in Chinese, with some having existed for well over 2,000 years. Indeed, the grammatical structure of most Chinese idioms is that of Classical Chinese. There are three common origins of idioms: ancient fables and historical tales; Buddhist and Confucian classics as well as other works of ancient Chinese literature; and habitual collocations of terms that gradually came to be stable and used in a certain way, even though their exact origin is not known today. To use a Chinese idiom, we could say there are in the Chinese language as many idioms ‘as there are hairs on an ox’ (໮བ⠯↯ dud rú niú máo ‘many as ox hairs’). So, how many idioms should a foreign learner of Chinese learn? We have found that, based on our own statistical surveys, whether one employs a larger corpus consisting of several tens of millions of characters (which would include 6,000–7,000 idioms) or a smaller corpus consisting of several hundred thousand to a few million characters, 500 idioms will in either case cover about 40 percent to 50 percent of the total of the frequency of occurrence of all idioms. This is the reason why it was decided to include 500 entries in this dictionary.

Special characteristics of this dictionary There are many dictionaries of Chinese idioms on the market in China, with the largest containing over 20,000 entries. However, none of these dictionaries is particularly suitable for the use of non-native Chinese language learners. This is primarily for the following reasons: First, the choice of idioms to be included is often not practical or otherwise appropriate for non-native learners of Chinese. For example, in not a few monolingual dictionaries of Chinese idioms, the first entry is 䰓唏ഄ⣅ (䰓唏ഄ⤘ kbí Dìyù) ‘Avici Hell (in Buddhism)’ – not exactly a particularly useful idiom for the average non-native learner and, indeed, one that even many Chinese readers would not

viii

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readily understand. Second, most dictionaries of idioms in China lack English translations, and the Chinese used for explanation and exemplification is typically too difficult for someone whose native language is not Chinese; in fact, the language of the explanations is in many cases even harder than the idiom being explained! Third, there may not even be Pinyin romanization provided. Also, in many monolingual Chinese dictionaries of idioms there are no example sentences, or else the example sentences are too difficult, deriving from famous works of classical literature such as Dream of the Red Chamber. Perhaps such examples are appropriate for native Chinese users, but certainly they are not very helpful for non-native users. Also, usage explanations, if present at all, may be quite vague and without information on common collocations. Finally, the great majority of dictionaries of idioms are arranged according to Pinyin romanization, stroke order, or meaning categories. Though arranging entries based on Pinyin or stroke order may be convenient for looking up idioms, such an arrangement is definitely not the most conducive for learning. The idioms included in this dictionary were chosen and arranged based on their frequency and practicality for non-native learners. Moreover, all the example sentences have been written in clear, everyday Modern Chinese and provide an invaluable context for the idiom being exemplified. Indeed, most of the example sentences were written only after examining 200 or more instances of actual use in the linguistic corpuses on which the dictionary was based. Also included are synonyms, antonyms, sociolinguistic information, and fairly detailed descriptions of usage that provide information on grammatical functions and, when applicable, common collocations.

How the entries of this dictionary were determined In determining the 500 entries to be included here and their order in the dictionary, we considered the following six corpuses: Name of corpus

1. People’s Daily newspaper, all issues from 1996– 2000

2. Professor Weiguo Zhang’s personal corpus

3. Balanced Corpus from Academia Sinica, Taiwan

4. Spoken Beijing Dialect Corpus by Hu Mingyang and Zhang Weiguo

5. 2009 PRC elementary/ secondary school language textbooks (24 volumes)

6. Peking University Center for Chinese Linguistics (CCL) corpus

Number of characters

45 million

9.5 million

8 million

1 million

1–2 million

307 million

Type of material

primarily news; general

primarily literature

general

speech

general

general

Regarding corpus 3, while we did consult the frequency list for that corpus, it should be noted that the list includes only those idioms that occur ten or more times in the corpus. As for corpus 6, though it was not possible for us to search

Introduction

ix

all of the idioms in that corpus, we did consult that corpus in deciding the order for the entries included in our dictionary. The procedure for determining the entries was as follows: First, an exhaustive search was conducted of all the idioms in corpuses 1 and 2 above, with the goal of compiling for each of these corpuses a list of the 800 highest-frequency idioms. It turned out that the two lists of 800 idioms had 305 idioms in common; therefore, it was decided that these 305 idioms should form the basis for this dictionary. Next to be selected were a group of 75 idioms that were relatively high in frequency in corpuses 3, 4, and 5, but which happened not to be included among the 305 idioms described in the preceding paragraph. Adding them to the 305 idioms just mentioned, a list of of 380 entries was obtained. Finally, after tabulating all the idioms in the first five corpuses, an additional 120 high-frequency idioms that did not appear on the list of 380 entries were selected. In this way, the grand total of 500 entries was arrived at. The frequency of occurrence of the 500 entries in all the different corpuses was then added together, and it was thus that the overall frequency number of each entry was obtained. It should be pointed out that, among the 500 idioms, there are 50 that derive from fables or tales from Chinese history. After we obtained the overall frequencies of occurrence for each of the 500 idioms, we took the 50 idioms that derive from fables or Chinese history and arranged them according to frequency, and then ordered them so that one would occur as every tenth idiom, from idiom number 10 through idiom number 500. With this one exception, the 500 entries were arranged strictly according to frequency of occurrence. The reason why we decided the order of fables and historical idioms separately from the other entries is that, if we had proceeded purely by frequency, then most of these idioms would not have been included in the dictionary; and yet these idioms are often even more concise and embody even more Chinese culture than ‘ordinary’ idioms. It is for these reasons that we gave what one might call ‘special handling’ to these idioms that derive from fables and tales from ancient Chinese culture, which we recommend to learners for their learning and use, when appropriate.

How this dictionary is organized Each entry in this dictionary consists of the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Number of the idiom. On the first line of each entry is the number of the idiom in this dictionary. Idiom in simplified characters. Next on the first line is the idiom printed in simplified characters [indicated by thick brackets]. Idiom in traditional characters. Also on the first line is the idiom printed in traditional characters (indicated by thin parentheses). Idiom in Pinyin romanization. The last item on the first line of each entry is the idiom written in Pinyin romanization. English translation of idiom. Starting on the second line of each entry is the English translation and/or explanation of the idiom. When possible, the individual characters that make up the idiom are also translated. These are often

x

Introduction

followed by a literal translation of the whole idiom and one or more freer translations of the idiom. 6. Example sentences. Next, two example sentences are provided for each idiom to illustrate how the idiom is used. We urge users of this dictionary to study the examples carefully and to pay special attention to the linguistic context in which the entries occur. Each example sentence is given first in simplified Chinese characters and then in Pinyin romanization, followed by an English translation. In translating the examples, we have in most cases not attempted to find an equivalent English idiom, which could be confusing for learners, since they might not understand which part of the Chinese corresponds to which part of the English. Instead, we have usually translated into ordinary prose. To help learners understand the structure of the Chinese original, the English translations tend to follow the structure of the Chinese quite closely; as a result, some of the English in the translations is rather stilted. Our concern was that, had we translated into smoother English, many learners might have been puzzled how we got from the Chinese to the English. As concerns the examples, we should state here that the example sentences are merely linguistic examples, not in any way being indicative of the authors’ personal beliefs or advocations. 7. Usage. For most of the entries, comments on usage are provided. Here, we try to indicate the main grammatical functions of the idiom; for example, whether it occurs as subject, predicate, complement, attributive, or adverbial. Comments on common collocations, that is, other words together with which the entry frequently occurs, are sometimes included. These comments are based on approximately 200 examples in the corpuses and the authors’ own judgment. 8. Allusion. If applicable, information is included on literary or historical allusions related to the idiom. In these cases, we often provide a somewhat simplified version, in English translation, of the Chinese story of how the idiom came into common use. 9. Note. Many entries include a note on the sociolinguistic function of the idiom, for example, whether its use is complimentary or derogatory. Information may also be included here on the origin of the idiom, or on whether it is used primarily in speaking or writing, etc. 10. Near synonyms. So as to help more advanced students expand their vocabulary, we list near synonyms of the main entry when they exist. These are presented in simplified characters [in brackets], in Pinyin and traditional characters (in parentheses), and in English translation ‘in single quotation marks.’ 11. Antonyms. Common antonyms of the main entry are also provided. As with the near synonyms, these are presented in simplified characters [in brackets], Pinyin and traditional characters (in parentheses), and in English ‘in single quotation marks.’

How to use this dictionary This dictionary can be used as a reference to look up idioms that you have read or heard. If you know the pronunciation of the idiom, you may look it up in the

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xi

Pinyin index at the end of the volume (Appendix Two), which is arranged in alphabetical order. On the other hand, if you do not know the pronunciation of at least the first syllable of the idiom, then you may look up the idiom by the stroke order of the first character in the stroke order index at the end of the volume (Appendix Three). Though every entry in this dictionary is independent and complete and the dictionary can serve for general reference purposes just like any other reference work, it is our hope that, since the dictionary is arranged in order of frequency, readers will – if at all possible – study this dictionary in the order of the entries, from beginning to end. In this way, by the time they have finished working their way through the dictionary, readers will have in the most efficient way possible raised their overall proficiency level in understanding and using Chinese idioms. In an organized Chinese language class, the instructor could assign one to five idioms to be studied for each class session. In the case of independent learners, they could take up one to five idioms per day, depending on the amount of time they have available.

Background of the compilation of this dictionary and acknowledgments In 2007, Liwei Jiao devised a plan for writing a dictionary of idioms and invited Cornelius C. Kubler and Weiguo Zhang to join him in the project. Weiguo Zhang subsequently undertook a statistical frequency survey of idioms in linguistic corpuses 1, 2, and 4, as described above. He suggested taking the 305 idioms that overlapped on the first 800 entries of corpuses 1 and 2 as the basis for the dictionary. Liwei Jiao was responsible for the remainder of the statistical work and determined the 500 entries to be included in the dictionary as well as their order. He then proceeded to draft in Chinese the explanations of the idioms, example sentences, and usage notes, and compiled the lists of near synonyms and antonyms. Later, Liwei Jiao also added the traditional characters and initial versions of the Pinyin romanization, as well as writing the Chinese version of Appendix One. Kubler translated all of the Chinese in this book into English, edited the Pinyin romanization, and provided input regarding the explanations, example sentences, and this Introduction. The three authors wish to express here their appreciation to the following for their assistance in the compilation of this dictionary: Professor Shuiguang Deng of the Department of Computer Science of Zhejiang University, P.R.C.; Ms. Lijun Wu, also of the P.R.C.; Mr. William Xuefeng Wang of Canada; and Ms. Margaret Howard, Ms. Sarah Basham, and Ms. Barbara Wei, all of the U.S. Finally, the authors would be remiss not to also thank our families for their crucial support, without which this dictionary would surely never have seen the light of day.

List of entries 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

ᅲџ∖ᰃ 㡄㢺༟᭫ गᮍⱒ䅵 ܼᖗܼᛣ ᮴䆎བԩ ࠡ᠔᳾᳝ മᅮϡ⿏ ᓩҎ⊼Ⳃ ಴ഄࠊᅰ 㞾Ⳍ⶯Ⳓ ៤गϞϛ ध᳝៤ᬜ ᔧࡵПᗹ ⣀ゟ㞾Џ 㜅乪㗠ߎ ᮴ৃ༜ԩ 㥿ৡ݊཭ 㞾࡯᳈⫳ ϔབ᮶ᕔ ᠥ᳨䗋⾏ ϡৃᗱ䆂 മᣕϡវ կϡᑨ∖ 㸠П᳝ᬜ ӫ᠔਼ⶹ ܼ࡯ҹ䍈 ⧚᠔ᔧ✊ ಯ䴶ܿᮍ ݈㟈ࢗࢗ ϔ号᚞Ҏ ᛇᮍ䆒⊩ गᆊϛ᠋ В䎇䕏䞡 㾕Н࢛Ў ВϪ⵽Ⳃ ᇣᖗ㗐㗐 ⑤䖰⌕䭓 ᓘ㰮԰‫؛‬ 㞾㿔㞾䇁

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78

㒌Ϟ䇜݉ ৡࡃ݊ᅲ ᮹ᮄ᳜ᓖ ᕫ໽⣀८ ᚙϡ㞾⽕ ϡҹЎ✊ 㒰㒢ϡ㒱 ϡ㑺㗠ৠ गगϛϛ 唤ᖗण࡯ ऻ㭾ᇱ㚚 ໻㸫ᇣᏋ ϡ⬅㞾Џ ᑨ䖤㗠⫳ ᔶᔶ㡆㡆 ৡ߫ࠡ㣙 ᆊஏ᠋ᰧ ݈催䞛⚜ ᥦᖻ㾷䲒 㞾ᔎϡᙃ 䍄偀㾖㢅 䭓⊏Йᅝ ᅝሙФϮ ᚞ᖗࡼ儘 㛮䏣ᅲഄ ᕛ⾕㟲ᓞ ϡⶹ᠔᥾ ᴹПϡᯧ থᡀ‫ܝ‬໻ 乒ܼ໻ሔ ܿҭ䖛⍋ 㞾✊㗠✊ ҹ䑿԰߭ ሖߎϡか 䕄䕄⚜⚜ ᙃᙃⳌ݇ ϔϱϡ㢳 ᖂϡ䎇䘧 ࠏϡᆍ㓧

79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100  101  102  103  104  105  106  107  108  109  110  111  112  113  114  115  116  117 

៾✊ϡৠ ᛮ݀⿏ቅ ᠔԰᠔Ў ৢ乒Пᖻ ᖋᠡ‫ݐ‬໛ Ⳍ䕙Ⳍ៤ 䅼Ӌ䖬Ӌ ৠᖗৠᖋ ⧚Ⳉ⇨ໂ 䑿ԧ࡯㸠 Нϡᆍ䕲 ⬏啭⚍⴯ ⨇⧙⒵Ⳃ 㗤Ҏᇏੇ 㐕㤷ᯠⲯ 䲒㛑ৃ䌉 ϔ῵ϔḋ さ亲⣯䖯 ࠂⳂⳌⳟ 亢亢䲼䲼 ᮫Ᏸ剰ᯢ ⸈䞰≝㟳 ⣀ϔ᮴Ѡ ܶܶϮϮ ϡᡬϡᠷ Ѩ㢅ܿ䮼 ∖ৠᄬᓖ ᮴㛑Ў࡯ ϔ᮴᠔ⶹ ϔᐁПഄ 䕏㗠ᯧВ ѵ㕞㸹⠶ 咬咬᮴䯏 䖿ϡঞᕙ ᳝ໄ᳝㡆 ϔᖗϔᛣ さབ݊ᴹ ᓖ‫ݯ‬さ䍋 ୰䯏Ф㾕

 18 1 119  120  121  122  123  124  125  126  127  128  129  130  131  132  133  134  135  136  137  138  139  140  141  142  143  144  145  146  147  148  149  150  151  152  153  154  155  156 

ӏ䞡䘧䖰 ᮴ᆊৃᔦ ܹ᳼ϝߚ ᛣੇ⏅䭓 㒻ᕔᓔᴹ 㘇Ⳃϔᮄ ᕾᑣ⏤䖯 ᤎ䑿㗠ߎ ⒨⒨ϡ㒱 ໽㗏ഄ㽚 ϡ㿔㗠ஏ ‫ݡ᥹ݡ‬ढ़ ᴲҎᖻ໽ 亢ѥবᑏ ⎟ⓧሑ㟈 ᖻᖗᖵᖵ Ⳉ៾њᔧ ⴐ㢅㔁х ϡሜϡᣴ 䇁䞡ᖗ䭓 ᷽᷽བ⫳ ਩ᖗ≹㸔 ↯䘖㞾㤤 ᮍ݈᳾㡒 㘮㊒Ӯ⼲ ↨↨ⱚᰃ 催ⶏ䖰⵽ ᮴ࡼѢ㹋 䖿೼ⳝⴿ 㾺Ⳃ᚞ᖗ ᮴⌢Ѣџ ᑨ᳝ሑ᳝ फ䕩࣫䕭 ᳝ᳱϔ᮹ ໻᳝ৃЎ ৆᮴ࠡ՟ 䱣ᖗ᠔℆ Єࡳӳ㒽 ϡࡼໄ㡆

List of entries  57 1 158  159  160  161  162  163  164  165  166  167  168  169  170  171  172  173  174  175  176  177  178  179  180  181  182  183  184  185  186  187  188  189  190  191  192  193  194  195  196  197  198  199  200  201  202  203 

প㗠ҷП ḍ⏅㩖೎ Й㗠ЙП ಯ䴶Ἦ℠ ᗹࡳ䖥߽ ྟ㒜ϡ⏱ ϔⳂњ✊ 䞣࡯㗠㸠 ⌽⌽㤵㤵 䲼ৢ᯹ミ ϔВϔࡼ ᳝Ⳃ݅ⵍ ⃷⃷৥㤷 ϝ乒㣙ᑤ Ѩᔽ㓸㒋 ϔᴀℷ㒣 ᘡ✊໻ᙳ 㾚㗠ϡ㾕 ᳝ᴵϡ㋞ ߿ᓔ⫳䴶 䬆㗠ϡ㟡 ܼ⼲䌃⊼ ϛ᮴ϔ༅ ᣝ೒㋶偹 䇌བℸ㉏ ㊒Ⲟ∖㊒ ϔᏚ亢乎 ᅵᯊᑺ࢓ 䇜ԩᆍᯧ ໻࢓᠔䍟 ┰⿏咬࣪ ᥝҹ䕏ᖗ ℸ䍋ᕐӣ ৡ㨑ᄭቅ ᓩҎܹ㚰 ϡ෾䆒ᛇ Н᮴ড乒 ⛩✊ϔᮄ ϔ㾚ৠҕ Ѩ买݁㡆 ᴳ᠟᮴ㄪ कᄫ䏃ষ Ϣ᮹‫ׅ‬๲ ᢨ㢫ࡽ䭓 म໻㊒⏅ ୰⇨⋟⋟ ϡৃ៪㔎

 04 2 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250

乎⧚៤ゴ ໻ߔ䯨᭻ ϡ䘫ԭ࡯ ᄫ䞠㸠䯈 ϡ㾷П㓬 ϔ᮴᠔᳝ ᅜ᷾ᕙ‫ܨ‬ ⱒ㢅唤ᬒ ࡯ϡҢᖗ ᓖষৠໄ 㚠䘧㗠偄 ࢓೼ᖙ㸠 ᔧП᮴᛻ ੘੘䘐Ҏ ಯ䗮ܿ䖒 ৃ℠ৃ⊷ ᚞ᓧП右 ⳳᖗᅲᛣ ᙄࠄད໘ ⋹⋹Ф䘧 প䭓㸹ⷁ ୰ߎᳯ໪ ᴀᴹ䴶Ⳃ 㛡♭Ҏষ 㞾⬅㞾೼ ⇨୬৕৕ ⬏㲛⏏䎇 ᑻ᮴㰮ᐁ ໰ҹ㒻᮹ ᣕПҹᘦ 䩜䫟Ⳍᇍ ⳌᕫⲞᕄ ᗉᗉϡᖬ ⏅ᗱ❳㰥 ⣀ᷥϔᏰ ᚞໽ࡼഄ ϰにџথ 䫎໽Ⲫഄ ໻ᓴ᮫哧 ᕀᕀ᳝⼐ ❭❭᫬᫬ ᮴ᕅ᮴䏾 㟇催᮴Ϟ ৌぎ㾕ᛃ ᥹Ѡ䖲ϝ ᭽䩝៾䪕 Ⓓパ‫ܙ‬᭄

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ϡᢽ᠟↉ ⋹⋹᳝ੇ ⏅ܹ⌙ߎ Ⳍᦤᑊ䆎 ⏅ᙊ⮯㒱 ϡৃ໮ᕫ ⊌⊌ᡀᡀ 䲾Ϟࡴ䳰 亢ᇬҚҚ ᳱϝᲂಯ ᖗᑇ⇨੠ ᖋ催ᳯ䞡 ➗ⳝПᗹ ϡॠ݊⚺ ߿ߎᖗ㺕 ϡ㾕㒣Ӵ 㫮✊៤亢 ໻᚞ᇣᗾ ग䕯ϛ㢺 ϰᮑᬜ乺 ಴࢓߽ᇐ ग䞠䖶䖶 ḐḐϡܹ བ☿བ㥐 㙗✊䍋ᭀ ᡀ䭓䙓ⷁ 㪌㪌᮹Ϟ 㛌᳝៤ネ 㙚᮴ᖠᛂ ಿ೉৲ᵷ ᓖТᇏᐌ 䌣ᖗᙺⳂ সᕔҞᴹ ໻᳝԰Ў 䲚ᗱᑓⲞ ϔᑨ‫ܼׅ‬ ϡᕫ㗠ⶹ ᦤᖗ৞㚚 䋻ⳳӋᅲ 叵⢀छ໽ ༟ϡ乒䑿 ㊒ᠧ㒚ㅫ Ⳃϡ䕀⴯ 䔺∈偀啭 ϔᳯ᮴䰙 ϔ៤ϡব 㜅ষ㗠ߎ

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⫳⇨ࢗࢗ ໽㒣ഄН ⢤‫؛‬㰢࿕ њབᣛᥠ ߿᳝⫼ᖗ Ѩ‫ܝ‬क㡆 ϡড়ᯊᅰ ᆠБූⱛ 偀ϡ‫ذ‬䐘 ᓔ䮼㾕ቅ ߿‫݋‬ϔḐ ϔ䩜㾕㸔 㤝᳼ⱚ݉ ϧᖗ㟈ᖫ ූූℷℷ ⊷ϡ៤ໄ ᮴ϢӺ↨ ㋴ϡⳌ䆚 ූ㗠ⱛП 䆁㒗᳝㋴ ࠏ偼䫁ᖗ ϡሥϔ乒 ᇍ⠯ᔍ⨈ ࡽҎЎФ 㸷亳ԣ㸠 ϡ㚰ᵮВ 䌲ϡ㒱ষ ໻ৡ哢哢 བ᭄ᆊ⦡ 䎗䎗℆䆩 স㡆স佭 ᥼⊶ࡽ╰ ⧁䮼ᓘ᭻ ‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑 Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ 䖢ߗ㗠㾷 ᇍ⮛ϟ㥃 ⛁☿ᳱ໽ ϡ䎇Ў༛ 㜅㚢ᤶ偼 ᡀⳝ৤⇨ 㤵✊᮴ᄬ ৊݀ད啭 ϔ㛝Ⳍᡓ 㕂Пϡ⧚ 䑿‫ܜ‬຿द ㊒⼲ᡪ᪲

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՗՗㗠䇜 䆮ᖗ䆮ᛣ ग‫ݯ‬ϛ偀 㒲ሑ㛥∕ ൖ༈ϻ⇨ ᥽㘇ⲫ䪗 ᮹໡ϔ᮹ ༘༘ϔᙃ ग䕑䲒䗶 ᳾䲼㓌㓾 ሙ催Јϟ ᖗᅝ⧚ᕫ ϔᛣᄸ㸠 ϝҸѨ⬇ ձձϡ㟡 Фϡᗱ㳔 ্Ў㾖ℶ ໻᳝Ҏ೼ 䲾Ё䗕⚁ ϔㅍ㥿ሩ ∈⊘ϡ䗮 ⳌձЎੑ 㸫༈Ꮛሒ ᮴ᖂϡ㟇 ϡ‫؛‬ᗱ㋶ ∳䚢ᠡሑ ϡⳌϞϟ ሙᅝᗱॅ 䖥೼੿ሎ ोೳ䞡ᴹ ‫ބ‬໽䲾ഄ ᳝ⱘᬒⶶ ϔᇬϡᶧ џञࡳ‫ס‬ ϡৠ޵ડ ѩᑩП㲭 ໻ৠᇣᓖ 䇜ュ亢⫳ ϡѺФТ ᡓࠡਃৢ

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ৠ⫬݅㢺 ᯢⳂᓴ㚚 㘇䯏Ⳃⵍ ୐ュⱚ䴲 ⅏♄໡➗ า㖕༅偀 ষষໄໄ ∈㨑⷇ߎ ៥㸠៥㋴ ᳯ㗠ैℹ ᳝㸔᳝㙝 ໽⎃⍋㾦 䕏ᦣ⎵‫ݭ‬ ુュϡᕫ 㞾ਞ༟࢛ ᣛ呓Ў偀 䆒䑿໘ഄ ໽ᮍ໰䈁 䲙֫݅䌣 ᮴᠔䗖Ң ϡᆍ㕂⭥ ⌕䖲ᖬ䖨 㗏ᴹ㽚এ ᮴Ё⫳᳝ ᑲ✊໻⠽ 咨偈ᡔか ϝϝϸϸ থোᮑҸ ᖗᯋ⼲ᗵ 䳋ढ़亢㸠 ᳱ໩Ⳍ໘ 䏠䑛⒵ᖫ 䞥⹻䕝✠ ৠ㟳݅⌢ ᖫৠ䘧ড় ૛ѵ啓ᆦ ᷇ᱫ㢅ᯢ 㹪᠟ᮕ㾖 䈕✊ᓔᳫ 䆫ᚙ⬏ᛣ

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ৠ᮹㗠䇁 ᳒޴ԩᯊ 催催೼Ϟ ϔᕔᚙ⏅ ⮯ᖗ⮒佪 呀㱠Ⳍѝˈ ⏨㖕ᕫ߽ ᮴ᯊ᮴ࠏ ⃶໽୰ഄ Ⅾ㊒チ㰥 䗮ᚙ䖒⧚ Ң໽㗠䰡 ѩѩ᳝ᴵ 㢺ষယᖗ ҎቅҎ⍋ 䖤ㅍᐋᐘ ᠡ催ܿ᭫ ⊒⊒㞾୰ ⱚ໻⃶୰ ໻गϪ⬠ Вϔডϝ ϡњњП ᕫϡٓ༅ ًᎹ‫ޣ‬᭭ 催ሟᓎ⫈ ᘟᘟϡ㟡 ೈ儣ᬥ䍉 㢅ಶ䫺㇛ ᚆ⃶⾏ড় Ҟ䴲ᯨ↨ ϔџ᮴៤ ϡӺϡ㉏ ᆊᐌ֓佁 ᑇᖗ㗠䆎 বᴀࡴढ़ ৡℷ㿔乎 ᳯṙℶ␈ ᛣ⇨亢থ ঠㅵ唤ϟ ৿䕯㤍㢺

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ゟビ㾕ᕅ ‫ކ‬䫟䱋䰉 ∈ࠄ⏴៤ ॅ㿔㘌਀ ԩএԩҢ ᳝∖ᖙᑨ ᵃᓧ㲛ᕅ 亢ᑇ⌾䴭 䗡䘹⊩໪ ♃㑶䜦㓓 乊໽ゟഄ ᳝䡈Ѣℸ Нᛸ฿㞎 ϡৃਞҎ ᣛ᠟⬏㛮 ㅔᯢᡐ㽕 㶇㵖ᤩ㴝ˈ 咘䲔೼ৢ ϔВϸᕫ 㕂Пᑺ໪ ∌ൖϡᴑ 㕢Ёϡ䎇 Ҏໄ哢⊌ ໽ⳳ⚖⓿ ህџ䆎џ ໻᠟໻㛮 ⓿ቅ䘡䞢 ࠏ㟳∖ࠥ ⫳啭⌏㰢 ϡ⫬⼎ᔅ ᕾᕾ୘䇅 ϛᆊ♃☿ ᠻ䗋ϡᙳ ग⮂ⱒᄨ  ዪࢦ偀 ञ᭸ܿϸ ݅㼘ⲯВ Ѩकℹュⱒℹ

500 common Chinese idioms

Entry 1: ᅲџ∖ᰃ

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1. Ğဣူཇဵğ(⁘ᗇᕧ៦) shí shì qiú shì ᅲ means ‘actual,’ џ means ‘situation,’ ∖ means ‘seek,’ and ᰃ means ‘original way.’ The meaning of this idiom is ‘to handle matters according to their actual situation.’ This idiom is conventionally translated as ‘seek truth from facts.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏᑨ䆹മᣕဣူཇဵⱘॳ߭ˈᡞ⧚䆎੠ᅲ䏉㒧ড়䍋ᴹDŽ Wimen ycnggai jianchí shíshì-qiúshì de yuánzé, bf lhlùn hé shíjiàn jiéhé qhlai. ‘We should insist on the principle of seeking truth from facts, and integrate theory and practice.’ Example 2: ໻ᆊ㽕ဣူཇဵഄ䆘Ӌ↯⋑ϰⱘग़৆ഄԡˈϡ㛑಴Ў᳝њ᭛࣪໻䴽ੑህܼ Ⲭ৺ᅮҪҹࠡⱘ䋵⤂DŽ Dàjia yào shíshì-qiúshì de píngjià Máo Zéddng de lìshh dìwèi, bù néng ycnwèi yiule Wénhuà Dà Gémìng jiù quán pán fiudìng ta yhqián de gòngxiàn. ‘Everyone should evaluate Mao Zedong’s position in history by seeking truth from facts; one can’t totally repudiate his earlier contributions because of the Cultural Revolution.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate; can also serve as adverbial. Note: Because ᅲџ∖ᰃ is part of the contents of Mao Zedong thought, these four characters can be seen on the buildings of many Chinese organizations. The photograph below was taken at the entrance to Renmin University in Beijing. The four characters in the photograph are ᅲџ∖ᰃ, with ᆺ being the traditional form of the simplified character ᅲ.

courtesy of Du Jian

Antonym: [ᓘ㰮԰‫( ]؛‬nòng xe zuò jif ᓘ㰯԰‫‘ )؛‬use trickery or deception to create a false appearance.’

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Entries 2 – 3: 㡄㢺༟᭫ and गᮍⱒ䅵

2. Ğଲౄॐ࣍ğ(⓵ᢋ⍃᪔) jian kj fèn dòu 㡄㢺 means ‘difficult’ and ༟᭫ means ‘struggle.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘difficult struggle, arduous struggle.’ Example 1: ेՓ೼Ҟ໽ˈ៥Ӏгϡᑨ䆹϶ᥝଲౄॐ࣍ⱘ㊒⼲DŽ Jíshh zài jcntian, wimen yg bù ycnggai diediào jiankj-fèndòu de jcngshen. ‘Even today, we should not lose our spirit of hardworking struggle.’ Example 2: 㒣⌢ೄ䲒ᯊᳳˈܼ೑Ҏ⇥䛑ଲౄॐ࣍ˈ᳔ৢ㒜Ѣ⏵䖛䲒݇DŽ Jcngjì kùnnán shíqc, quánguó rénmín ddu jiankj-fèndòu, zuìhòu zhdngyú dùguò nánguan. ‘In difficult economic times, all the people of the country struggled arduously; in the end, they finally got through the difficult period.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive or predicate. As attributive, usually followed by nouns such as ㊒⼲ ( jcngshen) ‘spirit,’ ԰亢 (zuòfeng ԰乼) ‘way of working,’ and Ӵ㒳 (chuánting ‫ڇ‬㍅) ‘tradition.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [‫( ]ׁܟࢸܟ‬kè qín kè jifn ‫‘ )۝ܟࢸܟ‬hardworking and thrifty,’ [༟থ೒ᔎ] (fèn fa tú qiáng གⱐ೪ᔋ) ‘work hard for the strength and prosperity of the country.’ Antonyms: [㢅໽䜦ഄ] (hua tian jij dì 㢅໽䜦ഄ) ‘flowers in the sky and wine on the ground – lead a frivolous life,’ [䫎ᓴ⌾䌍] (pe zhang làng fèi 䢾ᔉ⌾䊏) ‘extravagant and wasteful,’ [偘༶⎿䘌] ( jiao shb yín yì 倩༶⎿䘌) ‘indulge oneself in a proud and extravagant lifestyle.’ 3. Ğ໻ऱ‫ڻ‬ଐğ(ጓ፵ᒑᢤ) qian fang bfi jì The literal meaning is ‘by every possible means,’ with a freer translation being ‘by hook or by crook.’ Example 1: ⬅Ѣ‫ⱘ⇥ݰ‬ᬊܹ䎳ජᏖሙ⇥ⱘᬊܹᏂ䎱↨䕗໻ˈ᠔ҹᬓᑰ໻ऱ‫ڻ‬ଐഄ๲ࡴ ‫ⱘ⇥ݰ‬ᬊܹDŽ Yóuyú nóngmín de shdurù gbn chéngshì jemín de shdurù chajù bhjiào dà, suiyh zhèngfj qianfang-bfijì de zbngjia nóngmín de shdurù. ‘Due to the relatively large gap between the salaries of rural residents and those in the city, the government increased rural residents’ salaries by every possible means.’ Example 2: 䖭ᆊᎹॖ໻ऱ‫ڻ‬ଐഄ䰡Ԣѻકⱘ៤ᴀDŽ Zhè jia gdngchfng qianfang-bfijì de jiàngdc chfnphn de chéngbgn. ‘This factory decreased the production costs of its products by every possible means.’

Entries 4 – 5: ܼᖗܼᛣ and ᮴䆎བԩ

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Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial modifier. Near Synonyms: [ᛇᮍ䆒⊩] (xifng fang shè ff ᛇᮍ䀁⊩) ‘try every possible means,’ 㒲ሑ㛥∕ ( jifo jìn nfo zhc ㌲ⲵ㜺∕) ‘rack one’s brains,’ [䌍ሑᖗᴎ] (fèi jìn xcn jc 䊏ⲵᖗ″) ‘think of every possible means.’ Antonyms: [᮴䅵ৃᮑ] (wú jì kg shc ⛵㿜ৃᮑ) ‘have no plan to carry out – at one’s wit’s end,’ [ᴳ᠟᮴ㄪ] (shù shiu wú cè ᴳ᠟⛵ㄪ) ‘tied hands without plan – at a complete loss about what to do.’ 4. Ğཝቦཝፀğ(ᐨ፬ᐨẤ) quán xcn quán yì The literal meaning is ‘complete heart complete intention,’ with a freer translation being ‘with all one’s heart and all one’s soul, wholeheartedly.’ Example 1: ݀ࡵਬᑨ䆹ཝቦཝፀഄЎҎ⇥᳡ࡵDŽ Gdngwùyuán ycnggai quánxcn-quányì de wèi rénmín fúwù. ‘Civil servants should serve the people with all their heart and all their soul.’ Example 2: ཌྷϔ䖍ુϔ䖍䇈ˈĀ៥䖭ḋཝቦཝፀഄᇍԴˈԴЎҔМᇍ៥᳝Ѡᖗ˛ā Ta yì bian ke yì bian shud, “Wi zhèyàng quánxcn-quányì de duì nh, nh wèishénme duì wi yiu èrxcn?” ‘She cried as she said, “I treat you like this with all my heart and all my soul; why are you disloyal to me?” ’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, often followed by ЎҎ⇥᳡ࡵ (wèi rénmín fúwù ⚎Ҏ⇥᳡ࢭ) ‘to serve (for) the people.’ Note: Somewhat complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ϔᖗϔᛣ] ( yì xcn yí yì ϔᖗϔᛣ) ‘with one heart and one mind, wholeheartedly.’ Antonyms: [ϝᖗѠᛣ] (san xcn èr yì ϝᖗѠᛣ) ‘of two minds, half-hearted,’ [ᳱϝ ᲂಯ] (zhao san mù sì ᳱϝᲂಯ) ‘fickle and inconstant.’ 5. Ğᇄ൙ྙੜğ(ᵨ⊹ᑙᒺ) wú lùn rú hé ᮴䆎 means ‘no matter’ and བԩ means ‘how?’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘no matter how, no matter what, in any event, in any case.’ Example 1: ԴӀᇄ൙ྙੜ䛑㽕೼ϝ໽‫ݙ‬ᡞ䖭ӊџᚙ‫خ‬ᅠDŽ Nhmen wúlùn-rúhé ddu yào zài san tian nèi bf zhè jiàn shìqing zuòwán. ‘No matter what, you should complete this matter within three days.’

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Entries 6 – 7: ࠡ᠔᳾᳝ and മᅮϡ⿏

Example 2: ៥ⳟཌྷ䴲ᐌ䴶❳ˈԚᰃᇄ൙ྙੜ䛑ᛇϡ䍋ཌྷⱘৡᄫᴹDŽ Wi kàn ta fbicháng miànshú, dànshì wúlùn-rúhé ddu xifngbuqh ta de míngzi lái. ‘When I look at her, she’s very familiar, but no matter what I can’t think of her name.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial. Near Synonym: [೼᠔ϡᚰ] (zài sui bù xc ೼᠔ϡᚰ) ‘will not grudge, will spare no effort, will not hesitate to.’ 6. Ğ༄Ⴥᆚᎌğ(᝟ᙰᏦᑺ) qián sui wèi yiu ᳾ means ‘did not, not yet.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘never happened before in the past, unprecedented.’ Example 1: ཌྷ䘛ࠄњ༄Ⴥᆚᎌⱘᣥ៬DŽ Ta yùdàole qiánsuiwèiyiu de tifozhàn. ‘She encountered unprecedented challenges.’ Example 2: 䖭⃵㸠ࡼ㾘῵П໻ǃ䗳ᑺПᖿˈ೼ग़৆Ϟᰃ༄ჅᆚᎌⱘDŽ Zhè cì xíngdòng gucmó zhc dà, sùdù zhc kuài, zài lìshh shàng shì qiánsuiwèiyiu de. ‘The scale and speed of the operation this time were unprecedented in history.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonyms: [৆᮴ࠡ՟] (shh wú qián lì ৆⛵ࠡ՟) ‘in history there is no precedent, unprecedented,’ [ࠡ᮴সҎ] (qián wú gj rén ࠡ⛵সҎ) ‘no ancients who can compare – peerless, unprecedented.’ Antonym: [ৌぎ㾕ᛃ] (sc kdng jiàn guàn ৌぎ㽟᜷) ‘get used to seeing something and no longer find it strange.’ 7. Ğଫࢾ‫ݙ‬ጤğ(᫖ᘷጰᯡ) jian dìng bù yí മᅮ means ‘firm, steadfast’ and ⿏ means ‘move, change.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘firm and unchanging.’ Freer translations include ‘firm and unswerving, steadfast and unchanging, resolute.’ Example 1: ೼ϔഎᬓ⊏ॅᴎЁˈҪଫࢾ‫ݙ‬ጤഄキ೼ᘏ㒳ϔ䖍DŽ Zài yì cháng zhèngzhì wbijc zhdng, ta jiandìng-bùyí de zhàn zài zingting yì bian. ‘In a political crisis, he steadfastly stood on the side of the president.’ Example 2: Ё೑ᇚଫࢾ‫ݙ‬ጤഄ᥼䖯ᬍ䴽ᓔᬒDŽ Zhdngguó jiang jiandìng-bùyí de tucjìn gfigé kaifàng. ‘China will steadfastly advance the policy of reform and opening up.’

Entries 8 – 9: ᓩҎ⊼Ⳃ and ಴ഄࠊᅰ

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Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ྟ㒜ϡ⏱] (shh zhdng bù yú ྟ㌖ϡ⏱) ‘from beginning to end not changing – steady, steadfast,’ [ⶶᖫϡ⏱] (shh zhì bù yú ⶶᖫϡ⏱) ‘arrow(-like) determination not to change – determined not to change.’ Antonyms: [Вẟϡᅮ] ( jj qí bú dìng 㟝ẟϡᅮ) ‘hold a chess piece without deciding – indecisive,’ [㾕ᓖᗱ䖕] ( jiàn yì sc qian 㽟⭄ᗱ䙋) ‘see something different and want to change – fickle, capricious.’ 8. Ğ፛ཽᓖ෹ğ(፫ዷᚽᐂ) yhn rén zhù mù ᓩ means ‘attract’ and ⊼Ⳃ means ‘fix one’s eyes on, gaze at.’ A literal translation would be ‘attract other people’s attention.’ Freer translations include ‘draw attention, noticeable, conspicuous.’ Example 1: ೼ϔഎ፛ཽᓖ෹ⱘ↨䌯ЁˈҪⱘ䖤⇨ঞথ᣹䛑ᕜདˈ಴ℸ䕏ᵒ៬㚰ᇍ᠟DŽ Zài yì chfng yhnrén-zhùmù de bhsài zhdng, ta de yùnqì jí fahuc ddu hgnhfo, ycnch qcngsdng zhànshèng duìshiu. ‘In an attention-grabbing competition, his luck and his performance were both very good, therefore he defeated his opponents without effort.’ Example 2: ৄ⑒⬉ᄤ㸠Ϯⱘ䖙䗳থሩḐ໪፛ཽᓖ෹DŽ Táiwan diànzh hángyè de xùnsù fazhfn géwài yhnrén-zhùmù. ‘The rapid development of Taiwan’s electronics industry especially attracts people’s attention.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Antonyms: [䱤ྦྷඟৡ] (yhn xìng mái míng 䲅ྦྷඟৡ) ‘conceal one’s identity,’ [᮴Ҏ䯂⋹] (wú ré wèn jcn ⛵Ҏଣ⋹) ‘no one asks about the ford – no one shows any interest.’ 9. Ğፐ࢐ᒜጩğ(ᑆᑊᗯᘹ) ycn dì zhì yí ಴ here means ‘according to,’ ഄ means ‘locality,’ ࠊ means ‘formulate,’ and ᅰ means ‘appropriate measures.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘according to the locality formulate appropriate measures,’ with a freer translation being ‘adapt to local conditions.’ Example 1: 䙷ᑻජᏖ᳝޴ᑻग़৆ৡ㚰স䗍ˈ಴ℸ䆹ජᏖፐ࢐ᒜጩഄ໻࡯থሩᮙ␌ϮDŽ Nà zuò chéngshì yiu jh zuò lìshh míngshèng-gjjì, ycnch gai chéngshì ycndì-zhìyí de dàlì fazhfn lryóuyè. ‘That city has several famous historical sites; therefore, the aforementioned city is vigorously developing tourism, adopting appropriate measures according to concrete local conditions.’

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Entry 10: 㞾Ⳍ⶯Ⳓ

Example 2: ೑ᆊ೼᥼㸠ϔѯഄᮍᬓㄪⱘᯊ‫׭‬㽕ፐ࢐ᒜጩˈϡ㛑᧲ϔߔߛDŽ Guójia zài tucxíng yìxib dìfang zhèngcè de shíhou yào ycndì-zhìyí, bù néng gfo yì dao qib. ‘When the country implements local policies, it should enact appropriate policies based on local conditions; it must not adopt a cookie-cutter approach.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Near Synonyms: [ᇍ⮛ϟ㥃] (duì zhèng xià yào ᇡⰹϟ㮹) ‘suit the medicine to the illness,’ [಴࢓߽ᇐ] ( ycn shì lì dfo ಴ࢶ߽ᇢ) ‘guided by the circumstances.’ Antonym: [ϔ៤ϡব] ( yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’ 10. Ğᔈሤඈࣲğ(ᒢᡐᐃᡓ) zì xiang máo dùn 㞾 means ‘self,’ Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ ⶯ means ‘spear,’ and Ⳓ means ‘shield.’ The connotation is ‘self-contradictory.’ Example 1: 䙷Ͼᬓ⊏ᆊᰒ✊೼ᩦ䇢ˈϞϾ᳜䇈ⱘ䆱䎳䖭Ͼ᳜䇈ⱘ䆱ᔈሤඈࣲDŽ Nàge zhèngzhìjia xifnrán zài sahufng, shàng ge yuè shudde huà gbn zhège yuè shud de huà zìxiang-máodùn. ‘That politician is obviously lying; what he said last month and what he said this month are self-contradictory.’ Example 2: Ҫⱘ᭛ゴⱘ䘏䕥ϡ໾⏙Ἦˈ᳝ᔈሤඈࣲⱘഄᮍDŽ Ta de wénzhang de luóji bú tài qcngchu, yiu zìxiang-máodùn de dìfang. ‘The logic of his essay is not very clear; there are places that are self-contradictory.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate or attributive. Allusion: There was a man who was selling a spear and a shield at the same time. He boasted about his shield, saying, “My shield is the strongest in the world! There is nothing that can penetrate it.” He also said, “My spear is the sharpest in the world! There is nothing it can’t penetrate.” Consequently someone asked him, “If you use your spear to stab your shield, what will happen?” The man could not answer. (from Han Feizi) Antonyms: [㞾೚݊䇈] (zì yuán qí sheo 㞾೧݊䂀) ‘make one’s argument consistent and not self-contradictory,’ [᮴វৃߏ] (wú xiè kg jc ⛵វৃ᪞) ‘with no chink in one’s armour, leave no room for criticism.’

Entries 11 – 12: ៤गϞϛ and ध᳝៤ᬜ

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11. Ğ߅໻࿟ᅺğ(ᑯጓጆὈ) chéng qian shàng wàn ៤ here means ‘becoming’ and Ϟ mean ‘surpassing.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘tens of thousands of.’ Example 1: ЎњᡒࠄϔϾདԡ㕂ᴹⳟҪӀ୰⠅ⱘ℠᯳ˈ߅໻࿟ᅺⱘ℠䗋ϔϟᄤ᣸䖯њ ԧ㚆എDŽ Wèile zhfodào yí ge hfo wèizhì lái kàn tamen xh’ài de gbxcng, chéngqian-shàngwàn de gbmí yíxiàzi jh jìnle thyùchfng. ‘In order to find a good spot to see their beloved singing star, tens of thousands of fans all at once pushed their way into the stadium.’ Example 2: 䖭䚼ᮄⱘ⊩ᕟᕅડࠄ߅໻࿟ᅺҎⱘ߽Ⲟˈ᠔ҹᓩ䍋њ໻ᆊ⛁⚜ⱘ䅼䆎DŽ Zhè bù xcn de fflq yhngxifng dào chéngqian-shàngwàn rén de lìyì, suiyh yhnqhle dàjia rèliè de tfolùn. ‘This new law affected the interests of tens of thousands of people, so it touched off passionate discussions by everyone.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Near Synonym: [ϡ䅵᭄݊] (bú jì qí shù ϡ㿜݊ᭌ) ‘not calculate its number – too numerous to count.’ Antonym: [ᆹᆹ᮴޴] (liáo liáo wú jh ᆹᆹ⛵ᑒ) ‘very few.’ 12. Ğᓳᎌ߅቉ğ(ᗵᑺᑯᥳ) zhuó yiu chéng xiào ध means ‘outstanding, excellent’ and ៤ᬜ means ‘effect, result.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘outstanding and having effect,’ with freer translations including ‘with outstanding results, highly effective.’ Example 1: 䖥ᑈᴹˈঠᮍ೼᭛࣪乚ඳ‫ݙ‬䖯㸠њᓳᎌ߅቉ⱘড়԰DŽ Jìn nián lái, shuangfang zài wénhuà lhngyù nèi jìnxíngle zhuóyiuchéngxiào de hézuò. ‘In recent years, both sides have carried out extremely effective cooperation in cultural spheres.’ Example 2: ᬓᑰⱘᮄ㒣⌢ᬓㄪᓳᎌ߅቉ˈফࠄҎ⇥ⱘ催ᑺ䌲ᡀDŽ Zhèngfj de xcn jcngjì zhèngcè zhuóyiuchéngxiào, shòudào rénmín de gaodù zànyáng. ‘The government’s new economic policy is highly effective; it has received a high degree of approval from the people.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Often preceded by the verbs 䖯㸠 (jinxing 䘆㸠) ‘carry out’ and ᓔሩ (kaizhfn 䭟ሩ) ‘develop’; often followed by the noun ড়԰ (hézuò) ‘cooperation.’ Can also serve as predicate and adverbial.

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Entries 13 – 14: ᔧࡵПᗹ and ⣀ゟ㞾Џ

Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [㸠П᳝ᬜ] (xíng zhc yiu xiào 㸠П᳝ᬜ) ‘implement with efficiency, efficient.’ Antonyms: [᮴⌢Ѣџ] (wú jì yú shì ⛵△ᮐџ) ‘not help matters, of no avail, to no effect,’ [ࢇ㗠᮴ࡳ] (láo ér wú gdng ࢲ㗠⛵ࡳ) ‘endeavor but have no success – work with no gain.’ 13. Ğࡩᇗᒄૻğ(ἡ᪱ጴើ) dang wù zhc jí ᔧ means ‘should,’ ࡵ means ‘pursue,’ and ᗹ means ‘an urgent matter.’ The literal meaning is ‘an urgent matter that should be pursued.’ The whole idiom means ‘a matter of great urgency.’ Example 1: བԩֱᣕ㒣⌢ᣕ㓁থሩˈᰃ៥ӀⱘࡩᇗᒄૻDŽ Rúhé bfochí jcngjì chíxù fazhfn, shì wimen de dangwù-zhcjí. ‘How to maintain continued economic development is a matter of great urgency for us.’ Example 2: ѠकϪ㑾Ѩ݁कᑈҷˈ䖙䗳᥼ᑓ᱂䗮䆱ᰃ䇁㿔᭛ᄫᎹ԰㗙ⱘࡩᇗᒄૻDŽ Èrshí shìjì wj-liùshí niándài, xùnsù tucgufng pjtdnghuà shì yjyán wénzì gdngzuòzhg de dangwù-zhcjí. ‘In the 1950s and 60s, the rapid spread of Putonghua was a matter of great urgency for language and writing specialists.’ Usage: Nominal element, functions mainly as object and subject. Near Synonyms: [➗ⳝПᗹ] (rán méi zhc jí ➗ⳝПᗹ) ‘the urgency of fire singeing the eyebrows – a matter of great urgency,’ [䖿೼ⳝⴿ] (pò zài méi jié 䖿೼ⳝⴿ) ‘pressing on the eyebrows and eyelashes – very urgent,’ [ࠏϡᆍ㓧] (kè bù róng hufn ࠏϡᆍ㎽) ‘allow no delay, extremely urgent.’ Antonyms: [ϔᢪ‫ݡ‬ᢪ] ( yì tud zài tud ϔᢪ‫ݡ‬ᢪ) ‘drag on or delay without end,’ [䘹䘹᮴ᳳ] (yáo yáo wú qc 䘭䘭⛵ᳳ) ‘not in the foreseeable future.’ 14. Ğࣖೂᔈᓍğ(⎕ᐉᒢ᎐) dú lì zì zhj ⣀ゟ means ‘independent’ and 㞾Џ means ‘be one’s own master.’ The whole idiom can be translated as ‘independent and being one’s own master’ or ‘independent and possessing the right of self-determination.’ Example 1: Ё೑ϔ䌃༝㸠ࣖೂᔈᓍⱘ੠ᑇ໪ѸᬓㄪDŽ Zhdngguó yíguàn fèngxíng dúlì-zìzhj de hépíng wàijiao zhèngcè. ‘China has all along pursued an independent and peaceful diplomatic policy.’

Entry 15: 㜅乪㗠ߎ

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Example 2: 䙷ԡғϛᆠ㖕ⱘ‫ܓ‬ᄤϡᛇ‫ࡽ׳‬Ҫ⠊҆ⱘᕅડˈ㗠ᜓᛣࣖೂᔈᓍഄᓔ߯Ҫ㞾 ᏅⱘџϮDŽ Nà wèi yìwànfùwbng de érzh bù xifng jièzhù ta fùqcn de yhngxifng, ér yuànyì dúlì-zìzhj de kaichuàng ta zìjh de shìyè. ‘That billionaire’s son does not want to make use of his father’s influence, but wants to independently establish his own career.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object or adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. ⣀ゟ㞾Џ is a foreign policy of China; therefore, this idiom often appears in diplomatic contexts. Near Synonyms: [㞾࡯᳈⫳] (zì lì gbng shbng 㞾࡯᳈⫳) ‘one’s own strength changes one’s life – rely on one’s own efforts,’ [㞾亳݊࡯] (zì shí qí lì 㞾亳݊࡯) ‘oneself eat one’s own strength – support oneself by one’s own labor.’ Antonyms: [ӄҎ唏ᙃ] ( yfng rén bí xc ӄҎ唏ᙃ) ‘rely on other people’s noses for breath – slavishly dependent,’ [ᆘҎ㇅ϟ] ( jì rén lí xià ᆘҎ㉀ϟ) ‘live as a dependent or parasite in another’s home – rely or depend on others.’ 15. Ğᅙ፭ऎ߲ğ(ᰉ⎭ᒚᎤ) tud yhng ér che 㜅 means ‘break free from, escape from’ and 乪 means ‘an awn of wheat’ (i.e., the bristle-like fiber in the wheat). This refers to the fibers that often stick through a sack of wheat. By metaphor, this has come to mean ‘talent being fully exposed, talent revealing itself.’ Example 1: ሑㅵᕜ໮Ҏᡍ䆘催㗗ˈԚᰃ催㗗ⱘ⹂㛑Փᕜ໮Ӭ⾔ⱘҎᠡᅙ፭ऎ߲DŽ Jhngufn hgn dud rén pcpíng gaokfo, dànshì gaokfo díquè néng shh hgn dud yduxiù de réncái tudyhng-érche. ‘Even though many people criticize the Chinese college entrance examination, it really can make many outstanding people of talent be revealed.’ Example 2: ㄀ϔ⃵Ϫ⬠໻៬ҹৢˈẉ催ⱘ԰કᅙ፭ऎ߲ˈফࠄҎӀⱘ䞡㾚DŽ Dìyc cì shìjiè dàzhàn yhhòu, Fàn Gao de zuòphn tudyhng-érche, shòudào rénmen de zhòngshì. ‘After World War I, Van Gogh’s works became fully revealed, and were greatly valued by people.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ጁ䴆༈㾦] (zhfn lù tóu jifo ፘ䴆丁㾦) ‘distinguish oneself.’ Antonym: [䷀‫ݏܝ‬᰺] (tao guang yfng huì 䶰‫ܝ‬仞᰺) ‘conceal one’s abilities and bide one’s time.’

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Entries 16 – 17: ᮴ৃ༜ԩ and 㥿ৡ݊཭

16. Ğᇄభจੜğ(ᵨᎵᘠᒺ) wú kg nài hé The literal meaning is ‘helpless; have no alternative; there’s no way out.’ Example 1: Ҫᇄభจੜഄ䇈˖Āᇍϡ䍋ˈ䖭ӊџ៥ᐂϡњԴDŽā Ta wúkgnàihé de shud: “Duìbuqh, zhè jiàn shì wi bang bùlifo nh.” ‘Having no alternative, he said: “I’m sorry, I can’t help you with this.”’ Example 2: 䕯᱂ỂḜ߸‫އ‬ҹৢˈ㱑✊ϡᇥҎ䛑ᛳࠄϡ⒵ˈԚᰃᇄభจੜDŽ Xcnpjsbn àn pànjué yhhòu, sucrán bù shfo rén ddu gfndào bùmifn, dànshì wúkgnàihé. ‘After the verdict of the Simpson case, although a good number of people felt unsatisfied, there was nothing they could do about it.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate or adverbial modifier. Near Synonyms: [⠅㥿㛑ࡽ] (ài mò néng zhù ᛯ㥿㛑ࡽ) ‘want to help but not be in a position to do so,’ [᮴䅵ৃᮑ] (wú jì kg shc ⛵㿜ৃᮑ) ‘at one’s wit’s end.’ Antonym: [㢅ḋⱒߎ] (hua yàng bfi che 㢅ῷⱒߎ) ‘one pattern or scheme after another.’ 17. Ğ෤෗໚්ğ(ᰙᑀᗥᔒ) mò míng qí miào The literal meaning is ‘no one can explain it; unable to make head or tail of something; be baffled.’ Example 1: ҪϔӮ‫ܓ‬䇈䖭ḋ‫ˈخ‬ϔӮ‫ܓ‬䇈䙷ḋ‫ˈخ‬໻ᆊ䛑ᛳࠄ෤෗໚්DŽ Ta yíhuìr shud zhèyàng zuò, yíhuìr shud nàyàng zuò, dàjia ddu gfndào mòmíngqímiào. ‘One moment he said to do it this way. The next moment he said to do it that way. Everyone felt baffled.’ Example 2: ៥ⱘ᠟ᴎ෤෗໚්ഄϡ㾕њDŽ Wi de shiujc mòmíng-qímiào de bú jiàn le. ‘My cell phone inexplicably disappeared.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, complement, or adverbial modifier; can also serve as attribute. Common combinations include 䅽Ҏ̚ (ràng rén ̚ 䅧Ҏ̚), ᛳࠄ̚ (gfndào̚), and ̚ⱘ䆱 / ⮙ (̚ de huà/bìng ⱘ䁅  ⮙ . Note: There is an alternative form 㥿ᯢ݊཭ (mò míng qí miào). Near Synonym: [ࣾ་᠔ᗱ] (fgi yí sui sc ࣾ་᠔ᗱ) ‘who would have thought it, unthinkable.’ Antonym: [⋲㢹㾖☿] (dòng ruò guan hui ⋲㢹㾔☿) ‘see something as clearly as a blazing fire.’

Entries 18 – 19: 㞾࡯᳈⫳ and ϔབ᮶ᕔ

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18. Ğᔈೆৎညğ(ᒢዾᕗ᏷) zì lì gbng shbng 㞾࡯ means ‘rely on one’s own efforts’ and ᳈⫳ means ‘revive, rejuvenate.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘one’s own strength changes one’s life – rely on one’s own efforts.’ Example 1: ѠकϪ㑾݁कᑈҷˈЁ೑೼༅এ㢣㘨ᧈࡽⱘᚙ‫މ‬ϟˈᔈೆৎညˈ㡄㢺༟᭫ˈ ೼ᇪッ⾥ᡔᮍ䴶ᑊ≵᳝㨑ৢ໾໮DŽ Èrshí shìjì liùshí niándài, Zhdngguó zài shcqù Selián yuánzhù de qíngkuàng xià, zìlì-gbngshbng, jiankj-fèndòu, zài jianduan kbjì fangmiàn bìng méiyiu luòhòu tài dud. ‘In the 1960s, China – in the situation of having lost the Soviet Union’s assistance – relied on its own efforts in its development and struggled arduously, not falling behind too much in the advanced sciences.’ Example 2: ♒ऎҎ⇥ᔈೆৎညˈᕜᖿᅠ៤њᆊುⱘ䞡ᓎᎹ԰DŽ Zaiqe rénmín zìlì-gbngshbng, hgn kuài wánchéngle jiayuán de chóngjiàn gdngzuò. ‘The people of the disaster area relied on their own efforts; they quickly finished the work of reconstructing their homeland.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Used mainly in slogans, often together with other idioms such as 㡄㢺༟᭫ ( jian kj fèn dòu 㡅㢺ག價) ‘arduous struggle,’ 㡄㢺 ߯Ϯ ( jian kj chuàng yè 㡅㢺ࡉὁ) ‘experience great difficulty in starting an undertaking,’ or ༟থ೒ᔎ (fèn fa tú qiáng གⱐ೪ᔋ) ‘work hard for the strength and prosperity of the country.’ Near Synonyms: [㞾ᔎϡᙃ] (zì qiáng bù xc 㞾ᔋϡᙃ) ‘strive constantly for selfimprovement,’ [㞾亳݊࡯] (zì shí qí lì 㞾亳݊࡯) ‘oneself eat one’s own strength – support oneself by one’s own labor.’ Antonyms: [ӄҎ唏ᙃ] ( yfng rén bí xc ӄҎ唏ᙃ) ‘rely on other people’s noses for breath – slavishly dependent,’ [ᆘҎ㇅ϟ] ( jì rén lí xià ᆘҎ㉀ϟ) ‘live as a dependent or parasite in another’s home – rely or depend on others.’ 19. Ğጙྙ଒ᆁğ(ዯᑙ១ᙗ) yì rú jì wfng ᮶ᕔ means ‘formerly, in the past.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘exactly the same as in the past, as before.’ Example 1: Ё೑ᇚጙྙ଒ᆁഄࡴᔎৠ䴲⌆೑ᆊⱘটད݇㋏DŽ Zhdngguó jiang yìrújìwfng de jiaqiáng tóng Fbizhdu guójia de yiuhfo guanxi. ‘China will, exactly as in the past, strengthen friendly relations with African nations.’

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Entry 20: ᠥ᳨䗋⾏

Example 2: Ҟ໽ˈ䙷ԡ㗕ᬭᥜጙྙ଒ᆁഄᦤࠡकߚ䩳ᴹࠄњᬭᅸDŽ Jcntian, nà wèi lfo jiàoshòu yìrújìwfng de tíqián shí fbn zhdng láidàole jiàoshì. ‘Today that old professor, exactly as in the past, came to the classroom ten minutes ahead of time.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial, often preceded by ᇚ ( jiang ᇛ) ‘will.’ Near Synonyms: [ϔ៤ϡব] ( yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable,’ [ྟ㒜བϔ] (shh zhdng rú yc ྟ㌖བϔ) ‘beginning and end like one – consistent, constant.’ Antonyms: [ϔডᐌᗕ] (yì ffn cháng tài ϔডᐌᜟ) ‘depart from one’s normal behavior,’ [ᳱϝᲂಯ] (zhao san mù sì ᳱϝᲂಯ) ‘fickle and inconstant.’ 20. Ğແႃධಭğ(⇸ᦁᩲ◪) pe shuò mí lí ᠥ᳨ means ‘move all over the place’ and 䗋⾏ means ‘dim, blurred.’ The original meaning of this idiom had to do with the difficulty of distinguishing between male and female rabbits (see note below). The extended meaning is ‘things are intricate and complicated and difficult to distinguish clearly.’ A freer translation is ‘confusing, hard to distinguish, all mixed up.’ Example 1: Ё೑স‫݌‬䭓㆛ᇣ䇈ⱘ㒓㋶ᕔᕔ↨䕗໮ˈ಴ℸᬙџᚙ㡖ແႃධಭDŽ Zhdngguó gjdifn chángpian xifoshud de xiànsui wfngwfng bhjiào dud, ycnch gùshi qíngjié peshuò-mílí. ‘There are often rather many threads in Classical Chinese novels; because of this, the plot of the story is confusing.’ Example 2: 䖭⃵໮ᮍ䇜߸ˈ⬅Ѣ↣ϔᮍ䛑ሑ࡯㓈ᡸ㞾Ꮕⱘ߽Ⲟˈ᠔ҹ䇜߸ⱘࠡ᱃ແႃ ධಭDŽ Zhè cì dudfang tánpàn, yóuyú mgi yì fang ddu jìnlì wéihù zìjh de lìyì, suiyh tánpàn de qiánjhng peshuò-mílí. ‘In the current multiparty negotiations, because each side is trying its best to protect its own interests, the prospects for the negotiations are murky.’ Usage: About half the time functions as predicate, often occurring at the end of a sentence. Can also serve as attributive. Allusion: A Northern Dynasties folk song, Mulan Ci, sang the praises of the young woman Mulan, who joined the military on behalf of her father. Mulan had been in the military for twelve years and involved in many military exploits when she was finally recognized by her comrades as being a woman. Her explanation then was this: “The male rabbit’s foot moves all over, the female rabbit’s eyes are dim. When both rabbits are running on the ground, how can one distinguish whether they are male or female?” The meaning of this is that when rabbits are grabbed by their ears so they can’t move, the male rabbit’s feet will keep moving

Entries 21 – 22: ϡৃᗱ䆂 and മᣕϡវ

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wildly, while the female rabbit’s eyes will half close, which makes it easy to distinguish males from females. But when two rabbits – one male, one female – are moving next to each other, how can one easily distinguish male from female? The story of Mulan spread far and wide in China; in 1998 in the U.S., the Disney film studios produced the animated film Mulan, which was based on this story. Antonym: [ϔ⏙ѠἮ] ( yc qcng èr chj ϔ⏙ѠἮ) ‘completely clear.’ 21. Ğ‫ݙ‬భႈፇğ(ጰᎵូ⛠) bù kg sc yì The whole idiom means ‘unthinkable, inconceivable, unimaginable.’ Example 1: ཌྷϔⱒ㉇䎥њб⾦ϗ䳊ˈㅔⳈ໾‫ݙ‬భႈፇњʽ Ta yìbfimh pfole jij mifo qclíng, jifnzhí tài bùkg-scyì le! ‘She ran 100 meters in 9.7 seconds, which is simply inconceivable!’ Example 2: ҪⱘᗻḐ᳝ϔ⚍‫ܓ‬༛ᗾˈ᳝ᯊ‫׭‬Ӯ‫ߎخ‬ϔѯ‫ݙ‬భႈፇⱘџᚙDŽ Ta de xìnggé yiu yìdifnr qíguài, yiu shíhou huì zuò che yìxib bùkg-scyì de shìqing. ‘His temperament is a little strange; sometimes he does unthinkable things.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [ࣾ་᠔ᗱ] (fgi yí sui sc ࣾ་᠔ᗱ) ‘who would have thought it, unthinkable.’ 22. Ğଫߒ‫ݙ‬ቚğ(᫖៑ጰ⍒) jian chí bú xiè മᣕ means ‘persist’ and វ means ‘relax, let up.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘persist and not relax.’ Freer translations are ‘persist, persevering, unremitting.’ Example 1: ϡㅵ⼒ӮᗢМব࣪ˈ䛑ᑨ䆹ଫߒ‫ݙ‬ቚഄᡧད䴦ᇥᑈⱘᗱᛇᬭ㚆Ꮉ԰DŽ Bùgufn shèhuì zgnme biànhuà, ddu ycnggai jianchí-búxiè de zhua hfo qcngshàonián de scxifng jiàoyù gdngzuò. ‘No matter how society changes, we should persevere without letting up in getting a good grip on the work of the youth’s ideological education.’ Example 2: 㒣䖛ଫߒ‫ݙ‬ቚⱘࡾ࡯ˈ㡒⒟⮙㫧ᓊⱘ࢓༈㒜Ѣ㹿䘣ࠊњDŽ Jcngguò jianchí-búxiè de njlì, àizcbìng mànyán de shìtóu zhdngyú bèi èzhì le. ‘Through persistent efforts, the momentum of the spread of AIDS has finally been contained.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning.

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Entries 23 – 24: կϡᑨ∖ and 㸠П᳝ᬜ

Near Synonyms: [ᣕПҹᘦ] (chí zhc yh héng ᣕПҹᘚ) ‘persevere,’ [䬆㗠ϡ㟡] (qiè ér bù shg 䤹㗠ϡ᤼) ‘work with perseverence.’ Antonyms: [⌙ᇱ䕘ℶ] (qifn cháng zhé zhh ⏎௫䓦ℶ) ‘shallowly taste then stop – stop after gaining a little knowledge of something,’ [ञ䗨㗠ᑳ] (bàn tú ér fèi ञ䗨㗠ᒶ) ‘give up halfway.’ 23. Ğ৙‫ݙ‬።ཇğ(ᗒጰ⑬ᕧ) gdng bù yìng qiú կ means ‘supply,’ ᑨ means ‘respond to,’ and ∖ means ‘demand.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘supply does not respond to demand,’ with freer translations being ‘supply does not meet demand’ and ‘in short supply.’ Example 1: ೼㕢೑ˈएᡸҎਬ৙‫ݙ‬።ཇDŽ Zài Mgiguó, ychù rényuán gdngbùyìngqiú. ‘In the U.S., medical personnel are in short supply.’ Example 2: ᥂䇈䙷⾡Ё㥃㛑໳⊏⭫㡒⒟⮙ˈѢᰃ໻ᆊ㒋㒋ᡶ䌁ˈ䙷⾡Ё㥃ϔ໰П䯈 ߎ⦄њ৙‫ݙ‬።ཇⱘᚙ‫މ‬DŽ Jùshud nà zhing zhdngyào nénggòu zhìliáo àizcbìng, yúshì dàjia fbnfbn qifnggòu, nà zhing zhdngyào yí yè zhcjian chexiànle gdngbùyìngqiú de qíngkuàng. ‘It’s said that kind of Chinese medicine can cure AIDS, so everyone one after another rushed off to purchase it; regarding that kind of Chinese medicine, overnight there emerged a situation of supply not meeting demand.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. As attributive, usually followed by ሔ䴶 ( júmiàn) ‘situation,’ ᚙ‫( މ‬qíngkuàng ᚙ⊕) ‘circumstances,’ or ⦄䈵 (xiànxiàng ⧒䈵) ‘phenomenon.’ Near Synonym: [‫ڻ‬໮㉹ᇥ] (sbng dud zhdu shfo ‫ڻ‬໮㉹ᇥ) ‘monks many but gruel little – not enough to go around.’ Antonym: [կ䖛Ѣ∖] (gdng guò yú qiú կ䘢ᮐ∖) ‘supply exceeds demand.’ 24. Ğቲᒄᎌ቉ğ(ᒭጴᑺᥳ) xíng zhc yiu xiào 㸠 means ‘put into practice,’ П means ‘it,’ and ᬜ means ‘effect, efficiency.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘put it into practice having effect or efficiency.’ Freer translations include ‘implement with efficiency’ and ‘efficient.’ Example 1: 䖭ᰃϔ༫ቲᒄᎌ቉ⱘᅲ偠ᮍ⊩ˈᕜ໮໻ᅲ偠ᅸ䛑Փ⫼䖛ˈҢᴹ≵᳝ߎ⦄䖛 䫭䇃DŽ Zhè shì yí tào xíngzhc-yiuxiào de shíyàn fangff, hgn dud dà shíyànshì ddu shhyòngguo, cónglái méiyiu chexiànguo cuòwù. ‘This is a very effective method of experimentation; many large laboratories have used it; mistakes have never occurred.’

Entries 25 – 26: ӫ᠔਼ⶹ and ܼ࡯ҹ䍈

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Example 2: ϧᆊ੐৕ˈ᳝݇䚼䮼ᑨ䆹䞛পቲᒄᎌ቉ⱘᬓㄪᴹߛᅲֱᡸ‫⇥ݰ‬Ꮉⱘᴗ߽DŽ Zhuanjia heyù, yiuguan bùmén ycnggai cfiqj xíngzhc-yiuxiào de zhèngcè lái qièshí bfohù nóngmíngdng de quánlì. ‘Experts have appealed that the relevant departments should adopt effective policies to protect, in a practical manner, the rights of migrant workers.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; often followed by nouns such as ࡲ⊩ (bànff 䕺⊩) ‘method,’ ᮍ⊩ (fangff) ‘method,’ ‫( ⊩خ‬zuòff) ‘method of doing,’ ᥾ᮑ (cuòshc) ‘measure,’ and ᬓㄪ (zhèngcè) ‘policy.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ध᳝៤ᬜ] (zhuó yiu chéng xiào ध᳝៤ᬜ) ‘with outstanding results, highly effective,’ [ስ䆩ϡ⠑] (lr shì bù shufng ሶ䀺ϡ⠑) ‘repeated tests never deviate – effective every time.’ Antonyms: [ࢇ㗠᮴ࡳ] (láo ér wú gdng ࢲ㗠⛵ࡳ) ‘endeavor but have no success – work with no gain.’ 25. ĞᒰჅᒲᒀğ(㸚ᙰᘐ᛹) zhòng sui zhdu zhc The literal meaning is ‘as is known to all; it is well-known that; it is common knowledge that. . . .’ Example 1: ᒰჅᒲᒀˈЁ೑Ҏᰃᕜ䆆お佁ḠϞⱘᅶ༫ⱘDŽ Zhòngsuizhduzhc, Zhdngguórén shì hgn jifngjiu fànzhud shàng de kètào de. ‘As everyone knows, Chinese people are very particular about etiquette at the dinner table.’ Example 2: ᄽᄤᄺд໪䇁↨៤ᑈҎᄺᕫᖿˈ䖭ᰃᒰჅᒲᒀⱘ䘧⧚DŽ Háizi xuéxí wàiyj bh chéngniánrén xué de kuài, zhè shì zhòngsuizhduzhc de dàolh. ‘Children learn foreign languages faster than adults – this is a truth that is known to all.’ Usage: In general used at the beginning of sentences or as an attribute. Note: This is written-style usage. Near Synonym: [ᆊஏ᠋ᰧ] ( jia yù hù xifo ᆊஏ᠊Ო) ‘known to every family, widely known.’ Antonym: [咬咬᮴䯏] (mò mò wú wén 咬咬⛵㘲) ‘unknown to the public.’ 26. Ğཝೆጲংğ(ᐨዾ᎔ᢩ) quán lì yh fù 䍈 means ‘go.’ A literal translation is ‘with all one’s strength go to some place,’ with a freer translation being ‘put all one’s energy into something, spare no effort.’

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Entries 27 – 28: ⧚᠔ᔧ✊ and ಯ䴶ܿᮍ

Example 1: 䴶ᇍೄ䲒ˈ໻ᆊཝೆጲংˈ㒜Ѣ‫ܟ‬᳡њೄ䲒DŽ Miànduì kùnnán, dàjia quánlì-yhfù, zhdngyú kèfúle kùnnán. ‘In facing the difficulties, everyone spared no effort, so that in the end they overcame the difficulties.’ Example 2: Ё೑ℷ೼ཝೆጲংഄ䖯㸠㒣⌢ᓎ䆒ˈ಴ℸϔϾ〇ᅮⱘ೑䰙⦃๗䴲ᐌ䞡㽕DŽ Zhdngguó zhèngzài quánlì-yhfù de jìnxíng jcngjì jiànshè, ycnch yíge wgndìng de guójì huánjìng fbicháng zhòngyào. ‘China is putting all her energy into undertaking economic construction; therefore, a stable international environment is very important.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial and predicate. Note: Somewhat complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [チሑܼ࡯] ( jié jìn quán lì チⲵܼ࡯) ‘do one’s utmost.’ 27. ĞಯჅࡩ཭ğ(ᮿᙰἡᵩ) lh sui dang rán ⧚ means ‘(according to) reason’ and ᔧ✊ means ‘should be like this.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘of course, naturally, needless to say, it is only right and proper that. . . .’ Example 1: ᳝䪅ⱘҎᣓߎϔ䚼ߚ䪅ᴹಲ作⼒ӮˈᐂࡽかҎˈ䖭ᰃಯჅࡩ཭ⱘDŽ Yiuqián de rén náche yíbùfen qián lái huíkuì shèhuì, bangzhù qióngrén, zhè shì lhsui-dangrán de. ‘That rich people should take out part of their money to give back to society and help poor people is only right and proper.’ Example 2: ѠकϔϪ㑾ᰃ⫳⠽एᄺⱘϪ㑾ˈ᠔ҹ೑ᆊ೼⫳⠽एᄺᮍ䴶ࡴ໻ᡩ䌘ᰃಯჅ ࡩ཭ⱘџᚙDŽ Èrshíyc shìjì shì shbngwù ycxué de shìjì, suiyh guójia zài shbngwù ycxué fangmiàn jiadà tóuzc shì lhsui-dangrán de shìqing. ‘The 21st century is the century of biomedicine, so for a country to increase its investment in the area of biomedicine is completely natural.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, adverbial, and attributive. Near Synonyms: [໽㒣ഄН] (tian jcng dì yì ໽㍧ഄ㕽) ‘unalterable principle, entirely justified,’ [ৡℷ㿔乎] (míng zhèng yán shùn ৡℷ㿔䷚) ‘perfectly justifiable.’ 28. Ğ႐ෂ‫ڭ‬ऱğ(Ꮘᣃዺ፵) sì miàn ba fang 䴶 here means ‘side’ and ᮍ means ‘direction.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘the four sides and the eight directions,’ with a freer translation being ‘all directions, all around, far and wide.’

Entry 29: ݈㟈ࢗࢗ

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Example 1: ↣ᑈⱘϝ᳜ˈЁ೑ⱘҎ໻ҷ㸼䛑Ӯ⬅႐ෂ‫ڭ‬ऱ䖯ܹ࣫ҀˈВ㸠ϔᑈϔ⃵ⱘ ܼ೑Ҏ⇥ҷ㸼໻ӮDŽ Mgi nián de sanyuè, Zhdngguó de Réndà Dàibifo ddu huì yóu sìmiàn-bafang jìnrù Bgijcng, jjxíng yì nián yí cì de Quánguó Rénmín Dàibifo Dàhuì. ‘In March of every year, representatives from China’s National People’s Congress enter Beijing from far and wide to hold the annual National People’s Congress.’ Example 2: ᵁᎲᰃЁ೑ⱘᮙ␌㚰ഄˈᐌᑈ਌ᓩ႐ෂ‫ڭ‬ऱⱘ␌ᅶࠡএᮙ␌DŽ Hángzhdu shì Zhdngguó de lryóu shèngdì, chángnián xcyhn sìmiàn-bafang de yóukè qiánqù lryóu. ‘Hangzhou is a famous tourist spot in China; year in and year out it attracts tourists from all over to go there to tour.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object and attributive. Near Synonym: [Ѩ␪ಯ⍋] (wj hú sì hfi Ѩ␪ಯ⍋) ‘from the five lakes to the four seas – throughout the land.’ 29. Ğቭᒘ݈݈ğ(⏏ᢄᝥᝥ) xìng zhì bó bó ݈㟈 means ‘interest’ and ࢗࢗ means ‘full of life, exuberant.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘full of interest and enthusiasm.’ Example 1: ᘏ⧚ቭᒘ݈݈ഄখ㾖њᔧഄⱘϔ᠔ᇣᄺᑊϨϢᇣᄺᬭᏜ䖯㸠њ҆ߛⱘѸ䇜DŽ Zinglh xìngzhì-bóbó de canguanle dangdì de yì sui xifoxué bìngqig yj xifoxué jiàoshc jìnxíngle qcnqiè de jiaotán. ‘Full of enthusiasm, the prime minister visited a local elementary school and engaged in a cordial conversation with the teachers.’ Example 2: ᮄ䯏থᏗӮৢˈᘏ㒳ቭᒘ݈݈ഄ䙔䇋ᅶҎࠄҪⱘеϟ߿๙㒻㓁Ӯ䇜DŽ Xcnwén fabùhuì hòu, zingting xìngzhì-bóbó de yaoqhng kèrén dào ta de xiangxià biéshù jìxù huìtán. ‘After the news briefing, the prime minister, full of enthusiasm, invited the guests to his country villa to continue the talks.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial, often followed by verbs such as খ㾖 (canguan গ㾔) ‘visit,’ খࡴ (canjia গࡴ) ‘participate in,’ ␌㾜 (yóulfn 䘞㾑) ‘sight-see,’ and 䆓䯂 (ffngwèn 㿾ଣ) ‘visit.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [݈䍷Ⲣ✊] (xìng qù àng rán 㟜䍷Ⲣ✊) ‘with great interest.’ Antonyms: [᮴㊒ᠧ䞛] (wú jcng df cfi ⛵㊒ᠧ䞛) ‘listless, in low spirits,’ [ൖ༈ϻ⇨] (chuí tóu sàng qì ൖ丁୾⇷) ‘hang one’s head in dejection.’

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Entries 30 – 31: ϔ号᚞Ҏ and ᛇᮍ䆒⊩

30. Ğጙ෕ரཽğ(ዯ↗➯ዷ) yì míng jcng rén 号 means ‘cry (of birds)’ and ᚞ means ‘surprise.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘one cry surprises others,’ with freer translations being ‘amaze the world with a single brilliant feat, achieve overnight success.’ Example 1: ཌྷ೼䖭⃵༹䖤ӮϞጙ෕ரཽˈᠧ⸈њֱᣕњϝकᑈⱘϪ⬠㑾ᔩDŽ Ta zài zhè cì Àoyùnhuì shàng yìmíng-jcngrén, dfpòle bfochí le sanshí nián de shìjiè jìlù. ‘She amazed the world in this Olympic Games; she broke a world record that had held for thirty years.’ Example 2: ៥೼੪ଵᑫⳟ㾕њࠡ޴໽ጙ෕ரཽⱘཇ℠᠟DŽ Wi zài kafbidiàn kànjiànle qián jh tian yìmíng-jcngrén de nr gbshiu. ‘In a coffee shop I saw the female singer who had shocked the world a few days ago.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive and adverbial. Often preceded by ϡ号߭Ꮖ (bù míng zé yh ϡ勈ࠛᏆ). Allusion: In the middle of the 4th century, B.C.E., there was a king in the country of Qi who loved metaphorical language but who frequently indulged himself in pleasure. His country declined and it seemed as though it might soon be conquered by other countries, yet no one dared to try to stop him. One day, a man by the name of Chunyu Kun said to the king: “In our country, there is a big bird which stays in your courtyard, but for three years it has neither flown nor cried. What kind of bird is it?” The king answered, “Once it flies, it will fly high into the sky; once it cries, it will surprise the whole world.” Subsequently, the king began governing his country strictly by law, and ended up making his country the strongest among many. (from “Huaji Liezhuan” in Records of the Grand Historian) Near Synonyms: [ϔВ៤ৡ] ( yì jj chéng míng ϔ㟝៤ৡ) ‘one action become famous – achieve instant fame,’ [ϔℹⱏ໽] ( yí bù dbng tian ϔℹⱏ໽) ‘one step ascend the sky – attain the highest level in one step’ (derogatory in meaning). Antonym: [㟁ৡ䖰ᡀ] (chòu míng yufn yáng 㟁ৡ䘴᦮) ‘bad reputation widely spread – notorious.’ 31. Ğሯऱ࿸जğ(ầ፵᰿ᛈ) xifng fang shè ff ᮍ means ‘method,’ 䆒 means ‘presume, suppose,’ and ⊩ means ‘way.’ A literal translation is ‘think of methods and presume ways,’ with a freer translation being ‘think of all kinds of ways, try every possible means.’ Example 1: ⦄೼ᕜ໮೑ᆊ䛑ሯऱ࿸ज਌ᓩ໪೑ⱘӬ⾔ҎᠡࠡᴹᎹ԰DŽ Xiànzài hgn dud guójia ddu xifngfang-shèff xcyhn wàiguó de yduxiù réncái qiánlái gdngzuò.

Entries 32 – 33: गᆊϛ᠋ and В䎇䕏䞡

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‘Now many countries try every possible means to attract foreigners of talent to come to their countries to work.’ Example 2: 䘛ࠄೄ䲒ⱘᯊ‫׭‬Ҫᘏᰃ㞾Ꮕሯऱ࿸जএ㾷‫އ‬DŽ Yùdào kùnnán de shíhou ta zingshì zìjh xifngfang-shèff qù jigjué. ‘When encountering difficulties, he always tries every possible way to resolve them by himself.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; followed by a verbal element. Near Synonym: [गᮍⱒ䅵] (qian fang bfi jì गᮍⱒ㿜) ‘by every possible means.’ Antonym: [᮴䅵ৃᮑ] (wú jì kg shc ⛵㿜ৃᮑ) ‘at one’s wit’s end.’ 32. Ğ໻ଜᅺઓğ(ጓᤲὈ፮) qian jia wàn hù ग means ‘thousand,’ ᆊ means ‘home,’ ϛ means ‘ten thousand,’ and ᠋ means ‘household.’ The literal translation of this idiom is ‘thousand families ten thousand households,’ with freer translations being ‘innumerable households, every family.’ Example 1: ेՓ೼‫ݰ‬ᴥˈ䅵ㅫᴎгᮽᏆ䍄䖯໻ଜᅺઓˈϡ‫ݡ‬ᰃ催ḷⱘଚકњDŽ Jíshh zài nóngcen, jìsuànjc yg zfoyh ziujìn qianjia-wànhù, búzài shì gaodàng de shangphn le. ‘Even in the countryside, computers also early on already entered innumerable households, no longer being upmarket merchandise.’ Example 2: ᯹㡖ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬໻ଜᅺઓ୰⇨⋟⋟ˈܼ䛑ㄐ㔽೼㡖᮹ⱘ୰ᑚ⇨⇯ЁDŽ Chenjié de shíhou, qianjia-wànhù xhqì-yángyáng, quánddu lingzhào zài jiérì de xhqìng qìfbn zhdng. ‘At the time of the Chinese New Year, multitudes of families are bursting with happiness; they are all enveloped in the celebratory atmosphere of the holiday.’ Usage: Nominal element, functions mainly as object or subject. Near Synonym: [ᆊᆊ᠋᠋] ( jia jia hù hù ᆊᆊ᠊᠊) ‘family family household household – every home and household.’ Antonyms: [⣀䮼⣀᠋] (dú mén dú hù ⤼䭔⤼᠊) ‘single door single household – selfcontained house not shared with others, home with private entrance,’ [ᄸᆊᆵҎ] (ge jia guf rén ᄸᆊᆵҎ) ‘originally meant “I” as spoken by the emperor, nowadays means “an isolated man, a loner.”’ (used mostly in speech) 33. Ğ௟ᔗ༵ᒮğ(⓴ᖭ⅜ᢽ) jj zú qcng zhòng В means ‘raise,’ 䎇 means ‘foot,’ 䕏 means ‘light,’ and 䞡 means ‘heavy.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘raise one’s feet and influence lightness and

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Entry 34: 㾕Н࢛Ў

heaviness,’ with freer translations being ‘play a decisive role, be pivotal in importance.’ Example 1: Ё೑ⱘᆊ⬉ѻક೼Ϫ⬠ᏖഎϞऴ᳝௟ᔗ༵ᒮⱘഄԡDŽ Zhdngguó de jiadiàn chfnphn zài shìjiè shìchfng shàng zhànyiu jjzú-qcngzhòng de dìwèi. ‘Chinese household electrical appliances occupy a pivotal position in the world market.’ Example 2: ⊩೑೼⃻⌆ⱘᬓ⊏џࡵЁ᳝ⴔ௟ᔗ༵ᒮⱘᕅડDŽ Ffguó zài nuzhdu de zhèngzhì shìwù zhdng yiuzhe jjzú-qcngzhòng de yhngxifng. ‘France has a pivotal influence in Europe’s political affairs.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, often followed by words such as ഄԡ (dìwèi) ‘position,’ ԰⫼ (zuòyòng) ‘function,’ ᕅડ (yhngxifng) ‘influence,’ Ҏ⠽ (rénwù) ‘person,’ and 㾦㡆 ( jifosè) ‘role.’ Near Synonyms: [㟇݇䞡໻] (zhì guan zhòng dà 㟇䮰䞡໻) ‘extremely important.’ Antonyms: [᮴䎇䕏䞡] (wú zú qcng zhòng ⛵䎇䓩䞡) ‘of no importance,’ [᮴݇໻ሔ] (wú guan dà jú ⛵䮰໻ሔ) ‘have no bearing on the general situation – unimportant.’ 34. Ğ୅ፃ፾ᆐğ(ᖤὤᝣᠥ) jiàn yì ying wéi Н means ‘righteousness,’ ࢛ means ‘courage,’ and Ў means ‘do, make.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘see what is right and have the courage to do it.’ Example 1: ⦄೼⼒ӮϞ⡍߿㔎У୅ፃ፾ᆐⱘ㸠Ў੠㾖ᗉњDŽ Xiànzài shèhuì shàng tèbié qubfá jiànyì-yingwéi de xíngwéi hé guanniàn le. ‘Nowadays in society we especially lack the kind of behavior and concept where you see what is right and have the courage to do it.’ Example 2: ໻Ӯ㸼ᕄњѠकԡ୅ፃ፾ᆐⱘ㣅䲘Ҏ⠽DŽ Dàhuì bifozhangle èrshí wèi jiànyì-yingwéi de ycngxióng rénwù. ‘At the mass meeting, they publicly commended twenty heroes who saw what was right and had the courage to do it.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᔧҕϡ䅽] (dang rén bú ràng ⭊ҕϡ䅧) ‘not shirk one’s duty.’ Antonyms: [㾕߽ᖬН] ( jiàn lì wàng yì 㽟߽ᖬ㕽) ‘when you see profit forget what is right,’ [㹪᠟ᮕ㾖] (xiù shiu páng guan 㹪᠟ᮕ㾔) ‘stand idly by.’

Entries 35 – 36: ВϪ⵽Ⳃ and ᇣᖗ㗐㗐

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35. Ğ௟ီᓋ෹ğ(⓴ᎌ⟯ᐂ) jj shì zhj mù В here means ‘whole,’ Ϫ means ‘world,’ ⵽ means ‘gaze at,’ and Ⳃ means ‘eyes.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the whole world gazes at with the eyes,’ with freer translations including ‘the entire world focuses its attention on’ and ‘attract world-wide attention.’ Example 1: Ё೑೼ᬍ䴽ᓔᬒҹৢⱘϝकᑈЁˈপᕫњ௟ီᓋ෹ⱘ៤ህDŽ Zhdngguó zài gfigé kaifàng yhhòu de sanshí nián zhdng, qjdéle jjshì-zhjmù de chéngjiù. ‘In the thirty years after carrying out reforms and opening up to the outside world, China obtained achievements that have attracted world-wide attention.’ Example 2: ᳔催⊩䰶ӮϡӮ߸ᘏ㒳᳝㔾ˈ䖭៤њ௟ီᓋ෹ⱘ⛺⚍DŽ Zuì Gao Ffyuàn huì bú huì pàn zingting yiu zuì, zhè chéngle jjshì-zhjmù de jiaodifn. ‘Whether or not the Supreme Court will judge the president guilty has become the focus of world-wide attention.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, usually followed by ៤ህ (chéngjiù) ‘accomplishment’ or ៤㒽 (chéngjì ៤㐒) ‘achievement.’ Near Synonyms: [ВϪ䯏ৡ] ( jj shì wén míng 㟝Ϫ㘲ৡ) ‘world famous.’ Antonyms: [咬咬᮴䯏] (mò mò wú wén 咬咬⛵㘲) ‘unknown to the public.’ 36. Ğቃቦፋፋğ(ጟ፬ⓤⓤ) xifo xcn yì yì 㗐㗐 means ‘cautious.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘careful and cautious.’ It is often used adverbially in the sense ‘cautiously, carefully.’ Example 1: 㗗সᎹ԰㗙ቃቦፋፋഄẔᶹ㗗স⦄എⱘ↣ϔӊϰ㽓DŽ Kfogj gdngzuòzhg xifoxcn-yìyì de jifnchá kfogj xiànchfng de mgi yí jiàn ddngxi. ‘Archeological workers very carefully and cautiously inspect every item from the archeological site.’ Example 2: Ҫⱘ⫳⌏䖛Ѣ䇼ᜢˈ޵џ䛑ቃቦፋፋˈ⫳ᗩᛍ߿Ҏϡ催݈DŽ Ta de shbnghuó guòyú jhnshèn, fán shì ddu xifoxcn-yìyì, shbngpà rg biérén bù gaoxìng. ‘His life is overcautious; regarding every matter, he is careful and cautious, deathly afraid that he will cause others to be upset.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonym: [䇼ᇣᜢᖂ] ( jhn xifo shèn wbi 䄍ᇣᜢᖂ) ‘cautious even in very small things.’ Antonym: [㉫ᖗ໻ᛣ] (ce xcn dà yì ㉫ᖗ໻ᛣ) ‘careless, negligent.’

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Entries 37 – 38: ⑤䖰⌕䭓 and ᓘ㰮԰‫؛‬

37. ĞᏎᏐഗ‫ޠ‬ğ(ự⅟᠐ᜳ) yuán yufn liú cháng ⑤ means ‘source,’ 䖰 means ‘distant,’ ⌕ means ‘the length the water flows,’ and 䭓 means ‘long.’ A literal translation is ‘the source (of a stream) is distant and (the water) flows a long distance.’ Freer translations include ‘age-old, long-standing, well-established.’ Example 1: ϸ೑Ҏ⇥ⱘট䇞ᏎᏐഗ‫ޠ‬DŽ Lifng guó rénmín de yiuyì yuányufn-liúcháng. ‘The friendship between the peoples of the two countries is long-standing and well-established.’ Example 2: Ё೑᳝ⴔᏎᏐഗ‫ⱘޠ‬㤊᭛࣪DŽ Zhdngguó yiuzhe yuányufn-liúcháng de chá wénhuà. ‘China has an age-old tea culture.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Antonyms: [᮴⑤П∈] (wú yuán zhc shuh ⛵⑤П∈) ‘no source water – without a source,’ [᮴ᴀП᳼] (wú bgn zhc mù ⛵ᴀП᳼) ‘tree without roots – have no foundation,’ [ぎえᴹ亢] (kdng xué lái fbng ぎえ՚乼) ‘empty hole makes wind come in – leave oneself open to rumors.’ 38. Ğโኋᔫଣğ(ᔯᷤᓆ᪛) nòng xe zuò jif ᓘ here means ‘use,’ 㰮 means ‘empty,’ ԰ means ‘fabricate,’ and ‫ ؛‬means ‘false.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘use emptiness to create a false appearance,’ with a freer translation being ‘use trickery or deception to create a false appearance.’ Example 1: 䙷ᆊ໻݀ৌ೼ᇍ໪݀ᏗϮ㒽᡹ਞⱘᯊ‫׭‬โኋᔫଣˈℎ偫ᡩ䌘㗙DŽ Nà jia dà gdngsc zài duì wài gdngbù yèjì bàogào de shíhou nòngxe-zuòjif, qcpiàn tóuzczhg. ‘When that large company announced its business report to the outside, it used trickery to create a false appearance, deceiving the investors.’ Example 2: ᑨ䆹Ϲढ़ᡍ䆘โኋᔫଣⱘ㸠Ў੠亢⇨DŽ Ycnggai yánlì pcpíng nòngxe-zuòjif de xíngwéi hé fbngqì. ‘One should severely criticize behavior or an atmosphere where deception is used to create a false appearance.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Derogatory in meaning.

Entries 39 – 40: 㞾㿔㞾䇁 and 㒌Ϟ䇜݉

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Near Synonyms: [᢯ᨛᩲ偫] (zhao yáo zhuàng piàn ᢯᧪ᩲ俭) ‘swindle and bluff,’ [ℾ䮼䙾䘧] (wai mén xié dào ℾ䭔䙾䘧) ‘crooked doors evil paths – dishonest ways.’ Antonym: [ᅲџ∖ᰃ] (shí shì qiú shì ᆺџ∖ᰃ) ‘seek truth from facts.’ 39. ĞᔈዔᔈᎫğ(ᒢᖦᒢ⅃) zì yán zì yj A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘self talk self say,’ with freer translations being ‘talk to oneself, think out loud.’ Example 1: ཌྷᔈዔᔈᎫഄ䇈˖ Āⳳ༛ᗾˈᯢᯢ߮ᠡ䖬೼䖭䞠ˈᗢМϔӮ‫ܓ‬ህϡ㾕њਸ਼˛” Ta zìyán-zìyj de shud: “Zhbn qíguài, míngmíng gangcái hái zài zhèlh, zgnme yíhuìr jiù bú jiàn le ne?” ‘She said to herself: “That’s really strange; it clearly was here just a minute ago, how could it disappear so quickly?”’ Example 2: Ҫ䎳߿Ҏ䇈䆱ⱘᯊ‫׭‬ϡⳟᇍᮍⱘⴐ⴯ˈໄ䷇জᇣˈ߿Ҏ㾝ᕫҪད‫ڣ‬ᔈዔ! ᔈᎫDŽ Ta gbn biérén shudhuà de shíhou bú kàn duìfang de yfnjing, shbngycn yòu xifo, biérén juéde ta hfoxiàng zìyán-zìyj. ‘When he talks with others, he doesn’t look into their eyes, and his voice is low; other people think it’s as if he’s talking to himself.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Near Synonym: [ୗୗ㞾䇁] (nán nán zì yj ୗୗ㞾䁲) ‘mutter to oneself.’ 40. Ğᒓ࿟ტܸğ(ᨔጆ⊯ᓒ) zhh shàng tán bcng ݉ here means ‘military force.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘on paper speak of warfare.’ The extended meaning is ‘engage in empty talk that does nothing to solve problems.’ One freer translation is ‘be an armchair strategist.’ Example 1: ཌྷⱘ䅵ߦϡ䖛ᰃᒓ࿟ტܸˈ≵᳝ҔМᅲ䰙ӋؐDŽ Ta de jìhuà búguò shì zhhshàng-tánbcng, méiyiu shénme shíjì jiàzhí. ‘Her plan is only empty talk; it has no real value.’ Example 2: ҪᰃϔϾাӮᒓ࿟ტܸⱘᆊӭˈᑊ≵㾷‫އ‬䖛ᅲ䰙䯂乬DŽ Ta shì yí ge zhh huì zhhshàng-tánbcng de jiahuo, bìng méi jigjuéguo shíjì wèntí. ‘He’s a fellow who can only engage in armchair strategies; he has never solved any real problems.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Allusion: During the Warring States Period (475–221 B.C.E.), the countries of Qin and Zhao were confronting each other. The Zhao general employed defensive

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Entry 41: ৡࡃ݊ᅲ

tactics, so there was nothing the Qin army could do. Later, Zhao fell victim to Qin’s stratagem of sowing discord and a man by the name of Zhao Kuo was chosen to substitute for the original general. Now, Zhao Kuo was someone who had thoroughly studied books on military strategy; in discussing military theory, he even surpassed his father, a famous general. But despite this, the father predicted that the country of Zhao would some day be destroyed at the hands of his own son. And sure enough, after Zhao Kuo became general, he fell for one of the Qin army’s stratagems with the result that not only did he die, but more than 400,000 Zhao soldiers were buried alive by the Qin forces. Known in history as the Battle of Changping (260 B.C.E.), this major historical event influenced the course of Chinese history since thirty-two years later, Qin destroyed Zhao and, seven years after that, Qin united all of China. And the key factor in determining the success or failure of the Battle of Changping had been General Zhao Kuo, a man who could only “speak of warfare on paper.” (from Records of the Grand Historian) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ढ㗠ϡᅲ] (huá ér bù shí 㧃㗠ϡᆺ) ‘flowers but no fruit – flashy but lacking substance,’ [༌༌݊䇜] (kua kua qí tán 䁛䁛݊䂛) ‘full of boasts and exaggerations.’ Antonym: [ⳳᠡᅲᄺ] (zhbn cái shí xué ⳳᠡᆺᅌ) ‘genuine talent, real ability.’ 41. Ğ෗ঃ໚ဣğ(ᑀ᪯ᗥ⁘) míng fù qí shí ࡃ means ‘correspond to,’ ݊ means ‘its,’ and ᅲ means ‘reality, truth.’ The literal meaning is ‘the name corresponds to its reality,’ with a freer translation being ‘worthy of the name or reputation.’ Example 1: 㱑✊೼lj㕢೑ᮄ䯏ϢϪ⬠᡹䘧NJϞ≵᳝ᥦৡ㄀ϔˈԚᰃ໻ᆊ䛑䅸Ўજԯ ໻ᄺᠡᰃ෗ঃ໚ဣⱘϪ⬠Ϟ᳔དⱘ໻ᄺDŽ Sucrán zài MGiguó XCnwén yJ Shìjiè Bàodào shàng méi yiu páimíng dìyc, dànshì dàjia ddu rènwéi Hafó Dàxué cái shì míngfù-qíshí de shìjiè shàng zuì hfo de dàxué. ‘Even though it wasn’t ranked as number one in U.S. News and World Report, everyone believes that Harvard University is worthy of the reputation of being the best university in the world.’ Example 2: ࠄњЁ೑ˈԴህӮ⏅ࠏԧӮࠄЁ೑ᰃ෗ঃ໚ဣⱘ㞾㸠䔺⥟೑DŽ Dàole Zhdngguó, nh jiù huì shbnkè thhuìdào Zhdngguó shì míngfù-qíshí de zìxíngchb wángguó. ‘When you arrive in China, you will have the profound realization that China is worthy of the name “kingdom of bicycles.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Sometimes written as ৡヺ݊ᅲ (míng fú qí shí), with the same meaning, but note the different character and different tone for the second syllable.

Entries 42 – 43: ᮹ᮄ᳜ᓖ and ᕫ໽⣀८

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Near Synonym: [㸼䞠བϔ] (bifo lh rú yc 㸼㺣བϔ) ‘outside and inside are as one – one’s deeds correspond with one’s thoughts.’ Antonym: [ৡϡࡃᅲ] (míng bú fù shí ৡϡࡃᆺ) ‘unworthy of the name.’ 42. Ğ྇ቤᏜፊğ(፶ỉ፸ᯊ) rì xcn yuè yì ᓖ means ‘different.’ The literal translation of this idiom is ‘day new month different,’ with a freer translation being ‘change rapidly with each new day.’ Example 1: ᔧҷ⾥ᄺᡔᴃⱘথሩ྇ቤᏜፊˈҎӀⱘ⫳⌏䍞ᴹ䍞㟦䗖DŽ Dangdài kbxué jìshù de fazhfn rìxcn-yuèyì, rénmen de shbnghuó yuè lái yuè sheshì. ‘Modern science and technology have been developing rapidly with each new day, and people’s lives have been getting more and more comfortable.’ Example 2: ᬍ䴽ᓔᬒৢⱘ޴कᑈ‫࣫ˈݙ‬ҀǃϞ⍋ㄝ໻ජᏖথ⫳њ྇ቤᏜፊⱘব࣪DŽ Gfigé kaifàng hòu de jh shí nián nèi, Bgijcng, Shànghfi dgng dà chéngshì fashbngle rìxcn-yuèyì de biànhuà. ‘In the decades since the reforms and opening up to the outside world, with the passing of each new day there have taken place rapid changes in the big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ϔ᮹ग䞠] ( yí rì qian lh ϔ᮹ग䞠) ‘one day a thousand miles – at a tremendous pace.’ Antonym: [ϔ៤ϡব] ( yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’ 43. Ğࡻᄖࣖ੿ğ(ᬗ፞⎕ᝪ) dé tian dú hòu ᕫ means ‘obtain,’ ໽ means ‘nature,’ ⣀ means ‘by oneself,’ and ८ means ‘favorable.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘by oneself obtain favorable natural conditions,’ with freer translations being ‘enjoy exceptional advantages’ and ‘in a favorable position.’ Example 1: ⃻⌆Ҏᄺ䇁㿔᳝ࡻᄖࣖ੿ⱘӬ࢓DŽ nuzhdu rén xué yjyán yiu détian-dúhòu de ydushì. ‘Europeans enjoy exceptional advantages in learning languages.’ Example 2: ⏅ഇ䴴䖥佭␃ˈ಴ℸথሩ㒣⌢᳝ࡻᄖࣖ੿ⱘᴵӊDŽ Shbnzhèn kàojìn Xianggfng, ycnch fazhfn jcngjì yiu détian-dúhòu de tiáojiàn. ‘Shenzhen is close to Hong Kong; therefore, with regard to developing the economy, it has extremely favorable conditions.’

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Entries 44 – 45: ᚙϡ㞾⽕ and ϡҹЎ✊

Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, often followed by Ӭ࢓ (ydushì ‫‘ )ࢶ۾‬advantage’ or ᴵӊ (tiáojiàn ṱӊ) ‘condition.’ Near Synonym: [໽ᯊഄ߽] (tian shí dì lì ໽ᰖഄ߽) ‘opportune time, advantageous terrain – advantageous situation.’ Antonym: [‫ܜ‬໽ϡ䎇] (xian tian bù zú ‫ܜ‬໽ϡ䎇) ‘congenitally deficient.’ 44. Ğ༽‫ݙ‬ᔈணğ(ᬧጰᒢ὇) qíng bú zì jìn ᚙ means ‘emotions’ and ⽕ means ‘control, restrain.’ A literal translation is ‘emotions not by oneself restrain.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘unable to restrain one’s emotions, excited, cannot help.’ Example 1: ⳟᅠ䖭䚼⬉ᕅˈཌྷ༽‫ݙ‬ᔈணഄ໻ໄ䇈ˈ“໾དњʽ໾དњʽ” Kànwán zhè bù diànyhng, ta qíngbúzìjìn de dàshbng shud, “Tài hfole! Tài hfole!” ‘When she had seen the movie, she said, unable to restrain her emotions, “It’s fantastic, it’s fantastic!”’ Example 2: ਀ࠄ䙷佪❳ᙝⱘ䷇ФˈҪ༽‫ݙ‬ᔈணഄ䏇䍋㟲ᴹњDŽ Tcngdào nà shiu shúxc de ycnyuè, ta qíngbúzìjìn de tiàoqh wj láile. ‘When he heard that familiar piece of music, he began dancing, unable to restrain his emotions.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial. Near Synonym: [ϡ⬅㞾Џ] (bù yóu zì zhj ϡ⬅㞾Џ) ‘involuntarily, spontaneously.’ 45. Ğ‫ݙ‬ጲᆐ཭ğ(ጰ᎔⠆ᵩ) bù yh wéi rán ✊ means ‘like that.’ ϡҹЎ✊ means ϡҹПЎ✊ ‘not take it to be like that.’ A freer translation would be ‘think otherwise, take exception to, disapprove.’ Example 1: ᔧ߿Ҏᇍཌྷⱘ៤㒽ᛳࠄᕜ᚞༛ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ཌྷै‫ݙ‬ጲᆐ཭ഄ䇈ˈĀ≵ҔМњϡ 䍋ⱘDŽā Dang biérén duì ta de chéngjì gfndào hgn jcngqí de shíhou, ta què bùyhwéirán de shud, “Méi shénme lifobùqh de.” ‘When others felt amazement at her grades, she took exception by saying, “It’s nothing remarkable.” ’ Example 2: ϡᇥᑈ䕏Ҏᇍ㗕ᑈҎⱘⳟ⊩ᕜ‫ݙ‬ጲᆐ཭ˈ䅸ЎҪӀⱘⳟ⊩䗮䗮䰜ᮻњDŽ Bùshfo niánqcngrén duì lfoniánrén de kànff hgn bùyhwéirán, rènwéi tamen de kànff tdngtdng chénjiù le. ‘The view that many young people have of older people is very disapproving, believing that their views are all outdated.’

Entries 46 – 47: 㒰㒢ϡ㒱 and ϡ㑺㗠ৠ

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Near Synonym: [ஸПҹ唏] (chc zhc yh bí ஸПҹ唏) ‘snort at contemptuously with one’s nose.’ Antonyms: [㿔਀䅵Ң] ( yán tcng jì cóng 㿔㙑㿜ᕲ) ‘listen to someone’s words and follow someone’s plan – follow someone’s advice,’ [Ѩԧᡩഄ] (wj th tóu dì Ѩ储ᡩഄ) ‘the five parts of the body thrown upon the floor – prostrate oneself before someone in utmost admiration.’ 46. Ğ൥ፍ‫ݙ‬௾ğ(ᶲ♆ጰᶮ) luò yì bù jué 㒰㒢 means ‘continuous, endless’ and 㒱 means ‘break off, cut off.’ The literal meaning is ‘endless and not cutting off,’ with a freer translation being ‘continuous flow, unending stream.’ Example 1: Ҫᰃৡएˈ᠔ҹᡒҪⳟ⮙ⱘҎ൥ፍ‫ݙ‬௾DŽ Ta shì míngyc, suiyh zhfo ta kànbìng de rén luòyì-bùjué. ‘He’s a famous doctor, so there is an unending stream of people who seek him out for medical treatment.’ Example 2: ↣໽ˈࠄ໽ᅝ䮼ᑓഎⶏӄ↯⋑ϰ䘫ԧⱘҎ൥ፍ‫ݙ‬௾DŽ Mgi tian, dào Tiananmén Gufngchfng zhanyfng Máo Zéddng yíth de rén luòyìbùjué. ‘Every day there is a continuous stream of people who go to Tiananmen Square to pay their respects to the remains of Mao Zedong.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial and attributive. Generally used to describe people. Near Synonyms: [Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ] (chuan liú bù xc Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ) ‘continuous flow without stopping (of people or traffic),’ [䖲㓉ϡᮁ] (lián mián bú duàn 䗷㎓ϡᮋ) ‘continuously without being cut off.’ Antonym: [ᆹᆹ᮴޴] (liáo liáo wú jh ᆹᆹ⛵ᑒ) ‘very few.’ 47. Ğ‫ݙ‬Ꮦऎᄴğ(ጰᡮᒚᐹ) bù yub ér tóng 㑺 means ‘agree’ and ৠ means ‘same.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘have the same view or take the same action as someone else but without prior consultation with them.’ Example 1: ᔧ㗕Ꮬ䯂ᰃ䇕ᠧ⹢њ⦏⩗ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ϸϾᄺ⫳‫ݙ‬Ꮦऎᄴഄ䇈ĀᰃҪāDŽ Dang lfoshc wèn shì shéi dfsuìle bdli de shíhou, lifng ge xuésheng bùyub’értóng de shud ‘shì ta.’ ‘When the teacher asked who had broken the glass, two students spoke up simultaneously: “It was him!” ’

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Entries 48 – 49: गगϛϛ and 唤ᖗण࡯

Example 2: ᦤࠄ࣫Ҁˈ໻ᆊӮ‫ݙ‬Ꮦऎᄴഄᛇࠄᬙᅿ੠໽ᅝ䮼DŽ Tídào Bgijing, dàjia huì bùyub’értóng de xifngdào Gùgdng hé Tiananmén. ‘When you mention Beijing, everyone automatically thinks of the Forbidden Palace and Tiananmen.’ Usage: Functions adverbially. Near Synonym: [ϡ䇟㗠ড়] (bù móu ér hé ϡ䃔㗠ড়) ‘agree without prior consultation.’ Antonyms: [㾕ҕ㾕ᱎ] ( jiàn rén jiàn zhì 㽟ҕ㽟ᱎ) ‘different people have different views,’ [ӫ䇈㒋㒁] (zhòng shud fbn yún 㸚䂀㋯㋰) ‘opinions vary greatly.’ 48. Ğ໻໻ᅺᅺğ(ጓጓὈὈ) qian qian wàn wàn The literal meaning is ‘thousand thousand ten thousand ten thousand,’ with a freer translation being ‘tens of thousands, numerous, a great number of.’ Example 1: एᄺϞⱘ䖭乍䞡໻থ⦄ᤑᬥњ໻໻ᅺᅺᙷ㗙ⱘ⫳ੑDŽ Ycxué shàng de zhè xiàng zhòngdà faxiàn wfnjiùle qianqian-wànwàn huànzhg de shbngmìng. ‘This major medical discovery saved the lives of thousands upon thousands of sufferers.’ Example 2: Ҫⱘⓨ䆆ᠧࡼњ໻໻ᅺᅺⱘ਀ӫⱘᖗDŽ Ta de yfnjifng dfdòngle qianqian-wànwàn de tcngzhòng de xcn. ‘His lecture touched the hearts of tens of thousands of people in the audience.’ Usage: Functions as attributive, usually describes people. Note: Distinguish from गϛगϛ (qian wàn qian wàn) ‘absolutely, no matter what happens’ (followed by a negative). Near Synonym: [៤गϞϛ] (chéng qian shàng wàn ៤गϞ㨀) ‘tens of thousands of.’ 49. Ğ໡ቦ቏ೆğ(↜፬ᗴዾ) qí xcn xié lì 唤 means ‘together,’ ᖗ means ‘heart, mind,’ and ण࡯ means ‘join forces, combine efforts.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘put together minds combine forces.’ This refers to minds thinking together, and strength and forces working together. A freer translation is ‘make a united effort, work as one.’ Example 1: ҪӀϝϾҎ໡ቦ቏ೆˈ乎߽ഄᅠ៤њ䙷乍Ꮉ԰DŽ Tamen san ge rén qíxcn-xiélì, shùnlì de wánchéngle nà xiàng gdngzuò. ‘The three of them put forth a united effort, and smoothly completed that piece of work.’

Entry 50: ऻ㭾ᇱ㚚

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Example 2: ೑䰙⼒Ӯᑨ䆹໡ቦ቏ೆˈ݅ৠᠧߏᘤᗪЏНDŽ Guójì shèhuì ycnggai qíxcn-xiélì, gòngtóng dfjc kingbù zhjyì. ‘Global society should make a united effort, and jointly combat terrorism.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ৠᖗৠᖋ] (tóng xcn tóng dé ৠᖗৠᖋ) ‘of one heart and mind,’ [ϛӫϔᖗ] (wàn zhòng yì xcn 㨀ⴒϔᖗ) ‘ten thousand crowd one heart – united with one heart.’ Antonym: [䉠ড়⼲⾏] (mào hé shén lí 䉠ড়⼲䲶) ‘appearance united spirits apart – seemingly agreed but actually at variance, in name or appearance only.’ 50. Ğᆺ቟‫ࡠޞ‬ğ(ᜒ⓶ ⓰) wò xcn cháng dfn ऻ means ‘lie down,’ 㭾 means ‘firewood,’ ᇱ means ‘taste, lick,’ and 㚚 means ‘gall bladder.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘sleep on firewood and taste gall bladder.’ This is a metaphor for ‘undergo hardships to achieve one’s purpose’ or ‘steel oneself for revenge.’ Example 1: Ё೑ཇᥦ㒣䖛क໮ᑈⱘᆺ቟‫ˈࡠޞ‬㒜ѢজಲࠄϪ⬠乊ᇪ∈ᑇDŽ Zhdngguó nrpái jcngguò shí dud nián de wòxcn-chángdfn, zhdngyú yòu huídào shìjiè dhngjian shuhpíng. ‘Chinese women’s volleyball, after steeling itself for revenge for more than ten years, finally again returned to the world’s top level.’ Example 2: Ҫ㹿䍊ϟৄПৢˈᆺ቟‫ܿˈࡠޞ‬ᑈҹৢ䞡ᮄᔧ䗝ᘏ㒳DŽ Ta bèi gfnxià tái zhchòu, wòxcn-chángdfn, ba nián yhhòu chóngxcn dangxufn zingting. ‘After being driven out of office, he underwent great hardships, steeling himself for revenge, and eight years later was once again elected president.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; sometimes also occurs independently. Allusion: In 494 B.C.E., during the Spring and Autumn Period, the king of the state of Yue, Gou Jian, was defeated by the state of Wu, so Gou Jian was constantly thinking of revenge. When he slept, he didn’t sleep on a bed but instead slept on pieces of firewood; and in front of his seat he hung a gall bladder, so every day before he sat down to rest and before he lay down to sleep, he had to look at that gall bladder; and before he ate or drank anything, he had to lick the gall bladder. At the same time, he intensified the training of his troops. After many years, in 482 B.C.E., Gou Jian finally defeated the state of Wu, and in 473 B.C.E. he destroyed the state of Wu. (from “Yue Wang Gou Jian Shijia” in Records of the Grand Historian) Note: Complimentary in meaning.

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Entries 51 – 52: ໻㸫ᇣᏋ and ϡ⬅㞾Џ

Near Synonyms: [থ༟೒ᔎ] (fa fèn tú qiáng ⱐག೪ᔋ) ‘exert oneself and strive to be strong,’ [⮯ᅮᗱ⮯] (tòng dìng sc tòng ⮯ᅮᗱ⮯) ‘learn from a painful experience,’ [ᖡ䖅䋳䞡] (rgn rj fù zhòng ᖡ䖅䉴䞡) ‘endure humiliation to perform one’s duty.’ Antonym: [Фϡᗱ㳔] (lè bù sc Shj ῖϡᗱ㳔) ‘so happy one doesn’t think of the ancient state of Shu – so happy as to forget home and duty.’ 51. Ğࡍ୾ቃሳğ(ጙᷭጟឩ) dà jib xifo xiàng 㸫 means ‘street’ and Ꮛ means ‘lane,’ with the pattern ໻ . . . ᇣ . . . here meaning ‘all.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘all the streets and lanes.’ Example 1: ᯹㡖ⱘᯊ‫࣫ˈ׭‬Ҁⱘࡍ୾ቃሳ䛑ᣖ⒵њ㑶㡆ⱘ♃ㄐDŽ Chenjié de shíhou, Bgijcng de dàjib-xifoxiàng ddu guà mfnle hóngsè de dbnglóng. ‘At the time of the Chinese New Year, red lanterns hang in all of Beijing’s streets and lanes.’ Example 2: ᇣ䋽Ӏ⊓ⴔࡍ୾ቃሳিपҪӀⱘϰ㽓DŽ Xifofànmen yánzhe dàjib-xifoxiàng jiàomài tamen de ddngxi. ‘Peddlers were hawking their wares along all the streets and lanes.’ Usage: Functions mainly as noun, either in subject or object position. Near Synonym: [㸫༈Ꮛሒ] ( jib tóu xiàng wgi 㸫丁Ꮛሒ) ‘streets and lanes.’ 52. Ğ‫ݙ‬ᎅᔈᓍğ(ጰᏻᒢ᎐) bù yóu zì zhj ⬅ means ‘from’ or ‘by,’ 㞾 means ‘oneself,’ and Џ means ‘be master of.’ The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘not be master over oneself.’ A freer translation would be ‘not be able to restrain oneself, feel an irresistible urge; involuntarily, spontaneously.’ Example 1: 䙷Ͼ⬋Ҏതᕫ⾏ཌྷᕜ䖥ˈѢᰃཌྷ‫ݙ‬ᎅᔈᓍഄᕔᮕ䖍᣾њϔϟDŽ Nàge nánrén zuò de lí ta hgn jìn, yúshì ta bùyóuzìzhj de wfng pángbian nuóle yíxià. ‘That man was sitting quite close to her, and so without being aware of it, she automatically moved a bit to the side.’ Example 2: ഄ䳛њˈҎӀ‫ݙ‬ᎅᔈᓍഄҢ᠓䯈䞠ᕔ໪䎥DŽ Dìzhènle, rénmen bùyóuzìzhj de cóng fángjian lh wfng wài pfo. ‘When the earthquake occurred, people spontaneously ran from inside their rooms to the outside.’ Usage: Mainly used as adverbial.

Entries 53 – 54: ᑨ䖤㗠⫳ and ᔶᔶ㡆㡆

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Near Synonyms: [䑿ϡ⬅Ꮕ] (shbn bù yóu jh 䑿ϡ⬅Ꮕ) ‘having no control over one’s body or actions,’ [儐Փ⼲Ꮒ] (guh shh shén chai 儐Փ⼲Ꮒ) ‘directed by spirits and gods.’ 53. Ğ።Ꮵऎညğ(⑬ῒᒚ᏷) yìng yùn ér shbng ᑨ means ‘respond to,’ 䖤 here means ‘fate’ or ‘opportune moment,’ and ⫳ means ‘arise.’ The whole idiom means ‘arise in response to the needs of the times.’ Example 1: ಴ЎҎӀⱘᅲ䰙䌁ф࡯ϟ䰡ˈ৘⾡ᔶᓣⱘĀϔ‫ܗ‬ᑫā።ᏥऎညDŽ Ycnwèi rénmen de shíjì gòumfilì xiàjiàng, gèzhing xíngshì de “ycyuándiàn” yìngyùn-érshbng. ‘Because people’s real purchasing power has declined, various forms of “one dollar stores” have arisen in response to the needs of the times.’ Example 2: 㕢ᓣᖿ令೼Ё೑㦋ᕫᎼ໻៤ࡳˈѢᰃЁ೑ⱘᖿ令ᑫг።ᏥऎညDŽ Mgishì kuàican zài Zhdngguó huòdé jùdà chénggdng, yúshì Zhdngguó de kuàicandiàn yg yìngyùn-érshbng. ‘U.S.-style fast food achieved great success in China, and so Chinese fast food establishments also arose in response to the needs of the times.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Antonym: [਀໽⬅ੑ] (tcng tian yóu mìng 㙑໽⬅ੑ) ‘abide by the will of heaven, accept one’s fate.’ 54. Ğተተྻྻğ(ᔲᔲᒩᒩ) xíng xíng sè sè ᔶ means ‘outward appearance’ and 㡆 means ‘color.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘of all different outward appearances and colors, of all kinds.’ Example 1: ೼☿䔺キ䞠ˈԴӮ䘛ࠄተተྻྻⱘҎˈ᳝ᗹⴔЬ䔺ⱘᮙᅶˈг᳝৘⾡৘ḋ ⱘ偫ᄤ੠ᇣً‫ܓ‬DŽ Zài huichbzhàn lh, nh huì yùdào xíngxíng-sèsè de rén, yiu jízhe chéngchb de lrkè, yg yiu gèzhing-gèyàng de piànzi hé xifotdur. ‘In a train station, you will meet all kinds of people; there are travelers anxious to get on their trains, and there are also all kinds of swindlers and thieves.’ Example 2: ᳔䖥⼒ӮϞߎ⦄њተተྻྻⱘᡩ䌘݀ৌˈ෎ᴀϞ䛑ᰃ偫䪅ⱘDŽ Zuìjìn shèhuì shàng chexiànle xíngxíng-sèsè de tóuzc gdngsc, jcbgnshàng ddu shì piàn qián de. ‘Recently in society there has appeared every kind of investment company; basically they’re all out to cheat you of your money.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive.

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Entries 55 – 56: ৡ߫ࠡ㣙 and ᆊஏ᠋ᰧ

Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Ѩ㢅ܿ䮼] (wj hua ba mén Ѩ㢅ܿ䭔) ‘various, of all kinds,’ [剐啭⏋ ᴖ] (yú lóng hùn zá 儮啡⏋䲰) ‘fish and dragons mixed together – good and bad people or things mixed up.’ Antonyms: [ग㆛ϔᕟ] (qian pian yí lq ग㆛ϔᕟ) ‘a thousand essays uniform – follow the same pattern, stereotyped,’ [བߎϔ䕭] (rú che yì zhé བߎϔ䔡) ‘as if emerging from the same track – one and the same, cut from the same cloth.’ 55. Ğ෗೰༄අğ(ᑀᐬ᝟ᢈ) míng liè qián máo ৡ means ‘name,’ ߫ means ‘ranked at,’ and ࠡ㣙 means ‘front ranks.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘one’s name is ranked at the top of the list.’ This refers to coming out in front or on top in an examination or a competition. A freer English translation is ‘rank among the very top, be at the top of the list.’ Example 1: Ҫⱘᄺд៤㒽ϔ৥ᕜӬ⾔ˈ↣⃵㗗䆩䛑෗೰༄අDŽ Ta de xuéxí chéngjì yíxiàng hgn yduxiù, mgi cì kfoshì ddu míngliè-qiánmáo. ‘His achievements in his studies have always been superior; every time he tests he comes out on top.’ Example 2: 䖭Ͼક⠠ⱘସ䜦ⱘ䫔䞣೼೑䰙Ꮦഎ෗೰༄අDŽ Zhège phnpái de píjij de xiaoliàng zài guójì shìchfng míngliè-qiánmáo. ‘Sales volume for this brand of beer is at the top of the list in international markets.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [佪ሜϔᣛ] (shiu qe yì zhh 佪ሜϔᣛ) ‘second to none,’ [ὰϞ᳝ৡ] (bfng shàng yiu míng ὰϞ᳝ৡ) ‘on name list there is the name – have one’s name on a list of successful candidates.’ Antonym: [ৡ㨑ᄭቅ] (míng luò Sen Shan ৡ㨑ᄿቅ) ‘one’s name falls behind Sun Shan – fail to pass an examination, fail to be a successful candidate.’ 56. ĞଜᎳઓቂğ(ᤲᲫ፮⍤) jia yù hù xifo ஏ means ‘understand,’ ᠋ means ‘household,’ and ᰧ means ‘know.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘(every) family understands and (every) household knows,’ with freer translations being ‘known to every family,’ ‘widely known’ and ‘a household word.’ Example 1: ೼㕢೑ˈOprah Winfrey ᰃϔԡଜᎳઓቂⱘҎ⠽DŽ Zài Mgiguó, Oprah Winfrey shì yí wèi jiayù-hùxifo de rénwù. ‘In the U.S., Oprah Winfrey is a person who has become a household word.’

Entries 57 – 58: ݈催䞛⚜ and ᥦᖻ㾷䲒

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Example 2: ཌྷⱘ℠ໄ㕢཭ࡼҎˈϔ໰П䯈៤њଜᎳઓቂⱘᯢ᯳DŽ Ta de gbshbng mgimiào dòngrén, yí yè zhcjian chéngle jiayù-hùxifo de míngxcng. ‘Her singing voice is splendid and touching; she has overnight become a widely known star.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ӫ᠔਼ⶹ] (zhòng sui zhdu zhc ⴒ᠔਼ⶹ) ‘as is known to all,’ [ཛᅎ ⱚⶹ] (fù rú jib zhc ်ᅎⱚⶹ) ‘women and children all know.’ Antonyms: [咬咬᮴䯏] (mò mò wú wén 咬咬⛵㘲) ‘unknown to the public,’ [ᆖᆖ᮴ ৡ] ( jì jì wú míng ᆖᆖ⛵ৡ) ‘quiet and nameless.’ 57. Ğቭ঱‫ݧ‬ೲğ(⏏᪓ᜱᦾ) xìng gao cfi liè ݈ means ‘interest, enthusiasm,’ 䞛 means ‘energy, spirit,’ and ⚜ means ‘strong.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘interest high energy strong,’ with a freer translation being ‘in high spirits, jubilant, elated.’ Example 1: ೼ಲᆊⱘ䏃Ϟˈ⧗䗋Ӏձ✊ቭ঱‫ݧ‬ೲഄ䇜䆎ⴔ߮ᠡⱘ䙷എ↨䌯DŽ Zài huíjia de lùshang, qiúmímen ycrán xìnggao-cfiliè de tánlùnzhe gangcái de nà chfng bhsài. ‘On their way home, the sports fans were still elatedly discussing that game just now.’ Example 2: ҪҞ໽ⱘᚙ㒾⡍߿དˈ‫ڣ‬䖛ᑈϔḋቭ঱‫ݧ‬ೲDŽ Ta jcntian de qíngxù tèbié hfo, xiàng guònián yíyàng xìnggao-cfiliè. ‘His mood today is especially good, as jubilant as at Chinese New Year.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [⃶໽୰ഄ] (huan tian xh dì ℵ໽୰ഄ) ‘overjoyed.’ Antonym: [᮴㊒ᠧ䞛] (wú jcng df cfi ⛵㊒ᠧ䞛) ‘listless, in low spirits.’ 58. Ğ๝ᎃஊซğ(ᭌ⇥ᾢ⚈) pái ydu jig nàn ᥦ means ‘remove,’ ᖻ means ‘worry,’ 㾷 means ‘relieve,’ and 䲒 means ‘difficulty.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘remove worries relieve difficulties.’ A freer translation is ‘help other people overcome their difficulties.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏ㽕໮Ў⅟⮒Ҏ๝ᎃஊซDŽ Wimen yào dud wèi cánjírén páiydu-jignàn. ‘We should do more to alleviate concerns and relieve difficulties for handicapped people.’

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Entry 59: 㞾ᔎϡᙃ

Example 2: 䙷ԡᏖ䭓೼ゲ䗝ⱘᯊ‫ߎᦤ׭‬㽕ЎᏖ⇥Ӏ๝ᎃஊซˈ㾷‫އ‬ҪӀ⫳⌏Ϟⱘᅲ䰙 ೄ䲒DŽ Nà wèi shìzhfng zài jìngxufn de shíhou tíche yào wèi shìmínmen páiydu-jignàn, jigjué tamen shbnghuó shàng de shíjì kùnnán. ‘That mayor at the time of the election proposed that he would on behalf of the city’s residents alleviate their concerns and relieve their worries, and solve the real difficulties in their lives.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, often preceded by the structure Ў (wèi ⚎)  person ‘for (someone).’ Near Synonym: [ࡽҎЎФ] (zhù rén wéi lè ࡽҎ⚎ῖ) ‘enjoy helping others.’ Antonym: [᮴џ⫳䴲] (wú shì shbng fbi ⛵џ⫳䴲) ‘when there are no problematic matters give birth to trouble – create problems when none exist.’ 59. Ğᔈ༓‫ݙ‬ᇦğ(ᒢᬒጰᥖ) zì qiáng bù xc 㞾 means ‘self,’ ᔎ means ‘strengthen,’ and ᙃ means ‘stop.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘strengthen oneself not stop,’ with freer translations being ‘strive constantly for self-improvement.’ Example 1: Ҫ⛁ᚙഄ哧ࢅ໻ᆊ䍞ᰃ೼ϡ߽ⱘᚙ‫މ‬ϟˈ䍞㽕থᡀᔈ༓‫ݙ‬ᇦⱘ⇥ᮣ㊒⼲DŽ Ta rèqíng de gjlì dàjia yuè shì zài búlì de qíngkuàng xià, yuè yào fayáng zìqiángbùxc de mínzú jcngshen. ‘He enthusiastically encouraged everyone: the less beneficial the circumstances, the more one should promote a national spirit of constantly striving for selfimprovement.’ Example 2: ҪӀᔈ༓‫ݙ‬ᇦǃ乑ᔎᣐ᧣ⱘ㊒⼲ؐᕫ៥ӀᄺдDŽ Tamen zìqiáng-bùxc, wánqiáng pcnbó de jcngshen zhíde wimen xuéxí. ‘Their spirit of constantly striving for self-improvement and tenaciously struggling is worthy of our learning from.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, usually followed by ㊒⼲ ( jcngshen) ‘spirit.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. The motto of Tsinghua University in China – 㞾ᔎϡᙃˈ८ᖋ䕑⠽ (zì qiáng bù xc, hòu dé zài wù 㞾ᔋϡᙃˈ८ᖋ䓝⠽) – contains this idiom. Near Synonyms: [㞾࡯᳈⫳] (zì lì gbng shbng 㞾࡯᳈⫳) ‘one’s own strength changes one’s life – rely on one’s own efforts,’ [থ༟೒ᔎ] (fa fèn tú qiáng ⱐག೪ᔋ) ‘exert oneself and strive to be strong,’ [ऻ㭾ᇱ㚚] (wò xcn cháng dfn 㞹㭾௫㞑) ‘steel oneself for revenge.’ Antonym: [㞾ᲈ㞾ᓗ] (zì bào zì qì 㞾ᲈ㞾ẘ) ‘give up on oneself, despair.’

Entries 60 – 61: 䍄偀㾖㢅 and 䭓⊏Йᅝ

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60. Ğᔓ൫਋ઔğ(ᖬ᪑⟤᜜) ziu mf guan hua 䍄偀 means ‘ride a galloping horse’ and 㾖 means ‘look at.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘look at flowers while riding on a galloping horse.’ This is a metaphor for ‘observe in a hurried and rough manner’ or ‘give a cursory look and gain a shallow understanding of something.’ Example 1: Ҫ೼㒑㑺া⥽‫ܓ‬њϔ໽ˈা㛑ㅫᰃᔓ൫਋ઔˈњ㾷ϡ⏅ܹDŽ Ta zài Nijyub zhh wánrle yì tian, zhh néng suàn shì ziumf-guanhua, lifojig bù shbnrù. ‘He visited New York for only one day, which can only be considered a superficial visit; he does not have a deep understanding.’ Example 2: ៥ᔓ൫਋ઔഄখ㾖њ䰘䖥ⱘ޴ᆊ݀ৌDŽ Wi ziumf-guanhua de canguanle fùjìn de jh jia gdngsc. ‘I quickly and cursorily visited several nearby companies.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate, often followed by verbs such as খ㾖 (canguan গ㾔) ‘visit,’ 䗯 (guàng) ‘stroll through,’ or ⌣㾜 (liúlfn ◣㾑) ‘glance, browse.’ Allusion: This idiom originates from a popular legend about two families. The first family had a handsome son who was, however, crippled; the second family had a beautiful daughter who had, however, a flat nose. Someone wanted to serve as matchmaker for the two of them, so he told the young man not to dismount from the horse he was riding when he went to the “get-acquainted” meeting with the young woman; and he told the young woman to hide her nose with a flower. The two of them did this and, after meeting hurriedly, were satisfied. As a result, they didn’t discover each other’s shortcomings until the day of their marriage, by which time it was already too late. Note: Neutral or slightly derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㴏㳧⚍∈] (qcng tíng difn shuh 㴏㳧咲∈) ‘dragonfly skims surface of water – just scratch the surface of something without going into it deeply,’ [⍂‫ܝ‬ᥴᕅ] (fú guang lüè yhng ⍂‫ܝ‬ᥴᕅ) ‘floating light passing shadows – skimming over the surface, cursory.’ Antonyms: [ܹ᳼ϝߚ] (rù mù san fbn ܹ᳼ϝߚ) ‘enter wood 3/10 of an inch (in calligraphy) – forceful, bold, sharp,’ [ϟ偀ⳟ㢅] (xià mf kàn hua ϟ侀ⳟ㢅) ‘get off horse and look at flowers – conduct in-depth on-the-spot investigations.’ 61. Ğ‫ޠ‬ᒤ௉‫ڔ‬ğ(ᜳᛓጊᑠ) cháng zhì jij an 䭓 means ‘long,’ ⊏ means ‘order,’ Й means ‘long in time,’ and ᅝ means ‘peace.’ The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘long order long peace,’ with a freer translation being ‘long-term peace, long-lasting peace and good government.’

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Entry 62: ᅝሙФϮ

Example 1: 䖭ᰃ݇㋏೑ᆊথሩ੠‫ޠ‬ᒤ௉‫ⱘڔ‬䞡໻䯂乬DŽ Zhè shì guanxì guójia f azhfn hé chángzhì-jij’an de zhòngdà wèntí. ‘This is a major issue that has a bearing on the country’s development and longterm peace and order.’ Example 2: া᳝ᕏᑩḍ䰸咥࢓࡯ˈ⼒Ӯᠡ㛑‫ޠ‬ᒤ௉‫ڔ‬DŽ Zhhyiu chèdh gbnchú hbishìlì, shèhuì cáinéng chángzhì-jij’an. ‘Only if we thoroughly eliminate unlawful influence can society have long-term peace and order.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [໽ϟ໾ᑇ] (tian xià tài píng ໽ϟ໾ᑇ) ‘all under heaven is peaceful – all is at peace.’ Antonyms: [ࡼ㤵ϡᅝ] (dòng dàng bù an ࢩ㬽ϡᅝ) ‘move wave not peaceful – be in turmoil,’ [݉㤦偀х] (bcng huang mf luàn ݉㤦侀і) ‘soldiers in disorder horses confused – the chaos and tumult of war.’ 62. Ğ‫ڔ‬௙ಘጓğ(ᑠᘾ∛Ổ) an je lè yè ᅝ means ‘peaceful,’ ሙ means ‘live, reside,’ Ф means ‘happy,’ and Ϯ means ‘business, occupation.’ A literal translation is ‘live peacefully and be content with one’s occupation.’ Freer translations include ‘live and work in peace and happiness, lead a peaceful and happy life.’ Example 1: 䙷ϾජᏖ㒣⌢থ䖒ˈ⼒Ӯ⊏ᅝ㡃དˈҎӀ‫ڔ‬௙ಘጓDŽ Nàge chéngshì jcngjì fadá, shèhuì zhì’an liánghfo, rénmen anje-lèyè. ‘That city’s economy is developed, and public security is good; its people live peacefully and work happily.’ Example 2: फᵕ⌆ᐌᑈϹᆦˈԚᰃӕ吙ै㛑೼䙷䞠‫ڔ‬௙ಘጓDŽ Nánjízhdu chángnián yánhán, dànshì qh’é què néng zài nàlh anje-lèyè. ‘Antarctica is bitterly cold throughout the year, but penguins can live there peacefully and happily.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Є㸷䎇亳] (fbng yc zú shí 䈤㸷䎇亳) ‘abundant clothing sufficient food – be well-clothed and well-fed,’ [೑⋄⇥ᅝ] (guó tài mín an ೟⋄⇥ᅝ) ‘country prosperous people peace – the country is prosperous and the people content.’ Antonyms: [㚠ѩ⾏е] (bèi jhng lí xiang 㚠ѩ䲶䛝) ‘turn one’s back on one’s wells and leave one’s native place – be forced to leave one’s hometown,’ [⌕⾏༅᠔] (liú lí shc

Entries 63 – 64: ᚞ᖗࡼ儘 and 㛮䏣ᅲഄ

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sui ⌕䲶༅᠔) ‘wander about and lose one’s place – destitute and homeless,’ [⇥ϡ 㘞⫳] (mín bù liáo shbng ⇥ϡ㘞⫳) ‘people cannot support their lives – be destitute and have nothing on which to depend for survival.’ 63. Ğரቦࣅຽğ(➯፬᪳⌛) jcng xcn dòng pò ᚞ᖗ means ‘startle the heart’ and ࡼ儘 means ‘move the soul.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘soul-stirring.’ Example 1: ⬉ᕅlj⋄ഺሐ‫ܟ‬NJഎ䴶ᅣ໻ˈⳟᕫ㾖ӫரቦࣅຽDŽ Diànyhng TàitFnníkè chfngmiàn hóngdà, kàn de guanzhòng jcngxcn-dòngpò. ‘The movie Titanic has many grand scenes, for an audience to see it is a soul-stirring experience.’ Example 2: 㒣䖛ϔഎரቦࣅຽⱘ䕗䞣ˈ⣂ᄤ᳔㒜៬㚰њ㗕㰢DŽ Jcngguò yì cháng jcngxcn-dòngpò de jiàoliàng, shczi zuìzhdng zhànshèngle lfohj. ‘After a soul-stirring contest, the lion eventually defeated the tiger.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ᖗ᚞㙝䏇] (xcn jcng ròu tiào ᖗ倮㙝䏇) ‘fearful and apprehensive,’ [儖亲儘ᬷ] (hún fbi pò sàn 儖亯儘ᬷ) ‘the soul flies and the spirit scatters – scared out of one’s wits.’ Antonyms: [ᖗབℶ∈] (xcn rú zhh shuh ᖗབℶ∈) ‘heart like stopped waters – have no emotions,’ [⋄✊㞾㢹] (tài rán zì ruò ⋄✊㞾㢹) ‘composed, unperturbed.’ 64. Ğ୭჎ဣ࢐ğ(ὰ⋓⁘ᑊ) jifo tà shí dì 㛮 means ‘foot,’ 䏣 means ‘step on,’ and ᅲ means ‘real, true, solid.’ The literal meaning is ‘plant one’s feet on solid ground,’ with a freer translation being ‘conscientious and dependable, with honesty and dedication.’ Example 1: ᠔᳝ⱘҎ䛑ᑨ䆹୭჎ဣ࢐ഄ‫خ‬ད㞾Ꮕⱘᴀ㘠Ꮉ԰DŽ Suiyiu de rén ddu ycnggai jifotà-shídì de zuòhfo zìjh de bgnzhí gdngzuò. ‘Everyone should with honesty and dedication do a good job performing their own work.’ Example 2: ཌྷЎҎᕜ䇺㰮ˈ୭჎ဣ࢐ˈҢᴹϡ♿㗔㞾ᏅDŽ Ta wéirén hgn qianxe, jifotà-shídì, cónglái bú xuànyào zìjh. ‘As a person, she’s modest; she’s conscientious and dependable, and she never shows off.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning.

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Entries 65 – 66: ᕛ⾕㟲ᓞ and ϡⶹ᠔᥾

Near Synonym: [䏣䏣ᅲᅲ] (ta ta shí shí 䏣䏣ᆺᆺ) ‘steady, solid, reliable’ (limited mostly to spoken Chinese). Antonym: [ད催偯䖰] (hào gao wù yufn ད催俪䘴) ‘reach for something beyond one’s grasp.’ 65. Ğᢿႉᇎ‫ܗ‬ğ(ីᖓℜ⁨) xùn sc wj bì ᕛ means ‘submit to,’ ⾕ means ‘personal gains,’ and 㟲ᓞ means ‘fraudulent or corrupt practices.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘play favoritism and commit irregularities, do wrong to serve one’s relatives or friends.’ Example 1: Ҫথ⫳њᢿႉᇎ‫ⱘܗ‬ϥ䯏ˈ಴ℸˈᇏ∖䖲ӏ޴Тϡৃ㛑DŽ Ta f ashbngle xùnsc-wjbì de chiuwén, ycnch, xúnqiú liánrèn jche bù kgnéng. ‘He was involved in a scandal that involved playing favoritism and committing irregularities; therefore, it is almost impossible for him to seek to serve another term in office.’ Example 2: ೼≵᳝⊩ᕟⲥⴷⱘ೑ᆊ䞠ˈᅬਬӀᐌᐌᢿႉᇎ‫ܗ‬DŽ Zài méiyiu f flq jiande de guójia lh, guanyuánmen chángcháng xùnsc-wjbì. In countries where there is no legal supervision, government officials often play favoritism and commit irregularities. Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ҹᴗ䇟⾕] (yh quán móu sc ҹ⃞䃔⾕) ‘abuse one’s power to seek personal gain,’ [ᕛ⾕ᵝ⊩] (xùn sc wfng ff ᕛ⾕ᵝ⊩) ‘bend the law to suit one’s selfish ends.’ Antonyms: [໻݀᮴⾕] (dà gdng wú sc ໻݀⛵⾕) ‘great impartiality and unselfishness, perfectly impartial,’ [݀џ݀ࡲ] (gdng shì gdng bàn ݀џ݀䕺) ‘do official business according to official principles,’ [ᒝ⋕༝݀] (lián jié fèng gdng ᒝ┨༝݀) ‘have integrity and work in the interests of the public.’ 66. Ğ‫ݙ‬ᒀჅࡅğ(ጰ᛹ᙰᬿ) bù zhc sui cuò ᥾ means ‘handle.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘not know what to do.’ Example 1: Ҫキ೼䙷䞠‫ݙ‬ᒀჅࡅˈ䴲ᐌለሀDŽ Ta zhàn zài nàli bùzhc-suicuò, fbicháng gan’gà. ‘He stood there not knowing what to do, it being extremely awkward.’ Example 2: 䖭Ͼ⍜ᙃᇍཌྷᴹ䇈໾さ✊њˈཌྷ‫ݙ‬ᒀჅࡅഄ䇈ˈ Ā䖭ᰃⳳⱘ৫˛ā Zhège xiaoxi duì ta lái shud tài terán le, ta bùzhc-suicuò de shud: ‘Zhè shì zhbnde ma?’ ‘This news was too sudden for her; bewildered, she said, “Is this true?”’

Entries 67 – 68: ᴹПϡᯧ and থᡀ‫ܝ‬໻

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Near Synonyms: [᚞ᜠ༅᥾] ( jcng huang shc cuò 倮ᜠ༅᥾) ‘so frightened and confused one doesn’t know what to do – panic-stricken,’ [᠟䎇᮴᥾] (shiu zú wú cuò ᠟䎇 ⛵᥾) ‘have no idea what to do with one’s hands and feet – at a loss as to what to do, bewildered.’ Antonyms: [Ңᆍϡ䖿] (cóng róng bú pò ᕲᆍϡ䖿) ‘calm and unhurried,’ [ᑨҬ㞾བ] ( yìng fù zì rú ឝҬ㞾བ) ‘able to deal with a situation effortlessly.’ 67. Ğ౶ᒄ‫ݙ‬ጵğ(ᗔጴጰᚔ) lái zhc bú yì ᴹ means ‘cause to come,’ П means ‘it,’ and ᯧ means ‘easy.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘causing it to come is not easy.’ Freer translations include ‘not easily obtained, hard-won, hard-earned.’ Example 1: ⠊↡ᬭ㚆ᄽᄤ⦡ᚰ౶ᒄ‫ݙ‬ጵⱘᆊᒁᴵӊDŽ Fùmj jiàoyù háizi zhbnxc láizhc-búyì de jiatíng tiáojiàn. ‘In educating their children, the parents cherish the family conditions, which were not easily obtained.’ Example 2: 䖭ḋⱘ៤ᵰ⹂ᅲ౶ᒄ‫ݙ‬ጵDŽ Zhèyàng de chénggui quèshí láizhc-búyì. ‘This kind of result is indeed hard-won.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Antonym: [䕏㗠ᯧВ] (qcng ér yì jj 䓩㗠ᯧ㟝) ‘light and easy to lift – easy.’ 68. Ğखዯ਒ࡍğ(ᶋᴊᐤጙ) f a yáng guang dà থᡀ means ‘promote’ and ‫ܝ‬໻ means ‘(make) brilliant.’ The whole idiom can be translated as ‘promote, develop, enhance, carry forward.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏᑨ䆹ᡞࠡҎ㡄㢺༟᭫ⱘ㊒⼲ϡᮁखዯ਒ࡍDŽ Wimen ycnggai bf qiánrén jiankj-fèndòu de jcngshen búduàn f ayáng-guangdà. ‘We should continuously promote and enhance the spirit of arduous struggle of the people who came before.’ Example 2: 䖭ѯ䛑ᰃ៥Ӏᅱ䌉ⱘ㊒⼲䋶ᆠˈ៥ӀϡԚϡᑨ䆹ᡯᓗᅗӀˈড㗠ᑨ䆹Փ ᅗӀखዯ਒ࡍDŽ Zhèxib ddu shì wimen bfoguì de jcngshen cáifù, wimen búdàn bù ycnggai paoqì tamen, f fn’ér ycnggai shh tamen f ayáng-guangdà. ‘All these are our precious spiritual riches; not only should we not abandon them, but we should cause them to be promoted and developed.’

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Entries 69 – 70: 乒ܼ໻ሔ and ܿҭ䖛⍋

Usage: Functions mainly as predicate of a ᡞ (bf) sentence structure. The usual structure is ᡞ (bf) ˋᇚ ( jiang ᇛ) ˋՓ (shh) etc.  something  থᡀ‫ܝ‬໻. Antonyms: [᭽㤝䰸ḍ] (zhfn cfo chú gbn ᮀ㤝䰸ḍ) ‘cut grass dig up roots – root out and destroy,’ [᭽ሑᴔ㒱] (zhfn jìn sha jué ᮀⲵ↎㌩) ‘behead exhaust kill deplete – exterminate.’ 69. Ğ৻ཝࡍ௜ğ(❁ᐨጙᔡ) gù quán dà jú 乒 means ‘look at, take into account.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘take the entire situation into account, consider the overall situation.’ Example 1: ཌྷ‫خ‬џമᣕॳ߭ˈ৻ཝࡍ௜ˈϡ䅵䕗ϾҎᕫ༅DŽ Ta zuòshì jianchí yuánzé, gùquán-dàjú, bú jìjiào gèrén déshc. ‘In her work she sticks to principles and considers the overall situation, disregarding personal gains or losses.’ Example 2: Ўњ৻ཝࡍ௜ˈҪ㾷䲛њ㞾Ꮕⱘࡲ݀ᅸЏӏDŽ Wèile gùquán-dàjú, ta jiggùle zìjh de bàngdngshì zhjrèn. ‘Taking the overall situation into account, he laid off his own office manager.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Antonym: [಴ᇣ༅໻] ( ycn xifo shc dà ಴ᇣ༅໻) ‘for a small gain lose a lot.’ 70. Ğ‫ڭ‬ልਭ਱ğ(ዺ᎜῜ᦫ) ba xian guò hfi ܿҭ refers to the Eight Immortals (in Taoism) and 䖛⍋ means ‘cross the (East China) sea.’ A literal translation is ‘the Eight Immortals cross the East China Sea.’ The extended meaning is ‘use one’s own particular talents to solve problems’ or ‘use one’s own individual resources to achieve great goals.’ Example 1: 㞾Ңᮙ␌ϮᬒᓔПৢˈᮙ㸠⼒П䯈ゲѝ▔⚜ˈ‫ڭ‬ልਭ਱ˈ৘ᰒ⼲䗮ˈᛇሑ ࡲ⊩਌ᓩ␌ᅶDŽ Zìcóng lryóuyè f àngkai zhchòu, lrxíngshè zhcjian jìngzhbng jcliè, baxian-guòhfi, gè xifn shén tdng, xifngjìn bànff xcyhn yóukè. ‘Ever since the loosening up of the travel industry, travel agencies have been competing intensely with each other; when the Eight Immortals crossed the sea, each of them showed her or his own remarkable power; (similarly, the various travel agencies) are doing everything in their power to attract tourists.’ Example 2: Ҟ໽ⱘᰮӮ≵᳝೎ᅮⱘ㡖Ⳃˈ䇋໻ᆊ‫ڭ‬ልਭ਱ˈ৘ᰒ݊㛑ˈᡞԴӀⱘᴀџ 䛑ՓߎᴹDŽ Jcntian de wfnhuì méiyiu gùdìng de jiémù, qhng dàjia baxian-guòhfi, gè xifn qí néng, bf nhmen de bgnshi ddu shhchelái.

Entry 71: 㞾✊㗠✊

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‘This evening’s party has no set program; as when the Eight Immortals were crossing the sea, each of you please show your own abilities and put forth your own talents.’ Usage: Usually followed by ৘ᰒ݊㛑 (gè xifn qí néng ৘乃݊㛑) or ৘ᰒ⼲䗮 (gè xifn shén tdng ৘ᰒ⼲䗮), both of which mean ‘each shows her or his own remarkable ability.’ Together with one of these phrases, this idiom functions as an independent predicate. Allusion: This idiom originates from a popular legend about the Eight Immortals in Taoism, who defended people against injustices and helped the weak. One day the Eight Immortals were going to cross the East China Sea. One of them suggested to the others that each should throw some item on the sea surface and then avail themselves of that item to cross the sea, without using a boat. And so all of them, one after another, threw various treasures into the water, including an iron walking stick, a calabash, a palm-leaf fan, a paper donkey, and so forth. One after another, each of them displayed his or her own special skills. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Antonym: [咨偈ᡔか] (Qián lp jì qióng 咨倶ᡔも) ‘the Guizhou donkey’s skills have been exhausted – exhaust one’s bag of clumsy tricks’ (derogatory). 71. Ğᔈ཭ऎ཭ğ(ᒢᵩᒚᵩ) zì rán ér rán 㞾✊ means ‘naturally.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘naturally, of itself.’ Example 1: 㒣⌢催ᑺথሩњˈ⇥Џᔈ཭ऎ཭ഄ៤њ໻ᆊ䅼䆎ⱘ䆱乬DŽ Jcngjì gaodù fazhfnle, mínzhj zìrán-érrán de chéngle dàjia tfolùn de huàtí. ‘The economy has developed to a high degree; democracy has naturally become a topic of conversation discussed by everyone.’ Example 2: Ҏⱘ⫳ǃ㗕ǃ⮙ǃ⅏䛑ᰃᔈ཭ऎ཭ⱘџˈԴᡫᢦϡњⱘDŽ Rén de shbng, lfo, bìng, sh ddu shì zìrán-érrán de shì, nh kàngjùbùlifo de. ‘Human beings’ birth, aging, illness, and death all are natural things, you can’t defy them.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive. Near Synonym: [∈ࠄ⏴៤] (shuh dào qú chéng ∈ࠄ⏴៤) ‘water arrives and channel is formed – when conditions are ripe success is achieved; achieved naturally and without effort.’ Antonyms: [⶿ᦝ䗴԰] ( jifo róu zào zuò ⷃᦝ䗴԰) ‘affected’ (pejorative), [џ೼ҎЎ] (shì zài rén wéi џ೼Ҏ⚎) ‘everything depends on human effort.’

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Entries 72 – 73: ҹ䑿԰߭ and ሖߎϡか

72. Ğጲ࿽ᔫᐌğ(᎔ᖮᓆᝢ) yh shbn zuò zé 䑿 means ‘oneself ’ and ߭ means ‘rule, model.’ A literal translation is ‘take oneself as the model,’ with a freer translation being ‘set an example for others, practice what one preaches.’ Example 1: ਼ᘽᴹᘏ⧚ϹҹᕟᏅǃጲ࿽ᔫᐌˈЎ߿ҎᷥゟњὰḋDŽ Zhdu lnlái zinglh yányhlqjh, yhshbn-zuòzé, wèi biérén shùlìle bfngyàng. ‘Premier Zhou Enlai was strict on himself and set himself as an example, establishing a model for others.’ Example 2: བᵰ乚ᇐᑆ䚼ϡ㛑ጲ࿽ᔫᐌˈϟ䴶ⱘᎹ԰Ҏਬህৃᛇ㗠ⶹњDŽ Rúgui lhngdfo gànbù bù néng yhshbn-zuòzé, xiàmiàn de gdngzuò rényuán jiù kgxifng’érzhc le. ‘If the leading cadres cannot practice what they preach, then you can imagine how it will be with the workers below.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㿔Ӵ䑿ᬭ] (yán chuán shbn jiào 㿔‫ڇ‬䑿ᬭ) ‘teach by personal example,’ [䑿ԧ࡯㸠] (shbn th lì xíng 䑿储࡯㸠) ‘personally set an example.’ Antonyms: [Ϟ㸠ϟᬜ] (shàng xíng xià xiào Ϟ㸠ϟᬜ) ‘the actions of superiors are imitated by subordinates,’ [ҹ䑿䆩⊩] ( yh shbn shì ff ҹ䑿䀺⊩) ‘defy the law.’ 73. Ğ‫ݙ߲ށ‬གğ(⇏Ꭴጰ≥) céng che bù qióng ሖ means ‘layer’ and か means ‘exhaust.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘pile up or emerge one after another without stopping.’ Example 1: ೼⦄ҷ⼒Ӯ䞠ˈᮄџ⠽ǃᮄѻક‫ݙ߲ށ‬གDŽ Zài xiàndài shèhuì lh, xcn shìwù, xcn chfnphn céngche-bùqióng. ‘In modern society, new things and new products pile up one after another.’ Example 2: ᬍ䴽ᓔᬒҹৢˈЁ೑ߎ⦄њ㣅䇁⛁ˈ৘⾡㣅䇁෍䆁⧁‫ݙ߲ށ‬གDŽ Gfigé kaifàng yhhòu, Zhdngguó chexiànle ycngyj rè, gèzhing ycngyj péixùnban céngche-bùqióng. ‘After the reforms and opening up of the late 1970s, there appeared in China a phenomenon of English being “hot,” with all kinds of English training classes emerging one after another.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate.

Entries 74 – 75: 䕄䕄⚜⚜ and ᙃᙃⳌ݇

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Near Synonyms: [ስ㾕ϡ剰] (lr jiàn bù xianሶ㽟ϡ冂) ‘often seen and nothing remarkable,’ [↨↨ⱚᰃ] (bh bh jib shì ↨↨ⱚᰃ) ‘can be found everywhere.’ Antonym: [ᆹᆹ᮴޴] (liáo liáo wú jh ᆹᆹ⛵ᑒ) ‘very few.’ 74. Ğੲੲೲೲğ(✲✲ᦾᦾ) hdng hdng liè liè 䕄䕄 describes loud noise while ⚜⚜ refers to blazing fire. The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘grand and gigantic, bold and dynamic.’ Example 1: ϔϾҎϔ䕜ᄤϡᑆϔ⬾ੲੲೲೲⱘ໻џˈᰃϡᰃⱑ⌏њ˛ Yí ge rén yíbèizi bú gàn yì fan hdnghdng-lièliè de dàshì, shìbúshì báihuó le? ‘If someone during their whole life long never does something grand and bold and dynamic, is it the case that they have lived in vain?’ Example 2: ཌྷϔಲ೑ህখࡴњੲੲೲೲⱘ䴽ੑ䖤ࡼDŽ Ta yì huíguó jiù canjiale hdnghdng-lièliè de gémìng yùndòng. ‘As soon as she returned to her native country, she took part in the great revolutionary movement.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [᚞Ϫ偛֫] ( jcng shì hài sú 倮Ϫ俁֫) ‘astound the world, earthshaking.’ Antonym: [᮴ໄ᮴ᙃ] (wú shbng wú xc ⛵㙆⛵ᙃ) ‘no sound no breath – silent.’ 75. Ğᇦᇦሤਈğ(ᥖᥖᡐ⚆) xc xc xiang guan ᙃ means ‘breath,’ Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ and ݇ means ‘related.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘mutually related as one breath is to another,’ with freer translations being ‘interrelated, closely linked.’ Example 1: 㕢೑催⾥ᡔⱘ䖯ℹϢཌྷ਌ᓩҎᠡⱘᬓㄪᇦᇦሤਈDŽ Mgiguó gao kbjì de jìnbù yj ta xcyhn réncái de zhèngcè xcxc-xiangguan. ‘The U.S.’s progress in high-tech is very closely related to her policy of attracting people of talent.’ Example 2: ᬓᑰᑨ䆹㢅໻࡯⇨㾷‫އ‬Ϣ㗕ⱒྦྷ⫳⌏ᇦᇦሤਈⱘ䯂乬DŽ Zhèngfj ycnggai hua dà lìqi jigjué yj lfobfixìng shbnghuó xcxc-xiangguan de wèntí. ‘Government should expend a great deal of effort to solve those problems that are closely linked to the lives of ordinary citizens.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive, often preceded by coverbs such as Ϣ (yj 㟛), 䎳 (gbn), and ੠ (hé).

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Entries 76 – 77: ϔϱϡ㢳 and ᖂϡ䎇䘧

Near Synonyms: [ӥ៮Ⳍ݇] (xie qc xiang guan ӥ៮Ⳍ䮰) ‘share joys and sorrows,’ [ᙃᙃⳌ䗮] (xc xc xiang tdng ᙃᙃⳌ䗮) ‘interrelated.’ Antonyms: [∈☿ϡᆍ] (shuh hui bù róng ∈☿ϡᆍ) ‘as incompatible as water and fire,’ [亢偀⠯ϡⳌঞ] (fbng mf niú bù xiang jí 乼侀⠯ϡⳌঞ) ‘have nothing to do with one another.’ 76. Ğጙႋ‫ݙ‬০ğ(ዯᶱጰⲹ) yì sc bù giu ϔϱ means ‘even a little, at all’ and 㢳 means ‘careless.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘not the least bit negligent, scrupulous about every detail, conscientious and meticulous, perfectionist.’ Example 1: ཌྷᰃ݀ӫҎ⠽ˈ↣໽ⱘ㸷ⴔᠧᡂ䛑ᕜ⊼ᛣˈጙႋ‫ݙ‬০DŽ Ta shì gdngzhòng rénwù, mgi tian de yczhuó dfbàn ddu hgn zhùyì, yìsc-bùgiu. ‘She is a public figure; she pays great attention to her daily attire and make-up, being scrupulous about every detail.’ Example 2: ⾥ᄺⷨお䳔㽕ጙႋ‫ݙ‬০ⱘᗕᑺ੠԰亢DŽ Kbxué yánjie xeyào yìsc-bùgiu de tàidu hé zuòfeng. ‘Scientific research requires a perfectionist attitude and work style.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, adverbial, and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ܶܶϮϮ] ( jcng jcng yè yè ܶܶὁὁ) ‘cautious and attentive,’ [ᇣᖗ 㗐㗐] (xifo xcn yì yì ᇣᖗ㗐㗐) ‘cautiously.’ Antonyms: [偀偀㰢㰢] (mf mf he he 侀侀㰢㰢) ‘casual, careless,’ [㉫ᵱ໻৊] (ce zhc dà yè ㉫ᵱ໻㨝) ‘careless, crude, sloppy.’ 77. Ğᆈ‫ݙ‬ᔗࡸğ(Ảጰᖭ῔) wbi bù zú dào ᖂ means ‘small,’ 䎇 means ‘worth,’ and 䘧 means ‘say, mention.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘too trifling to deserve mention, insignificant.’ Example 1: 䖭⚍‫ܓ‬ᇣџᆈ‫ݙ‬ᔗࡸˈԴϡᖙ䙷Мᅶ⇨DŽ Zhè difr xifo shì wbibùzúdào, nh búbì nàme kèqi. ‘Something as small as this is just not worth mentioning; you needn’t be so polite.’ Example 2: 䙷ᆊᆈ‫ݙ‬ᔗࡸⱘᇣ݀ৌˈकᑈҹৢ៤њৠ㸠ϮⱘᎼ༈DŽ Nà jia wbibùzúdào de xifo gdngsc, shí nián yhhòu chéngle tónghángyè de jùtóu. ‘That insignificant little company in ten years became a giant in the profession.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive.

Entries 78 – 79: ࠏϡᆍ㓧 and ៾✊ϡৠ

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Near Synonym: [ϡ䎇ᣖ啓] (bù zú guà chh ϡ䎇᥯唦) ‘not worth hanging on the teeth – not worth mentioning.’ Antonym: [В䎇䕏䞡] ( jj zú qcng zhòng 㟝䎇䓩䞡) ‘play a decisive role.’ 78. Ğర‫ྏݙ‬દğ(ᗩጰᤶ≻) kè bù róng hufn ࠏ means ‘short period of time,’ ᆍ means ‘allow,’ and 㓧 means ‘delay.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘short time not allow delay,’ with a freer translation being ‘it is not allowed to delay for even a short period of time.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘allow no delay, extremely urgent.’ Example 1: ᠧߏ咥⼒Ӯⱘ㸠ࡼర‫ྏݙ‬દDŽ Dfjc hbi shèhuì de xíngdòng kèbùrónghufn. ‘Operations to crack down on organized crime allow for no delay.’ Example 2: 㾷‫އ‬༅ϮҎষⱘ⫳䅵䯂乬ˈᰃᴀሞᬓᑰర‫ྏݙ‬દⱘӏࡵDŽ Jigjué shcyè rénkiu de shbngjì wèntí, shì bgnjiè zhèngfj kèbùrónghufn de rènwù. ‘Solving livelihood issues of the unemployed population is an urgent responsibility of this administration.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [ߚ⾦ᖙѝ] (fbn mifo bì zhbng ߚ⾦ᖙ⠁) ‘every minute or second counts,’ [䖿ϡঞᕙ] (pò bù jí dài 䖿ϡঞᕙ) ‘too impatient to wait,’ [䖿೼ⳝⴿ] (pò zài méi jié 䖿೼ⳝⴿ) ‘very urgent.’ Antonym: [ϔᢪ‫ݡ‬ᢪ] ( yì tud zài tud ϔᢪ‫ݡ‬ᢪ) ‘drag on or delay without end.’ 79. Ğ஀཭‫ݙ‬ᄴğ(⁶ᵩጰᐹ) jié rán bù tóng ៾✊ means ‘completely.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘completely different.’ Example 1: ϸϾҎҢᇣϔ䍋䭓໻ˈৢᴹ೼ৠϔ᠔໻ᄺϞᄺˈৃᰃ↩Ϯৢⱘੑ䖤ै஀཭ ‫ݙ‬ᄴDŽ Lifng ge rén cóng xifo yìqh zhfngdà, hòulái zài tóng yì sui dàxué shàngxué, kgshì bìyè hòu de mìngyùn què jiérán-bù tóng. ‘The two of them grew up together from the time they were children, and later they attended the same university, but their fate after graduation was completely different.’ Example 2: ᇍѢৠϔϾ䯂乬ˈ⬅Ѣ໻ᆊⱘゟഎϡϔḋˈ᠔ҹѻ⫳њϸ⾡஀཭‫ݙ‬ᄴⱘ 㾖⚍DŽ Duìyú tóng yí ge wèntí, yóuyú dàjia de lìchfng bù yíyàng, suiyh chfnshbngle lifng zhing jiérán-bùtóng de guandifn.

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Entry 80: ᛮ݀⿏ቅ

‘Because everyone’s standpoint was different, there arose two completely different views about the same issue.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [໽ຸП߿] (tian rfng zhc bié ໽ຸП߹) ‘as different as heaven and earth.’ Antonyms: [ϔ῵ϔḋ] ( yì mú yí yàng ϔ῵ϔῷ) ‘exactly alike,’ [ञ᭸ܿϸ] (bàn jcn ba lifng ञ᭸ܿܽ) ‘six of one and half a dozen of the other.’ 80. Ğ᎚৛ጤ࿍ğ(ảፊᯡጢ) yú gdng yí shan ᛮ means ‘foolish,’ ݀ means ‘old man,’ and ⿏ means ‘move.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘the foolish old man moved the mountain.’ This is a metaphor for ‘have inexhaustible willpower and an unyielding spirit.’ Possible English translations include ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ or ‘with sufficient effort anything can be achieved.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏ㽕থᡀ᎚৛ጤ࿍ⱘ㊒⼲ˈᡞᆊеᓎ䆒དDŽ Wimen yào fayáng yúgdng-yíshan de jcngshen, bf jiaxiang jiànshèhfo. ‘We should develop and promote the spirit of “the old man who moved a mountain,” doing a good job of reconstructing our hometown.’ Example 2: ҪӀ㒻ᡓњ㗕ϔ䕜᎚৛ጤ࿍ⱘ㊒⼲ˈ䏣䏣ᅲᅲഄ‫ߎخ‬њ䆌໮䋵⤂DŽ Tamen jìchéngle lfo yíbèi yúgdng-yíshan de jcngshen, tata-shíshí de zuòchele xjdud gòngxiàn. ‘They inherited the older generation’s spirit of “the old man who moved a mountain,” steadily making many contributions.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, often followed by ㊒⼲ ( jcngshen) ‘spirit.’ Allusion: There was an old man by the name of Yu Gong who was around ninety years of age. Directly across from the front door of his home were two mountains, making it hard for him to go out. So he called together everyone in his family for a meeting to discuss moving the mountains. One after another, they all agreed to this. But Yu Gong’s wife brought up a problem: where should they move the earth and stones from the mountains? Yu Gong replied that they should be transported to the distant sea, so he himself led three younger people and they began to transport the earth and stones to the sea. Now, it was very far from Yu Gong’s home to the sea, so each year they were able to transport earth and stones only one time. There was another old man who made fun of Yu Gong: “You’re not very smart. You’re over ninety, you don’t even have the strength to pull out the grass on the mountain; how are you going to handle all that earth and all those stones?” Yu Gong heaved a sigh and said: “My goodness, you’re just too stubborn in your thinking, you’re even worse than widows or children. Just think, after I die there will still be my sons, and after my sons there will be my grandsons; going on like

Entries 81 – 82: ᠔԰᠔Ў and ৢ乒Пᖻ

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that, there will be generation after generation of my descendants. But these mountains are not going to become any higher, so why worry about not being able to move them?” Even the gods in the heavens were moved by Yu Gong’s spirit, and so in the space of one night, the gods moved the two mountains. And from this time on, there were no longer any large mountains obstructing the way in front of Yu Gong’s home. (from “Tang Wen” in Liezi) Note: Complimentary in meaning. This idiom, which was already common, came into even wider use after Mao Zedong used it in a 1945 essay of the same name. Near Synonyms: [䬆㗠ϡ㟡] (qiè ér bù shg 䤹㗠ϡ᤼) or [ᣕПҹᘦ] (chí zhc yh héng ᣕПҹᘚ) ‘work with perseverance, persevere.’ Antonyms: [⌙ᇱ䕘ℶ] (qifn cháng zhé zhh ⏎௫䓦ℶ) ‘shallowly taste then stop – stop after gaining a little knowledge of something,’ [ᢜ䕏ᗩ䞡] (nian qcng pà zhòng ᢜ䓩ᗩ䞡) ‘prefer the light to the heavy.’ 81. ĞჅᔫჅᆐğ(ᙰᓆᙰᠥ) sui zuò sui wéi Ў means ‘do.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘what one does,’ with a freer translation being ‘everything one does, all of a person’s actions.’ Example 1: ⠊↡ⱘჅᔫჅᆐӮᇍᄽᄤⱘ㸠Ўѻ⫳Ⳉ᥹ⱘᕅડDŽ Fùmj de suizuò-suiwéi huì duì háizi de xíngwéi chfnshbng zhíjib de yhngxifng. ‘Everything that parents do will have a direct influence on children’s behavior.’ Example 2: ៥ᇍ㞾ᏅⱘჅᔫჅᆐ↿ϡৢᙨDŽ Wi duì zìjh de suizuò-suiwéi háo bú hòuhuh. ‘I don’t in the slightest regret my own actions.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object. Near Synonym: [ϔВϔࡼ] (yì jj yí dòng ϔ㟝ϔࢩ) ‘every action and every movement.’ 82. Ğઁ৻ᒄᎃğ(ឹ❁ጴ⇥) hòu gù zhc ydu ৢ means ‘in the back,’ 乒 means ‘look back,’ and ᖻ means ‘worry.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the worries of looking back,’ with a freer translation being ‘things to worry about back home or in the rear.’ Example 1: ݀ৌЎ᠔᳝ਬᎹфњ‫ݏ‬㗕ֱ䰽ˈ㾷‫އ‬њਬᎹӀⱘઁ৻ᒄᎃDŽ Gdngsc wèi suiyiu yuángdng mfile yfnglfo bfoxifn, jigjuéle yuángdngmen de hòugù-zhcydu. ‘The company bought retirement insurance for all the employees; it solved the employees’ domestic worries.’

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Entry 83: ᖋᠡ‫ݐ‬໛

Example 2: ೼ϔഎ᳝݇咥⼒Ӯⱘᅵ߸Ёˈ᳝݇䚼䮼㸼⼎ˈ㒱ᇍֱ䆕䆕Ҏⱘᅝܼˈ䖭ḋ ህ㾷䰸њ䆕Ҏⱘઁ৻ᒄᎃDŽ Zài yì cháng yiuguan hbi shèhuì de shgnpàn zhdng, yiuguan bùmén bifoshì, juéduì bfozhèng zhèngrén de anquán, zhèyàng jiù jigchúle zhèngrén de hòugùzhcydu. ‘In a trial concerning organized crime, the departments concerned indicated that they would absolutely guarantee the safety of witnesses; in this way they relieved the domestic worries of the witnesses.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object, often preceded by the verbs 㾷䰸 ( jigchú) ‘eliminate’ or 㾷‫ ( އ‬jigjué 㾷≎) ‘solve.’ Near Synonym: [ᡩ哴ᖠ఼] (tóu shj jì qì ᡩ哴ᖠ఼) ‘when throwing it at a rat have fears about the dish (breaking) – cautious about harming evildoers lest the innocent be hurt.’ Antonym: [催ᵩ᮴ᖻ] (gao zhgn wú ydu 催ᵩ⛵᝖) ‘high pillow no worries – rest easy.’ 83. Ğࡺ‫ݣ‬ର۸ğ(⇞ጭᣯᲆ) dé cái jian bèi ᖋ means ‘moral character,’ ᠡ means ‘ability, talent,’ ‫ ݐ‬means ‘simultaneously,’ and ໛ means ‘equipped with.’ A literal translation of the entire idiom is ‘simultaneously be equipped with moral character and talent.’ A freer translation is ‘possess both moral integrity and professional competence.’ Example 1: ҪᰃϔϾࡺ‫ݣ‬ର۸ⱘ䴦ᑈˈᕜ᳝থሩࠡ䗨DŽ Ta shì yí ge décái-jianbèi de qcngnián, hgn yiu fazhfn qiántú. ‘He is a youth of good character and great ability; he has great prospects for development.’ Example 2: ᦤᢨᑆ䚼ⱘᯊ‫׭‬ᕫമᣕࡺ‫ݣ‬ର۸ⱘॳ߭DŽ Tíbá gànbù de shíhou dgi jianchí décái-jianbèi de yuánzé. ‘When promoting cadres, one must insist on the principle of their possessing both moral integrity and professional competence.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [કᄺ‫ݐ‬Ӭ] (phn xué jian ydu કᅌ‫‘ )۾ݐ‬excellent in character and learning.’ Antonym: [ᆵᒝ剰㘏] (guf lián xifn chh ᆵᒝ冂ᘹ) ‘few honesty little shame – have no sense of shame.’

Entries 84 – 85: Ⳍ䕙Ⳍ៤ and 䅼Ӌ䖬Ӌ

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84. Ğሤॺሤ߅ğ(ᡐ⅚ᡐᑯ) xiang fj xiang chéng Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ 䕙 means ‘help,’ and ៤ means ‘facilitate, bring about.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘help each other and facilitate each other,’ with a freer translation being ‘complement each other.’ Example 1: ֱᡸ⦃๗੠থሩ㒣⌢ᰃሤॺሤ߅ⱘDŽ Bfohù huánjìng hé fazhfn jcngjì shì xiangfj-xiangchéng de. ‘Protecting the environment and developing the economy complement each other.’ Example 2: 䖭⾡㥃㛑ℶઇˈ䙷⾡㥃㛑࣪⯄ˈѠ㗙ሤॺሤ߅DŽ Zhè zhing yào néng zhhké, nà zhing yào néng huàtán, èrzhg xiangfj-xiangchéng. ‘This kind of medicine can stop coughing, and that kind of medicine can dissolve mucus; the two of them complement each other.’ Usage: Often functions as predicate, in the construction . . . ᰃⳌ䕙Ⳍ៤ⱘ (shì xiangfj-xiangchéng de). Near Synonyms: [ϡৃ៪㔎] (bù kg huò qub ϡৃ៪㔎) ‘indispensable,’ [ⳌᕫⲞᕄ] (xiang dé yì zhang ⳌᕫⲞᕄ) ‘each improves by association with the other.’ Antonyms: [࢓ϡϸゟ] (shì bù lifng lì ࢶϡܽゟ) ‘irreconcilable, incompatible,’ [ϸ䋹 ‫ׅ‬Ӹ] (lifng bài jù shang ܽᬫ‫‘ )ڋׅ‬both sides lose and are equally wounded.’ 85. Ğᄀଥથଥğ(ᩜ↡┯↡) tfo jià huán jià 䅼Ӌ means ‘ask a price’ and 䖬Ӌ means ‘make a counter-offer.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘bargain back and forth, negotiate back and forth.’ Example 1: 㒣䖛ϔ⬾ᄀଥથଥˈфपঠᮍ᳔㒜䖒៤њण䆂DŽ Jcngguò yì fan tfojià-huánjià, mfimài shuangf ang zuìzhdng dáchéngle xiéyì. ‘After a series of negotiations, the buyer and seller in the end reached an agreement.’ Example 2: ᄀଥથଥПৢˈҪ䕲এњ㸠ᬓ㘠ࡵˈԚᰃ㒻ӏ㗙㒭Ҫ๲ࡴњ㭾∈DŽ Tfojià-huánjià zhchòu, ta cíqùle xíngzhèng zhíwù, dànshì jìrènzhg ggi ta zbngjiale xcnshuh. ‘After negotiations, he resigned his administrative post, but his successor increased his salary.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and object. Note: Slightly derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [᭸᭸䅵䕗] ( jcn jcn jì jiào ᭸᭸㿜䓗) ‘haggle over every catty – calculating.’

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Entries 86 – 87: ৠᖗৠᖋ and ⧚Ⳉ⇨ໂ

86. Ğᄴቦᄴࡺğ(ᐹ፬ᐹ⇞) tóng xcn tóng dé ৠ means ‘same,’ ᖗ means ‘mind,’ and ᖋ here means ‘belief.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘same mind same beliefs.’ Freer translations include ‘of one heart and mind, united in thought and belief.’ Example 1: Ҫোীܼ೑Ҏ⇥ᄴቦᄴࡺˈЎ⇥ᮣⱘӳ໻໡݈㗠ࡾ࡯༟᭫DŽ Ta hàozhào quánguó rénmín tóngxcn-tóngdé, wèi mínzú de wgidà fùxcng ér njlì fèndòu. ‘He appealed to the people of the whole country to be of one heart and mind, and to work hard and struggle for the great rejuvenation of the nation.’ Example 2: ҪӀ㾷‫އ‬ད‫ݙ‬䚼⶯ⳒҹৢˈᄴቦᄴࡺᎹ԰䍋ᴹDŽ Tamen jigjué hfo nèibù máodùn yhhòu, tóngxcn-tóngdé gdngzuò qhlai. ‘After they had solved the internal conflict, they began to work with united hearts and minds.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᖫৠ䘧ড়] (zhì tóng dào hé ᖫৠ䘧ড়) ‘have the same aspirations, have common goals,’ [唤ᖗण࡯] (qí xcn xié lì 唞ᖗन࡯) ‘work as one.’ Antonym: [ৠᑞᓖṺ] (tóng chuáng yì mèng ৠᑞ⭄໶) ‘same bed different dreams – work together but for different ends.’ 87. Ğಯᒇ໮ᓧğ(ᮿᛸᦟᔋ) lh zhí qì zhuàng ⧚ means ‘reason,’ Ⳉ means ‘correct,’ ⇨ means ‘spirit,’ and ໂ means ‘strong.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘bold through being in the right, with righteous self-assurance.’ Example 1: Ҫ೼⊩ᒁϞಯᒇ໮ᓧഄ䇈˖Ā៥ᰃ⏙ⱑⱘˈ៥≵᳝⢃㔾DŽā Ta zài fftíng shàng lhzhí-qìzhuàng de shud: “Wi shì qcngbái de, wi méiyiu fànzuì.” ‘In court he said with righteous self-assurance: “I’m unstained, I didn’t commit a crime.”’ Example 2: ཌྷಯᒇ໮ᓧഄಲㄨ˖Ā㒱ᇍϡৃ㛑DŽ” Ta lhzhí-qìzhuàng de huídá: ‘Juéduì bù kgnéng.’ ‘She answered righteously and boldly: “That is absolutely impossible.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonym: [Нℷ䆡Ϲ] (yì zhèng cí yán 㕽ℷ䀲ಈ) ‘speak righteously and sternly.’ Antonyms: [⧚ሜ䆡か] (lh qe cí qióng ⧚ሜ䀲も) ‘in the wrong and out of arguments,’ [ᔎ䆡༎⧚] (qifng cí duó lh ᔋ䀲༾⧚) ‘use far-fetched arguments.’

Entries 88 – 89: 䑿ԧ࡯㸠 and Нϡᆍ䕲

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88. Ğ࿽ᄏೆቲğ(ᖮ➳ዾᒭ) shbn th lì xíng 䑿 means ‘oneself,’ ԧ means ‘learn from experience,’ ࡯ means ‘strive hard to do something,’ and 㸠 means ‘put into practice.’ The literal meaning is ‘What oneself has learned from experience one should try hard to put into practice,’ with a freer translation being ‘practice what you preach, personally set an example.’ Example 1: Ҫϡ‫࡯ࡾܝ‬ᅷӴ䖭⾡‫ع‬ᒋⱘ⫳⌏ᮍᓣˈ㗠Ϩ࿽ᄏೆቲˈЎ݊ҪҎ‫خ‬њϔϾ ὰḋDŽ Ta bù guang njlì xuanchuán zhè zhing jiànkang de shbnghuó fangshì, érqig shbnthlìxíng, wèi qíta rén zuòle yí ge bfngyàng. ‘He not only works hard in publicizing this kind of healthy lifestyle, but also practices what he preaches, serving as an example to others.’ Example 2: ৘㑻乚ᇐᑆ䚼䛑ᑨ䆹࿽ᄏೆቲˈথᡀ㞾ᔎϡᙃⱘ㊒⼲DŽ Gè jí lhngdfo gànbù ddu ycnggai shbnth-lìxíng, fayáng zìqiáng-bùxc de jcngshen. ‘Leading cadres at all levels should all serve as an example to others, developing and promoting a spirit of striving constantly for self-improvement.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Antonym: [‫ܝ‬䇈ϡ‫( ]خ‬guang shud bú zuò ‫ܝ‬䁾ϡ‫‘ )خ‬only talk not do – all talk and no action’ (used mostly in speech). 89. Ğፃ‫ࠡྏݙ‬ğ(ὤጰᤶ♳) yì bù róng cí Н means ‘duty, obligation,’ ᆍ means ‘allow,’ and 䕲 means ‘decline, refuse.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘duty does not allow one to decline,’ with a freer translation being ‘duty-bound not to refuse.’ Example 1: ЎҎ⇥᳡ࡵᰃ৘㑻乚ᇐᑆ䚼ፃ‫ⱘࠡྏݙ‬䋷ӏDŽ Wèi rénmín fúwù shì gè jí lhngdfo gànbù yìbùróngcí de zérèn. ‘To serve the people is the responsibility of leading cadres at all levels, which they are duty-bound not to decline.’ Example 2: ᬥࡽ⮙Ҏᰃए⫳ፃ‫ⱘࠡྏݙ‬䋷ӏDŽ Jiùzhù bìngrén shì ycshbng yìbùróngcí de zérèn. ‘Helping patients is a doctor’s responsibility, which he or she is duty-bound not to shirk.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, usually followed by 䋷ӏ (zérèn 䊀ӏ) ‘responsibility.’ Can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning.

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Entry 90: ⬏啭⚍⴯

Near Synonyms: [໽㒣ഄН] (tian jcng dì yì ໽㍧ഄ㕽) ‘unalterable principle, entirely justified,’ [Н᮴ড乒] ( yì wú ffn gù 㕽⛵ড主) ‘duty-bound not to turn back,’ [⧚᠔ ᔧ✊] (lh sui dang rán ⧚᠔⭊✊) ‘of course, naturally.’ Antonym: [᥼ϝ䰏ಯ] (tuc san zj sì ᥼ϝ䰏ಯ) ‘decline with all sorts of excuses.’ 90. Ğઙച࢛஬ğ(ᶁ⑎╞Ἦ) huà lóng difn jcng ⬏ means ‘draw,’ 啭 means ‘dragon,’ ⚍ means ‘dot, adorn,’ and ⴯ means ‘eye.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘draw a dragon and add on the eyes.’ This is a metaphor for ‘add the perfect finishing touch’ or ‘say or write something crucially important that completes a matter.’ Example 1: ᭛ゴ᳔ৢⱘϔ↉㱑✊ϡ䭓ˈԚᰃ䍋ࠄњઙച࢛஬ⱘ԰⫼DŽ Wénzhang zuìhòu de yí duàn sucrán bù cháng, dànshì qhdàole huàlóng-difnjcng de zuòyòng. ‘Though the last section of the essay is not long, it had the effect of adding the perfect finishing touch.’ Example 2: ᳝Ҏ䇈ˈ‫ܟ‬ᵫ乓ᘏ㒳ⱘᳱ剰Пᮙˈᰃࠄ䙷ᯊ‫׭‬ЎℶҪⱘᬓ⊏⫳ੑⱘઙച! ࢛஬ПヨDŽ Yiu rén shud, Kèlíndùn zingting de Cháoxifn zhc lr, shì dào nà shíhou wéi zhh ta de zhèngzhì shbngmìng de huàlóng-difnjcng zhc bh. ‘Some people say that President Clinton’s trip to Korea was the perfect finishing touch for his political life up until that time.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Allusion: The famous Southern Dynasties painter Zhang Sengyao drew four dragons on the wall of a temple in Nanjing, but he didn’t add eyes to any of them. When people asked him why, he would always say that if he added eyes, the dragons would fly away. People didn’t believe him, feeling this was absurd, so he added eyes to one of the dragons. After a while, there was thunder, and lightning struck the wall; then one of the dragons, riding the clouds, flew up into the heavens. But those dragons to which eyes hadn’t been added were still on the wall. (from the section on Zhang Sengyao in Famous Paintings from Successive Dynasties by Zhang Yanyuan, Tang Dynasty) Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [䫺Ϟ⏏㢅] ( jhn shàng tian hua 䣺Ϟ⏏㢅) ‘on brocade add flowers – improve to perfection,’ [⚍⷇៤䞥] (difn shí chéng jcn 咲⷇៤䞥) ‘touch stone and it becomes gold – turn one’s worthless words into gold.’ Antonyms: [⬏㲛⏏䎇] (huà shé tian zú ⬿㲛⏏䎇) ‘draw snake add feet – add something superfluous,’ [ᓘᎻ៤᢭] (nòng qifo chéng zhud ᓘᎻ៤᢭) ‘too clever for one’s own good.’

Entries 91 – 92: ⨇⧙⒵Ⳃ and 㗤Ҏᇏੇ

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91. Ğ೵ಇ൸෹ğ(ᵵ἗€ᐂ) lín láng mfn mù ⨇⧙ means ‘beautiful jade’ and functions as a metaphor for precious things. ⒵Ⳃ means ‘fill the eyes – seen everywhere.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘a dazzling collection of beautiful and precious things.’ Example 1: 䌁⠽Ёᖗ䞠೵ಇ൸෹ˈϪ⬠৘೑ⱘ༶՜ક䛑᳝DŽ Gòuwù zhdngxcn lh línláng-mfnmù, shìjiè gè guó de shbchhphn ddu yiu. ‘In the shopping mall there was a dazzling collection of beautiful and precious things, luxury goods from countries all over the world being present.’ Example 2: ᇣଚકᡍথᏖഎ䞠ଚક೵ಇ൸෹ˈ㽕ҔМ᳝ҔМDŽ Xifoshangphn pcfa shìchfng lh shangphn línláng-mfnmù, yào shénme yiu shénme. ‘The goods in the small commodities wholesale market were like a dazzling collection of beautiful and precious things, whatever you might want was there.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Somewhat complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [䞥⹻䕝✠] ( jcn bì huc huáng 䞥⹻䓱✠) ‘resplendent in bright colors.’ Antonyms: [‫ܝ‬ᗾ䰚⾏] (guang guài lù lí ‫ܝ‬ᗾ䱌䲶) ‘grotesque and gaudy,’ [⒵Ⳃ⮂⮡] (mfn mù chuang yí ⓓⳂ⯵⮡) ‘everywhere the eyes look there is devastation.’ 92. Ğงཽኰᆜğ(ᡴዷ᳌ᗾ) nài rén xún wèi 㗤 means ‘endure, withstand,’ ᇏ means ‘seek,’ and ੇ means ‘flavor,’ with ᇏੇ meaning ‘ponder, think over.’ The literal meaning is ‘can withstand people’s pondering something.’ A freer translation is ‘giving food for thought, thoughtprovoking.’ Example 1: 䖭ϾᬙџᛣН⏅ࠏˈงཽኰᆜDŽ Zhège gùshi yìyì shbnkè, nàirén-xúnwèi. ‘This story has a profound significance and is food for thought.’ Example 2: Ҫ䇈њϔ↉งཽኰᆜⱘ䆱˖Āϸাᇣ㗕哴ᥝ䖯ϔṊཊ⊍䞠ˈ㄀ϔাᕜᖿᬒ ᓗњᏠᳯˈ֓⏍⅏њ˗㄀Ѡা߭≵᳝ᬒᓗˈᅗབℸࡾ࡯᣷ᠢˈ᳔ৢコ✊ᡞཊ⊍᧙៤њ 咘⊍ˈ✊ৢ⠀њߎᴹDŽā Ta shudle yí duàn nàirén-xúnwèi de huà: “Lifng zhc xifo lfoshj diàojìn yì ting nfiyóu lh, dìyc zhc hgn kuài fàngqìle xcwàng, biàn yanshle; dì’èr zhc zé méiyiu fàngqì, ta rúch njlì zhbngzhá, zuìhòu jìngrán bf nfiyóu jifochéngle huángyóu, ránhòu pále chelái.” ‘He said the thought-provoking words: “Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit.

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Entries 93 – 94: 㐕㤷ᯠⲯ and 䲒㛑ৃ䌉

He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out.”’ (from the film Catch Me If You Can) Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [ಲੇ᮴か] (huí wèi wú qióng ಲੇ⛵も) ‘recollect or remember without end.’ Antonyms: [㋶✊᮴ੇ] (sui rán wú wèi ㋶✊⛵ੇ) ‘dull and without flavor – insipid,’ [ᶃ➹᮴ੇ] (ke zào wú wèi ᶃ➹⛵ੇ) ‘dry and without flavor – dull.’ 93. Ğथྋ‫ޛ‬တğ(ⓛ₎ᚕᯔ) fán róng chang shèng 㐕㤷 means ‘prosperous’ and ᯠⲯ means ‘thriving,’ so the whole idiom can be translated as ‘prosperous and thriving.’ This typically refers to an industry, society, or nation. Example 1: 㹋ᖗ⼱ᜓӳ໻⼪೑थྋ‫ޛ‬တDŽ Zhdngxcn zhùyuàn wgidà zjguó fánróng-changshèng. ‘From the bottom of my heart, I wish that my great motherland may prosper and thrive.’ Example 2: ᳡ࡵϮজ໡⌏њˈ⼒Ӯਜ⦄ߎथྋ‫ޛ‬တⱘ᱃䈵DŽ Fúwùyè yòu fùhuó le, shèhuì chéngxiàn che fánróng-changshèng de jhngxiàng. ‘The service industry has come back to life, and society presents an appearance of flourishing prosperity.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⃷⃷৥㤷] (xcn xcn xiàng róng ⃷⃷৥ᾂ) ‘thriving, flourishing,’ [㪌㪌᮹Ϟ] (zhbng zhbng rì shàng 㪌㪌᮹Ϟ) ‘progress day by day.’ Antonyms: [⒵Ⳃ⮂⮡] (mfn mù chuang yí ⓓⳂ⯵⮡) ‘everywhere the eyes look there is devastation,’ [∳⊇᮹ϟ] ( jiang hé rì xià ∳⊇᮹ϟ) ‘rivers and streams daily decline – deteriorate day by day, go from bad to worse,’ [೑⸈ᆊѵ] (guó pò jia wáng ೟⸈ ᆊѵ) ‘state broken family dead – the country is defeated and the family is ruined.’ 94. Ğซถభਣğ(⚈ᨬᎵḊ) nán néng kg guì 䲒㛑 here means ‘hard to do’ and ৃ䌉 means ‘valuable, praiseworthy.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘hard to do and (therefore) praiseworthy.’ Freer translations of the idiom include ‘praiseworthy, commendable.’ Example 1: Ҫ㱑✊ᑈ䕏ˈԚᰃ‫خ‬џᕜ〇䞡ˈ䖭ᰃซถభਣⱘDŽ Ta sucrán niánqcng, dànshì zuòshì hgn wgnzhòng, zhè shì nánnéng-kgguì de. ‘Though he’s young, he does things very steadily; this is very praiseworthy.’

Entry 95: ϔ῵ϔḋ

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Example 2: 䖭ᆊ݀ৌϡԚ೼㒣⌢ॅᴎЁ⫳ᄬњϟᴹˈ᳈ࡴซถభਣⱘᰃˈҪӀᡞ៤ࡳ ⱘ㒣偠᮴ٓഄҟ㒡㒭݊Ҫゲѝᇍ᠟DŽ Zhè jia gdngsc búdàn zài jcngjì wbijc zhdng shbngcúnle xiàlái, gèngjia nánnéngkgguì de shì, tamen bf chénggdng de jcngyàn wúcháng de jièshào ggi qíta jìngzhbng duìshiu. ‘This company has not only survived during the economic crisis, what is even more commendable is that they took their successful experience and, without compensation, introduced it to other competitors.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate or as a nominal phrase added on at the end of one sentence that serves as the subject of a second sentence. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᴹПϡᯧ] (lái zhc bú yì ՚Пϡᯧ) ‘not easily obtained, hard-won.’ Antonym: [ϡ䎇Ў༛] (bù zú wéi qí ϡ䎇⚎༛) ‘not at all surprising.’ 95. Ğጙෝጙዹğ(ዯ∗ዯ∐) yì mú yí yàng ῵ means ‘model’ and ḋ means ‘pattern.’ A literal translation is ‘one model one pattern.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘identical, completely the same, exactly alike.’ Example 1: 䖭ᇍঠ㚲㚢䭓ᕫጙෝጙዹˈ䖲ҪӀⱘ⠊↡᳝ᯊ‫׭‬䛑ߚϡᓔDŽ Zhè duì shuangbaotai zhfngde yìmú-yíyàng, lián tamen de fùmj yiu shíhou ddu fbnbukai. ‘This pair of twins looks exactly the same; even their parents sometimes can’t tell them apart.’ Example 2: ϸ㆛᭛ゴ䰸њ԰㗙ⱘৡᄫϡৠҹ໪ˈ݊ԭⱘጙෝጙዹˈ㚃ᅮ᳝Ҏᡘ㺁DŽ Lifng pian wénzhang chúle zuòzhg de míngzi bù tóng yhwài, qíyú de yìmú-yíyàng, kgndìng yiu rén chaoxí. ‘As for these two essays, except for the author’s name being different, everything else is identical; somebody is certainly plagiarizing.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [བߎϔ䕭] (rú che yì zhé བߎϔ䔡) ‘as if emerging from the same track – one and the same, cut from the same cloth,’ [↿থϡ⠑] (háo fà bù shufng ↿僂ϡ⠑) ‘not the least bit off.’ Antonyms: [៾✊ϡৠ] ( jié rán bù tóng ៾✊ϡৠ) ‘completely different,’ [໽ຸП߿] (tian rfng zhc bié ໽ຸП߹) ‘as different as heaven and earth.’

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Entries 96 – 97: さ亲⣯䖯 and ࠂⳂⳌⳟ

96. Ğᅃऽඩ஠ğ(ᡥᣊ᮷Ḣ) te fbi mgng jìn さ means ‘suddenly, quickly,’ 亲 means ‘fly, leap,’ ⣯ means ‘vigorously,’ and 䖯 means ‘progress forward, advance.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘quickly leap vigorously advance,’ with freer translations including ‘advance rapidly, progress by leaps and bounds, make great strides.’ Example 1: 䅵ㅫᴎߎ⦄ৢˈ⾥ᄺᡔᴃᅃऽඩ஠ˈপᕫњ᚞Ҏⱘ៤ህDŽ Jìsuànjc chexiàn hòu, kbxué jìshù tefbi-mgngjìn, qjdéle jcngrén de chéngjiù. ‘After computers emerged, scientific technology advanced in leaps and bounds, obtaining astonishing achievements.’ Example 2: এᑈˈ䆹೑ⱘߎষᅃऽඩ஠ˈ↨ࠡᑈ๲䭓њѨ‫ס‬DŽ Qùnián, gai guó de chekiu tefbi-mgngjìn, bh qiánnián zbngzhfngle wj bèi. ‘Last year, that country’s exports made great strides, increasing five times compared with the year before last.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, can also function as attributive and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [᮹ᮄ᳜ᓖ] (rì xcn yuè yì ᮹ᮄ᳜⭄) ‘change rapidly with each new day,’ [ϔ᮹ग䞠] (yí rì qian lh ϔ᮹ग䞠) ‘one day a thousand miles – at a tremendous pace.’ Antonyms: [∳⊇᮹ϟ] ( jiang hé rì xià ∳⊇᮹ϟ) ‘rivers and streams daily decline – deteriorate day by day, go from bad to worse,’ [‫ذ‬⒲ϡࠡ] (tíng zhì bù qián ‫ذ‬Ⓝϡ ࠡ) ‘stop and stagnate and not advance – come to a standstill, get bogged down.’ 97. Ğ৾෹ሤఘğ(ᗮᐂᡐᡒ) gua mù xiang kàn ࠂⳂ means ‘rub one’s eyes.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘have great respect for, hold someone in high esteem.’ Example 1: 䖭ᑻජᏖ᳔䖥ϝकᑈⱘথሩҸϪ⬠৾෹ሤఘDŽ Zhè zuò chéngshì zuìjìn sanshí nián de fazhfn lìng shìjiè guamù-xiangkàn. ‘This city’s development in the last thirty years has earned the respect of the whole world.’ Example 2: Ҫ೼ᕜⷁⱘᯊ䯈‫ݙ‬ህ‫خ‬៤њ޴ӊ໻џˈ䅽ҎӀ৾෹ሤఘDŽ Ta zài hgn dufn de shíjian nèi jiù zuòchéngle jh jiàn dà shì, ràng rénmen guamùxiangkàn. ‘Within a short time he completed several major projects, making people hold him in high esteem.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, mainly in the pattern Ҹ (lìng) / 䅽 (ràng 䅧) / Փ (shh) ‘make’  Ҏ (rén) ‘people’ / Ϫ⬠ (shìjiè) ‘world’  ࠂⳂⳌⳟ.

Entries 98 – 99: 亢亢䲼䲼 and ᮫Ᏸ剰ᯢ

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Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [঺ⴐⳟᕙ] (lìng yfn kàn dài ঺ⴐⳟᕙ) ‘look at from a new point of view,’ [ᣁⳂҹᕙ] (shì mù yh dài ᣁⳂҹᕙ) ‘wait for eagerly.’ 98. Ğज़ज़ᎦᎦğ(ᣉᣉ᜼᜼) fbng fbng yj yj A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘wind wind rain rain.’ This is often used metaphorically to mean ‘repeated difficulties, frequent hardships.’ Example 1: ᳔䖥޴ᑈཌྷৃϡᆍᯧˈ㒣ग़њ໮ᇥज़ज़ᎦᎦDŽ Zuìjìn jh nián ta kg bù róngyì, jcnglì le dudshfo fbngfbng-yjyj. ‘The last few years she really hasn’t had it easy; she has undergone so many repeated difficulties.’ Example 2: Ѡकᑈⱘज़ज़ᎦᎦᡞҪ⺼㒗ᕫ᮴↨മᔎDŽ Èrshí nián de fbngfbng-yjyj bf ta móliàn de wúbh jianqiáng. ‘Twenty years of frequent hardships have disciplined him so that he is incomparably strong.’ Usage: Nominal element, functions mainly as object. Often preceded or followed by words expressing length of time. Near Synonyms: [亢䳰䲼䲾] (fbng shuang yj xug 乼䳰䲼䲾) ‘many hardships,’ [ᷝ亢 ≤䲼] (zhì fbng mù yj ₯乼≤䲼) ‘exposed to the elements,’ [佅㒣亢䳰] (bfo jcng fbng shuang 仑㍧乼䳰) ‘have experienced hardships to the full,’ [᳆᳆ᡬᡬ] (qe qe zhé zhé ᳆᳆ᡬᡬ) ‘tortuous, full of complications.’ Antonym: [‫ݏ‬ᇞ໘Ӭ] ( yfng zen chj ydu 仞ᇞ㰩‫‘ )۾‬have a respected position and live in affluence.’ 99. Ğ໢ᒚሎීğ(₅⇔╖ᚘ) qí zhì xian míng ᮫Ᏸ means ‘banner’ or ‘flag’ and 剰ᯢ means ‘bright’ or ‘distinct.’ A literal translation of the entire idiom is ‘banners are bright and distinct.’ This originally referred to the brilliant colors of an army’s banners. Freer translations include ‘have a clear standpoint, take a clear position, take a clear political stand.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏ㽕໢ᒚሎීഄডᇍ⇥ᮣߚ㺖ЏНDŽ Wimen yào qízhì-xianmíng de ffnduì mínzú fènliè zhjyì. ‘We must have a clear position opposing national secessionism.’ Example 2: ೼ॳ߭ᗻ䯂乬Ϟᖙ乏໢ᒚሎීDŽ Zài yuánzéxìng wèntí shàng bìxe qízhì-xianmíng. ‘One must take a clear stand on questions of principle.’

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Entries 100 – 101: ⸈䞰≝㟳 and ⣀ϔ᮴Ѡ

Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, can also function as predicate. Near Synonym: [⠅ᝢߚᯢ] (ài zèng fbn míng ᛯᝢߚᯢ) ‘love hate demarcate clearly – clearly distinguish between what one hates and what one loves.’ Antonym: [῵ễϸৃ] (mó léng lifng kg ῵ễܽৃ) ‘ambiguous.’ 100. Ğຼॼ޽ᒱğ(᧫᪄ᕬᒧ) pò fj chén zhdu ⸈ means ‘break,’ 䞰 means ‘kettle, pot,’ ≝ means ‘sink,’ and 㟳 means ‘boat.’ The literal meaning is ‘break the kettles and sink the boats.’ The connotation is ‘burn one’s bridges, cut off all means of retreat.’ Example 1: ⦄೼៥Ӏϡ㛑‫ݡ‬⢍䈿њˈᖙ乏ຼॼ޽ᒱˈ䖭ḋ䖬᳝ϔ⚍‫ܓ‬ᏠᳯDŽ Xiànzài wimen bù néng zài yóuyù le, bìxe pòfj-chénzhdu, zhèyàng hái yiu yìdifnr xcwàng. ‘Now we can hesitate no longer; we must cut off all means of retreat; this way, there is still a little hope.’ Example 2: 䖭⾡ຼॼ޽ᒱⱘ‫⊩خ‬㱑✊࢛ᬶˈԚᰃ㗗㰥ᕫϡ໳ܼ䴶DŽ Zhè zhing pòfj-chénzhdu de zuòff sucrán yinggfn, dànshì kfolq de bú gòu quánmiàn. ‘Although this method of cutting off all means of retreat is brave, it does not take enough into consideration.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate or attributive. Allusion: In 207 B.C.E., the state of Chu was fighting against the Qin empire. Xiang Yu (232–202 B.C.E.) was then a lieutenant general of Chu. Since the general fought reluctantly, Xiang Yu killed him. After crossing a river, Xiang Yu ordered all the soldiers to sink their boats, smash their cooking pots, set fire to their huts, and each take only three days’ worth of food. Sure enough, the soldiers fought heroically and defeated the enemy. (from “Xiang Yu Ben Ji” in Records of the Grand Historian) Near Synonyms: [ᄸ⊼ϔᦋ] (ge zhù yí zhì ᄸ⊼ϔ᫆) ‘bet all or stake everything on a single throw – put all one’s eggs into one basket,’ [㚠∈ϔ៬] (bèi shuh yí zhàn 㚠∈ ϔ᠄) ‘fight with one’s back to the river – fight to win or die, a win-or-die battle.’ Antonyms: [ⶏࠡ乒ৢ] (zhan qián gù hòu ⶏࠡ主ᕠ) ‘look in front and turn around to look behind – look ahead into the future and back into the past, consider cautiously and carefully,’ [Ӭᶨᆵᮁ] ( ydu róu gja duàn ‫۾‬ᶨᆵᮋ) ‘irresolute and hesitant, indecisive.’ 101. Ğࣖጙᇄऔğ(⎕ዯᵨዶ) dú yc wú èr ⣀ means ‘only.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘only one without a second one,’ with freer translations being ‘unique, unparalleled.’

Entry 102: ܶܶϮϮ

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Example 1: ᥂䇈ˈ↣ϾҎⱘ㾚㔥㝰䛑ᰃࣖጙᇄऔⱘˈৃҹ԰Ў䡈߿ϡৠⱘҎⱘ᳔ৃ䴴 ⱘձ᥂DŽ Jùshud, mgi ge rén de shìwfngmó ddu shì dúyc-wú’èr de, kgyh zuòwéi jiànbié bùtóng de rén de zuì kgkào de ycjù. ‘It’s said that every person’s retina is unique; it can serve as the most accurate basis for discriminating among different people.’ Example 2: 㘊䏃ᩦ‫ދ‬ᇍѢᅫᬭⷨお᳝ⴔࣖጙᇄऔⱘⷨおӋؐDŽ Yblùsalgng duìyú zdngjiào yánjie yiuzhe dúyc-wú’èr de yánjie jiàzhí. ‘Jerusalem has unique research value for religious research.’ Usage: Functions as attributive and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ВϪ᮴ঠ] ( jj shì wú shuang 㟝Ϫ⛵䲭) ‘matchless, unrivaled,’ [㒱᮴ҙ᳝] ( jué wú jhn yiu ㌩⛵‫ڙ‬᳝) ‘unique, one of a kind.’ Antonyms: [ϡ䎇Ў༛] (bù zú wéi qí ϡ䎇⚎༛) ‘not at all surprising,’ [᮴⣀᳝‫]ي‬ (wú dú yiu iu ⛵⤼᳝‫‘ )ي‬not singly but in pairs,’ [ৌぎ㾕ᛃ] (sc kdng jiàn guàn ৌぎ㽟᜷) ‘get used to seeing something and no longer find it strange,’ [ስ㾕ϡ剰] (lr jiàn bù xian ሶ㽟ϡ冂) ‘often seen and nothing remarkable.’ 102. Ğபபጓጓğ(……ỔỔ) jcng jcng yè yè ܶܶ means ‘cautious’ and ϮϮ means ‘anxious.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘cautious and anxious.’ Note that this idiom often conveys the additional sense of ‘conscientious.’ Freer translations include ‘cautious and attentive’ and ‘careful and conscientious.’ Example 1: Ҫ‫خ‬ӏԩџᚙ䛑பபጓጓˈ䅽߿ҎᕜᬒᖗDŽ Ta zuò rènhé shìqing ddu jcngjcng-yèyè, ràng biérén hgn fàngxcn. ‘Whatever he does, he is careful and conscientious, letting others feel reassured.’ Example 2: ⥟㗕Ꮬᬭњ޴कᑈˈபபጓጓഄ෍‫ݏ‬њϔᡍজϔᡍᄺ⫳DŽ Wáng lfoshc jiaole jh shí nián, jcngjcng-yèyè de péiyfngle yì pc yòu yì pc xuésheng. ‘Professor Wang has taught for several decades, carefully and conscientiously training one group of students after another.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϔϱϡ㢳] ( yì sc bù giu ϔ㍆ϡ㣡) ‘not the least bit negligent,’ [㛮䏣ᅲഄ] ( jifo tà shí dì 㝇䏣ᆺഄ) ‘foot steps on solid ground – conscientious and dependable.’ Antonym: [ᭋ㸡њџ] (fe yfn lifo shì ᭋ㸡њџ) ‘do a perfunctory job.’

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Entries 103 – 104: ϡᡬϡᠷ and Ѩ㢅ܿ䮼

103. Ğ‫ݙ‬ᑓ‫ిݙ‬ğ(ጰᕍጰᑰ) bù zhé bú kòu ᡬ means ‘discount’ and ᠷ ‘deduct.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘to the letter, in every sense of the term, dyed-in-the-wool.’ Example 1: ཌྷᰃϾ‫ݙ‬ᑓ‫݅ⱘిݙ‬ѻЏН㗙DŽ Ta shì ge bùzhé-búkòu de gòngchfnzhjyìzhg. ‘She is a dyed-in-the-wool Communist.’ Example 2: ഄᮍᬓᑰᑨ䆹‫ݙ‬ᑓ‫ిݙ‬ഄᠻ㸠Ё༂ⱘᬓㄪDŽ Dìfang zhèngfj ycnggai bùzhé-búkòu de zhíxíng zhdngyang de zhèngcè. ‘The local government should carry out the policies of the central government to the letter.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Near Synonyms: [ഄഄ䘧䘧] (dì dì dào dào ഄഄ䘧䘧) ‘genuine,’ [ᕏ༈ᕏሒ] (chè tóu chè wgi ᖍ丁ᖍሒ) ‘from head to foot.’ Antonyms: [⏏⊍ࡴ䝟] (tian yóu jia cù ⏏⊍ࡴ䝟) ‘add oil add vinegar – add inflammatory details, embellish,’ [⬏㲛⏏䎇] (huà shé tian zú ⬿㲛⏏䎇) ‘draw snake add feet – add something superfluous.’ 104. Ğᇋઔ‫ڭ‬ඡğ(ጺ᜜ዺ᜴) wj hua ba mén Ѩ㢅 or ‘five flowers’ refers to the Five Row battle formation and ܿ䮼 or ‘eight gates’ refers to the Eight Trigram battle formation in ancient Chinese military strategy. Both of these strategies involved many different kinds of tactics. Nowadays, this idiom means ‘various, of all kinds, miscellaneous.’ Example 1: 䖭Ͼଚᑫߎଂᇋઔ‫ڭ‬ඡⱘᐑᄤDŽ Zhège shangdiàn cheshòu wjhua-bamén de màozi. ‘This store sells hats of all kinds.’ Example 2: ཌྷ䇈ሑㅵ૆ᄺϞⱘ⌕⌒ᇋઔ‫ڭ‬ඡˈԚᰃ෎ᴀϞৃҹᔦЎϸ㉏ˈଃ⠽ЏН੠ ଃᖗЏНDŽ Ta shud jhngufn zhéxué shàng de liúpài wjhua-bamén, dànshì jcbgn shàng kgyh gucwéi lifng lèi, wéiwù zhjyì hé wéixcn zhjyì. ‘She said that although there are various schools of philosophy, basically they can be categorized into two types, materialism and idealism.’ Usage: Functions as attributive and predicate. Note: Slightly complimentary in meaning.

Entries 105 – 106: ∖ৠᄬᓖ and ᮴㛑Ў࡯

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Near Synonyms: [ᔶᔶ㡆㡆] (xíng xíng sè sè ᔶᔶ㡆㡆) ‘of all hues, of all kinds,’ [‫ܝ‬ᗾ䰚⾏] (guang guài lù lí ‫ܝ‬ᗾ䱌䲶) ‘grotesque and gaudy.’ Antonym: [ϔ៤ϡব] ( yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’ 105. Ğཇᄴࡀፊğ(ᕧᐹᑜᯊ) qiú tóng cún yì ∖ means ‘seek,’ ৠ means ‘similarity,’ ᄬ means ‘preserve,’ and ᓖ means ‘difference.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘seek sameness maintain difference.’ A freer translation is ‘seek common ground while maintaining differences.’ Example 1: ೼䖭Ͼ䯂乬Ϟˈ㱑✊៥ӀП䯈᳝ϔѯߚ℻ˈԚᰃг᳝ϡᇥ݅䆚ˈ៥Ӏϡོ ཇᄴࡀፊˈ೼ℸ෎⸔Ϟᇏ∖䖯ϔℹⱘড়԰DŽ Zài zhège wèntí shàng, sucrán wimen zhcjian yiu yìxib fbnqí, dànshì yg yiu bùshfo gòngshí, wimen bùfáng qiútóng-cúnyì, zài ch jcchj shàng xúnqiú jìnyíbù de hézuò. ‘Concerning this question, though there are a few differences between us, there are also quite a few points of consensus; we might as well maintain our differences while seeking common ground, and on this foundation seek further cooperation.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏᴀⴔཇᄴࡀፊⱘॳ߭ˈᏠᳯϢ䌉ᮍথሩটད݇㋏DŽ Wimen bgnzhe qiútóng-cúnyì de yuánzé, xcwàng yj guì f ang f azhfn yiuhfo guanxi. ‘On the basis of the principle of maintaining our differences while seeking common ground, we hope to develop friendly relations with you.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, can also function as attributive. Near Synonyms: [ⱒ㢅唤ᬒ] (bfi hua qí f àng ⱒ㢅唞ᬒ) ‘hundred flowers together open – different points of view exist simultaneously,’ [প䭓㸹ⷁ] (qj cháng bj dufn প䭋㺰ⷁ) ‘draw on the strong points of others to make up for one’s own deficiencies,’ [‫ݐ‬ᆍᑊࣙ] ( jian róng bìng bao ‫ݐ‬ᆍՉࣙ) ‘simultaneously accommodate equally contain – indiscriminately all-inclusive.’ Antonyms: [∖ܼ䋷໛] (qiú quán zé bèi ∖ܼ䊀‫‘ )٭‬seek perfection and find fault with everyone and everything,’ [ଃ៥⣀ᇞ] (wéi wi dú zen ଃ៥⤼ᇞ) ‘only I alone respect – self-important, conceited.’ 106. Ğᇄถᆐೆğ(ᵨᨬᠥዾ) wú néng wéi lì ᮴㛑 means ‘have no ability to, be powerless to’ and Ў࡯ means ‘exert oneself, make an effort.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘have no ability to make an effort,’ with a freer translation being ‘powerless, helpless.’ Example 1: 䖭ӊџᚙ໾໻ˈेՓᘏ⧚гᇄถᆐೆDŽ Zhè jiàn shìqing tài dà, jíshh zinglh yg wúnéng-wéilì. ‘This matter is too big; even if it were the premier, he also would be powerless.’

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Entries 107 – 108: ϔ᮴᠔ⶹ and ϔᐁПഄ

Example 2: ए⫳㘌њ㘌㙽ˈ㸼⼎ᇄถᆐೆњDŽ Ycshbng single sing jian, bifoshì wúnéng-wéilì le. ‘The doctor shrugged her shoulders, indicating there was nothing she could do.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [࡯ϡҢᖗ] (lì bù cóng xcn ࡯ϡᕲᖗ) ‘lack the ability to do what one would like to do,’ [⠅㥿㛑ࡽ] (ài mò néng zhù ᛯ㥿㛑ࡽ) ‘want to help but not be in a position to do so.’ Antonyms: [ᕫᖗᑨ᠟] (dé xcn yìng shiu ᕫᖗឝ᠟) ‘do or handle expertly,’ [В᠟ Пࢇ] ( jj shiu zhc láo 㟝᠟Пࢲ) ‘the work involved in raising one’s hand – slight effort, easy.’ 107. ĞጙᇄჅᒀğ(ዯᵨᙰ᛹) yì wú sui zhc The meaning of this idiom is ‘know absolutely nothing about something.’ Example 1: ϡᇥҎᇍѢϪ⬠ग़৆ጙᇄჅᒀDŽ Bù shfo rén duìyú shìjiè lìshh yìwúsuizhc. ‘Not a few people know absolutely nothing about world history.’ Example 2: 䙷ԡ೑Ӯ䆂ਬ䇈ˈҪᇍ‫ܓ‬ᄤⱘ䖱⊩㸠ЎጙᇄჅᒀDŽ Nà wèi guóhuì yìyuán shud, ta duì érzi de wéiff xíngwéi yìwúsuizhc. ‘That member of the National Assembly said he knew absolutely nothing about the illegal activities of his son.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; usually preceded by ᇍ (duì ᇡ). Near Synonyms: [ϔちϡ䗮] ( yí qiào bù tdng ϔ゙ϡ䗮) ‘one gate not opened – know nothing about something,’ [ⶹП⫮ᇥ] (zhc zhc shèn shfo ⶹП⫮ᇥ) ‘know very little.’ Antonyms: [њབᣛᥠ] (lifo rú zhh zhfng ⶁབᣛᥠ) ‘understand as well as one’s own fingers and palms – completely clear,’ [मস䗮Ҟ] (bó gj tdng jcn मস䗮Ҟ) ‘know much about both ancient and modern learning,’ [ᄺ䌃ϰ㽓] (xué guàn ddng xc ᅌ䉿ᵅ㽓) ‘thoroughly conversant with both Asian and Western knowledge.’ 108. Ğጙᇳᒄ࢐ğ(ዯ᥆ጴᑊ) yì xí zhc dì ᐁ means ‘mat.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the place for one mat.’ By metaphor, this has come to mean ‘a deserved place’ or ‘a proper place.’ Example 1: ᐁࢦ೼ᖋ೑᭛ᄺ৆Ϟऴ᳝ጙᇳᒄ࢐DŽ Xílè zài Déguó wénxuéshh shàng zhànyiu yìxí-zhcdì. ‘Schiller has a deserved place in German literary history.’

Entries 109 – 110: 䕏㗠ᯧВ and ѵ㕞㸹⠶

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Example 2: ᓴ㡎䇟ⱘ⬉ᕅЎЁ೑⬉ᕅ೼Ϫ⬠㟲ৄ䌶ᕫጙᇳᒄ࢐DŽ Zhang Yìmóu de diànyhng wèi Zhdngguó diànyhng zài shìjiè wjtái yíngdé yìxízhcdì. ‘Zhang Yimou’s films have earned a deserved place for Chinese films on the world stage.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object, often preceded by verbs such as ऴ᳝ (zhànyiu Ԩ᳝) ‘possess,’ ऴ᥂ (zhànjù Ԩ᪮) ‘occupy,’ or 䌶ᕫ (yíngdé 䋣ᕫ) ‘win.’ Near Synonym: [ゟ䫹Пഄ] (lì zhuc zhc dì ゟ䣤Пഄ) ‘(enough) land to set up an awl – a scrap of land.’ Antonyms: [᮴䖍᮴䰙] (wú bian wú jì ⛵䙞⛵䱯) ‘without sides without borders – limitless,’ [⋄ቅ࣫᭫] (Tài Shan Bgidiu ⋄ቅ࣫᭫) ‘Mount Tai and the North Star – an eminent authority (in a learned field).’ 109. Ğ༵ऎጵ௟ğ(⅜ᒚᚔ⓴) qcng ér yì jj 䕏 means ‘light, not heavy,’ ᯧ means ‘easy,’ and В means ‘lift, raise.’ The literal meaning is ‘light and easy to lift,’ with a freer translation being ‘easy, easy as pie, without much effort.’ Example 1: 䖭ӊџⳟԐㅔऩˈԚᰃ㒱䴲ϔӊ༵ऎጵ௟ⱘџDŽ Zhè jiàn shì kànsì jifndan, dànshì juéf bi yíjiàn qcng’éryìjj de shì. ‘This matter looks simple, but it’s absolutely not a very easy thing.’ Example 2: 䙷ᬃ䎇⧗䯳໾ᔎ໻ˈ಴ℸ༵ऎጵ௟ഄ៬㚰њᇍ᠟DŽ Nà zhc zúqiúduì tài qiángdà, ycnch qcng’éryìjj de zhànshèngle duìshiu. ‘That soccer team is too powerful, so they easily defeated their opponents.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as adverbial and predicate. Near Synonym: [ᯧབডᥠ] ( yì rú ffn zhfng ᯧབডᥠ) ‘as easy as turning one’s palms over – very easy.’ Antonym: [䲒ѢϞ䴦໽] (nán yú shàng qcng tian 䲷ᮐϞ䴦໽) ‘harder than ascending into the blue sky.’ 110. Ğᅾዲ‫ݗ‬ಐğ(ጏᒖᾚᖆ) wáng yáng bj láo ѵ means ‘lose,’ 㸹 means ‘mend, repair,’ and ⠶ means ‘sheep pen.’ A literal translation of the idiom is ‘mend the sheep pen when one loses sheep.’ This is a metaphor for it never being too late to figure out a way to solve a problem that has arisen. English translations include ‘it’s never too late’ and ‘better late than never.’

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Entry 111: 咬咬᮴䯏

Example 1: 㱑✊ཌྷ೼乘䌯Ё༅߽ˈԚᰃᅾዲ‫ݗ‬ಐˈ‫އ‬䌯ЁপᕫњӬᓖⱘ៤㒽DŽ Sucrán ta zài yùsài zhdng shclì, dànshì wángyáng-bjláo, juésài zhdng qjdéle yduyì de chéngjì. ‘Even though she suffered a setback in the preliminary competition, it’s never too late to fix a problem; so she obtained outstanding results in the finals.’ Example 2: Դϡ㽕䖛ߚ䋷໛㞾Ꮕˈᅾዲ‫ݗ‬ಐˈ䖬ϡㅫᰮˈҹৢ໮⊼ᛣህᰃњDŽ Nh búyào guòfèn zébèi zìjh, wángyáng-bjláo, hái bú suàn wfn, yhhòu dud zhùyì jiù shìle. ‘Don’t reproach yourself excessively; it’s never too late to solve a problem; just pay more attention in the future.’ Usage: Usually used independently, often followed by expressions such as ⢍᳾ᰮ г (yóu wèi wfn yg ⤊᳾ᰮг) or Ўᯊ᳾ᰮ (wéi shí wèi wfn ⚎ᰖ᳾ᰮ), both of which mean ‘not yet late.’ Allusion: In ancient times there was a herdsman who kept many sheep in his household. One night, his sheep pen broke and a sheep was carried off by a wolf. The next day a neighbor came to comfort him and urged him to repair the sheep pen. But he said: “Since the sheep has already been carried off, what use is repairing the sheep pen? That sheep is not coming back.” The neighbor said earnestly: “Haven’t you heard the old saying ‘To not send hunting dogs outside until you see rabbits is not considered too late; and to not repair a sheep pen until you lose a sheep is not considered tardy’? If you don’t repair the sheep pen, you will suffer even greater losses.” The herdsman didn’t believe him; and so the next morning, three of his sheep were carried off by the wolf. (from “Stratagems of Chu,” No. 4, in Stratagems of the Warring States) Near Synonym: [ⶹ䫭ህᬍ] (zhc cuò jiù gfi ⶹ䤃ህᬍ) ‘as soon as you realize a mistake, correct it.’ Antonym: [ስᬭϡᬍ] (lr jiào bù gfi ሶᬭϡᬍ) ‘repeatedly teach someone but they don’t change their ways.’ 111. Ğ෦෦ᇄᆫğ(⑌⑌ᵨℎ) mò mò wú wén 咬咬 means ‘silently’ and 䯏 means ‘hear of.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘silently and without anyone hearing of someone or something.’ Freer translations include ‘unknown to the public, anonymous.’ Example 1: ཌྷҹࠡᰃϾ෦෦ᇄᆫⱘ℠᠟ˈԚᰃϞњ᯹㡖ᰮӮҹৢˈϔ໰៤ৡDŽ Ta yhqián shì ge mòmò-wúwén de gbshiu, dànshì shàngle chenjié wfnhuì yhhòu, yí yè chéngmíng. ‘She formerly was an unknown singer, but after she was on the Chinese New Year’s evening program, she became famous overnight.’

Entries 112 – 113: 䖿ϡঞᕙ and ᳝ໄ᳝㡆

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Example 2: 㗕ᴢ೼䖭ϾᎹ԰ቫԡϞ෦෦ᇄᆫഄᎹ԰њϝकᑈњDŽ Lfo Lh zài zhège gdngzuò gfngwèi shàng mòmò-wúwén de gdngzuòle sanshí nián le. ‘Old Li has been working in this position quietly and unknown to the public for thirty years.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, adverbial, and predicate. Near Synonym: [᮴ໄ᮴ᙃ] (wú shbng wú xc ⛵㙆⛵ᙃ) ‘no sound no breath – silent.’ Antonyms: [ӫ᠔਼ⶹ] (zhòng sui zhdu zhc ⴒ᠔਼ⶹ) ‘as is known to all,’ [ᆊஏ᠋ᰧ] ( jia yù hù xifo ᆊஏ᠊Ო) ‘known to every family, widely known,’ [哢哢໻ৡ] (dhng dhng dà míng 哢哢໻ৡ) ‘very famous, renowned,’ [䌿䌿᳝ৡ] (hè hè yiu míng 䌿䌿᳝ৡ) ‘celebrated and famous, illustrious.’ 112. Ğ຾‫ࡗૺݙ‬ğ(ᢴጰ፛឵) pò bù jí dài 䖿 means ‘urgent, pressing,’ ϡঞ means ‘not be up to,’ and ᕙ means ‘wait.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘too impatient to wait, be itching to do something, unable to hold oneself back.’ Example 1: 䖬≵ㄝᅶҎᡞ䆱䇈ᅠˈᄽᄤህ຾‫ࡗૺݙ‬ഄᠧᓔњᅶҎ䗕ⱘ⼐⠽DŽ Hái méi dgng kèrén bf huà shudwán, háizi jiù pòbùjídài de dfkaile kèrén sòng de lhwù. ‘Without waiting for the guests to finish talking, the children – who were too impatient to wait – opened the presents that the guests had given them.’ Example 2: ᬊࠄ໻ᄺⱘᔩপ䗮ⶹкৢˈཌྷ຾‫ࡗૺݙ‬ഄᡞ䖭Ͼད⍜ᙃਞ䆝њ᠔᳝ⱘད᳟ টDŽ Shdudào dàxué de lùqj tdngzhcshe hòu, ta pòbùjídài de bf zhège hfo xiaoxi gàosule suiyiu de hfo péngyou. ‘When she received the college’s letter of admission, she couldn’t wait to tell all her best friends this good news.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. 113. Ğᎌဉᎌྻğ(ᑺⓦᑺᒩ) yiu shbng yiu sè ໄ means ‘sound’ and 㡆 means ‘color.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘have sound have color.’ A freer translation is ‘full of sound and color, vivid.’ Example 1: Ҫ‫خ‬њᄺ⫳ӮЏᐁҹৢˈᡞᄺ⫳Ӯⱘ⌏ࡼ᧲ᕫᎌဉᎌྻⱘDŽ Ta zuòle xuéshenghuì zhjxí yhhòu, bf xuéshenghuì de huódòng gfode yiushbngyiusè de. ‘When he became chair of the student association, he did much to liven up the association’s activities.’

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Entries 114 – 115: ϔᖗϔᛣ and さབ݊ᴹ

Example 2: Ā䇏к᳜ā⌏ࡼᓔሩᕫᎌဉᎌྻDŽ “Dúshe Yuè” huódòng kaizhfnde yiushbng-yiusè. ‘“Reading Month” activities were launched full of sound and color.’ Usage: Functions mainly as verb complement, usually occurring after verbs such as ᧲ (gfo) ‘do,’ ࡲ (bàn 䕺) ‘handle,’ ᓔሩ (kaizhfn 䭟ሩ) ‘develop,’ and 䖯㸠 ( jìnxíng 䘆㸠) ‘conduct.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㒬ໄ㒬㡆] (huì shbng huì sè 㐾㙆㐾㡆) ‘vivid, life-like,’ [‫ڣ‬῵‫ڣ‬ḋ] (xiàng mó xiàng yàng ‫ڣ‬῵‫ڣ‬ῷ) ‘presentable, respectable’ (used in spoken Chinese). Antonym: [᮴ໄ᮴ᙃ] (wú shbng wú xc ⛵㙆⛵ᙃ) ‘no sound no breath – silent.’ 114. Ğጙቦጙፀğ(ዯ፬ዯẤ) yì xcn yí yì A literal translation of this idiom is ‘with one heart and one mind.’ Freer translations include ‘wholeheartedly, very attentively, with complete concentration.’ Example 1: Ё೑ⱘᬓㄪᰃϡ೼೑䰙Ϟߎ༈ˈጙቦጙፀ᧲㒣⌢ᓎ䆒DŽ Zhdngguó de zhèngcè shì bú zài guójì shàng chetóu, yìxcn-yíyì gfo jcngjì jiànshè. ‘Chinese policy is not to raise its head internationally, concentrating wholeheartedly on engaging in economic construction.’ Example 2: ҪϡጙቦጙፀഄᎹ԰ˈ೼Ꮉ԰ⱘᯊ䯈♦㙵ˈ಴ℸ㹿㾷䲛њDŽ Ta bú yìxcn-yíyì de gdngzuò, zài gdngzuò de shíjian chfogj, ycnch bèi jiggùle. ‘He doesn’t work with complete concentration; during working hours he traded stocks, therefore he was let go.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϧᖗ㟈ᖫ] (zhuan xcn zhì zhì ᇜᖗ㟈ᖫ) ‘with single-minded devotion,’ [ܼᖗܼᛣ] (quán xcn quán yì ܼᖗܼᛣ) ‘with all one’s heart and all one’s soul,’ [ᖗ᮴ᮕ偯] (xcn wú páng wù ᖗ⛵ᮕ俪) ‘single-minded.’ Antonyms: [ϝᖗѠᛣ] (san xcn èr yì ϝᖗѠᛣ) ‘of two minds, half-hearted,’ [ᖗ⤓ᛣ 偀] (xcn yuán yì mf ᖗ⤓ᛣ侀) ‘heart (agile as an) ape and thoughts (swift as a) horse – fanciful and fickle, capricious,’ [ᳱϝᲂಯ] (zhao san mù sì ᳱϝᲂಯ) ‘fickle and inconstant.’ 115. Ğᅃྙ໚౶ğ(ᡥᑙᗥᗔ) te rú qí lái さ means ‘sudden.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘something that has come suddenly.’

Entries 116 – 117: ᓖ‫ݯ‬さ䍋 and ୰䯏Ф㾕

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Example 1: ໻ᆊ䛑㹿䖭ᅃྙ໚౶ⱘ⍜ᙃ১ਚњDŽ Dàjia ddu bèi zhè terúqílái de xiaoxi xiàdaile. ‘Everyone was scared out of their wits by this sudden news.’ Example 2: ϔഎᅃྙ໚౶ⱘ໻ഄ䳛༎䍄њ޴ϛϾҎⱘ⫳ੑDŽ Yì cháng terúqílái de dà dìzhèn duóziule jh wàn ge rén de shbngmìng. ‘A sudden major earthquake took away the lives of tens of thousands of people.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonym: [Ң໽㗠䰡] (cóng tian ér jiàng ᕲ໽㗠䰡) ‘fall from the sky.’ Antonym: [ᛣ᭭ПЁ] ( yì liào zhc zhdng ᛣ᭭ПЁ) ‘as might be expected.’ 116. Ğፊంᅃ໦ğ(ᯊ᢬ᡥᩪ) yì jen te qh ᓖ means ‘another,’ ‫ ݯ‬means ‘army,’ さ means ‘suddenly,’ and 䍋 means ‘arise, emerge.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘another army suddenly emerges.’ This is a metaphor meaning ‘sudden appearance of a new force or new trend.’ Example 1: এᑈҹᴹˈЁ೑ཇᄤ㔥⧗䗝᠟ፊంᅃ໦ˈ೼Ϫ⬠໻䌯Ϟስ⃵㦋ᕫད៤㒽DŽ Qùnián yhlái, Zhdngguó nrzh wfngqiú xufnshiu yìjen-teqh, zài shìjiè dàsài shàng lrcì huòdé hfo chéngjì. ‘Since last year, the Chinese women’s tennis players have turned a new leaf; at major international competitions, they have repeatedly obtained good results.’ Example 2: 䙷ᑻජᏖⱘमᔽϮፊంᅃ໦ˈऴܼᏖ⿢ᬊⱘⱒߚПѨकҹϞDŽ Nà zuò chéngshì de bócfiyè yìjen-teqh, zhàn quán shì shuìshdu de bfifbnzhc wjshí yhshàng. ‘That city’s gambling industry has started a new trend; it constitutes over fifty percent of the tax revenues for the whole city.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonym: [߿ᓔ⫳䴶] (bié kai shbng miàn ߹䭟⫳䴶) ‘start something new.’ Antonym: [ϛ偀唤୥] (wàn mf qí ycn 㨀侀唞୥) ‘ten thousand horses together mute – with nobody expressing an opinion.’ 117. Ğᇶᆫಘ୅ğ(Ჟℎ∛ᖤ) xh wén lè jiàn ୰ means ‘like,’ 䯏 means ‘hear,’ Ф means ‘glad,’ and 㾕 means ‘see.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘like to hear and glad to see.’ A freer translation is ‘love to see and hear.’

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Entries 118 – 119: ӏ䞡䘧䖰 and ᮴ᆊৃᔦ

Example 1: ⳌໄᰃҎӀᇶᆫಘ୅ⱘ㡎ᴃᔶᓣ. Xiàngshbng shì rénmen xhwén-lèjiàn de yìshù xíngshì. ‘Comic dialogues are an art form that people love to see and hear.’ Example 2: 䖥ᑈᴹˈཌྷ߯԰њ໻䞣ⱘ㗕ⱒྦྷᇶᆫಘ୅ⱘ԰કDŽ Jìn nián lái, ta chuàngzuòle dàliàng de lfobfixìng xhwén-lèjiàn de zuòphn. ‘During recent years, she created many works that the common people love to see and hear.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㛡♭Ҏষ] (kuài zhì rén kiu 㞒♭Ҏষ) ‘on everyone’s lips,’ [ϟ䞠Ꮘ Ҏ] (xià lh ba rén ϟ䞠ᏈҎ) ‘popular literature and art.’ Antonym: [䰇᯹ⱑ䲾] ( yáng chen bái xug 䱑᯹ⱑ䲾) ‘highbrow culture.’ 118. ĞྀᒮࡸᏐğ(ᐞᢽ῔⅟) rèn zhòng dào yufn ӏ means ‘burden’ and 䘧 means ‘road.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the burden is heavy and the road is far,’ with a freer translation being ‘have heavy responsibilities that take a long time to fulfill.’ Example 1: ᇍܼϪ⬠ᴹ䇈ˈ⍜䰸䋿㢺ྀᒮࡸᏐDŽ Duì quán shìjiè lái shud, xiaochú pínkj rènzhòng-dàoyufn. ‘For the whole world, eliminating poverty is a heavy responsibility that will take a long time to fulfill.’ Example 2: Ё೑⬋䎇៤ЎϪ⬠ᔎ䯳䖭ϔⳂྀᷛᒮࡸᏐDŽ Zhdngguó nánzú chéngwéi shìjiè qiáng duì zhè yc mùbiao rènzhòng-dàoyufn. ‘This goal of China’s male soccer team to become a strong team in the world is a heavy responsibility that will take many years of hard work to achieve.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Antonym: [᮴᠔џџ] (wú sui shì shì ⛵᠔џџ) ‘have nothing to do.’ 119. Ğᇄଜభਙğ(ᵨᤲᎵ▀) wú jia kg guc ᔦ means ‘go back.’ A literal translation is ‘have no home that you can return to,’ with a freer translation being ‘homeless.’ Example 1: ৄ亢䖛ৢˈकϛҎᇄଜభਙDŽ Táifbng guò hòu, shíwàn rén wújia-kgguc. ‘After the typhoon had passed, 100,000 people were homeless.’

Entry 120: ܹ᳼ϝߚ

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Example 2: 䖭Ͼᴎᵘϧ䮼ᬊ‫ݏ‬䙷ѯᇄଜభਙⱘᇣࡼ⠽DŽ Zhège jcgòu zhuanmén shduyfng nàxib wújia-kgguc de xifo dòngwù. ‘This organization specializes in adopting homeless small animals.’ Usage: Functions as predicate and attributive. Note also the expression ᮴ᆊৃᔦ㗙 (wú jia kg guc zhg ⛵ᆊৃ⅌㗙) ‘homeless person.’ Near Synonym: [⌕⾏༅᠔] (liú lí shc sui ⌕䲶༅᠔) ‘wander about and lose one’s place – be destitute and homeless.’ Antonym: [ಯ⍋Ўᆊ] (sì hfi wéi jia ಯ⍋⚎ᆊ) ‘the four seas are one’s home – the whole world is one family, be able to move anywhere and feel at home.’

120. Ğྜྷ෸ྯॊğ(ዹ፹ጃፍ) rù mù san fbn A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘enter wood 3/10 of an inch (in calligraphy) – forceful, bold, sharp.’ Originally, this referred to great strength in writing Chinese calligraphy, but later it came to be used as a metaphor for ‘deep, astute, keen, or sharp.’ Example 1: ཌྷᇍ䖭䚼⬉ᕅⱘ䆘䆎ྜྷ෸ྯॊˈ䴲ᐌ⏅ࠏDŽ Ta duì zhè bù diànyhng de pínglùn rùmù-sanfbn, fbicháng shbnkè. ‘Her review of this film is quite astute and extremely deep.’ Example 2: ҪⳟҎⳳᰃྜྷ෸ྯॊˈϔϟᄤህⳟࠄ߿Ҏⱘᴀ䋼DŽ Ta kàn rén zhbn shì rùmù-sanfbn, yíxiàzi jiù kàndào biérén de bgnzhì. ‘He really is very astute in his observations of people, immediately seeing the basic character of others.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Allusion: Wang Xizhi (303–361 C.E.) of the Jin Dyansty was the most famous calligrapher in Chinese history. He was not only naturally talented and smart but also very assiduous in his practice. He practiced writing characters at the bank of a pond, and every time when he finished writing, he would wash his brush and inkstone in the pond. As time went on, all the water in the pond turned black. Once, the emperor wanted to go to the outskirts of the city to offer sacrifices to the gods and told Wang Xizhi to write prayers on a wooden board with his brush. The emperor then had workers engrave the brush characters. But when the workers engraved the characters, they discovered that Wang Xizhi had so much power in his brush strokes that his calligraphy actually penetrated three-tenths of an inch into the wood. Note: Complimentary in meaning.

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Entries 121 – 122: ᛣੇ⏅䭓 and 㒻ᕔᓔᴹ

Near Synonym: [ϔ䩜㾕㸔] ( yì zhbn jiàn xug ϔ䞱㽟㸔) ‘one prick of the needle and see blood – hit the nail on the head.’ Antonyms: [ϡᕫ㽕乚] (bù dé yào lhng ϡᕫ㽕䷬) ‘not obtain the essence – miss the point,’ [⬹㾕ϔ᭥] (lüè jiàn yì ban ⬹㽟ϔ᭥) ‘get just a glimpse of.’ 121. Ğፀᆜ࿾‫ޠ‬ğ(Ấᗾᮥᜳ) yì wèi shbn cháng ᛣੇ means ‘meaning, significance’ and ⏅䭓 means ‘profound.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘have profound significance.’ Example 1: Ҫፀᆜ࿾‫ޠ‬ഄ䇈ˈ“ᰃᯊ‫׭‬њDŽ” Ta yìwèi-shbncháng de shud, “Shì shíhou le.” ‘With profound significance, he said, “It’s time.”’ Example 2: 䙧ᇣᑇⱘ䆱ᘏᰃᕜㅔऩˈԚᰃैፀᆜ࿾‫↨ˈޠ‬ᮍ䇈䙷Ͼ᳝ৡⱘĀ⣿੠㗕哴ā ⱘ䆘䆎DŽ Dèng Xifopíng de huà zingshì hgn jifndan, dànshì què yìwèi-shbncháng, bhfang shud nàge yiumíng de “mao hé lfoshj” de pínglùn. ‘Deng Xiaoping’s words were always very simple, but they had a profound significance, for example, that famous comment about “the cat and the mouse.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, predicate, and attributive; often used in connection with verbs meaning ‘say.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [䇁䞡ᖗ䭓] ( yj zhòng xcn cháng 䁲䞡ᖗ䭋) ‘sincere, heartfelt,’ [ԭ䷇ 㹙㹙] (yú ycn nifo nifo 们䷇㺞㺞) ‘lingering sound.’ Antonyms: [៯✊㗠ℶ] ( jiá rán ér zhh ៯✊㗠ℶ) ‘stop suddenly,’ [㋶✊᮴ੇ] (sui rán wú wèi ㋶✊⛵ੇ) ‘dull and without flavor – insipid.’ 122. Ğଖᆁఎ౶ğ(⛍ᙗḶᗔ) jì wfng kai lái 㒻 means ‘succeed, continue,’ ᕔ means ‘the past,’ ᓔ means ‘open up, initiate,’ and ᴹ means ‘the future.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘succeed the past and initiate the future,’ with freer translations being ‘carry on the glorious traditions of the past and open up the way to the future.’ Example 1: 䖭ᰃϔ⃵ᡓࠡਃৢǃଖᆁఎ౶ⱘ䞡㽕Ӯ䆂DŽ zhè shì yí cì chéngqián-qhhòu, jìwfng-kailái de zhòngyào huìyì. ‘This is an important conference that continues the past and develops the future, that carries on the fine traditions of the past and opens up the way to the future.’

Entry 123: 㘇Ⳃϔᮄ

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Example 2: ᮄ乚ᇐ੐৕໻ᆊଖᆁఎ౶ǃ‫߯ݡ‬䕝✠DŽ Xcn lhngdfo heyù dàjia jìwfng-kailái, zài chuàng huchuáng. ‘The new leader appealed to everyone to carry on the traditions of the past and open up the way to the future, and recreate glory.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᡓࠡਃৢ] (chéng qián qh hòu ᡓࠡଳᕠ) ‘continue the past and develop the future,’ [ᡓϞਃϟ] (chéng shàng qh xià ᡓϞଳϟ) ‘link the preceding with the following.’ Antonyms: [ぎࠡ㒱ৢ] (kdng qián jué hòu ぎࠡ㌩ᕠ) ‘never before or since,’ [䴦咘ϡ ᥹] (qcng huáng bù jib 䴦咗ϡ᥹) ‘old crop and new crop don’t connect – temporary shortage.’ 123. Ğऐ෹ጙቤğ(ᒜᐂዯỉ) gr mù yì xcn 㘇 means ‘ear’ and Ⳃ means ‘eye.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘ear eye entirely new.’ Freer translations include ‘brand-new sounds and sights, find everything fresh and new, the whole atmosphere has changed for the better, a whole new look, refreshing.’ Example 1: Ҫ᮶❳ᙝЁ೑ⱘᚙ‫ˈމ‬জњ㾷㕢೑ⱘᚙ‫ˈމ‬᠔ҹҪⱘᓎ䆂ҸҎऐ෹ጙቤDŽ Ta jì shúxc Zhdngguó de qíngkuàng, yòu lifojig Mgiguó de qíngkuàng, suiyh ta de jiànyì lìng rén grmù-yìxcn. ‘He is both familiar with China’s situation and also understands the U.S.’s situation, so his proposals make people feel they are very novel and refreshing.’ Example 2: 䖭⾡ᮄѻકⱘᴤ᭭੠ḋᓣ䛑ᕜ⡍߿ˈ㒭Ҏϔ⾡ऐ෹ጙቤⱘᛳ㾝DŽ Zhè zhing xcn chfnphn de cáiliào hé yàngshì ddu hgn tèbié, ggi rén yì zhing grmù-yìxcn de gfnjué. ‘The materials and style of this kind of new product are both very special; they give people a kind of new and refreshing feeling.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate or attributive. As predicate, usually used after 䅽 (ràng 䅧) / Ҹ (lìng) / ՓҎ (shhrén) ‘make people (feel) . . . .’ As attributive, usually used in the phrases 㒭Ҏ̚ⱘᛳ㾝 (ggi rén ̚ de gfnjué ㌺Ҏ̚ⱘᛳ㾎) and 㒭Ҏ̚ Пᛳ (ggi rén ̚ zhc gfn ㌺Ҏ̚Пᛳ) ‘give people a . . . feeling.’ Note: Has a positive connotation. Near Synonym: [⛩✊ϔᮄ] (huàn rán yì xcn ✹✊ϔᮄ) ‘look brand-new, change beyond recognition.’ Antonyms: [ϔ៤ϡব] (yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable,’ [ձ✊བᬙ] ( yc rán rú gù ձ✊བᬙ) ‘still the same as before.’

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Entries 124 – 125: ᕾᑣ⏤䖯 and ᤎ䑿㗠ߎ

124. Ğክኔ୍஠ğ(᳟ᔫ₰Ḣ) xún xù jiàn jìn ᕾ means ‘follow,’ ᑣ means ‘order,’ ⏤ means ‘gradually,’ and 䖯 means ‘move forward.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘according to the order gradually move forward,’ with a freer translation being ‘follow in order and proceed step by step.’ Example 1: ‫خ‬џϡ㛑໾ⴔᗹˈ㽕ክኔ୍஠ˈϔℹϔϾ㛮ॄDŽ Zuòshì bù néng tài zháojí, yào xúnxù-jiànjìn, yí bù yí ge jifoyìn. ‘In one’s work one must not be too anxious; one should follow the established order and proceed step by step, one step and one footprint at a time.’ Example 2: ೑ᆊᏆ㒣ࠊᅮᬓㄪˈ㽕ክኔ୍஠ഄথሩ‫ݰ‬ᴥⱘ෎⸔ᬭ㚆DŽ Guójia yhjcng zhìdìng zhèngcè, yào xúnxù-jiànjìn de fazhfn nóngcen de jcchj jiàoyù. ‘The nation has already formulated the policy; we should proceed step by step in developing basic education in the countryside.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᣝ䚼ህ⧁] (àn bù jiù ban ᣝ䚼ህ⧁) ‘do things in an orderly fashion.’ Antonyms: [ϔ䑈㗠ህ] ( yí cù ér jiù ϔ䑈㗠ህ) ‘accomplish in one move,’ [䖛⢍ϡঞ] (guò yóu bù jí 䘢⤊ϡঞ) ‘going too far is as bad as not going far enough.’ 125. Ğᄮ࿽ऎ߲ğ(ᥫᖮᒚᎤ) thng shbn ér che ᤎ means ‘straighten’ and 䑿 means ‘body.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘straighten one’s body and come out.’ A freer translation is ‘step forward courageously, come out boldly.’ Example 1: ߎ⦄ϡ݀ℷⱘџᚙⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬㗕ᴢᘏᰃᄮ࿽ऎ߲ˈ䇈݀䘧䆱DŽ Chexiàn bù gdngzhèng de shìqing de shíhou, Lfo Lh zingshì thngshbn-érche, shud gdngdào huà. ‘When unjust things happen, Old Li always steps forward courageously and speaks fairly.’ Example 2: 䴶ᇍߊᙊⱘ⢃㔾ߚᄤˈ䄺ᆳᄮ࿽ऎ߲ˈֱᡸњফᆇ㗙DŽ Miànduì xidng’è de fànzuì fènzh, jhngchá thngshbn-érche, bfohùle shòuhàizhg. ‘Facing vicious criminals, the policemen stepped forward bravely and protected the victim.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning.

Entries 126 – 127: ⒨⒨ϡ㒱 and ໽㗏ഄ㽚

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Near Synonym: [༟ϡ乒䑿] (fèn bú gù shbn གϡ主䑿) ‘act boldly without regard for one’s own life.’ Antonym: [⬣㓽ϡࠡ] (wèi sud bù qián ⬣㐂ϡࠡ) ‘afraid to advance.’ 126. Ğჹჹ‫ݙ‬௾ğ(ỾỾጰᶮ) tao tao bù jué ⒨⒨ describes the continuous flow of water and 㒱 means ‘cut off.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘talking on and on without stopping, incessant.’ Example 1: Ҫჹჹ‫ݙ‬௾ഄ䆆њϸϾᇣᯊˈ≵᳝ϔহ䞡໡ⱘ䆱DŽ Ta taotao-bùjué de jifngle lifng ge xifoshí, méiyiu yí jù chóngfù de huà. ‘He talked incessantly for two hours, without a single repeated phrase.’ Example 2: 䇈䍋ᑈ䕏ᯊ‫ⱘ׭‬џᚙᴹˈཌྷჹჹ‫ݙ‬௾DŽ Shudqh niánqcng shíhou de shìqing lái, ta taotao-bùjué. ‘When she starts talking about things from when she was young, she just keeps on talking without stopping.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ষ㢹 ⊇] (kiu ruò xuán hé ষ㢹៌⊇) ‘mouth like a fast-flowing river – eloquent,’ [⑤⑤ϡᮁ] ( yuán yuán bú duàn ⑤⑤ϡᮋ) ‘in an endless stream,’ [՗՗㗠䇜] (kfn kfn ér tán ՗՗㗠䂛) ‘speak with confidence and conviction.’ Antonyms: [ᓴষ㒧㟠] (zhang kiu jié shé ᔉষ㌤㟠) ‘open mouth tie tongue – at a loss for words,’ [થষ᮴㿔] ( yf kiu wú yán ଲষ⛵㿔) ‘dumb and without words – speechless.’ 127. Ğᄖड࢐঄ğ(፞▰ᑊ◃) tian fan dì fù 㗏 means ‘turn over’ and 㽚 means ‘overturn.’ A literal translation is ‘heavens overturn earth overturns.’ A freer translation is ‘earth-shaking, causing cataclysmic changes.’ Example 1: ᬍ䴽ᓔᬒҹৢˈЁ೑থ⫳њᄖड࢐঄ⱘব࣪DŽ Gfigé kaifàng yhhòu, Zhdngguó fashbngle tianfan-dìfù de biànhuà. ‘After the reforms and opening to the outside world, in China there occurred earth-shaking changes.’ Example 2: ໿ྏਉᶊˈᡞᭈϾ໻ᆊᒁ䯍ᕫᄖड࢐঄DŽ Feqc chfojià, bf zhgng ge dà jiatíng nàode tianfan-dìfù. ‘The husband and wife quarreled, causing a huge ruckus for the whole big family.’

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Entries 128 – 129: ϡ㿔㗠ஏ and ‫ݡ᥹ݡ‬ढ़

Usage: Functions mainly as complement, attributive, and predicate. Antonym: [ϔ៤ϡব] ( yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’ 128. Ğ‫ݙ‬ዔऎᎳğ(ጰᖦᒚᲫ) bù yán ér yù 㿔 means ‘speak’ and ஏ means ‘understand.’ The whole idiom means ‘it goes without saying, be obvious.’ Example 1: ೼ᘏ㒳䗝ВЁˈҪߎњϥ䯏ˈ㒧ᵰ‫ݙ‬ዔऎᎳDŽ Zài zingting xufnjj zhdng, ta chele chiuwén, jiégui bùyán-éryù. ‘In the presidential election, a scandal arose about him, with the obvious result.’ Example 2: Ё೑᳝ϗғ໮‫ˈ⇥ݰ‬᠔ҹ‫ݰ‬Ϯ䯂乬೼Ё೑ⱘ㒣⌢Ё‫ݙ‬ዔऎᎳDŽ Zhdngguó yiu qc yì dud nóngmín, suiyh nóngyè wèntí zài Zhdngguó de jcngjì zhdng bùyán-éryù. ‘China has over 700 million peasants, so in China’s economy, agricultural issues are obvious in their importance.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [ᰒ㗠ᯧ㾕] (xifn ér yì jiàn 乃㗠ᯧ㽟) ‘obviously, clearly.’ Antonym: [῵ễϸৃ] (mó léng lifng kg ῵ễܽৃ) ‘ambiguous.’ 129. ĞᏳ୻Ᏻಹğ(ᐪᬻᐪ↭) zài jib zài lì ‫ ݡ‬means ‘again,’ ᥹ here means ‘join (battle),’ and ढ़ here means ‘sharpen.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘again join (battle) again sharpen (one’s weapon).’ This originally referred to the habit some roosters had of sharpening their beaks prior to fighting. Freer translations of the idiom include ‘redouble one’s efforts’ and ‘make sustained and persistent efforts.’ Example 1: ԴӀᏆ㒣পᕫњᕜ໻ⱘ៤㒽ˈᏠᳯԴӀᏳ୻Ᏻಹˈপᕫ᳈໻ⱘ៤㒽DŽ Nhmen yhjcng qjdéle hgn dà de chéngjì, xcwàng nhmen zàijib-zàilì, qjdé gèng dà de chéngjì. ‘You have already attained great achievements; I hope you redouble your efforts and attain even greater achievements.’ Example 2: ཌྷ䕧њࠡϸⲬˈԚᰃ䌶њ㄀ϝⲬˈৢᴹᏳ୻Ᏻಹˈ䌶њ᳔ৢϸⲬˈ᳔㒜ҹ পᕫњ㚰߽DŽ Ta shele qián lifng pán, dànshì yíngle dìsan pán, hòulái zàijib-zàilì, yíngle zuìhòu lifng pán, zuìzhdng yh san bh èr qjdéle shènglì. ‘She lost the first two games, but won the third game; later she redoubled her efforts and won the last two games, in the end attaining victory with a score of 3 to 2.’

Entry 130: ᴲҎᖻ໽

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Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϡሜϡᣴ] (bù qe bù náo ϡሜϡᩧ) ‘refuse to submit,’ [ስ䋹ስ៬] (lr bài lr zhàn ሶᬫሶ᠄) ‘repeatedly be defeated repeatedly fight – fight on despite repeated setbacks.’ Antonym: [ᕫ䖛Ϩ䖛] (dé guò qig guò ᕫ䘢Ϩ䘢) ‘drift or muddle along.’ 130. Ğᬯཽᎃᄖğ(ᕟዷ⇥፞) Qh rén ydu tian ᴲ is the name of a country in ancient China and ᖻ means ‘worry about.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘(like) the person from Qi who worried about the sky (falling down).’ This is a metaphor for ‘groundless fears’ or ‘alarmism.’ Example 1: ᡞᖗᬒࠄ㙮ᄤ䞠এ৻ˈϡӮ᳝џⱘDŽԴ䖭ᰃᬯཽᎃᄖDŽ Bf xcn fàngdào dùzi lh qù ba, bú huì yiu shì de. Nh zhè shì Qhrén-ydutian. ‘Put your heart at ease, nothing will happen. You’re being like the man of Qi who was worried about the sky falling in.’ Example 2: ᬭ㒗Ӏⱘᢙᖗᑊ䴲ᬯཽᎃᄖˈϪ⬠ᥦৡ㄀ϔⱘ䗝᠟᳝䖛㹿ᥦৡϔⱒҹ໪ⱘ 䗝᠟ᠧ䋹ⱘ՟ᄤDŽ Jiàoliànmen de danxcn bìngfbi Qhrén-ydutian, shìjiè páimíng dìyc de xufnshiu yiuguo bèi páimíng yìbfi yhwài de xufnshiu dfbài de lìzi. ‘The coaches’ worries were not totally groundless; there were examples of athletes ranked number one in the world who had been defeated by athletes who didn’t rank in the top 100.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, often preceded by ᰃ (shì) ‘be a situation of ’ or ᑊ䴲 (bìngfbi Ϻ䴲) ‘by no means be a situation of.’ Allusion: In the country of Qi there was a man who worried all day long that the sky would collapse and the earth would sink, and that he would then have no place to stay. For this reason, he couldn’t eat all day or sleep well all night. The man had a friend who was worried about him, who explained: “The sky is a mass of air and air is everywhere. All of your breaths and actions take place in air; and you’re worried that the sky will fall in?” The man responded: “If the sky is a mass of air, then wouldn’t the sun, moon, and stars in the sky fall down?” His friend replied: “Those are merely things in the air that emit light; even if they fell, they wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Then the man asked: “What should we do if the earth sinks?” His friend answered: “The earth is merely clumps of earth that have been piled up. They have filled up all places everywhere, there being no place that does not have clumps of earth. You walk on the earth every day; why do you worry that the earth will sink?” After he had heard his friend’s words, the man felt reassured and became happier. And his friend was happy, too. (from “Tian Rui” in Liezi) Note: Derogatory in meaning.

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Entries 131 – 132: 亢ѥবᑏ and ⎟ⓧሑ㟈

Near Synonym: [ᒌҎ㞾ᡄ] (ydng rén zì rfo ᒌҎ㞾᫒) ‘mediocre people bring troubles upon themselves.’ Antonyms: [᮴ᖻ᮴㰥] (wú ydu wú lq ⛵᝖⛵ᝂ) ‘have no worries or anxieties at all,’ [ᗵ✊㞾ᕫ] (yí rán zì dé ᗵ✊㞾ᕫ) ‘content and pleased with oneself.’ 131. Ğज़Ꮰ‫ܤ‬યğ(ᣉṊ➦፨) fbng yún biàn huàn 亢 means ‘wind,’ ѥ means ‘cloud,’ and বᑏ means ‘change often and unpredictably.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘wind and clouds change often,’ with freer translations including ‘constantly changing, changeable.’ Example 1: ೑䰙ሔ࢓ज़Ꮰ‫ܤ‬યˈ៥Ӏᕫ‫خ‬ད‫ޚߚܙ‬໛DŽ Guójì júshì fbngyún-biànhuàn, wimen dgi zuò hfo chdngfèn zhjnbèi. ‘The international situation is constantly changing; we must make full preparations.’ Example 2: ೼ज़Ꮰ‫ܤ‬યⱘ㙵⼼Ꮦഎˈӏԩ⭣ᗑ䛑Ӯ䗴៤Ꮌ໻ⱘᤳ༅DŽ Zài fbngyún-biànhuàn de gjpiào shìchfng, rènhé shehe ddu huì zàochéng jùdà de sjnshc. ‘In the constantly shifting stock market, any negligence will cause giant losses.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ᤝᩌϡᅮ] (zhud md bú dìng ᤝᩌϡᅮ) ‘difficult to ascertain, hard to fathom,’ [⊶䈆ѥ䆵] (bd jué yún guh ⊶䄢䳆䁁) ‘wave cheats cloud deceives – change constantly.’ Antonym: [ϔ៤ϡব] ( yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’ 132. Ğ೼ಮ஧ᒘğ(ᮔ₣⃔ᢄ) lín lí jìn zhì The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘soak thoroughly until dripping wet,’ but it is usually used in the sense of ‘thoroughly.’ Example 1: ↨䌯Ёˈཌྷᡞ㞾Ꮕⱘ⡍䭓থ᣹ᕫ೼ಮ஧ᒘˈ᳔㒜পᕫњ↨䌯ⱘ㚰߽DŽ Bhsài zhdng, ta bf zìjh de tècháng fahuc de línlí-jìnzhì, zuìzhdng qjdéle bhsài de shènglì. ‘During the competition, she brought her special skills into thorough play, ultimately winning the competition.’ Example 2: 䖭䚼ᇣ䇈೼ಮ஧ᒘഄড᯴њकбϪ㑾㣅೑✸ⷓᎹҎⱘ⫳⌏DŽ Zhè bù xifoshud línlí-jìnzhì de ffnyìngle shíjij shìjì Y cngguó méikuàng gdngrén de shbnghuó. ‘This novel thoroughly reflects the life of 19th century English coal miners.’

Entries 133 – 134: ᖻᖗᖵᖵ and Ⳉ៾њᔧ

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Usage: Functions mainly as complement and attributive; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonym: [䜷⬙⎟ⓧ] (han chàng lín lí 䜷ᱶ⎟ⓧ) ‘to one’s heart’s content.’ 133. Ğᎃቦᤥᤥğ(⇥፬⪿⪿) ydu xcn chdng chdng ᖻᖗ means ‘worry’ and ᖵᖵ means ‘sad and worried.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘sad and worried.’ Example 1: ⠊↡Ӏᇍ⬉㾚Ϟⱘ⍝ঞᲈ࡯੠ᗻ‫ݙ‬ᆍⱘ㡖Ⳃᎃቦᤥᤥˈ⫳ᗩᄽᄤফࠄϡ㡃 д⇨ⱘᕅડDŽ Fùmjmen duì diànshì shàng de shèjí bàolì hé xìng nèiróng de jiémù yduxcnchdngchdng, shbngpà háizi shòudào bù liáng xíqì de yhngxifng. ‘The parents were very worried about the programs on television that involved violence and sexual content, very much afraid that their child would be influenced by the bad habits.’ Example 2: ᘏ⧚ᎃቦᤥᤥഄ䇈ˈĀ≵ᛇࠄᚙ‫މ‬䖭МϹ䞡DŽā Zinglh yduxcn-chdngchdng de shud: “Méi xifngdào qíngkuàng zhème yánzhòng.” ‘The premier said, sad and worried, “I wouldn’t have thought the situation would be so serious.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, adverbial, and attributive. Near Synonyms: [ᖗџ䞡䞡] (xcn shì chóng chóng ᖗџ䞡䞡) ‘in one’s heart have layer upon layer of worries,’ [ᛈᛈϡᅝ] (zhuì zhuì bù an ᛈᛈϡᅝ) ‘fearful and uneasy.’ Antonyms: [⒵䴶᯹亢] (mfn miàn chen fbng ⓓ䴶᯹乼) ‘whole face spring breeze – radiant with happiness,’ [୰ϞⳝṶ] (xh shàng méi shao ୰ϞⳝṶ) ‘radiant with joy.’ 134. Ğᒇ஀೫ࡩğ(ᛸ⁶ድἡ) zhí jié lifo dàng Ⳉ៾ means ‘direct’ and њᔧ means ‘straightforward.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘direct, straightforward.’ Example 1: Դ᳝ҔМ䆱ህᒇ஀೫ࡩഄ䇈৻ˈ߿㒩ᔃᄤDŽ Nh yiu shénme huà jiù zhíjié-lifodàng de shud ba, bié rào wanzi. ‘If you have anything to say, say it directly, don’t beat around the bush.’ Example 2: 䆄㗙ᒇ஀೫ࡩഄ䯂ˈĀԴ䎳ཌྷࠄᑩҔМ݇㋏˛ā Jìzhg zhíjié-lifodàng de wèn: “Nh gbn ta dàodh shénme guanxi?” ‘The reporter asked directly, “What’s your relationship to her?”’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial.

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Entries 135 – 136: ⴐ㢅㔁х and ϡሜϡᣴ

Note: Complimentary in meaning; used to describe speech or actions. Also written as Ⳉ᥹њᔧ (zhí jib lifo dàng Ⳉ᥹њ⭊), with the second syllable in tone one. Near Synonyms: [ᓔ䮼㾕ቅ] (kai mén jiàn shan 䭟䭔㽟ቅ) ‘open the door and see the mountain – come straight to the point,’ [ऩߔⳈܹ] (dan dao zhí rù ஂߔⳈܹ) ‘single sword enters straight – come straight to the point.’ Antonym: [䕀ᔃᢍ㾦] (zhufn wan mò jifo 䔝ᔢᢍ㾦) ‘a tortuous route, beat around the bush.’ 135. Ğዛઔ᫨൐ğ(ᯗ᜜▪Ṛ) yfn hua liáo luàn ⴐ㢅 means ‘blurry vision’ and 㔁х means ‘confused, chaotic.’ The meaning of the whole idiom can be either ‘confused, dazzled’ or ‘confusing, dazzling.’ Example 1: Ё೑℺ᠧ⠛䞠ዛઔ᫨൐ⱘࡼ԰䅽໪೑Ҏⳟњ໻ৗϔ᚞DŽ Zhdngguó wjdfpian lh yfnhua-liáoluàn de dòngzuò ràng wàiguó rén kànle dà chc yì jcng. ‘The dazzling movements in Chinese acrobatic fighting films astonish foreigners when they have seen them.’ Example 2: क໮ϾҎゲѝ⇥Џ‫ܮ‬ᘏ㒳‫׭‬䗝Ҏˈ↣ϾҎ䛑᳝ϔ༫㞾Ꮕⱘᬓ⊏Џᓴˈ䖭ৃ 㛑䅽䚼ߚ䗝⇥ዛઔ᫨൐DŽ Shí dud ge rén jìngzhbng Mínzhjdfng zingting hòuxufnrén, mgi ge rén ddu yiu yí tào zìjh de zhèngzhì zhjzhang, zhè kgnéng ràng bùfen xufnmín yfnhualiáoluàn. ‘More than a dozen people competing for Democratic presidential nominee, each with his or her own political views – this may confuse a portion of the voters.’ Usage: Functions as predicate in the structure Ҹ (lìng) / 䅽 (ràng 䅧) ‘make’  Ҏ (rén) ‘people’  ⴐ㢅㔁х. Near Synonyms: [Ⳃϡᱛ᥹] (mù bù xiá jib Ⳃϡᱛ᥹) ‘so much that the eyes cannot take it all in,’ [༈ᯣⴐ㢅] (tóu hen yfn hua 丁ᯣⴐ㢅) ‘head unconscious eyes blurred – dizzy,’ [Ѩ㢅ܿ䮼] (wj hua ba mén Ѩ㢅ܿ䭔) ‘various, of all kinds.’ Antonym: [ᖗབℶ∈] (xcn rú zhh shuh ᖗབℶ∈) ‘heart like stopped waters – have no emotions.’ 136. Ğ‫ݙ‬ཐ‫ݙ‬ญğ(ጰᘽጰ⇽) bù qe bù náo ሜ means ‘submit’ and ᣴ means ‘bent, crooked.’ The whole idiom means ‘refuse to submit, stick to one’s guns.’ Example 1: ೼ೄ䲒䴶ࠡˈҪ‫ݙ‬ཐ‫ݙ‬ญˈࡾ࡯༟᭫ˈ᳔ৢ㚰߽њDŽ Zài kùnnán miànqián, ta bùqe-bùnáo, njlì fèndòu, zuìhòu shènglì le.

Entry 137: 䇁䞡ᖗ䭓

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‘In the face of difficulty he refused to submit, struggling hard and succeeding in the end.’ Example 2: Ё೑Ҏ⇥㒣䖛‫ݙ‬ཐ‫ݙ‬ญⱘ᭫ѝˈ᳔㒜䌶ᕫњ⣀ゟDŽ Zhdngguó rénmín jcngguò bùqe-bùnáo de dòuzhbng, zuìzhdng yíngdéle dúlì. ‘After an unyielding struggle, the Chinese people ultimately won independence.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. As attributive, some kind of ‘struggle’ is often mentioned after it. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ⱒᡬϡᣴ] (bfi zhé bù náo ⱒᡬϡᩧ) ‘undaunted despite many setbacks.’ Antonyms: [थ䒀ሜ㝱] (bbi gdng qe xc थ䒀ሜ㝱) ‘bow low and humiliate oneself, submissive or deferential,’ [཈买ံ㝱] (nú yán bì xc ཈丣ံ㝱) ‘servility, subservience.’ 137. ĞᎫᒮቦ‫ޠ‬ğ(⅃ᢽ፬ᜳ) yj zhòng xcn cháng 䇁 here means ‘manner of speaking,’ 䞡 means ‘serious,’ ᖗ means ‘intention,’ and 䭓 here means ‘profound.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘with a serious manner of speaking and profound intention,’ with freer translations being ‘sincere’ and ‘heartfelt.’ Example 1: ↡҆Ꭻᒮቦ‫ޠ‬ഄᇍཇ‫ܓ‬䇈˖Āᄽᄤˈᡒᇍ䈵㒱ᇍϡ㛑ᡒϝᖗѠᛣⱘDŽā Mjqcn yjzhòng-xcncháng de duì nr’ér shud: “Háizi, zhfo duìxiàng juéduì bù néng zhfo sanxcn-èryì de.” ‘The mother said in a heartfelt manner to her daughter: “Child, when you look for someone to marry, you absolutely must not look for someone who is of two minds.”’ Example 2: ⳟⴔ♒⇥ˈᘏ⧚Ꭻᒮቦ‫ޠ‬ഄ䇈˖ ĀԴӀফ㢺њˈ᳝ҔМೄ䲒ህ䎳ᬓᑰ䇈DŽā Kànzhe zaimín, zinglh yjzhòng-xcncháng de shud: “Nhmen shòukj le, yiu shénme kùnnán jiù gbn zhèngfj shud.” ‘Seeing the disaster victims, the premier said in a very heartfelt way: “You all have suffered hardship; tell the government about whatever hardships you have.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, usually followed by the verb 䇈 (shud 䁾) ‘say.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [᥼ᖗ㕂㝍] (tuc xcn zhì fù ᥼ᖗ㕂㝍) ‘treat someone honestly and sincerely,’ [ᚙⳳᛣߛ] (qíng zhbn yì qib ᚙⳳᛣߛ) ‘with genuine feelings and warm intentions.’ Antonyms: [䕏ᦣ⎵‫( ]ݭ‬qcng miáo dàn xig 䓩ᦣ⎵ᆿ) ‘treat a matter lightly and superficially,’ [ϡ⮯ϡ⮦] (bú tòng bù yfng ϡ⮯ϡⰶ) ‘not hurt not itch – scratching the surface, superficial.’

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Entries 138 – 139: ᷽᷽བ⫳ and ਩ᖗ≹㸔

138. Ğ᭤᭤ྙညğ(ᦌᦌᑙ᏷) xj xj rú shbng ᷽᷽ means ‘lively, vivid, lifelike’ and བ⫳ means ‘like life.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘lifelike.’ Example 1: ᴰ㥢໿Ҏ㳵‫ڣ‬佚䞠ⱘ㳵‫ڣ‬ϾϾ᭤᭤ྙညDŽ Dùsha ferén làxiànggufn lh de làxiàng gègè xjxj-rúshbng. ‘Every one of the wax figures in Madame Tussaud’s wax museum is very lifelike.’ Example 2: 䙷ᐙ⬏Ϟⱘ偀᭤᭤ྙညˈህ‫ⱘⳳڣ‬偀೼༨䎥DŽ Nà fú huà shàng de mf xjxj-rúshbng, jiù xiàng zhbn de mf zài bbnpfo. ‘The horses in that painting are very lifelike, just like real horses that are running.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive; can also serve as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᚳ཭ᚳ㙪] (wéi miào wéi xiào ᚳ཭ᚳ㙪) and [⌏♉⌏⦄] (huó líng huó xiàn ⌏䴜⌏⧒) ‘lifelike.’ Antonyms: [༘༘ϔᙃ] ( yfn yfn yì xc ༘༘ϔᙃ) ‘breathe feebly, dying,’ [⅏⇨≝≝] (sh qì chén chén ⅏⇷≝≝) ‘lifeless.’ 139. Ğ๓ቦೄኪğ(‱፬☩ᒬ) iu xcn lì xuè ਩ means ‘vomit,’ ≹ means ‘drip, trickle,’ and 㸔 means ‘blood.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘vomit one’s heart and let drip out one’s blood,’ with a freer translation being ‘work one’s heart out.’ Example 1: ⠊↡Ўњ‫ܓ‬ཇ䭓໻ҹৢ㛑໳䖛Ϟᑌ⽣ⱘ⫳⌏ˈৃҹ䇈ᰃ๓ቦೄኪDŽ Fùmj wèile érnr zhfngdà yhhòu nénggòu guòshàng xìngfú de shbnghuó, kgyh shud shì iuxcn-lìxuè. ‘So that their children after they grow up can lead a happy life, one could say that parents work their hearts out.’ Example 2: Ҫ޴कᑈᴹ๓ቦೄኪഄᬍ䗴≭⓴ˈᤑᬥњ޴ϛѽ㡃⬄DŽ Ta jh shí nián lái iuxcn-lìxuè de gfizào shamò, wfnjiùle jh wàn mj liángtián. ‘The last few decades he has been working his heart out to transform the desert, saving tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Ⅾ㊒チ㰥] (dan jcng jié lq ⅿ㊒チᝂ) ‘rack one’s brains,’ [䵴䒀ሑ⯕] ( je gdng jìn cuì 䵴䒀ⲵ⯕) ‘do one’s utmost to the point of exhaustion,’ [✲䌍㢺ᖗ] (shà fèi kj xcn ✲䊏㢺ᖗ) ‘take great pains.’

Entry 140: ↯䘖㞾㤤

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Antonyms: [᮴᠔⫼ᖗ] (wú sui yòng xcn ⛵᠔⫼ᖗ) ‘not give serious thought to something,’ [ᭋ㸡า䋷] (fe yfn sè zé ᭋ㸡า䊀) ‘do a perfunctory job.’ 140. ĞඇႸᔈୀğ(፿῕ᒢ▾) Máo Suì zì jiàn ↯䘖 is the name of a person and 㤤 means ‘recommend.’ A literal translation is ‘Mao Sui recommended himself,’ with a freer translation of the whole idiom being ‘volunteer.’ Example 1: ⬉ᕅ࠻㒘䖬㔎ϔԡⓨ⬋ѠোⱘҎˈཌྷඇႸᔈୀˈ࣪ཚৢⓨњ䙷Ͼ㾦㡆DŽ Diànyhng jùzj hái qub yí wèi yfn nán èrhào de rén, ta Máo Suì-zìjiàn, huàzhuang hòu yfnle nàge juésè. ‘In the film crew they are still lacking someone to play the role of male number two; she volunteered and, after putting on make-up, played that role.’ Example 2: Ҫ⫼ඇႸᔈୀⱘᮍᓣ㒭䰘䖥৘Ͼ݀ৌⱘҎџ䚼䮼㒣⧚ᠧ⬉䆱ˈᏠᳯ㛑໳ᡒ ࠄϔӑᎹ԰DŽ Ta yòng Máo Suì-zìjiàn de fangshì ggi fùjìn gègè gdngsc de rénshì bùmén jcnglh df diànhuà, xcwàng nénggòu zhfodào yí fèn gdngzuò. ‘He used the way of Mao Sui when he recommended himself, calling the managers of the personnel departments of all the companies in the vicinity, in hopes of being able to find a job.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: Mao Sui (approx. 285–228 B.C.E.) was a retainer of Lord Pingyuan, prince of Zhao during the Warring States Period. Lord Pingyuan had over 3,000 retainers, of which Mao Sui was one of the lowest-ranking. In 259 B.C.E., the army of the state of Qin surrounded the capital of Zhao, and Lord Pingyuan was about to go to the state of Chu in the south to seek relief. He was planning to take along twenty retainers. When he had chosen nineteen of them, Mao Sui demanded to be included. Lord Pingyuan said to Mao Sui: “You’ve been in my household for three years but I’ve never heard anyone talk about you, so you must not have any special abilities.” Mao Sui replied: “That’s because you’ve never made use of my talents before; otherwise, my talents would have been obvious long ago.” So Lord Pingyuan took Mao Sui along to the state of Chu. When they arrived in Chu, Lord Pingyuan and the king of Chu talked for half a day without any result, so Mao Sui – risking his life – explained clearly to the king of Chu the benefits for the state of Chu in cooperating with the state of Zhao; in the end, he convinced the king of Chu. The state of Chu then sent its army to rescue the state of Zhao. When all this was over, Lord Pingyuan evaluated Mao Sui as follows: “With his persuasive speaking skills, this gentleman is stronger than a million troops. In the future, I shall never again dare to evaluate someone without taking the task very seriously.” And so he promoted Mao Sui to be a very high-ranking retainer. (from “Pingyuan Jun Yuqing Liezhuan” in Records of the Grand Historian) Note: Complimentary in meaning.

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Entries 141 – 142: ᮍ݈᳾㡒 and 㘮㊒Ӯ⼲

Near Synonym: [㞾ਞ༟࢛] (zì gào fèn ying 㞾ਞག࢛) ‘volunteer.’ Antonyms: [䷀‫ݏܝ‬᰺] (tao guang yfng huì 䶰‫ܝ‬仞᰺) ‘conceal one’s abilities and bide one’s time,’ [㞾ᛁᔶ⿑] (zì cán xíng huì 㞾ᜮᔶ〶) ‘feel inferior, feel unworthy.’ 141. Ğऱቭᆚ‫ڎ‬ğ(፵⏏Ꮶᒪ) fang xcng wèi ài ᮍ here means ‘just now,’ ݈ means ‘rise,’ ᳾ means ‘not yet,’ and 㡒 means ‘stop.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘just now rising and not yet stopped,’ with freer translations being ‘on the rise, on the upswing.’ Example 1: ೼Ё೑Ā㣅䇁⛁āऱቭᆚ‫ڎ‬DŽ Zài Zhdngguó “Ycngyj rè” fangxcng-wèi’ài. ‘In China, the “English craze” is still on the upswing.’ Example 2: ᥂䇈䖭ᆊ⬉ֵᎼ༈㽕೼ऱቭᆚ‫⫳ⱘڎ‬⠽एᄺ乚ඳᡩܹ໻ヨ䌘䞥DŽ Jùshud zhè jia diànxìn jùtóu yào zài fangxcng-wèi’ài de shbngwù ycxué lhngyù tóurù dà bh zcjcn. ‘It is said that this telecommunications magnate wants to invest a huge sum of capital in the rapidly rising realm of biomedicine.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [ጁ䴆༈㾦] (zhfn lù tóu jifo ፘ䴆丁㾦) ‘distinguish oneself.’ Antonyms: [か䗨᳿䏃] (qióng tú mò lù も䗨᳿䏃) ‘dead end, impasse,’ [᮹ᲂ䗨か] (rì mù tú qióng ᮹ᲂ䗨も) ‘in the evening when one’s road is exhausted – toward the end of one’s days.’ 142. Ğ௡ற્ခğ(ℏ⃶Ồ᧷) jù jcng huì shén 㘮 means ‘collect,’ Ӯ means ‘concentrate,’ and the noun object ㊒⼲ (which is here split into ㊒ and ⼲) means ‘energy.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘with total concentration.’ Example 1: Ϟ䇒ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ᄺ⫳Ӏ௡ற્ခഄ਀㗕Ꮬ䆆䇒DŽ Shàngkè de shíhou, xuéshengmen jùjcng-huìshén de tcng lfoshc jifngkè. ‘In class, the students listened to the teacher lecture with total concentration.’ Example 2: Ё೑䳔㽕ϔϾ੠ᑇ〇ᅮⱘ਼䖍⦃๗ˈҹ֓௡ற્ခഄ᧲೑‫ݙ‬ᓎ䆒DŽ Zhdngguó xeyào yí ge hépíng wgndìng de zhdubian huánjìng, yhbiàn jùjcng-huìshén de gfo guónèi jiànshè. ‘China needs a peaceful and stable peripheral environment, so that it can with total concentration engage in domestic construction.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate.

Entries 143 – 144: ↨↨ⱚᰃ and 催ⶏ䖰⵽

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Near Synonyms: [ϧᖗ㟈ᖫ] (zhuan xcn zhì zhì ᇜᖗ㟈ᖫ) ‘with single-minded devotion,’ [ܼ⼲䌃⊼] (quán shén guan zhù ܼ⼲䉿⊼) ‘give one’s undivided attention to.’ Antonyms: [ᖗϡ೼⛝] (xcn bú zài yan ᖗϡ೼⛝) ‘heart is not there – absent-minded, distracted,’ [⼲ϡᅜ㟡] (shén bù shiu shè ⼲ϡᅜ㟡) ‘not thinking straight,’ [ᖗ⤓ᛣ 偀] (xcn yuán yì mf ᖗ⤓ᛣ侀) ‘heart (agile as an) ape and thoughts (swift as a) horse – fanciful and fickle, capricious.’ 143. Ğ‫ဵ୼܈܈‬ğ(፾፾ᡇ៦) bh bh jib shì ↨↨ means ‘everywhere’ and ⱚ means ‘all.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘everywhere in all cases it is,’ with freer translations being ‘can be found everywhere, great in number, in abundance.’ Example 1: 䖭ᰃϔϾᆠҎऎˈ䈾ढ䕓䔺‫ဵ୼܈܈‬DŽ Zhè shì yíge fùrén qe, háohuá jiàochb bhbh-jibshì. ‘This is a district of rich people; luxury automobiles can be found everywhere.’ Example 2: ೼⃻⌆ˈӮ䇈Ѩ⾡ҹϞ䇁㿔ⱘҎ‫ဵ୼܈܈‬DŽ Zài nuzhdu, huì shud wj zhing yhshàng yjyán de rén bhbh-jibshì. ‘In Europe, people who can speak five or more languages can be found everywhere.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [‫׃‬ᣒⱚᰃ] (fj shí jib shì ‫׃‬ᣒⱚᰃ) ‘so many you can bend down and pick them up easily.’ Antonyms: [ᆹᆹ᮴޴] (liáo liáo wú jh ᆹᆹ⛵ᑒ) ‘very few,’ [ሜᣛৃ᭄] (qe zhh kg shj ሜᣛৃᭌ) ‘can be counted on the fingers, very few.’ 144. Ğ঱ᐨᏐᓋğ(᪓▗⅟⟯) gao zhan yufn zhj ⶏ means ‘gaze’ and ⵽ here means ‘look at with attention.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘look out from on high and see far,’ with freer translations including ‘far sighted’ and ‘take a long-range or long-term approach to something.’ Example 1: ཌྷ঱ᐨᏐᓋˈ೼㛑⑤ॅᴎࠄᴹҹࠡᕜ໮ᑈˈህᦤߎњ㽕থሩᮄ㛑⑤ⱘЏᓴDŽ Ta gaozhan-yufnzhj, zài néngyuán wbijc dào lái yhqián hgn dud nián, jiù tíchele yào f azhfn xcn néngyuán de zhjzhang. ‘She is very far sighted, having many years before the coming of the energy crisis already put forward the suggestion to develop new sources of energy.’ Example 2: 䙧ᇣᑇ঱ᐨᏐᓋˈ⫼Āϔ೑ϸࠊāⱘࡲ⊩៤ࡳഄ㾷‫އ‬њ佭␃੠▇䮼䯂乬DŽ Dèng Xifopíng gaozhan-yufnzhj, yòng “Yì Guó Lifng Zhì” de bànff chénggdng de jigjuéle Xianggfng hé Àomén wèntí.

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Entries 145 – 146: ᮴ࡼѢ㹋 and 䖿೼ⳝⴿ

‘Deng Xiaoping was very far sighted, using the means of “One Country, Two Systems” to successfully solve the problem of Hong Kong and Macao.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [⏅䇟䖰㰥] (shbn móu yufn lq ⏅䃔䘴ᝂ) ‘circumspect and far sighted.’ Antonym: [哴Ⳃᇌ‫( ]ܝ‬shj mù cùn guang 哴Ⳃᇌ‫‘ )ܝ‬rat eyes see (only) an inch of light – short sighted.’ 145. Ğᇄࣅ᎖ᒪğ(ᵨ᪳ᚑᩕ) wú dòng yú zhdng ࡼ means ‘move’ and 㹋 means ‘heart.’ A literal translation is ‘there is no moving in the heart,’ with freer translations of the whole idiom being ‘unmoved, unconcerned.’ Example 1: ಴Ў㒣ग़ᕫ໮њˈད‫ڣ‬ᇍ䖭⾡џህᇄࣅ᎖ᒪњDŽ Ycnwèi jcnglìde dudle, hfoxiàng duì zhè zhing shì jiù wúdòng-yúzhdng le. ‘Because she has experienced so much, it seems she is unmoved by this kind of thing.’ Example 2: Ҫᇄࣅ᎖ᒪഄ䇈˖Āϡᰃ៥᮴ᚙˈ㗠ᰃ≵᳝ࡲ⊩DŽ” Ta wúdòng-yúzhdng de shud: “Bú shì wi wúqíng, ér shì méiyiu bànff.” ‘Quite unmoved, he said: “It’s not that I have no feelings, but that there is nothing that can be done.” ’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, often preceded by ᇍ (duì ᇡ) ‘by, about.’ Near Synonyms: [ϡࡼໄ㡆] (bú dòng shbng sè ϡࢩ㙆㡆) ‘not change one’s voice or composure – calm and collected,’ [⓴ϡ݇ᖗ] (mò bù guan xcn ⓴ϡ䮰ᖗ) ‘indifferent’ (pejorative), [咏᳼ϡҕ] (má mù bù rén 咏᳼ϡҕ) ‘numb, apathetic’ (pejorative). Antonym: [ᛳҎ㚎㜥] (gfn rén fèi fj ᛳҎ㚎㜥) ‘deeply moving’ (complimentary). 146. Ğ຾Ᏼ඘ஆğ(ᢴᑋᡑἯ) pò zài méi jié 䖿 here means ‘urgent, pressing,’ with ⳝ meaning ‘eyebrow’ and ⴿ meaning ‘eyelash.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘pressing on the eyebrows and eyelashes.’ Freer translations include ‘very urgent’ and ‘imminent.’ Example 1: ⼒Ӯ‫ݏ‬㗕ֱ䱰ࠊᑺⱘᬍ䴽Ꮖ㒣຾Ᏼ඘ஆDŽ Shèhuì yfnglfo bfozhàng zhìdù de gfigé yhjcng pòzài-méijié. ‘Reforms in Social Security Retirement System (lit. “social retirement protection system”) are already imminent.’

Entries 147 – 148: 㾺Ⳃ᚞ᖗ and ᮴⌢Ѣџ

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Example 2: ᇍѢ䖭Ͼ݀ৌᴹ䇈ˈҢ䫊㸠ᕫࠄ䌋ℒᰃ຾Ᏼ඘ஆⱘ䯂乬DŽ Duìyú zhège gdngsc lái shud, cóng yínháng dédào dàikufn shì pòzài-méijié de wèntí. ‘For this company, to obtain a loan from a bank is an urgent problem.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [➗ⳝПᗹ] (rán méi zhc jí ➗ⳝПᗹ) ‘the urgency of fire singeing the eyebrows – a matter of great urgency,’ [☿⚻ⳝ↯] (hui shao méi máo ☿➦ⳝ↯) ‘fire burns eyebrows – extremely urgent matter’ (spoken Chinese). Antonyms: [䖰೼໽䖍] ( yufn zài tian bian 䘴೼໽䙞) ‘as remote as the ends of the earth,’ [᜶ᴵᮃ⧚] (màn tiáo sc lh ᜶ṱᮃ⧚) ‘leisurely.’ 147. Ğ߿෹ரቦğ(⛟ᐂ➯፬) chù mù jcng xcn 㾺Ⳃ means ‘strike the eye, see’ and ᚞ᖗ means ‘alarmed in one’s heart.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘frightening, shocking.’ Example 1: ⳟࠄ䖭ѯ߿෹ரቦⱘ✻⠛ˈ≵᳝ҎϡӮ⌕⊾DŽ Kàndào zhèxib chùmù-jcngxcn de zhàopiàn, méiyiu rén búhuì liúlèi. ‘If they saw these shocking photographs, there is no one who would not shed tears.’ Example 2: 䖭⾡ᚆᚼⱘᚙ᱃䅽Ҏ߿෹ரቦDŽ Zhè zhing bbicfn de qíngjhng ràng rén chùmù-jcngxcn. ‘A tragic scene like this makes one feel shocked.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. In general used for negative things. Near Synonym: [ᖗ᚞㚚៬] (xcn jcng dfn zhàn ᖗ倮㞑᠄) (also written as [ᖗ᚞㚚乸] (xcn jcng dfn chàn ᖗ倮㞑丿) ) ‘terror-stricken.’ Antonym: [ৌぎ㾕ᛃ] (sc kdng jiàn guan ৌぎ㽟᜷) ‘get used to seeing something and no longer find it strange.’ 148. Ğᇄ଍᎖ူğ(ᵨ⒒ᚑᗇ) wú jì yú shì ⌢ means ‘help.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘has no help to matters.’ A freer translation is ‘to not help matters, of no avail, to no effect.’ Example 1: ⠊↡ϔ‫ࡱݡ‬䇈ᄽᄤˈԚᰃᏆ㒣ᇄ଍᎖ူˈᄽᄤ䖬ᰃ‫އ‬ᅮ䗔ᄺDŽ Fùmj yízài quànshud háizi, dànshì yhjcng wújì-yúshì, háizi háishì juédìng tuìxué. ‘The parents repeatedly exhorted their child, but it was already of no avail; the child still decided to drop out of school.’

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Entry 149: ᑨ᳝ሑ᳝

Example 2: ⮙Ҏ⮐ᕫढ़ᆇˈ䖭ᯊ‫⫼׭‬᱂䗮ⱘ㥃⠽Ꮖ㒣ᇄ଍᎖ူњˈা㛑⫼䙷⾡䖯ষⱘ ⡍ᬜ㥃DŽ Bìngrén téngde lìhai, zhè shíhou yòng pjtdng de yàowù yhjcng wújì-yúshì le, zhh néng yòng nà zhing jìnkiu de tèxiàoyào. ‘The patient was in great pain; at this time to use ordinary medicine no longer helped matters; they could only use that kind of imported, specially potent medicine.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [Ѣџ᮴㸹] ( yú shì wú bj ᮐџ⛵㺰) ‘of no help to matters.’ Antonym: [㸠П᳝ᬜ] (xíng zhc yiu xiào 㸠П᳝ᬜ) ‘implement with efficiency, efficient.’

149. Ğ።ᎌ஧ᎌğ(⑬ᑺ⃔ᑺ) ycng yiu jìn yiu ሑ means ‘all.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘have everything that should be had,’ with a freer translation being ‘lack nothing, complete.’ Example 1: Ё೑ⱘ໻ଚഎ䞠ϔ㠀䛑᳝ϔሖ㕢亳ජˈ䞠䴶৘ഄ亢ੇᇣৗ።ᎌ஧ᎌDŽ Zhdngguó de dà shangchfng lh yìban ddu yiu yì céng mgishíchéng, lhmiàn gè dì fbngwèi xifochc ycngyiu-jìnyiu. ‘In the larger department stores in China there is usually a “fine foods city,” in which local delicacies from everywhere are to be had, with nothing lacking.’ Example 2: ᳔ᮄⱘ᠟ᴎˈ䲚Ёњ䆌໮ѻકⱘࡳ㛑ˈ՟བ⬉䆱ǃ⬉ᄤ䚂ӊǃ㔥㒰ǃᔩ䷇ ᴎǃ✻Ⳍᴎǃܼ⧗ि᯳ᅮԡ㋏㒳ㄝㄝˈৃҹ䇈ᰃ።ᎌ஧ᎌDŽ Zuì xcn de shiujc, jízhdngle xjdud chfnphn de gdngnéng, lìrú diànhuà, diànzh yóujiàn, wfngluò, lùycnjc, zhàoxiàngjc, quánqiú wèixcng dìngwèi xìting dgngdgng, kgyh shud shì ycngyiu-jìnyiu. ‘The newest cell phones have concentrated in one place the functions of several products, such as telephone, e-mail, Internet, tape recorder, camera, GPS, etc.; it can be said they have everything that’s required.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Used at the end of a sentence. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϔᑨ‫ ( ]ܼׅ‬yì ycng jù quán ϔឝ‫‘ )ܼׅ‬complete with everything,’ [ࣙ㔫ϛ䈵] (bao luó wàn xiàng ࣙ㕙㨀䈵) ‘covering ten thousand phenomena – all-inclusive, comprehensive,’ [䴶䴶‫( ]ࠄׅ‬miàn miàn jù dào 䴶䴶‫‘ )ࠄׅ‬complete and thorough.’ Antonym: [ϔ᮴᠔᳝] (yì wú sui yiu ϔ⛵᠔᳝) ‘have absolutely nothing, destitute.’

Entries 150 – 151: फ䕩࣫䕭 and ᳝ᳱϔ᮹

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150. ĞฉᏉ۱ᑖğ(ᝨ┫Ꭻ◔) nán yuán bgi zhé 䕩 means ‘shaft (of a vehicle)’ and 䕭 means ‘rut, groove, track (left by a wheel in the ground).’ A literal translation is ‘south shaft north rut,’ which could be translated more freely as ‘go south by driving north.’ By metaphor this means ‘head in the wrong direction,’ ‘one’s goal and one’s actions are exactly opposite,’ or ‘defeat one’s purpose.’ Example 1: 㽕ᛇᬍব䋿ೄҎষⱘ⫳⌏⢊‫ˈމ‬ᕫ㒭ҪӀ䎇໳ⱘᬭ㚆੠ህϮᴎӮˈϔੇഄ 㒭ҪӀ䪅Ӯѻ⫳Ⳍডⱘ㒧ᵰⱘˈӮฉᏉ۱ᑖⱘDŽ Yào xifng gfibiàn pínkùn rénkiu de shbnghuó zhuàngkuàng, dgi ggi tamen zúgòu de jiàoyù hé jiùyè jchuì, yíwèi de ggi tamen qián huì chfnshbng xiangffn de jiégui de, huì nányuán-bgizhé de. ‘If one wants to change the living conditions of the impoverished population, one must give them sufficient educational and employment opportunities, always to give them money will produce the opposite result, it will defeat one’s purpose.’ Example 2: ҪӀⱘ‫⊩خ‬੠ⳂⱘℷདฉᏉ۱ᑖDŽ Tamen de zuòff hé mùdì zhènghfo nányuán-bgizhé. ‘Their practices and their goals are exactly opposite.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: In ancient times, there was a man who wanted to travel to a country in the south, but in a rush to find a vehicle he could take, he ended up traveling to the north instead. A good-hearted person told him he had gone in the wrong direction and that he should go south, but he said it didn’t matter, that he had a good horse that ran very quickly. The good-hearted person said that if the man kept going, he would be further and further from his goal, but the man again said it didn’t matter, that he had brought along a lot of money. The good-hearted person then said that though the man might have a lot of money, he was wasting it. But the man again said it didn’t matter, that his servant was very good at driving vehicles. In the end, the good-hearted person said: “You have a good horse, a lot of money, and a servant who is good at driving vehicles; but all this will only make you be further and further from your goal. You won’t get to where you want to go at all!” (from “Stratagems of Wei,” No. 4, in Stratagems of the Warring States) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㚠䘧㗠偄] (bèi dào ér chí 㚠䘧㗠侇) ‘run counter to, diametrically opposed,’ [џϢᜓ䖱] (shì yj yuàn wéi џ㟛ᜓ䘩) ‘things do not turn out the way one wishes.’ 151. Ğᎌޫጙ྇ğ(ᑺᴟዯ፶) yiu zhao yí rì ᳱ means ‘morning, day.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘some day in the future.’

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Entry 152: ໻᳝ৃЎ

Example 1: Ҫ↣Ͼ᯳ᳳ䛑фϔ⃵ᔽ⼼ˈᏠᳯᎌޫጙ྇㛑໳Ё໻༪DŽ Ta mgi ge xcngqc ddu mfi yí cì cfipiào, xcwàng yiuzhao-yírì nénggòu zhòng dà jifng. ‘He buys a lottery ticket every week, hoping that one day in the future he can win a major prize.’ Example 2: བᵰᎌޫጙ྇Ё೑៤Ў䍙㑻໻೑ˈ䙷М∝䇁ӮϡӮবᕫ䎳㣅䇁ϔḋ䞡㽕˛ Rúgui yiuzhao-yírì Zhdngguó chéngwéi chaojí dà guó, nàme Hànyj huì bú huì biànde gbn Ycngyj yíyàng zhòngyào? ‘If some day in the future China becomes a superpower, then will the Chinese language become as important as English?’ Usage: Functions as adverbial; often preceded by verbs such as Ꮰᳯ (xcwàng) ‘hope,’ ᳳᕙ (qcdài) ‘await,’ and Ṻᛇ (mèngxifng ໶ᛇ) ‘dream,’ or by conjunctions such as བᵰ (rúgui) and ‫׬‬㢹 (tfngruò), both of which mean ‘if.’ Near Synonym: [ᘏ᳝ϔ໽] (zing yiu yì tian 㐑᳝ϔ໽) ‘eventually there will be a day, the day will come’ (spoken Chinese). Antonym: [䘹䘹᮴ᳳ] ( yáo yáo wú qc 䘭䘭⛵ᳳ) ‘not in the foreseeable future.’ 152. Ğࡍᎌభᆐğ(ጙᑺᎵᠥ) dà yiu kg wéi ໻ here means ‘greatly, very much,’ ৃ means ‘can,’ and Ў means ‘do.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘greatly have things one can do.’ Freer translations of the idiom include ‘very promising, have bright prospects, have great potential.’ Example 1: ᳾ᴹ޴कᑈЁˈᮄ㛑⑤㸠ϮࡍᎌభᆐDŽ Wèilái jh shí nián zhdng, xcn néngyuán hángyè dàyiu-kgwéi. ‘In the next few decades, businesses dealing with new sources of energy will have bright prospects.’ Example 2: ᬓᑰ哧ࢅ䴦ᑈࠄЁ㽓䚼এᡒᎹ԰ˈ䇈Ё㽓䚼ᓔথࡍᎌభᆐDŽ Zhèngfj gjlì qcngnián dào zhdngxcbù qù zhfo gdngzuò, shud zhdngxcbù kaifa dàyiu-kgwéi. ‘The government encourages young people to go to the Midwest to look for work, saying that the development of the Midwest has great potential.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ࠡ䗨᮴䞣] (qián tú wú liàng ࠡ䗨⛵䞣) ‘future without limit – have boundless prospects,’ [ࠡ⿟Ԑ䫺] (qián chéng sì jhn ࠡ⿟Ԑ䣺) ‘road ahead resembles brocade – have splendid prospects.’ Antonym: [ϡৃᬥ㥃] (bù kg jiù yào ϡৃᬥ㮹) ‘cannot be saved with medicine – incurable, hopeless situation.’

Entries 153 – 154: ৆᮴ࠡ՟ and 䱣ᖗ᠔℆

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153. Ğဥᇄ༄ಿğ(Ꮒᵨ᝟ᗓ) shh wú qián lì ৆ means ‘history’ and ࠡ՟ means ‘precedent.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘in history there is no precedent.’ A common translation is ‘unprecedented.’ Example 1: ೼䖭⃵䎇⧗Ϫ⬠ᵃ↨䌯ЁˈҪᑇഛ↣എ䏶䖯ϸϾ⧗ˈ䖭ᰃဥᇄ༄ಿⱘDŽ Zài zhè cì zúqiú shìjièbbi bhsài zhdng, ta píngjen mgi chfng tcjìn lifng ge qiú, zhè shì shhwúqiánlì de. ‘In this soccer world cup competition, he on average in each game has been kicking in two balls, which is unprecedented.’ Example 2: ೼䙷⃵ဥᇄ༄ಿⱘ૤ቅ໻ഄ䳛Ёˈ⅏ѵⱘҎ᭄໮䖒ѠकಯϛҎˈ䍙䖛њ ফӸⱘҎ᭄DŽ Zài nà cì shhwúqiánlì de Tángshan dà dìzhèn zhdng, shwáng de rénshù duddá èrshisì wàn rén, chaoguòle shòushang de rénshù. ‘In the unprecedented great earthquake of Tangshan that time, the number of those who died was as many as 240,000, which surpassed the number injured.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. As predicate, it is preceded by ᰃ (shì) ‘be’ and followed by ⱘ (de). Near Synonyms: [ࠡ᠔᳾᳝] (qián sui wèi yiu ࠡ᠔᳾᳝) ‘never happened before in the past, unprecedented,’ [㒱᮴ҙ᳝] ( jué wú jhn yiu ㌩⛵‫ڙ‬᳝) ‘unique, one of a kind,’ [ぎࠡ㒱ৢ] (kdng qián jué hòu ぎࠡ㌩ᕠ) ‘never before or since.’ Antonym: [↨↨ⱚᰃ] (bh bh jib shì ↨↨ⱚᰃ) ‘can be found everywhere.’ 154. ĞႲቦჅᎷğ(␣፬ᙰᮃ) suí xcn sui yù 䱣 means ‘follow’ and ℆ means ‘want, desire.’ The literal meaning is ‘follow what the heart desires.’ This idiom is often translated as ‘do exactly as one pleases, at will, anything goes.’ Example 1: ཌྷᰃϾ໻⬏ᆊˈ⬏ҔМ‫ڣ‬ҔМˈᏆ㒣䖒ࠄႲቦჅᎷⱘഄℹњDŽ Ta shì ge dà huàjia, huà shénme xiàng shénme, yhjcng dádào suíxcn-suiyù de dìbù le. ‘She is a great painter, and whatever she paints looks real; she has already reached the point where she can do anything she wants.’ Example 2: ҪᰃϾғϛᆠ㖕ˈৃҹႲቦჅᎷഄфҪ୰⃶ⱘϰ㽓DŽ Ta shì ge yìwàn fùwbng, kgyh suíxcn-suiyù de mfi ta xhhuan de ddngxi. ‘He’s a billionaire, so he can buy the things he likes at will.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate and attributive.

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Entries 155 – 156: Єࡳӳ㒽 and ϡࡼໄ㡆

Near Synonyms: [Ў᠔℆Ў] (wéi sui yù wéi ⚎᠔℆⚎) ‘do what one pleases,’ [᮴᠔乒ᖠ] (wú sui gù jì ⛵᠔主ᖠ) ‘have no scruples or misgivings’ (pejorative in meaning). Antonyms: [䇼ᇣᜢᖂ] ( jhn xifo shèn wbi 䄍ᇣᜢᖂ) ‘cautious even in very small things,’ [㓽᠟㓽㛮] (sud shiu sud jifo 㐂᠟㐂㝇) ‘draw in one’s hands and feet – overcautious.’ 155. Ğॕ৖ᆖ૲ğ(◊Ꭸ᪟ⓒ) fbng gdng wgi jì Є means ‘abundant,’ ࡳ means ‘accomplishment,’ ӳ means ‘great,’ and 㒽 means ‘achievement.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘abundant accomplishment great achievement,’ with freer translations being ‘great achievement, magnificent accomplishment.’ Example 1: 䖭ᴀ⬏‫ݠ‬ᔶ䈵ഄ䆄ᔩњҪⱘॕ৖ᆖ૲DŽ Zhè bgn huàcè xíngxiàng de jìlùle ta de fbnggdng-wgijì. ‘This album vividly recorded his grand achievements.’ Example 2: ཌྷЎϪ⬠੠ᑇᓎゟⱘॕ৖ᆖ૲∌䖰⬭೼ҎӀᖗ䞠DŽ Ta wèi shìjiè hépíng jiànlì de fbnggdng-wgijì yingyufn liú zài rénmen xcnlh. ‘The grand contributions she made for world peace will forever remain in people’s hearts.’ Usage: Nominal element, can function as subject and object. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [∫偀ࡳࢇ] (hàn mf gdng láo ∫侀ࡳࢲ) ‘sweating horse meritorious service – a great deed in battle.’ Antonyms: [㔾໻ᙊᵕ] (zuì dà è jí 㔾໻ᚵὉ) ‘guilt great evil extreme – commit a horrible crime,’ [ᙊ䌃⒵Ⲝ] (è guàn mfn yíng ᚵ䉿ⓓⲜ) ‘full of evil – have committed countless crimes.’ 156. Ğ‫ࣅݙ‬ဉྻğ(ጰ᪳ⓦᒩ) bú dòng shbng sè ໄ means ‘voice’ and 㡆 here means ‘facial complexion.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘not change one’s voice or complexion.’ More freely, the idiom means ‘calm and collected, maintain one’s composure.’ Example 1: ೼ⓨ䆆ⱘ䖛⿟ЁҪᕫࠄ⍜ᙃˈҪᆊ䞠ߎњ໻џˈԚᰃҪै‫ࣅݙ‬ဉྻˈᣝ䅵ߦ ‫خ‬ᅠњⓨ䆆DŽ Zài yfnjifng de guòchéng zhdng ta dédào xiaoxi, ta jialh chele dàshì, dànshì ta què búdòng-shbngsè, àn jìhuà zuòwánle yfnjifng. ‘During the course of his speech, he received the news that something big had happened at his home, but he maintained his composure and finished the speech according to plan.’

Entry 157: প㗠ҷП

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Example 2: ໪䴶᳝ϔ⚍ࡼ䴭ˈѢᰃ޴ৡ⡍Ꮉ‫ࣅݙ‬ဉྻഄ䌈䖥њᘏ㒳ˈҹ䰆ߎџDŽ Wàimiàn yiu yìdifn dòngjìng, yúshì jh míng tègdng búdòng-shbngsè de tibjìnle zingting, yhfáng cheshì. ‘There was the sound of something moving outside, so several Secret Service agents, calm and collected, drew closer to the president, so as to prevent something from happening.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, can also serve as predicate or attributive. Near Synonyms: [䬛ᅮ㞾㢹] (zhèn dìng zì ruò 䦂ᅮ㞾㢹) ‘perfectly calm and collected, in possession of oneself,’ [〇བ⋄ቅ] (wgn rú Tài shan 〽བ⋄ቅ) ‘as stable as Mount Tai – standing firmly in place,’ [᮴ࡼѢ㹋] (wú dòng yú zhdng ⛵ࢩѢ㹋) ‘unmoved, unconcerned’ (derogatory). Antonyms: [໻᚞༅㡆] (dà jcng shc sè ໻倮༅㡆) ‘turn pale with fright,’ [᚞ᜠ༅᥾] ( jcng huang shc cuò 倮ᜠ༅᥾) ‘so frightened and confused one doesn’t know what to do – panic-stricken,’ [᠟䎇᮴᥾] (shiu zú wú cuò ᠟䎇⛵᥾) ‘have no idea what to do with one’s hands and feet – at a loss as to what to do, bewildered,’ [ϡⶹ᠔᥾] (bù zhc sui cuò ϡⶹ᠔᥾) ‘not know what to do.’ 157. Ğནऎࡔᒄğ(ᗻᒚ᎚ጴ) qj ér dài zhc প means ‘take,’ ҷ means ‘replace,’ and П means ‘it.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘take and replace it,’ with freer translations being ‘replace (someone or something), take over, supersede.’ Example 1: ࣫Ҁ㗕ජⱘᇣ㚵ৠ⏤⏤⍜༅њˈནऎࡔᒄⱘᰃᆑ䯨ǃᑇഺⱘ໻偀䏃DŽ Bgijcng lfo chéng de xifo hútòng jiànjiàn xiaoshcle, qj’érdàizhc de shì kuankuò, píngtfn de dà mflù. ‘The hutong (small alleys) of the old city of Beijing are gradually disappearing; what is replacing them are broad and level avenues.’ Example 2: ⷇⊍䌘⑤ᘏ᳝ϔ໽Ӯ⫼ሑⱘˈ៥Ӏᇚ⫼ҔМᮄ㛑⑤ནऎࡔᒄ˛ Shíyóu zcyuán zing yiu yì tian huì yòngjìn de, wimen jiang yòng shénme xcn néngyuán qj’érdàizhc? ‘Petroleum resources will some day be exhausted; what new energy source shall we use to replace them?’ Usage: Functions mainly as subject followed by ⱘ (de); can also serve as predicate. Near Synonym: [᥼䰜ߎᮄ] (tuc chén che xcn ᥼䱇ߎᮄ) ‘make new things on the basis of the old.’ Antonyms: [ϔབ᮶ᕔ] ( yì rú jì wfng ϔབ᮶ᕔ) ‘exactly the same as in the past,’ [ᴢҷḗ‫( ]ۉ‬lh dài táo jiang ᴢҷḗ‫‘ )ۉ‬substitute one thing for another, sacrifice oneself for someone else’ (allusion to a story about a plum tree that sacrificed itself for a peach tree when the latter was bitten by a worm).

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Entries 158 – 159: ḍ⏅㩖೎ and Й㗠ЙП

158. Ğো࿾࢑ৼğ(ᦉᮥίᘔ) gbn shbn dì gù ḍ means ‘root,’ ⏅ means ‘deep,’ 㩖 means ‘stem,’ and ೎ means ‘firm, solid.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘roots deep stem firm,’ with freer translations being ‘deep-rooted, rock solid, ingrained.’ Example 1: ‫ⱘ⇥ݰ‬ϔѯᗱᛇো࿾࢑ৼˈेՓ⫳⌏ᴵӊᬍ୘њˈ䙷ѯᗱᛇ䖬ᰃϡᆍᯧ ᬍবDŽ Nóngmín de yìxib scxifng gbnshbn-dìgù, jíshh shbnghuó tiáojiàn gfishàn le, nàxib scxifng háishì bù róngyì gfibiàn. ‘Some of the thinking of the peasants is deep-rooted; even if living conditions have improved, that thinking is still not easy to change.’ Example 2: ᮄᴹⱘᅬਬϡᬶ䕏ᯧ㾺⢃೼ᔧഄো࿾࢑ৼⱘ໻ᆊᮣⱘ߽ⲞDŽ Xcn lái de guanyuán bù gfn qcngyì chùfàn zài dangdì gbnshbn-dìgù de dà jiazú de lìyì. ‘The newly arrived official does not dare rashly to offend the interests of the entrenched big clans of the area.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonyms: [⿃䞡䲒䖨] ( jc zhòng nán ffn 〡䞡䲷䖨) ‘old habits die hard’ (derogatory), [Ⲭḍ䫭㡖] (pán gbn cuò jié Ⲹḍ䤃㆔) ‘twisted roots and gnarled branches – complicated, deep-rooted.’ Antonym: [ゟ䎇᳾〇] (lì zú wèi wgn ゟ䎇᳾〽) ‘one’s footing is not yet steady.’ 159. Ğ௉ऎ௉ᒄğ(ጊᒚጊጴ) jij ér jij zhc The meaning of this idiom is ‘in the course of time, gradually.’ Example 1: ཌྷ↣໽മᣕᄺдकϾᮄ⫳䆡ˈ௉ऎ௉ᒄˈ㣅䇁∈ᑇ᳝њᯢᰒⱘᦤ催DŽ Ta mgi tian jianchí xuéxí shí ge xcn shbngcí, jij’érjijzhc, Ycngyj shuhpíng yiule míngxifn de tígao. ‘She persisted in learning ten new vocabulary words every day; in time, her English level experienced a clear improvement.’ Example 2: ϸϾҎᴀᴹ⶯Ⳓϡ⏅ˈԚᰃ⬅Ѣ㔎У≳䗮ˈ௉ऎ௉ᒄˈ⶯Ⳓコ✊ϡৃ䇗੠ њDŽ Lifng ge rén bgnlái máodùn bù shbn, dànshì yóuyú qubfá gdutdng, jij’érjijzhc, máodùn jìngrán bùkg tiáohé le. ‘Originally the conflict between them was not deep, but due to a lack of communication, over the course of time, their conflict actually became irreconcilable.’ Usage: Functions mainly as time adverbial, used by itself in isolation from other sentence elements.

Entry 160: ಯ䴶Ἦ℠

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Near Synonym: [᮹Й໽䭓] (rì jij tian cháng ᮹Й໽䭋) ‘in the course of time.’ Antonym: [ϔᳱϔ໩] ( yì zhao yì xc ϔᳱϔ໩) ‘in a single day.’ 160. Ğ႐ෂߺ঺ğ(Ꮘᣃổ₞) sì miàn Chj gb Ἦ was the name of a state in ancient China. A literal translation of this idiom is ‘four sides Chu songs,’ with a freer translation being ‘everywhere there were the sounds of soldiers from the state of Chu who were singing.’ This is a metaphor for being in a situation where one is attacked by enemies everywhere and one is isolated and cut off from help. English translations include ‘find oneself besieged on all sides,’ ‘deserted by one’s allies,’ and ‘in dire straits.’ Example 1: ᕜ໮䚼䭓䛑ডᇍᘏ㒳ˈ᳔ৢ䖲ࡃᘏ㒳гডᇍњˈᘏ㒳໘Ѣ႐ෂߺ঺ПЁDŽ Hgn dud bùzhfng ddu ffnduì zingting, zuìhòu lián fùzingting yg ffnduìle, zingting chjyú sìmiàn-Chjgb zhczhdng. ‘Many ministers opposed the president; in the end even the vice president opposed him; the president found himself besieged on all sides.’ Example 2: 䫊㸠ϡ㒭䌋ℒˈଚકपϡߎএˈ䖭ᆊ݀ৌ䱋Ѣ႐ෂߺ঺ⱘ๗ഄDŽ Yínháng bù ggi dàikufn, shangphn màibucheqù, zhè jia gdngsc xiànyú simianChjgb de jìngdì. ‘When the banks did not make loans, the goods could not be sold, and this company fell into dire straits.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Allusion: Xiang Yu (232–202 B.C.E.), who is known as “The Conqueror of Western Chu,” can be considered the most famous military commander in Chinese history. During his ill-fated war with Liu Bang (the first emperor of the future Western Han Dynasty), Xiang Yu’s troops were besieged by layer upon layer of enemy troops. Because Xiang Yu and the troops under his command were all extremely valiant, it was very difficult for Liu Bang’s troops to destroy Xiang Yu’s troops. A general under Liu Bang by the name of Han Xin then came up with a plan: he had the soldiers all sing songs from Chu, since Xiang Yu and the troops under him were mostly from Chu. At that time, because they had been fighting year in year out, Xiang Yu’s soldiers were all quite homesick; when they heard the songs of their native places, everybody’s confidence wavered. When Xiang Yu heard the Chu songs everywhere at night, he was shocked, thinking that Liu Bang must have occupied even his native place of Chu. Later, when Xiang Yu was defeated in battle, he committed suicide because he felt that he didn’t have the “face” to look at the villagers in Chu. (from “Xiang Yu Ben Ji” in Records of the Grand Historian) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [क䴶ඟӣ] (shí miàn mái fú क䴶ඟӣ) ‘ambushed on ten sides,’ [㝍㚠ফᬠ] (fù bèi shòu dí 㝍㚠ফᭉ) ‘attacked front and rear,’ [ቅか∈ሑ] (shan qióng shuh jìn ቅも∈ⲵ) ‘mountains and rivers exhausted – at the end of one’s rope.’

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Entries 161 – 162: ᗹࡳ䖥߽ and ྟ㒜ϡ⏱

Antonyms: [།䘧⃶䖢] ( jiá dào huan yíng ༒䘧ℵ䖢) ‘line the streets to welcome,’ [ӫᳯ᠔ᔦ] (zhòng wàng sui guc ⴒᳯ᠔⅌) ‘where the multitude’s hopes converge – the center of popular hope and confidence.’ 161. Ğૻ৖தಽğ(ើᎨᜬᓗ) jí gdng jìn lì ᗹ means ‘impatient,’ ࡳ means ‘success,’ and ߽ means ‘benefit.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘impatient to achieve success and benefit,’ with a freer translation being ‘eager for quick success and immediate gain.’ Example 1: ᬭ㚆ⱘⳂⱘᰃ෍‫ݏ‬Ҏᠡˈ㗠Ҏᠡⱘ៤䭓䳔㽕ᯊ䯈ˈ᠔ҹᬭ㚆ϡ㛑ૻ৖தಽDŽ Jiàoyù de mùdì shì péiyfng réncái, ér réncái de chéngzhfng xeyào shíjian, suiyh jiàoyù bù néng jígdng-jìnlì. ‘The purpose of education is to cultivate human talent, and the growth of human talent takes time; so education must not be eager for quick success and immediate gain.’ Example 2: 㙵⼼߮⍼њⱒߚПѨҪህᗹѢᡞ㙵⼼पߎএˈᰒ⼎њҪૻ৖தಽⱘᖗ⧚DŽ Gjpiào gang zhfngle bfifbnzhcwj ta jiù jíyú bf gjpiào màicheqù, xifnshìle ta jígdng-jìnlì de xcnlh. ‘Stocks have just risen five percent and he is already anxious to sell the stocks, which has demonstrated his mindset of being eager for quick success and immediate gain.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᗹѢ∖៤] ( jí yú qiú chéng ᗹᮐ∖៤) ‘impatient for success,’ [哴Ⳃ ᇌ‫( ]ܝ‬shj mù cùn guang 哴Ⳃᇌ‫‘ )ܝ‬rat eyes see (only) an inch of light – short sighted.’ Antonyms: [催ⶏ䖰⵽] (gao zhan yufn zhj 催ⶏ䘴ⶮ) ‘far sighted,’ [⏅䇟䖰㰥] (shbn móu yufn lq ⏅䃔䘴ᝂ) ‘circumspect and far sighted.’ 162. Ğဪᒫ‫ݙ‬Ꭱğ(ᘬ᯺ጰᵙ) shh zhdng bù yú ྟ means ‘beginning,’ 㒜 means ‘end,’ and ⏱ means ‘change.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘(from) beginning to end not change,’ with freer translations being ‘unswerving, steady, steadfast.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏ㽕ဪᒫ‫ݙ‬Ꭱഄ༝㸠⣀ゟ㞾Џⱘ੠ᑇ໪ѸᬓㄪDŽ Wimen yào shhzhdng-bùyú de fèngxíng dúlì zìzhj de hépíng wàijiao zhèngcè. ‘We should steadfastly pursue an independent, self-determined, and peaceful foreign policy.’

Entry 163: ϔⳂњ✊

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Example 2: ໮ᑈᴹˈҪဪᒫ‫ݙ‬ᎡഄമᣕЎ᱂䗮Ҏ߯԰䆫℠DŽ Dud nián lái, ta shhzhdng-bùyú de jianchí wèi pjtdng rén chuàngzuò shcgb. ‘For many years, he persisted steadfastly in creating poetry for the average person.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, often followed by the adverbial particle ഄ (de) and verbs such as മᣕ ( jianchí ෙᣕ) ‘persist,’ ༝㸠 (fèngxíng) ‘carry out,’ and 㓈ᡸ (wéihù ㎁䅋) ‘safeguard.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ϔབ᮶ᕔ] ( yì rú jì wfng ϔབ᮶ᕔ) ‘exactly the same as in the past.’ Antonyms: [ᳱϝᲂಯ] (zhao san mù sì ᳱϝᲂಯ) ‘fickle and inconstant,’ [ᳱ⾺ᲂἮ] (zhao Qín mù Chj ᳱ⾺ᲂἮ) ‘serve Qin in the morning and Chu in the evening – fickle and inconstant,’ [㾕ᓖᗱ䖕] ( jiàn yì sc qian 㽟⭄ᗱ䙋) ‘see something different and want to change – fickle, capricious.’ 163. Ğጙ෹೫཭ğ(ዯᐂⒹᵩ) yí mù lifo rán Ⳃ here means ‘look, glance,’ њ means ‘understand,’ and ✊ means ‘in a certain way or manner.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘one glance understanding manner,’ with a freer translation being ‘at one glance to understand fully.’ Example 1: ᘏ㒣⧚ᡞ݀ৌⱘӬ࢓੠ࡷ࢓ϔᴵᴵ߫ᕫ⏙⏙ἮἮˈՓҎጙ෹೫཭DŽ Zingjcnglh bf gdngsc de ydushì hé lièshì yì tiáo tiáo liède qcngqcngchjchj, shh rén yímù-liforán. ‘The general manager listed the company’s favorable and unfavorable conditions one at a time in a crystal clear manner, so that people would be completely clear at one glance.’ Example 2: 䍙Ꮦ䞠ⱘଚક䛑ᷛᯢᘏⱘӋḐ੠ऩӋˈ乒ᅶⳟњጙ෹೫཭DŽ Chaoshì lh de shangphn ddu biaomíng zing de jiàgé hé danjià, gùkè kànle yímù-liforán. ‘The goods at the supermarket all indicate the total price and the unit price; when the customers see them they are clear at one glance.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, often used causatively. Near Synonyms: [њབᣛᥠ] (lifo rú zhh zhfng ⶁབᣛᥠ) ‘understand as well as one’s own fingers and palms – completely clear,’ [ϡ㿔㗠ஏ] (bù yán ér yù ϡ㿔㗠ஏ) ‘it goes without saying, obvious.’ Antonyms: [䳒䞠ⳟ㢅] (wù lh kàn hua 䳻㺣ⳟ㢅) ‘in the fog to see flowers – see indistinctly,’ [ㅵЁべ䉍] (gufn zhdng kuc bào ㅵЁゎ䉍) ‘peer at a leopard through a tube – have a limited view of something.’

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Entries 164 – 165: 䞣࡯㗠㸠 and ⌽⌽㤵㤵

164. Ğ೟ೆऎቲğ(Ḫዾᒚᒭ) liàng lì ér xíng 䞣 here means ‘estimate’ and 㸠 means ‘act.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘estimate one’s strength and then carry out some action,’ with freer translations being ‘act according to one’s capacity, do what one can.’ Example 1: Դৠᯊ‫خ‬䖭М໮џˈᗢМ㛑ᅠ៤ਸ਼" ϡ㽕䋾໮ˈ㽕೟ೆऎቲDŽ Nh tóngshí zuò zhème dud shì, zgnme néng wánchéng ne? Búyào tan dud, yào liànglì-érxíng. ‘You are simultaneously doing so many things, how can you complete them? Don’t be greedy; you should act according to your ability.’ Example 2: ৘ഄऎ೼থሩ㒣⌢ⱘᯊ‫׭‬㽕೟ೆऎቲˈᡧԣ䞡⚍DŽ Gè dìqe zài fazhfn jcngjì de shíhou yào liànglì-érxíng, zhuazhù zhòngdifn. ‘As each region develops the economy, it should act according to its capacity and come to grips with the key points.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [䞣ԧ㺕㸷] (liàng th cái yc 䞣储㺕㸷) ‘measure body cut clothes – according to the circumstances,’ [࡯᠔㛑ঞ] (lì sui néng jí ࡯᠔㛑ঞ) ‘that which one’s ability can reach – within one’s power.’ Antonyms: [㞾ϡ䞣࡯] (zì bù liàng lì 㞾ϡ䞣࡯) ‘not know one’s own limitations,’ [ད໻୰ࡳ] (hào dà xh gdng ད໻୰ࡳ) ‘love greatness like success – have a fondness for the grandiose.’ 165. Ğ੔੔࡬࡬ğ(ᦳᦳ⏖⏖) hào hào dàng dàng ⌽㤵 refers to a ‘grand’ or ‘mighty’ flow of water. The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘with great strength and vigor, in formidable array, grand.’ Example 1: 㒧ီⱘ䔺䯳Ңᮄ࿬ⱘᆊ੔੔࡬࡬ഄᓔ৥ᮄ䚢ⱘᆊDŽ Jiéhen de chbduì cóng xcnniáng de jia hàohào-dàngdàng de kai xiàng xcnláng de jia. ‘The wedding motorcade drove in a grand procession from the bride’s home to the groom’s home.’ Example 2: ␌㸠ⱘ䯳ӡ੔੔࡬࡬ഄ䍄䖛њᘏ㒳ᑰ䮼ࠡDŽ Yóuxíng de duìwj hàohào-dàngdàng de ziu guò le zingtingfj ménqián. ‘With great strength and vigor, the marching troops passed before the gate of the presidential palace.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, predicate, and attributive.

Entries 166 – 167: 䲼ৢ᯹ミ and ϔВϔࡼ

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Near Synonym: [⊶╰ໂ䯨] (bd lán zhuàng kuò ⊶☒ໃ䮞) ‘surge forward like mighty waves.’ Antonym: [᮴ໄ᮴ᙃ] (wú shbng wú xc ⛵㙆⛵ᙃ) ‘no sound no breath – silent.’ 166. ĞᎦઁࠔႽğ(᜼ឹ២ᶥ) yj hòu chen sjn ミ means ‘bamboo shoot.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘(spring up like) bamboo shoots after spring rain.’ Freer translations include ‘spring up like mushrooms, emerge rapidly in large numbers.’ Example 1: ⾕Ҏ≑䔺๲ࡴᕜᖿˈ᠔ҹࡴ⊍キгབᎦઁࠔႽ㠀ߎ⦄њDŽ Scrén qìchb zbngjia hgn kuài, suiyh jiayóuzhàn yg rú yjhòu-chensjn ban chexiànle. ‘Privately owned cars increased very quickly, so gas stations have also appeared, springing up like mushrooms.’ Example 2: 䖭޴ᑈˈ᳝݇Ё㕢䌌ᯧⱘ᭛ゴབᎦઁࠔႽˈ᭄ϡ䖛ᴹDŽ Zhè jh nián, yiuguan Zhdng-Mgi màoyì de wénzhang rú yjhòu-chensjn, shj bú guòlái. ‘In the past few years, articles about U.S.-Chinese trade have appeared rapidly in large numbers, too many to count.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial modifier or object. Common collocations include བ̚ (rú . . . ) and ̚㠀ഄ ( . . . ban de)  verb. Note: Has a positive connotation. 167. Ğጙ௟ጙࣅğ(ዯ⓴ዯ᪳) yì jj yí dòng В means ‘action’ and ࡼ means ‘movement.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘every action and every movement.’ Example 1: ಴Ў䄺ᆳᗔ⭥Ҫ⍝Ⴀ⢃㔾ˈ᠔ҹᓔྟᇍҪ䖯㸠ⲥ㾚DŽҪⱘጙ௟ጙࣅ䛑೼ 䄺ᆳⱘⲥ㾚ПϟDŽ Ycnwèi jhngchá huáiyí ta shèxián fànzuì, suiyh kaishh duì ta jìnxíng jianshì. Ta de yìjj-yídòng ddu zài jhngchá de jianshì zhcxià. ‘Because the police suspected him of having committed a crime, they began to keep him under surveillance; his every move was under surveillance by the police.’ Example 2: 䙷ԡᯢ᯳ⱘጙ௟ጙࣅ䛑㒭Ҫⱘ㉝ϱӀᕜ໻ⱘᕅડDŽ Nà wèi míngxcng de yìjj-yídòng ddu ggi ta de fgnscmen hgn dà de yhngxifng. ‘That star’s every move has a big influence on his fans.’ Usage: Nominal element, functions as subject and object.

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Entries 168 – 169: ᳝Ⳃ݅ⵍ and ⃷⃷৥㤷

Near Synonyms: [ϔ㿔ϔ㸠] ( yì yán yì xíng ϔ㿔ϔ㸠) ‘every word and every deed,’ [В᠟ᡩ䎇] ( jj shiu tóu zú 㟝᠟ᡩ䎇) ‘raise hand fling foot – every movement of the body, every action.’ 168. Ğᎌ෹ৢࣙğ(ᑺᐂᐩἳ) yiu mù gòng dj Ⳃ means ‘eye’ and ⵍ means ‘see.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘have eyes together see,’ with a freer translation being ‘obvious to all.’ Example 1: ཌྷ᳔䖥ⱘ䖯ℹᰃᎌ෹ৢࣙⱘDŽ Ta zuìjìn de jìnbù shì yiumù-gòngdj de. ‘Her recent progress is obvious to all.’ Example 2: 䖭ᰃᎌ෹ৢࣙⱘџᅲˈ䇕г৺䅸ϡњDŽ Zhè shì yiumù-gòngdj de shìshí, shuí yg fiurèn bùlifo. ‘This is a fact that is obvious to all; nobody can deny it.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [ӫⳂⵑⵑ] (zhòng mù kuí kuí ⴒⳂⵑⵑ) ‘all eyes gazing at someone or something.’ Antonym: [㾚㗠ϡ㾕] (shì ér bú jiàn 㽪㗠ϡ㽟) ‘look but not see – turn a blind eye to.’ 169. Ğቢቢሶྋğ(ᚶᚶᐿ₎) xcn xcn xiàng róng ⃷⃷ means ‘thriving,’ ৥ here means ‘turn toward,’ and 㤷 means ‘flourishing.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘thriving and turning toward the flourishing,’ with freer translations being ‘thriving, flourishing, prosperous.’ Example 1: 㒣䖛޴कᑈⱘথሩˈܼ೑৘ഄ䛑ਜ⦄ߎቢቢሶྋⱘ᱃䈵DŽ Jcngguò jh shí nián de fazhfn, quán guó gè dì ddu chéngxiànche xcnxcn-xiàngróng de jhngxiàng. ‘After several decades of development, every place in the whole country presents a very thriving picture.’ Example 2: ᯹໽ᴹњˈ㢅㤝ᷥ᳼ቢቢሶྋDŽ Chentian láile, huacfo shùmù xcnxcn-xiàngróng. ‘Spring has come; the flowers, plants, and trees are thriving.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, often followed by nouns such as ᱃䈵 ( jhngxiàng) ‘scenery,’ ሔ䴶 ( júmiàn) ‘condition,’ or ⇨䈵 (qìxiàng ⇷䈵) ‘atmosphere.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning.

Entry 170: ϝ乒㣙ᑤ

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Near Synonyms: [ᳱ⇨㫀ࢗ] (zhao qì péng bó ᳱ⇷㫀ࢗ) ‘full of vigor and vitality,’ [ᮍ݈᳾㡒] (fang xcng wèi ài ᮍ㟜᳾㡒) ‘on the rise,’ [㪌㪌᮹Ϟ] (zhbng zhbng rì shàng 㪌㪌᮹Ϟ) ‘progress day by day.’ Antonyms: [⅏⇨≝≝] (sh qì chén chén ⅏⇷≝≝) ‘lifeless,’ [㗕⇨῾⾟] (lfo qì héng qie 㗕⇷‿⾟) ‘lacking vitality,’ [᮹ᲂか䗨] (rì mù qióng tú ᮹ᲂも䗨) ‘in the evening at the end of the road – toward the end of one’s days,’ [∳⊇᮹ϟ] ( jiang hé rì xià ∳⊇᮹ϟ) ‘rivers and streams daily decline – deteriorate day by day, go from bad to worse.’ 170. Ğྯ৻අബğ(ጃ❁ᢈ☘) san gù máo lú ϝ means ‘three (times),’ 乒 means ‘pay a visit,’ and 㣙ᑤ means ‘thatched hut.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘make three visits to the thatched cottage (as Liu Bei, prince of Shu, did to visit Zhuge Liang).’ By metaphor this means ‘repeatedly ask a worthy person to assume an important post’ or ‘sincerely and repeatedly request something from someone.’ Example 1: ॖ䭓ྯ৻අബˈ㒜Ѣᡞ䙷ԡᡔᴃ催䍙ⱘ䗔ӥᎹҎ䇋ಲњᎹॖDŽ Chfngzhfng sangù-máolú, zhdngyú bf nà wèi jìshù gaochao de tuìxie gdngrén qhnghuíle gdngchfng. ‘The factory director sincerely and repeatedly entreated him, finally being able to get that retired worker with the superb skills to return to the factory.’ Example 2: 䆄㗙ྯ৻අബˈᠡ䞛䆓ࠄ䙷䍋џӊⱘᔧџҎDŽ Jìzhg sangù-máolú, cái cfiffng dào nà qh shìjiàn de dangshìrén. ‘The reporter sincerely asked over and over again; only then was she able to interview the person involved in that incident.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: In the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, China was in much turmoil. In 207 C.E., Liu Bei, who was a descendant of the imperial family, heard that Zhuge Liang was a very talented man and wanted to ask him to work for him. At that time, Liu Bei was a high-level local official, somewhat like the governor of a U.S. state, and Zhuge Liang was only a commoner. But Liu Bei lowered his status and personally went to Zhuge Liang’s house to visit him. The first two times Zhuge Liang wasn’t home; the third time he was home but when Liu Bei came, Zhuge Liang happened to be taking a nap. To express his respect for Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei waited for him until he awoke before speaking with him. Zhuge Liang was very moved, so he made the suggestion to Liu Bei of occupying southwest China and then dividing the empire into three parts. And sure enough, Chinese history later confirmed the correctness of Zhuge Liang’s assumptions. (from chapters 37 and 38 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms) Note: Complimentary in meaning.

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Entries 171 – 172: Ѩᔽ㓸㒋 and ϔᴀℷ㒣

Near Synonym: [ⳳᖗᅲᛣ] (zhbn xcn shí yì ⳳᖗᆺᛣ) ‘wholehearted, sincere.’ Antonym: [催催೼Ϟ] (gao gao zài shàng 催催೼Ϟ) ‘up very high, isolated from the masses.’ 171. Ğᇋ‫ݨ‬᫡ोğ(ጺᬕ⛌ᨕ) wj cfi bcn fbn Ѩᔽ means ‘five colors, multicolored’ and 㓸㒋 means ‘many.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘a profusion of colors, riot of colors, multicolored.’ Example 1: 㡖᮹ⱘᯊҷᑓഎᇋ‫ݨ‬᫡ोˈ䴲ᐌདⳟDŽ Jiérì de shídài gufngchfng wjcfi-bcnfbn, fbicháng hfokàn. ‘During the festival period, the square was filled with colors; it was very beautiful.’ Example 2: ᄽᄤӀᘏᰃṺᛇⴔ⫳⌏೼ᇋ‫ݨ‬᫡ोⱘϪ⬠䞠DŽ Háizimen zingshì mèngxifngzhe shbnghuó zài wjcfi-bcnfbn de shìjiè lh. ‘Children always dream of living in a world of many colors.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Ѩ‫ܝ‬क㡆] (wj guang shí sè Ѩ‫ܝ‬क㡆), [Ѩ买݁㡆] (wj yán liù sè Ѩ丣݁㡆), and [ϛ㋿ग㑶] (wàn zh qian hóng 㨀㋿ग㋙), all of which mean ‘multicolored.’ 172. Ğጙ‫۾‬ᑵளğ(ዯᏥᏩ὚) yì bgn zhèng jcng ℷ㒣 means ‘serious, solemn.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘serious, solemn, in all seriousness.’ Example 1: ਀ᅠ∛᡹ҹৢˈ乚ᇐጙ‫۾‬ᑵளഄ䇈˖໪Ѹ᮴ᇣџˈԴӀϔᅮ㽕䅸ⳳ໘⧚ˈ ϡ䆌᳝ӏԩᏂ䫭DŽ Tcngwán huìbào yhhòu, lhngdfo yìbgn-zhèngjcng de shud: “Wàijiao wú xifo shì, nhmen yídìng yào rènzhbn chjlh, bù xj yiu rèn hé chacuò.” ‘After hearing the report, the leader said very seriously: “When it comes to diplomacy, there is no such thing as a trivial matter; you definitely must handle this conscientiously, it’s not permitted that there be any mistakes.”’ Example 2: ⳟⴔҪጙ‫۾‬ᑵளⱘḋᄤˈཌྷ䍊㋻䇈˖ Ā៥ᰃ䎳Դᓔ⥽ュਸ਼ˈ߿ᆇᗩDŽā Kànzhe ta yìbgn-zhèngjcng de yàngzi, ta gfnjhn shud: “Wi shì gbn nh kai wánxiào ne, bié hàipà.” ‘Looking at his serious manner, she quickly said: “I’m joking with you, don’t be afraid.”’

Entries 173 – 174: ᘡ✊໻ᙳ and 㾚㗠ϡ㾕

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Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive. Near Synonyms: [ϡ㢳㿔ュ] (bù giu yán xiào ϡ㣡㿔ュ) ‘careful in speech,’ [䘧䉠ኌ✊] (dào mào àn rán 䘧䉠ኌ✊) ‘sanctimonious’ (pejorative). Antonyms: [⊍㜨⒥䇗] (yóu qiang huá diào ⊍㜨⒥䂓) ‘slick tunes smooth melodies – glib’ (pejorative), [ოⲂュ㜌] (xc pí xiào lifn ოⲂュ㞝) ‘smilingly, laughingly’ (pejorative). 173. Ğ઼཭ࡍᇘğ(េᵩጙᥘ) hufng rán dà wù ᘡ✊ means ‘suddenly’ and ᙳ means ‘come to one’s senses, awaken, realize.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘suddenly greatly realize,’ with freer translations being ‘suddenly understand, suddenly see the light, wake up to the facts.’ Example 1: ᇍᮍᦤ䝦ҹৢˈҪ઼཭ࡍᇘ˖ĀॳᴹԴ䇈ⱘᰃཌྷଞʽā Duìfang tíxhng yhhòu, ta hufngrán-dàwù: “Yuánlái nh shud de shì ta a!” ‘After the other person reminded him, he suddenly realized: “So the person you were talking about is her!”’ Example 2: ཌྷ䇈ߎ䇰ᑩҹৢˈ໻ᆊᠡ઼཭ࡍᇘDŽ Ta shudche mídh yhhòu, dàjia cái hufngrán-dàwù. ‘Only after she mentioned the solution to the puzzle did everyone suddenly understand.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial. As adverbial, commonly followed by the verb 䇈 (shud 䁾) ‘say.’ Near Synonyms: [䈕✊ᓔᳫ] (hud rán kai lfng 䈕✊䭟ᳫ) ‘suddenly see the light,’ [㣙า乓ᓔ] (máo sè dùn kai 㣙า䷧䭟) ‘suddenly see the light,’ [䝡䝤☠乊] (tí hú guàn dhng 䝡䝤☠䷖) ‘the finest cream from milk and the highest Buddhist doctrine – enlightened.’ Antonyms: [໻ᚥϡ㾷] (dà huò bù jig ໻ᚥϡ㾷) ‘puzzled, baffled,’ [ϔちϡ䗮] (yí qiào bù tdng ϔ゙ϡ䗮) ‘one gate not opened – know nothing about something.’ 174. Ğ၁ऎ‫ݙ‬୅ğ(ᷲᒚጰᖤ) shì ér bú jiàn 㾚 means ‘look’ and 㾕 means ‘see.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘look but not see.’ Sometimes this idiom is also used in the sense of ‘see but pretend not to see, turn a blind eye to.’ Example 1: 䄺ᆳᗢМ㛑ᇍ䖭㉏䖱⊩⌏ࡼ၁ऎ‫ݙ‬୅ਸ਼˛ Jhngchá zgnme néng duì zhè lèi wéiff huódòng shì’érbújiàn ne? ‘How can the police pretend not to see this kind of illegal activity?’

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Entries 175 – 176: ᳝ᴵϡ㋞ and ߿ᓔ⫳䴶

Example 2: ᮽϞ៥䎳Ҫᠧ᢯੐ˈৃᰃҪै၁ऎ‫ݙ‬୅ˈⳈ᥹䍄њ䖛এDŽ Zfoshàng wi gbn ta df zhaohu, kgshì ta què shì’érbújiàn, zhíjib ziule guòqu. ‘In the morning I greeted him, but he didn’t see me, directly passing by me.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; sometimes followed by ਀㗠ϡ䯏 (tcng ér bù wén 㙑㗠ϡ㘲) or ‫ܙ‬㘇ϡ䯏 (chdng gr bù wén ‫ܙ‬㘇ϡ㘲), both meaning ‘turn a deaf ear to.’ Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [਀㗠ϡ䯏] (tcng ér bù wén 㙑㗠ϡ㘲) and [‫ܙ‬㘇ϡ䯏] (chdng gr bù wén ‫ܙ‬㘇ϡ㘲) ‘turn a deaf ear to,’ [㾚㢹᮴ⵍ] (shì ruò wú dj 㽪㢹⛵ⵍ) and [❳㾚 ᮴ⵍ] (shú shì wú dj ❳㽪⛵ⵍ) ‘turn a blind eye to.’ 175. Ğᎌᄟ‫ݙ‬ᆯğ(ᑺ᭾ጰᨋ) yiu tiáo bù wgn ᴵ means ‘order’ and ㋞ means ‘disorderly.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘having order and not disorderly,’ with a freer translation being ‘orderly, methodical.’ Example 1: 㱑✊ᚙ‫Ⳍމ‬ᔧ໡ᴖˈԚᰃ৘乍ᬥ♒Ꮉ԰䖬ᰃᎌᄟ‫ݙ‬ᆯഄ䖯㸠ⴔDŽ Sucrán qíngkuàng xiangdang fùzá, dànshì gè xiàng jiùzai gdngzuò háishì yiutiáobùwgn de jìnxíngzhe. ‘Though the situation is fairly complex, each item in the disaster relief work is being carried out in an orderly manner.’ Example 2: ཌྷ䇈䆱ϡᖿϡ᜶ˈ‫خ‬џᎌᄟ‫ݙ‬ᆯˈ䴲ᐌ៤❳DŽ Ta shudhuà bú kuài bú màn, zuòshì yiutiáo-bùwgn, fbicháng chéngshú. ‘She speaks neither fast nor slow and is methodical in her work; she’s extremely mature.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, often followed by verbs such as 䖯㸠 ( jìnxíng 䘆㸠) ‘carry out’ and ᓔሩ (kaizhfn 䭟ሩ) ‘develop’; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᣝ䚼ህ⧁] (àn bù jiù ban ᣝ䚼ህ⧁) ‘do things in an orderly fashion,’ [ѩѩ᳝ᴵ] ( jhng jhng yiu tiáo ѩѩ᳝ṱ) ‘methodical.’ Antonyms: [ग༈ϛ㒾] (qian tóu wàn xù ग丁㨀㎦) ‘a thousand ends and ten thousand threads – very complicated,’ [хϗܿ㊳] (luàn qc ba zao іϗܿ㊳) ‘in great disorder, a mess’ (spoken Chinese). 176. Ğܰఎညෂğ(ᓕḶ᏷ᣃ) bié kai shbng miàn ߿ means ‘additionally,’ ᓔ means ‘open,’ and ⫳䴶 means ‘a new situation.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘additionally open up a new situation,’ with freer translations being ‘start something new, break new ground.’

Entry 177: 䬆㗠ϡ㟡

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Example 1: 䖭⾡ᑚ⼱⫳᮹ⱘᮍᓣҹࠡҢᴹ≵㾕䖛ˈৃҹ䇈ᰃܰఎညෂDŽ Zhè zhing qìngzhù shbngrì de fangshì yhqián cónglái méi jiànguo, kgyh shud shì biékai-shbngmiàn. ‘This way of celebrating birthdays has never been seen before; one could say that it’s breaking new ground.’ Example 2: Ӯഎ䞠ℷ೼䖯㸠ϔഎܰఎညෂⱘᇍ䆱ˈϔᮍᰃ໻݀ৌ㗕ᘏˈϔᮍᰃ᱂䗮 ᇣᄺ⫳DŽ Huìchfng lh zhèng zài jìnxíng yì cháng biékai-shbngmiàn de duìhuà, yìfang shì dà gdngsc lfozing, yìfang shì pjtdng xifoxuésheng. ‘At the conference site there is taking place a ground-breaking dialogue; one side is the head of a major corporation, and the other side is an ordinary elementary school student.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonyms: [㘇Ⳃϔᮄ] (gr mù yì xcn 㘇Ⳃϔᮄ) ‘brand-new sights and sounds,’ ߿ߎᖗ㺕 (bié che xcn cái) ‘come out with a different plan – have an unconventional idea.’ Antonyms: [ग㆛ϔᕟ] (qian pian yí lq ग㆛ϔᕟ) ‘a thousand essays uniform – follow the same pattern, stereotyped,’ [Ё㾘Ёⶽ] (zhdng guc zhdng jj Ё㽣Ёⶽ) ‘hit rule hit regulation – by the book,’ [ϔ៤ϡব] ( yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’ 177. Ğ᷊ऎ‫ݙ‬࿱ğ(┼ᒚጰ᭑) qiè ér bù shg 䬆 means ‘carve’ and 㟡 means ‘give up, abandon.’ The literal meaning is ‘(keep on) carving without giving up,’ this being a metaphor for possessing perseverance and willpower. This idiom can be translated as ‘work with perseverance, keep on chipping away at something.’ Example 1: ᧲ⷨおህ䳔㽕䖭⾡᷊ऎ‫ݙ‬࿱ⱘ㊒⼲DŽ Gfo yánjie jiù xeyào zhè zhing qiè’érbùshg de jcngshen. ‘In conducting research, one needs precisely this kind of persevering spirit.’ Example 2: ೼೑ᆊⱘ෎⸔ᓎ䆒ᮍ䴶ᖙ乏ᠢᠢᅲᅲˈ᷊ऎ‫ݙ‬࿱DŽ Zài guójia de jcchj jiànshè fangmiàn bìxe zha zha shí shí, qiè’érbùshg. ‘In the area of national basic construction, one must be solid and persevering.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Allusion: This is a literary allusion to the following line from “Encouraging Learning” by the philosopher Xun Zi: 䬆㗠㟡Пˈᴑ᳼ϡᡬ˗䬆㗠ϡ㟡ˈ䞥⷇ৃ䬖 (qiè ér shg zhc, xij mù bù shg; qiè ér bù shg, jcn shí kg lòu) “If when carving one gives up, then rotten wood (which would normally break right away) will not break; but if

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Entries 178 – 179: ܼ⼲䌃⊼ and ϛ᮴ϔ༅

when carving one doesn’t give up, then even metal and stone can be carved.” What Xun Zi meant here was that one should persevere in one’s studies. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᣕПҹᘦ] (chí zhc yh héng ᣕПҹᘚ) ‘persevere.’ Antonyms: [ञ䗨㗠ᑳ] (bàn tú ér fèi ञ䗨㗠ᒶ) ‘give up halfway,’ [⌙ᇱ䕘ℶ] (qifn cháng zhé zhh ⏎௫䓦ℶ) ‘shallowly taste then stop – stop after gaining a little knowledge of something.’ 178. Ğཝခ਑ᓖğ(ᐨ᧷᱇ᚽ) quán shén guàn zhù ܼ means ‘all,’ ⼲ means ‘spirit, energy,’ and 䌃⊼ means ‘concentrate.’ The literal meaning is ‘with all one’s energy to concentrate on something,’ with a freer translation being ‘give one’s undivided attention to, be absorbed in.’ Example 1: 催∈ᑇⱘ↨䌯Ёˈ䗝᠟ᖙ乏ཝခ਑ᓖˈབᵰ᳝ӏԩϔ⾦㊒࡯ϡ䲚ЁˈህӮ ༅䋹DŽ Gao shuhpíng de bhsài zhdng, xufnshiu bìxe quánshén-guànzhù, rúgui yiu rènhé yì mifo jcnglì bù jízhdng, jiù huì shcbài. ‘In high-level competition, contestants must concentrate with undivided attention; if they don’t concentrate their energy at any time, even just for a second, they will lose.’ Example 2: ཌྷℷ೼ཝခ਑ᓖഄⳟкˈҹ㟇Ѣḍᴀ≵᳝਀㾕⬉䆱䪗ໄDŽ Ta zhèngzài quánshén-guànzhù de kànshe, yhzhìyú gbnbgn méiyiu tcngjiàn diànhuà língshbng. ‘She is absorbed in her reading, to the point that she didn’t hear the sound of the telephone ringing at all.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ϧᖗ㟈ᖫ] (zhuan xcn zhì zhì ᇜᖗ㟈ᖫ) ‘with single-minded devotion,’ [㘮㊒Ӯ⼲] ( jù jcng huì shén 㘮㊒᳗⼲) ‘with total concentration.’ Antonym: [ᖗϡ೼⛝] (xcn bú zài yan ᖗϡ೼⛝) ‘heart is not there – absent-minded, distracted.’ 179. Ğᅺᇄጙပğ(ὈᵨዯᏌ) wàn wú yì shc ༅ means ‘mistake.’ A literal translation is ‘in ten thousand there is not even one mistake,’ with a freer translation being ‘surefire, cannot go wrong.’ Example 1: 䖭⃵⌏ࡼᛣНᕜ໻ˈԴӀϔᅮ㽕དད‫ޚ‬໛ˈ⹂ֱᅺᇄጙပDŽ Zhè cì huódòng yìyì hgn dà, nhmen yídìng yào hfohfo zhjnbèi, quèbfo wànwúyìshc.

Entry 180: ᣝ೒㋶偹

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‘The significance of this activity is great; you must definitely prepare well to ensure that nothing goes wrong.’ Example 2: Ўњֱ䆕ᅺᇄጙပˈ䙷ԡ⫳⠽ᄺᬭᥜৠᯊিϝϾᄺ⫳‫Ⳍخݡ‬ৠⱘᅲ偠DŽ Wèile bfozhèng wànwúyìshc, nà wèi shbngwùxué jiàoshòu tóngshí jiào san ge xuésheng zài zuò xiangtóng de shíyàn. ‘To guarantee that nothing went wrong, the biology professor had three students do the same experiment simultaneously.’ Usage: Occurs mostly after ⹂ֱ (quèbfo ⺎ֱ) ‘ensure,’ ֱ䆕 (bfozhèng ֱ䄝) ‘guarantee’ and similar verbs. Near Synonyms: [कᣓб〇] (shí ná jij wgn कᣓб〽) ‘ninety percent sure, almost certain,’ [ᵓϞ䩝䩝] (bfn shàng dcng dcng ᵓϞ䞬䞬) ‘nail nails into a plank – definite, fixed’ (used mostly in spoken Chinese). Antonyms: [ⱒᆚϔ⭣] (bfi mì yì she ⱒᆚϔ⭣) ‘hundred meticulous things one careless thing – imperfect,’ [ᣖϔⓣϛ] (guà yc lòu wàn ᥯ϔⓣ㨀) ‘the list is far from complete.’ 180. Ğ‫ږ‬ᅄჃ᪭ğ(៎‽ᨍ⟴) àn tú sui jì ㋶ means ‘seek’ and 偹 means ‘thoroughbred horse.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘according to a sketch seek a horse.’ By analogy, the meaning of the whole idiom is ‘search for something based on clues.’ The idiom also has an extended meaning of ‘do something mechanically’ or ‘rigid, unimaginative.’ Example 1: Ҫ㒭њ៥ϔᓴৡ⠛ˈ޴໽ৢˈ៥‫ږ‬ᅄჃ᪭ᡒࠄњҪⱘ݀ৌDŽ Ta ggile wi yì zhang míngpiàn, jh tian hòu, wi àntú-suijì zhfodàole ta de gdngsc. ‘He gave me a business card; after several days, by searching based on the clues I had, I located his company.’ Example 2: ৗ㥃ᕫ೼ए⫳ⱘᣛᇐϟ䖯㸠ˈϡ㛑াⳟ⬉㾚Ϟᑓਞⱘ⠛䴶ᅷӴˈ‫ږ‬ᅄჃ᪭DŽ Chc yào dgi zài ycshbng de zhhdfo xià jìnxíng, bù néng zhh kàn diànshì shàng gufnggào de piànmiàn xuanchuán, àntú-suijì. ‘Taking medicine must be carried out under the guidance of a doctor; you can’t just watch the one-sided propaganda of television advertisements and do things mechanically.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Allusion: During the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 B.C.E.), there was in the country of Qin a person by the name of Sun Yang. It is said that in all of Chinese history, Sun Yang knew best how to appraise horses, so everyone called him Bo Le, after the god in heaven who was responsible for managing the heavenly horses. Sun Yang wrote a book titled The Classic of Appraising Horses in which there is a line

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Entry 181: 䇌བℸ㉏

that “a good horse has a tall forehead, bulging eyes, and hoofs that appear like medicinal wine pancakes that have been stacked up.” Holding this book in his hands, Sun Yang’s son went looking for a good horse. On departing his home, he saw a toad that, according to his father’s book, had the traits of a good horse, so he brought it home and told his father: “I found a horse that can run a thousand miles a day; its traits are basically the same as those you mentioned in your book. The only thing is its hoofs are not like medicinal wine pancakes that have been stacked up.” Knowing that his son was stupid, Sun Yang not only did not get angry but said with humor, “This horse likes to jump, it’s hard to control!” (from Yi Lin Fa Shan by Yang Shen, Ming Dynasty) Note: Derogatory in the sense of ‘do something mechanically.’ Near Synonyms: [✻⣿⬏㰢] (zhào mao huà hj ✻䉧⬿㰢) ‘draw a tiger with a cat as a model – follow a model’ (sometimes derogatory), [✻ᴀᅷ⾥] (zhào bgn xuan kb ✻ᴀᅷ⾥) ‘go by the book, have no flexibility’ (derogatory), [⫳ᨀ⹀༫] (shbng ban yìng tào ⫳ᨀ⹀༫) ‘copy mechanically and force-fit into’ (derogatory). Antonym: [ϡ㨑ぴ㟐] (bú luò kb jiù ϡ㨑ぴ㟐) ‘not follow the beaten track, have an original style.’ 181. Ğᓄྙࠥಢğ(⊳ᑙᒀ⚎) zhe rú ch lèi 䇌 means ‘all,’ བ means ‘like,’ ℸ means ‘this,’ and ㉏ means ‘type, kind.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘all like this kind,’ with a freer translation being ‘such, such as, and so on.’ Example 1: ϡ‫ܝ‬Ё೑᳝䖭ḋⱘ䯂乬ˈᓄྙࠥಢⱘ⦄䈵೼⃻㕢৘೑гϡᇥ㾕DŽ Bù guang Zhdngguó yiu zhèyàng de wèntí, zherú-chlèi de xiànxiàng zài nu-Mgi gè guó yg bù shfo jiàn. ‘Not only China has these kinds of problems; phenomena like these are also not rare in the various countries of Europe and the Americas.’ Example 2: ᳝ᯊ‫׭‬៥Ӏ䳔㽕䇈ϔѯ୘ᛣⱘ䇢㿔ˈ↨ᮍ䇈᳝Ҏ䯂Դˈཌྷᮄфⱘ㸷᳡ᗢМ ḋ˛Դৃҹ䇈Ā䖭ӊ㸷᳡ᕜ⡍߿āˈĀ䖭ӊ㸷᳡Դこⴔᕜড়䗖āˈᓄྙࠥಢDŽ Yiu shíhou wimen xeyào shud yìxib shànyì de hufngyán, bhfang shud yiu rén wèn nh, ta xcn mfi de ycfu zgnmeyàng? Nh kgyh shud “Zhè jiàn ycfu hgn tèbié,” “Zhè jiàn ycfu nh chuanzhe hgn héshì,” zherú-chlèi. ‘Sometimes we need to tell some well-intentioned lies; for example, if someone asks you what you think of the new clothes she has bought, you could say “These clothes are very special,” or “These clothes fit you very well,” or something else like this.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonym: [ϡϔ㗠䎇] (bù yc ér zú ϡϔ㗠䎇) ‘mention just a few, not just an isolated example.’

Entries 182 – 183: ㊒Ⲟ∖㊒ and ϔᏚ亢乎

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182. Ğறፄཇறğ(⃶᧟ᕧ⃶) jcng yì qiú jcng ㊒ means ‘perfect’ or ‘perfection,’ Ⲟ means ‘even more,’ and ∖ means ‘seek.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘perfect even more seek perfection.’ Freer translations are ‘keep trying to improve, strive for perfection.’ Example 1: Ҫⷨࠊߎⱘᴎ఼ҎᏆ㒣乚‫ܼܜ‬Ϫ⬠њˈԚᰃҪҡϡ⒵䎇ˈறፄཇறˈϡᮁ ഄᅠ୘ᅗDŽ Ta yánzhìche de jcqìrén yhjcng lhngxian quán shìjiè le, dànshì ta réng bù mfnzú, jcngyì-qiújcng, búduàn de wánshàn ta. ‘The robot that he developed and produced is already in the lead in the whole world, but he is still not satisfied, striving for perfection and continuously refining it.’ Example 2: 㒣⧚哧ࢅ㘠ਬᇍ乒ᅶⱘ᳡ࡵ㽕றፄཇறˈҹ֓਌ᓩ᳈໮ⱘ乒ᅶDŽ Jcnglh gjlì zhíyuán duì gùkè de fúwù yào jcngyì-qiújcng, yhbiàn xcyhn gèng dud de gùkè. ‘The manager encourages employees to keep trying to improve their service to customers, thus attracting even more customers.’ Usage: Functions as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ሑ୘ሑ㕢] ( jìn shàn jìn mgi ⲵ୘ⲵ㕢) ‘completely perfect,’ [䫺Ϟ⏏㢅] ( jhn shàng tian hua 䣺Ϟ⏏㢅) ‘on brocade add flowers – improve to perfection.’ Antonyms: [㉫ࠊⒹ䗴] (ce zhì làn zào ㉫ࠊ▿䗴) ‘slapdash and slipshod,’ [ᕫ䖛Ϩ䖛] (dé guò qig guò ᕫ䘢Ϩ䘢) ‘drift or muddle along.’ 183. Ğጙटज़ၿğ(ዯᑥᣉṍ) yì fan fbng shùn Ꮪ means ‘sail’ and 乎 means ‘favorable, smooth.’ A literal translation is ‘a sail full of favorable winds,’ with a freer translation being ‘smooth sailing, unimpeded progress, without a hitch.’ Example 1: ཌྷⱘϔ⫳Ңᴹ≵᳝䘛ࠄ䖛咏⚺ˈጙटज़ၿDŽ Ta de yìshbng cónglái méiyiu yùdàoguo máfan, yìfan-fbngshùn. ‘Her whole life long she has never encountered trouble; it’s been smooth sailing.’ Example 2: ᕜ໮џᚙ䛑ϡᰃጙटज़ၿⱘˈԴᕫ‫خ‬ད༅䋹ⱘᖗ⧚‫ޚ‬໛DŽ Hgn dud shìqing ddu bú shì yìfan-fbngshùn de, nh dgi zuòhfo shcbài de xcnlh zhjnbèi. ‘Lots of things don’t go so smoothly; you must prepare yourself mentally for failure.’

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Entries 184 – 185: ᅵᯊᑺ࢓ and 䇜ԩᆍᯧ

Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; often in negative constructions. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [亢ᑇ⌾䴭] (fbng píng làng jìng 乼ᑇ⌾䴰) ‘wind calm waves still – calm and tranquil,’ [ϔ䏃乎亢] ( yí lù shùn fbng ϔ䏃䷚乼) ‘whole road favorable wind – bon voyage, wishing you success,’ [᮴ᕔϡ߽] (wú wfng bú lì ⛵ᕔϡ߽) ‘there is no place one goes where it is not advantageous – go smoothly everywhere.’ Antonyms: [ϔ⊶ϝᡬ] ( yì bd san zhé ϔ⊶ϝᡬ) ‘full of obstacles and complications, full of twists and turns,’ [᚞⍯偛⌾] ( jcng tao hài làng 倮▸俁⌾) ‘terrifying storm, perilous situation.’ 184. Ğဃဟࣞဴğ(⇍᥸ឯṬ) shgn shí duó shì ᅵ means ‘examine,’ ᯊ here means ‘the times, the current situation,’ ᑺ means ‘estimate,’ and ࢓ here means ‘trend.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘examine the current situation and estimate what the trend is like,’ with freer translations being ‘judge the hour and size up the situation, observe the times and judge the occasion.’ Example 1: ೼㒣⌢㹄䗔ⱘᚙ‫މ‬ϟˈཌྷဃဟࣞဴˈ໻䞣фܹᮄ㛑⑤ᮍ䴶ⱘ㙵⼼ˈ㒧ᵰ䌮 њ໻䪅DŽ Zài jcngjì shuaituì de qíngkuàng xià, ta shgnshí-duóshì, dàliàng mfirù xcn néngyuán fangmiàn de gjpiào, jiégui zhuànle dà qián. ‘In a situation of economic depression, she examined the current situation and predicted what the trend would be; she bought up large amounts of stocks involving new energy sources, and as a result she made a lot of money.’ Example 2: 䙷ԡ‫ݙ‬䯕䚼䭓ဃဟࣞဴˈ೼ᘏ㒳໻䗝ࠡ޴໽݀ᓔᬃᣕ䙷ԡཇ‫׭‬䗝ҎDŽ Nà wèi nèigé bùzhfng shgnshí-duóshì, zài zingting dàxufn qián jh tian gdngkai zhcchí nà wèi nr hòuxufnrén. ‘That cabinet minister judged the times and sized up the trend; a few days before the presidential election, he publicly supported that female candidate.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [ϡ༅ᯊᴎ] (bù shc shí jc ϡ༅ᰖ″) ‘not miss an opportunity.’ Antonyms: [ࠏ㟳∖ࠥ] (kè zhdu qiú jiàn ࠏ㟳∖ࡡ) ‘carve boat seek sword – not know how to adapt to changed conditions,’ [๼ᅜ៤㾘] (mò shiu chéng guc ๼ᅜ៤㽣) ‘stick to conventions or outmoded practices.’ 185. Ğტੜྏጵğ(⊯ᒺᤶᚔ) tán hé róng yì ԩ here means ‘how.’ The literal meaning is ‘to talk about it how is it easy,’ with a freer translation being ‘easier said than done, not at all easy.’

Entries 186 – 187: ໻࢓᠔䍟 and ┰⿏咬࣪

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Example 1: 䇈ৃҹ䙷ḋ䇈ˈԚᰃ‫خ‬䍋ᴹტੜྏጵʽ Shud kgyh nàyàng shud, dànshì zuòqhlai tánhéróngyì! ‘You can talk about it like that, but in doing it, it’s not at all easy!’ Example 2: 㽕ᛇᬍবϔԡܿकቕⱘ㗕Ҏⱘᛇ⊩ტੜྏጵ˛ Yào xifng gfibiàn yí wèi bashí suì de lforén de xifngff tánhéróngyì? ‘If you want to change the ways of thinking of an older person of eighty years of age, that is easier said than done.’ Usage: Functions as predicate at the end of a sentence; can be followed by a period, question mark, or exclamation mark, depending on the meaning. Near Synonym: [ᴹПϡᯧ] (lái zhc bú yì ՚Пϡᯧ) ‘not easily obtained, hard-won.’ Antonym: [䕏㗠ᯧВ] (qcng ér yì jj 䓩㗠ᯧ㟝) ‘light and easy to lift – easy.’ 186. ĞࡍဴჅཋğ(ጙṬᙰ┣) dà shì sui qe ໻ means ‘overall,’ ࢓ means ‘tendency,’ and 䍟 means ‘tend towards.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the direction in which the overall tendency is moving in,’ with freer translations being ‘the general trend of things’ or ‘the trend of the times.’ Example 1: 䱣ⴔҎӀ⫳⌏∈ᑇⱘᦤ催ˈ᳝ᴎ㬀㦰ᰃࡍဴჅཋDŽ Suízhe rénmen shbnghuó shuhpíng de tígao, yiujc shecài shì dàshì-suiqe. ‘Following along with the rise in people’s standard of living, organic vegetables are the trend of the times.’ Example 2: ⬅Ѣग़৆੠᭛࣪↨䕗᥹䖥ˈ⃻⌆৘೑೼ᬓ⊏Ϟ੠㒣⌢Ϟ㒳ϔᰃࡍဴჅཋDŽ Yóuyú lìshh hé wénhuà bhjiào jibjìn, nuzhdu gè guó zài zhèngzhì shàng hé jcngjì shàng tingyc shì dàshì-suiqe. ‘Because their history and culture are relatively close, that the various countries of Europe unite politically and economically is the general trend of things.’ Usage: Functions mainly as independent predicate, usually preceded by the verb ᰃ (shì) ‘be.’ Near Synonym: [࢓೼ᖙ㸠] (shì zài bì xíng ࢶ೼ᖙ㸠) ‘given the circumstances it must be done.’ 187. Ğ༅ጤ෦છğ(∬ᯡ⑌ፓ) qián yí mò huà ┰ means ‘hidden,’ ⿏ means ‘move,’ 咬 means ‘silent,’ and ࣪ means ‘change.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘hidden move and silent change,’ with freer translations being ‘influence subtly or imperceptibly.’

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Entry 188: ᥝҹ䕏ᖗ

Example 1: ⠊↡ⱘ㿔㸠ϔᅮӮ༅ጤ෦છഄᕅડᄽᄤDŽ Fùmj de yánxíng yídìng huì qiányí-mòhuà de yhngxifng háizi. ‘The words and actions of parents are certain to subtly influence children.’ Example 2: ䷇ФᇍҎⱘ៤䭓᳝༅ጤ෦છⱘ԰⫼DŽ Ycnyuè duì rén de chéngzhfng yiu qiányí-mòhuà de zuòyòng. ‘Music has an imperceptible effect on the maturation of people.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive. Near Synonyms: [㘇▵Ⳃᶧ] (gr rú mù rfn 㘇▵Ⳃᶧ) ‘ears immersed and eyes contaminated – influenced by what one hears and sees,’ [䖥ᴅ㗙䌸] ( jìn zhe zhg chì 䖥ᴅ㗙䌸) ‘one who approaches vermilion will become red – the influence of one’s surroundings.’ Antonyms: [᮴ࡼѢ㹋] (wú dòng yú zhdng ⛵ࢩᮐ㹋) ‘unmoved, unconcerned,’ [ߔᵾ ϡܹ] (dao qiang bú rù ߔᾡϡܹ) ‘knife gun not enter – well shielded’ (spoken Chinese). 188. Ğࢬጲ༵ቦğ(ᭂ᎔⅜፬) diào yh qcng xcn ᥝ here means ‘swing’ and 䕏ᖗ means ‘careless, casual.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘careless as you swing something.’ The meaning is ‘treat something lightly, become complacent, lower one’s guard.’ Example 1: 㱑✊៥Ӏⱘᇍ᠟ᰃϾᔅ䯳ˈԚᰃ៥Ӏгϡ㛑ࢬጲ༵ቦDŽ Sucrán wimen de duìshiu shì ge ruò duì, dànshì wimen yg bù néng diàoyhqcngxcn. ‘Even though our opponent is a weak team, we must not be complacent.’ Example 2: 佪Ⳍህ㘠‫⼐݌‬䙷໽ˈܼᏖ᠔᳝ⱘ䄺ᆳϔᕟপ⍜ᬒ‫≵ˈ؛‬᳝Ҏᬶࢬጲ༵ቦDŽ Shiuxiàng jiùzhí difnlh nà tian, quán shì suiyiu de jhngchá yílq qjxiao fàngjià, méiyiu rén gfn diàoyhqcngxcn. ‘On the day of the prime minister’s inauguration, all of the police in the whole city had their leave cancelled; nobody dared to lower their guard.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, usually preceded by negative auxiliary verb constructions such as ϡᬶ (bù gfn) ‘dare not’ and ϡ㛑 (bù néng) or ϡৃ (bù kg), both of which mean ‘can not, should not, must not.’ Near Synonyms: [咏⯍໻ᛣ] (má bì dà yì 咏⯍໻ᛣ) ‘careless and inattentive,’ [ϡሥϔ乒] (bú xiè yí gù ϡሥϔ主) ‘not deign to look.’ Antonyms: [䚥䞡݊џ] (zhèng zhòng qí shì 䜁䞡݊џ) ‘treat a matter seriously,’ [ܼ⼲ 䌃⊼] (quán shén guàn zhù ܼ⼲䉿⊼) ‘give one’s undivided attention to,’ [ϔϱ ϡ㢳] (yì sc bù giu ϔ㍆ϡ㣡) ‘not the least bit negligent.’

Entries 189 – 190: ℸ䍋ᕐӣ and ৡ㨑ᄭቅ

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189. Ğࠥ໦‫܋‬॰ğ(ᒀᩪᙚᐛ) ch qh bh fú ℸ means ‘this one,’ 䍋 means ‘rise,’ ᕐ means ‘that one,’ and ӣ means ‘go down.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘this one rises that one goes down,’ with freer translations including ‘one rises while another falls,’ ‘in rapid succession,’ and ‘continuously.’ Example 1: ␌㸠⼎࿕⌏ࡼࠥ໦‫܋‬॰ˈܼ೑х៤њϔ䫙㉹DŽ Yóuxíng shìwbi huódòng chqh-bhfú, quán guó luànchéngle yìgudzhdu. ‘The demonstrations continued in rapid succession, the whole country ending up in one great disorderly mess.’ Example 2: 㸼ⓨ໾㊒ᔽњˈᥠໄ੠⃶੐ໄࠥ໦‫܋‬॰DŽ Bifoyfn tài jcngcfi le, zhfngshbng hé huanhe shbng chqh-bhfú. ‘The performance was absolutely brilliant, applause and cheers continuing in rapid succession.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [ϔ⊶᳾ᑇˈϔ⊶জ䍋] ( yì bd wèi ping, yì bd yòu qh ϔ⊶᳾ᑇˈϔ⊶ জ䍋) ‘one wave has not yet leveled, another wave rises again.’ Antonym: [亢ᑇ⌾䴭] (fbng píng làng jìng 乼ᑇ⌾䴰) ‘wind calm waves still – calm and tranquil.’ 190. Ğ෗ൢႻ࿍ğ(ᑀό᤮ጢ) míng luò Sen Shan ৡ means ‘name, rank,’ 㨑 means ‘fall behind,’ and ᄭቅ is the name of a person. A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘one’s name falls behind Sun Shan,’ with freer translations being ‘fail to pass an examination, fail to be a successful candidate.’ Example 1: 㱑✊ཌྷখࡴ䖛ϝ⃵༹䖤Ӯˈৃᰃ↣⃵䛑෗ൢႻ࿍DŽ Sucrán ta canjiaguo san cì Àoyùnhuì, kgshì mgi cì ddu míngluò-Sen Shan. ‘Although she participated in the Olympics three times, each time she was unsuccessful.’ Example 2: ೼䖭⃵䗝ВЁˈҪҹϸ⼼ПᏂ෗ൢႻ࿍ˈҸҎᛳࠄकߚৃᚰDŽ Zài zhè cì xufnjj zhdng, ta yh lifng piào zhc cha míngluò-Sen Shan, lìng rén gfndào shífbn kgxc. ‘In this election, he lost by two votes, making others feel it was a great pity.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: Sun Shan was considered very talented by the people in his hometown. One day he went to another county to take an imperial examination. One of his

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Entries 191 – 192: ᓩҎܹ㚰 and ϡ෾䆒ᛇ

fellow-townsmen asked Sun Shan to let his son go and take the examination together with him, hoping that his son would get lucky by association with Sun Shan. Unfortunately, the son failed the examination, whereas Sun Shan ranked last on the list of successful candidates. When Sun Shan returned home, his fellow-townsman asked him how his son had done. Sun Shan answered: 㾷ৡሑ໘ᰃᄭቅˈ䋸䚢᳈೼ᄭቅ໪ (xiè míng jìn chù shì Sen Shan, xián láng gèng zài Sen Shan wài) “I was the last successful candidate, and your son fell behind even me.” Near Synonym: [ϔ䋹⍖ഄ] (yí bài tú dì ϔᬫ⍖ഄ) ‘collapse completely, suffer a crushing defeat.’ Antonyms: [䞥ὰ乬ৡ] ( jcn bfng tí míng 䞥ὰ丠ৡ) ‘golden noticeboard write (one’s) name – succeed on the imperial examination,’ [ৡ߫ࠡ㣙] (míng liè qián máo ৡ߫ࠡ㣙) ‘at the top of the list.’ 191. Ğ፛ཽྜྷဒğ(፫ዷዹᲓ) yhn rén rù shèng ᓩ means ‘lead’ and 㚰 means ‘beautiful, wonderful.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘lead people to enter a beautiful place.’ The meaning of the whole idiom as now used is usually ‘fascinating, absorbing, mesmerizing.’ Example 1: 㕢೑⬉㾚Ϟⱘᑐ‫ܓ‬㡖Ⳃ‫ݙ‬ᆍЄᆠ໮ᔽˈ፛ཽྜྷဒDŽ Mgiguó diànshì shàng de yòu’ér jiémù nèiróng fbngfù dudcfi, yhnrén-rùshèng. ‘Children’s programs on U.S. television are rich and varied in content; they are fascinating and absorbing.’ Example 2: ⃻⌆कܿǃकбϪ㑾ѻ⫳њ໻䞣ⱘӬ⾔ⱘǃ፛ཽྜྷဒⱘ԰કDŽ nuzhdu shíba, shíjij shìjì chfnshbngle dàliàng de yduxiù de yhnrén-rùshèng de zuòphn. ‘Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries produced a great amount of outstanding and mesmerizing literary and artistic works.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ҸҎ⼲ᕔ] (lìng rén shén wfng ҸҎ⼲ᕔ) ‘let one’s spirit go there – fire up one’s imagination.’ Antonyms: [ੇৠಐ㳵] (wèi tóng jiáo là ੇৠಐ㷳) ‘taste like chewing wax – without taste,’ [㋶✊᮴ੇ] (sui rán wú wèi ㋶✊⛵ੇ) ‘dull and without flavor – insipid.’ 192. Ğ‫ݙ‬ఔ࿸ሯğ(ጰᲴ᰿ầ) bù kan shè xifng ෾ means ‘can’ and 䆒ᛇ means ‘imagine.’ The whole idiom means ‘unbearable to contemplate, unthinkable, inconceivable.’

Entry 193: Н᮴ড乒

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Example 1: བᵰഄ⧗ⱘᑇഛ⏽ᑺछ催ϸᑺˈ䙷Мৢᵰ‫ݙ‬ఔ࿸ሯDŽ Rúgui dìqiú de píngjen wbndù shbnggao lifng dùˈ nàme hòugui bùkanshèxifng. ‘If the average earth temperature were to rise by two degrees, the consequences would be unimaginable.’ Example 2: ಴Ўᕜ໮೑ᆊ᳝Ḍ℺఼ˈϛϔ‫ݡ‬থ⫳Ϫ⬠໻៬ˈ㒧ᵰ‫ݙ‬ఔ࿸ሯDŽ Ycnwèi hgn dud guójia yiu héwjqì, wànyc zài fashbng shìjiè dàzhàn, jiégui bùkan-shèxifng. ‘Because many countries possess nuclear weapons, if by some chance another world war were to occur, the results would be inconceivable.’ Usage: Functions as predicate; usually preceded by subject meaning “result.” Near Synonym: [ߊ໮ঢ়ᇥ] (xidng dud jí shfo ߊ໮ঢ়ᇥ) ‘bad luck much, good luck little – bode ill rather than well.’ Antonym: [ᅝ✊᮴ᘭ] (an rán wú yàng ᅝ✊⛵ᘭ) ‘safe and without illness, safe and sound.’ 193. Ğፃᇄन৻ğ(ὤᵨ፜❁) yì wú ffn gù Н means ‘obligation’ and ড乒 means ‘look back, change one’s mind.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘duty-bound not to turn back, one should not hesitate concerning one’s obligations.’ Example 1: ໻ᄺ↩ϮҹৢˈҪፃᇄन৻ഄএњ㽓㮣Ꮉ԰DŽ Dàxué bìyè yhhòu, ta yìwúffngù de qùle Xczàng gdngzuò. ‘After graduating from college, without hesitating concerning his obligations, he went to Tibet to work.’ Example 2: Ҫമֵˈা㽕ᰃℷНⱘџᚙˈህፃᇄन৻DŽ Ta jianxìn, zhhyào shì zhèngyì de shìqing, jiù yìwúffngù. ‘He firmly believes that so long as it is a matter that involves righteousness, then one is duty-bound not to turn back.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Нϡᆍ䕲] ( yì bù róng cí 㕽ϡᆍ䖁) ‘duty-bound not to refuse,’ [⸈䞰≝㟳] (pò fj chén zhdu ⸈䞰≝㟳) ‘break kettles sink boats – burn one’s bridges.’ Antonyms: [⬣佪⬣ሒ] (wèi shiu wèi wgi ⬣佪⬣ሒ) ‘fear head fear tail – fraught with uncertainty, overcautious,’ [⬣㓽ϡࠡ] (wèi sud bù qián ⬣㐂ϡࠡ) ‘afraid to advance.’

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Entries 194 – 195: ⛩✊ϔᮄ and ϔ㾚ৠҕ

194. Ğબ཭ጙቤğ(Ἄᵩዯỉ) huàn rán yì xcn ⛩✊ means ‘bright, shining.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘in a bright and shining manner and completely new,’ with freer translations being ‘look brand-new, change beyond recognition.’ Example 1: 㺙ׂҹৢˈॳᴹ咥ᱫ⣁じⱘᇣሟબ཭ጙቤˈᰒᕫᆑᬲᯢ҂DŽ Zhuangxie yhhòu, yuánlái hbi’àn xiázhfi de xifowe huànrán-yìxcn, xifnde kuanchfng míngliàng. ‘After renovation, the small room that originally had been dark and narrow appeared spacious and bright.’ Example 2: 㒣䖛कᑈথሩˈ䙷ᑻᇣජᏖબ཭ጙቤˈㅔⳈ䅽Ҏ䲒ҹⳌֵDŽ Jcngguò shí nián fazhfn, nà zuò xifo chéngshì huànrán-yìxcn, jifnzhí ràng rén nán yh xiangxìn. ‘After ten years of development, that little city changed beyond recognition; it was simply hard for a person to believe.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [᮹ᮄ᳜ᓖ] (rì xcn yuè yì ᮹ᮄ᳜⭄) ‘change rapidly with each new day,’ [㘇Ⳃϔᮄ] (gr mù yì xcn 㘇Ⳃϔᮄ) ‘brand-new sights and sounds.’ Antonyms: [ձ✊བᬙ] ( yc rán rú gù ձ✊བᬙ) ‘still the same as before,’ [ϔ៤ϡব] (yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’ 195. Ğጙ၁ᄴོğ(ዯᷲᐹጼ) yí shì tóng rén 㾚 here means ‘look upon as, treat as,’ ৠ means ‘same,’ and ҕ means ‘benevolence, kindheartedness.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘all treat same kindheartedness,’ with a freer translation being ‘give equal or impartial treatment to all.’ Example 1: ໻ᄺᇍ᠔᳝⬇䇋ⱘᄺ⫳ጙ၁ᄴོˈϡㅵᄺ⫳ⱘᆊᒁ㒣⌢ᚙ‫މ‬ᗢМḋˈᄺ⫳ া㽕䖒ࠄ㽕∖ህৃҹ㹿ᔩপDŽ Dàxué duì suiyiu shbnqhng de xuésheng yíshì-tóngrén, bùgufn xuésheng de jiatíng jcngjì qíngkuàng zgnmeyàng, xuésheng zhhyào dádào yaoqiú jiù kgyh bèi lùqj. ‘Universities give impartial treatment to all students who apply; no matter what the students’ family financial situation is like; so long as students meet the requirements, they can be enrolled.’ Example 2: ᬓᑰᇍѢᴀ೑ⱘӕϮ੠໪೑ⱘӕϮᑨ䆹ጙ၁ᄴོDŽ Zhèngfj duìyú bgn guó de qhyè hé wàiguó de qhyè ycnggai yíshì-tóngrén. ‘The government should give equal treatment to domestic businesses and foreign businesses.’

Entries 196 – 197: Ѩ买݁㡆 and ᴳ᠟᮴ㄪ

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial. Near Synonym: [ㄝ䞣唤㾖] (dgng liàng qí guan ㄝ䞣唞㾔) ‘consider as equal.’ Antonyms: [८ℸ㭘ᕐ] (hòu ch bó bh ८ℸ㭘ᕐ) ‘favor this one and slight that one,’ [঺ⴐⳌⳟ] (lìng yfn xiang kàn ঺ⴐⳌⳟ) ‘have a different view about something.’ 196. Ğᇋዕങྻğ(ጺ◵ፈᒩ) wj yán liù sè 买 means ‘color’ and 㡆 means ‘color.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘all kinds of colors, a variety of colors, multicolored.’ Example 1: 㡖᮹ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ҎӀこϞᇋዕങྻⱘ㸷᳡೼㸫Ϟ␌㸠DŽ Jiérì de shíhou, rénmen chuanshàng wjyán-liùsè de ycfu zài jib shàng yóuxíng. ‘On holidays, people wear brightly colored clothes and parade around on the streets.’ Example 2: ỡ⠽ು䞠ᓔ⒵њᇋዕങྻⱘ㢅㤝DŽ Zhíwùyuán lh kaimfnle wjyán-liùsè de huacfo. ‘The botanical gardens were all abloom with multicolored flowering plants.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonym: [Ѩᔽ㓸㒋] (wj cfi bcn fbn Ѩᔽ㑑㋯) ‘multicolored.’ 197. Ğၦ၄ᇄ‫ݽ‬ğ(ᕘ፯ᵨᶠ) shù shiu wú cè ᴳ means ‘bind, tie up’ and ㄪ means ‘plan.’ The literal meaning is ‘bind up one’s hands and be without a strategy,’ with a freer translation being ‘at a complete loss about what to do.’ Example 1: 䖭ᰃさথⱘᚙ‫ˈމ‬໻ᆊ䛑ᰒᕫၦ၄ᇄ‫ݽ‬DŽ Zhè shì tefa de qíngkuàng, dàjia ddu xifnde shùshiu-wúcè. ‘This was a situation that occurred suddenly, everyone seeming to be at a complete loss.’ Example 2: ⴐⳟⴔढᇨ㸫㙵⼼Ꮦഎ䘧⨐ᮃᣛ᭄ϡᮁϟ䎠ˈ㕢㘨‫ټ‬Џᐁгၦ၄ᇄ‫ݽ‬DŽ Yfn kànzhe Huá’gr Jib gjpiào shìchfng Dàoqióngsc zhhshù búduàn xiàdib, Mgiliánchj zhjxí yg shùshiu-wúcè. ‘With his own eyes watching the Dow Jones index of the Wall Street stock market continuously dropping, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board also was at a total loss.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning.

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Entries 198 – 199: कᄫ䏃ষ and Ϣ᮹‫ׅ‬๲

Near Synonym: [᮴㛑Ў࡯] (wú néng wéi lì ⛵㛑⚎࡯) ‘powerless, helpless.’ Antonyms: [ᕫᖗᑨ᠟] (dé xcn yìng shiu ᕫᖗឝ᠟) ‘do or handle expertly,’ [Ꮊে䗶⑤] (zui yòu féng yuán Ꮊে䗶⑤) ‘resourceful and successful.’ 198. Ğလᔊവాğ(ጀᑛ῅ጕ) shí zì lù kiu The literal meaning is ‘a street intersection shaped like the character क “ten” (i.e, like a cross or an X-shape).’ This idiom is frequently used in the literal sense. However, it has gained an extended meaning of ‘crossroads,’ i.e., a situation of having arrived at a time or place where one must make an important choice. Example 1: 催Ё↩ϮৢˈϔϾҎህӮ໘೼Ҏ⫳੠џϮⱘလᔊവాˈ䆹ԩএԩҢᕫདད ᗱ㗗DŽ Gaozhdng bìyè hòu, yí ge rén jiù huì chj zài rénshbng hé shìyè de shízì-lùkiu, gai héqù-hécóng dgi hfohfo sckfo. ‘After high school graduation, a person will be at a crossroads as regards his or her life and career; what path he or she should take is something they must think through well.’ Example 2: Ё⃻݇㋏⦄೼ℷ໘೼လᔊവాˈঠᮍ䛑ᇣᖗ㗐㗐ˈ䙓‫㋏݇ܡ‬ᙊ࣪DŽ Zhdng-nu guanxi xiànzài zhèng chj zài shízì-lùkiu, shuangfang ddu xifoxcn-yìyì, bìmifn guanxi èhuà. ‘Chinese-European relations now are just at a crossroads, both sides being extremely cautious to avoid relations deteriorating.’ Usage: Often functions as object of the verbs ໘Ѣ(chj yú 㰩ᮐ) ‘be at,’ ໘೼ (chj zài 㰩೼) ‘be at,’ and ࠄњ(dàole) ‘arrived at.’ Near Synonym: [कᄫ㸫༈] (shí zì jib tóu कᄫ㸫丁) ‘cross streets, busy streets.’ Antonym: [䰇݇໻䘧] ( yáng guan dà dào 䱑䮰໻䘧) ‘open road, bright future.’ 199. ĞᎧ྇௩ᐐğ(ℚ፶ᣣ↾) yj rì jù zbng Ϣ means ‘with,’ ᮹ means ‘days,’ ‫ ׅ‬means ‘together,’ and ๲ means ‘increase.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘with the days together increase,’ with a freer translation being ‘grow day by day, be on the increase.’ Example 1: ໮ᑈᴹˈϸ೑ⱘটདѸᕔᎧ྇௩ᐐDŽ Dud nián lái, lifng guó de yiuhfo jiaowfng yjrì-jùzbng. ‘For many years, the friendly relationship between the two countries has been growing day by day.’

Entry 200: ᢨ㢫ࡽ䭓

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Example 2: 䴶ᇍᎧ྇௩ᐐⱘҎষ๲䭓य़࡯ˈЁ೑ᬓᑰ‫އ‬ᅮᅲ㸠䅵ߦ⫳㚆ᬓㄪDŽ Miànduì yjrì-jùzbng de rénkiu zbngzhfng yalì, Zhdngguó zhèngfj juédìng shíxíng jìhuà shbngyù zhèngcè. ‘Facing the daily increasing pressure of population growth, the Chinese government decided to implement family planning policies.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [Ϣᯊ‫ׅ‬䖯] ( yj shí jù jìn 㟛ᰖ‫ׅ‬䘆) ‘keep pace with the times,’ [᮹⿃ ᳜㌃] (rì jc yuè lgi ᮹〡᳜㌃) ‘accumulate day by day and month by month.’ Antonym: [↣‫މ‬ᛜϟ] (mgi kuàng yù xià ↣⊕ᛜϟ) ‘go from bad to worse.’ 200. Ğ‫ڰ‬සᓐ‫ޠ‬ğ(ᙼᢑᓛᜳ) bá miáo zhù zhfng ᢨ means ‘pull up,’ 㢫 means ‘seedling, shoot,’ ࡽ means ‘help,’ and 䭓 means ‘grow.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘pull up shoots to help them grow,’ with freer translations including ‘spoil things by trying to be too helpful, spoil by undue haste, haste makes waste.’ Example 1: ᆊ䭓ᇍᄽᄤⱘᳳᳯ䛑↨䕗催ˈԚᰃϡ㛑‫ڰ‬සᓐ‫ˈޠ‬ᄽᄤⱘ៤䭓䳔㽕ᯊ䯈DŽ Jiazhfng duì háizi de qcwàng ddu bhjiào gao, dànshì bù néng bámiáo-zhùzhfng, háizi de chéngzhfng xeyào shíjian. ‘Parents all have relatively high hopes for their children, but one cannot try to help young shoots grow by pulling them up; children’s maturation takes time.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏডᇍ䖭⾡‫ڰ‬සᓐ‫⊩خⱘޠ‬DŽ Wimen ffnduì zhè zhing bámiáo-zhùzhfng de zuòff. ‘We are opposed to this kind of method that spoils things through undue haste.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence; can also serve as attributive. Allusion: There was a farmer who was very worried that the seedlings for his next crop were not growing quickly enough, so he pulled them up high. After he had finished pulling them out, he was very tired, so he went home. When he saw other people, he said, “I’m exhausted; I helped the rice seedlings grow tall.” His son immediately ran to the field; all the rice seedlings had withered and died. (from “Gong Sun Chou” in Mencius) Note: Has a negative connotation. There is an alternative form ᦴ㢫ࡽ䭓 (yà miáo zhù zhfng ᦴ㢫ࡽ䭋).

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Entries 201 – 202: म໻㊒⏅ and ୰⇨⋟⋟

201. Ğ݇ࡍற࿾ğ(Ვጙ⃶ᮥ) bó dà jcng shbn म means ‘broad,’ ㊒ means ‘proficient,’ and ⏅ means ‘deep.’ The whole idiom means ‘broad and profound, vast and profound.’ Example 1: ԯᬭ᭛࣪݇ࡍற࿾ˈϡᰃϔϸহ䆱ህ㾷䞞ᕫ⏙ⱘDŽ Fójiào wénhuà bódà-jcngshbn, bú shì yì lifng jù huà jiù jigshìdeqcng de. ‘Buddhist culture is vast and profound; it’s not something that could be explained clearly in just a sentence or two.’ Example 2: Ҫ೼ᇥᵫᇎ乚⬹ࠄњ݇ࡍற࿾ⱘЁढ℺ᴃDŽ Ta zài Shàolín Sì lhnglüèdàole bódà-jcngshbn de Zhdnghuá wjshù. ‘At the Shaolin Temple, he came to appreciate the vast and profound martial arts of China.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ࣙ㔫ϛ䈵] (bao luó wàn xiàng ࣙ㕙㨀䈵) ‘covering ten thousand phenomena – all-inclusive, comprehensive’ (neutral in meaning). Antonym: [叵↯㩰Ⲃ] ( jc máo suàn pí 䲲↯㩰Ⲃ) ‘chicken feathers garlic peels – trivial things.’ 202. Ğᇶ໮ዳዳğ(Ჟᦟ᠍᠍) xh qì yáng yáng ୰⇨ means ‘happy mood or atmosphere’ and ⋟⋟ means ‘content.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘very cheerful and joyful, jubilant.’ Example 1: ᯹㡖ᴹњˈܼ೑Ϟϟ‫ܙ‬⒵њᇶ໮ዳዳⱘ⇨⇯DŽ Chenjié láile, quánguó shàngxià chdngmfnle xhqì-yángyáng de qìfbn. ‘Chinese New Year came, and the entire country, high and low, was permeated with a jubilant atmosphere.’ Example 2: ि᯳থᇘ៤ࡳˈ೼എⱘҎ䛑ᇶ໮ዳዳDŽ Wèixcng fashè chénggdng, zài chfng de rén ddu xhqì-yángyáng. ‘When the satellite was launched successfully, all the people present were jubilant.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, attributive, and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⃶໽୰ഄ] (huan tian xh dì ℵ໽୰ഄ) ‘overjoyed,’ [݊Ф㵡㵡] (qí lè róng róng ݊ῖ㵡㵡) ‘harmonious happiness.’ Antonym: [ᛕⳝ㢺㜌] (chóu méi kj lifn ᛕⳝ㢺㞝) ‘worried eyebrows bitter face – distressed.’

Entries 203 – 204: ϡৃ៪㔎 and 乎⧚៤ゴ

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203. Ğ‫ݙ‬భ૞ལğ(ጰᎵᙬᨖ) bù kg huò qub ៪ means ‘a little’ and 㔎 means ‘lack.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘not can even a little lack,’ with freer translations being ‘indispensable, absolutely essential.’ Example 1: ᅲдᰃ໻ᄺ⫳⌏Ё‫ݙ‬భ૞ལⱘϔ乍‫ݙ‬ᆍDŽ Shíxí shì dàxué shbnghuó zhdng bùkg-huòqub de yí xiàng nèiróng. ‘Internships are a kind of content that is absolutely essential in college life.’ Example 2: Ā⼐āᰃ‫ۦ‬ᆊᗱᛇЁ‫ݙ‬భ૞ལⱘϔϾᮍ䴶DŽ “Lh” shì Rújia scxifng zhdng bùkg-huòqub de yí ge fangmiàn. ‘The li (rites) are an indispensable aspect in Confucian thought.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonyms: [ᖙϡৃᇥ] (bì bù kg shfo ᖙϡৃᇥ) and [㔎ϔϡৃ] (qub yc bù kg 㔎ϔϡৃ) , both ‘indispensable.’ Antonyms: [᮴݇㋻㽕] (wú guan jhn yào ⛵䮰㎞㽕) ‘immaterial, unimportant,’ [᮴݇໻ሔ] (wú guan dà jú ⛵䮰໻ሔ) ‘have no bearing on the general situation – unimportant.’ 204. Ğၿಯ߅ᐺğ(ṍᮿᑯᱹ) shùn lh chéng zhang 乎 means ‘according to,’ ⧚ means ‘reason,’ and ゴ means ‘order.’ A literal translation is ‘according to reason achieve order.’ A freer translation of this idiom would be ‘do something in a reasonable and orderly manner, logical, rational.’ Example 1: Ҫᰃࡃᘏ㺕ˈЎ݀ৌ‫ߎخ‬䖛ᕜ໮䋵⤂ˈ⦄೼ᘏ㺕䗔ӥњˈҪᔧ䗝ᘏ㺕ᰃ ၿಯ߅ᐺⱘџDŽ Ta shì fùzingcái, wèi gdngsc zuòcheguo hgn dud gòngxiàn, xiànzài zingcái tuìxiele, ta dangxufn zingcái shì shùnlh-chéngzhang de shì. ‘He’s the deputy director general and has made a lot of contributions to the company; now the director general is about to retire, so his being elected director general is the logical thing.’ Example 2: Ё೑ᓔᬒњֱ䰽Ϯˈ໪೑ֱ䰽݀ৌၿಯ߅ᐺഄ䖯ܹњЁ೑ᏖഎDŽ Zhdngguó kaifàngle bfoxifnyè, wàiguó bfoxifn gdngsc shùnlh-chéngzhang de jìnrùle Zhdngguó shìchfng. ‘China has opened up the insurance industry, so foreign insurance firms have quite understandably entered the Chinese market.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate.

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Entries 205 – 206: ໻ߔ䯨᭻ and ϡ䘫ԭ࡯

Near Synonyms: [㞾✊㗠✊] (zì rán ér rán 㞾✊㗠✊) ‘naturally,’ [∈ࠄ⏴៤] (shuh dào qú chéng ∈ࠄ⏴៤) ‘water arrives and channel is formed – when conditions are ripe success is achieved; achieved naturally and without effort,’ [偀ࠄ៤ࡳ] (mf dào chéng gdng 侀ࠄ៤ࡳ) ‘horse arrives achieve success – imminent success.’ Antonym: [ৡϡℷ㿔ϡ乎] (míng bú zhèng yán bú shùn ৡϡℷ㿔ϡ䷚) ‘If the names of things are not correct, then language is not in accordance with the truth of things.’ 205. Ğࡍ࡮౭ॽğ(ጙዼ╅ᚐ) dà dao kuò fj 䯨 means ‘wide’ and ᭻ means ‘axe.’ The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘big knife and wide axe.’ A freer translation is ‘bold and resolute.’ Example 1: Ҫᔧњ乚ᇐПৢˈᇍ䖭Ͼ݀ৌ䖯㸠њࡍ࡮౭ॽⱘᬍ䴽ˈপᕫњᕜ໻ⱘ ៤㒽DŽ Ta dangle lhngdfo zhchòu, duì zhège gdngsc jìnxíngle dàdao-kuòfj de gfigé, qjdéle hgn dà de chéngjì. ‘After he became leader, he undertook bold and resolute reforms in the company, attaining great results.’ Example 2: ᮄᘏ㒳ࡍ࡮౭ॽഄ᥼㸠Ҫⱘᮄ㒣⌢ᬓㄪDŽ Xcn zingting dàdao-kuòfj de tucxíng ta de xcn jcngjì zhèngcè. ‘The new president is implementing his new economic policies boldly and resolutely.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [䳋ढ़亢㸠] (léi lì fbng xíng 䳋আ乼㸠) ‘vigorous and resolute.’ Antonym: [㓽᠟㓽㛮] (sud shiu sud jifo 㐂᠟㐂㝇) ‘draw in one’s hands and feet – overcautious.’ 206. Ğ‫ݙ‬ጣ᎜ೆğ(ጰ␎⌍ዾ) bù yí yú lì 䘫 means ‘hold back’ and ԭ means ‘surplus, remaining.’ A literal translation is ‘not hold back surplus effort,’ with freer translations of the whole idiom being ‘spare no efforts, do one’s utmost.’ Example 1: ཌྷϔ⫳‫ݙ‬ጣ᎜ೆഄᅷӴЁ೑Ӵ㒳᭛࣪DŽ Ta yìshbng bùyí-yúlì de xuanchuán Zhdngguó chuánting wénhuà. ‘Her whole life long she did her utmost to popularize traditional Chinese culture.’

Entries 207 – 208: ᄫ䞠㸠䯈 and ϡ㾷П㓬

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Example 2: ೑䰙༹ྨӮ೼ড݈༟ࠖ䯂乬Ϟ‫ݙ‬ጣ᎜ೆDŽ Guójì Àowgihuì zài ffn xcngfènjì wèntí shàng bùyí-yúlì. ‘The International Olympic Committee spared no efforts on the issue of opposing stimulants.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonyms: [チሑܼ࡯] ( jié jìn quán lì チⲵܼ࡯) ‘do one’s utmost,’ [ܼ࡯ҹ䍈] (quán lì yh fù ܼ࡯ҹ䍈) ‘spare no effort.’ Antonyms: [⬭᳝ԭഄ] (liú yiu yú dì ⬭᳝们ഄ) ‘leave room – allow for the unexpected,’ [ᯢ૆ֱ䑿] (míng zhé bfo shbn ᯢ૆ֱ䑿) ‘wise people protect their person – don’t stick one’s neck out.’ 207. Ğᔊಱቲମğ(ᑛ䞍ᒭḸ) zì lh háng jian 㸠 means ‘line.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘between the lines.’ Example 1: ཌྷ㒭Ϝ໿ⱘֵᔊಱቲମ䛑‫ܙ‬⒵ⴔ⏅⏅ⱘ⠅DŽ Ta ggi zhàngfu de xìn zìlh-hángjian ddu chdngmfnzhe shbnshbn de ài. ‘As for the letters she sends her husband, between the lines they are all imbued with the deepest love.’ Example 2: Ҫⱘⓨ䆆ᔊಱቲମ䗣䴆ߎᛇ䗔ӥⱘᛣᗱDŽ Ta de yfnjifng zìlh-hángjian tòulùche xifng tuìxie de yìsi. ‘Between the lines, his lecture divulged his intention to retire.’ Usage: Functions mainly as subject; can also serve as object. Often followed by verbs such as ‫ܙ‬⒵ (chdngmfn ‫ܙ‬ⓓ) ‘full of,’ ⌕䴆 (liúlù ⌕䴆) ‘reveal,’ 䗣䴆 (tòulù 䗣䴆) ‘divulge,’ ⏫䗣 (shèntòu Ⓠ䗣) ‘permeate,’ and 佅৿ (bfohán 仑৿) ‘full of.’ Near Synonyms: [㿔໪Пᛣ] (yán wài zhc yì 㿔໪Пᛣ) ‘implied meaning, implication,’ [ᓺ໪П䷇] (xián wài zhc ycn ᓺ໪П䷇) ‘implication, overtone.’ Antonym: [Ⳉᡦ㛌㞚] (zhí she xidng yì Ⳉᡦ㛌㞚) ‘express one’s feelings directly.’ 208. Ğ‫ݙ‬ஊᒄᏏğ(ጰᾢጴ≸) bù jig zhc yuán 㾷 means ‘untie, dissolve’ and 㓬 means ‘predestined relationship, fate.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘a predestined relationship that one cannot dissolve.’ Freer translations of the idiom include ‘indissoluble bond, very close connection.’ Example 1: 㞾Ң਀њ䙷ԡ‫ڻ‬Ҏⓨ䆆ПৢˈҪህϢԯᬭ㒧ϟњ‫ݙ‬ஊᒄᏏDŽ Zìcóng tcngle nà wèi sbngrén yfnjifng zhchòu, ta jiù yj fójiào jiéxiàle bùjigzhcyuán.

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Entries 209 – 210: ϔ᮴᠔᳝ and ᅜ᷾ᕙ‫ܨ‬

‘From the time he heard that Buddhist monk lecture, he formed an indissoluble bond with Buddhism.’ Example 2: ϔ⃵‫Ⳍⱘ✊ي‬䘛ՓҪӀ㒧ϟњ‫ݙ‬ஊᒄᏏDŽ Yí cì iurán de xiàngyù shh tamen jiéxiàle bùjig-zhcyuán. ‘A fortuitous encounter made them form an indissoluble bond.’ Usage: Functions as object, mainly in the pattern A Ϣ B 㒧ϟњ̚ (A yj B jié xià le . . . $ 㟛 % ㌤ϟњ̚) ‘A and B have formed. . . .’ Near Synonym: [䲒㾷䲒ߚ] (nán jig nán fbn 䲷㾷䲷ߚ) ‘hard to divide hard to separate – inextricably involved.’ Antonym: [ϔߔϸᮁ] ( yì dao lifng duàn ϔߔܽᮋ) ‘one (blow of a) knife two severed portions – make a clean break with.’ 209. ĞጙᇄჅᎌğ(ዯᵨᙰᑺ) yì wú sui yiu The meaning of this idiom is ‘have absolutely nothing, penniless, destitute.’ Example 1: ҪӀ㒧ီⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬䰸њϔ䑿㑶㡆ⱘᮄ㸷᳡ˈ݊ҪⱘጙᇄჅᎌDŽ Tamen jiéhen de shíhou, chúle yì shbn hóngsè de xcn ycfu, qíta de yìwúsuiyiu. ‘When they married, except for a new suit of red clothes, they had absolutely nothing else.’ Example 2: Ҫ㾝ᕫ㞾Ꮕ៤њ䰸њ䪅ҹ໪ጙᇄჅᎌⱘৃᗰ㰿њDŽ Ta juéde zìjh chéngle chúle qián yhwài yìwúsuiyiu de kgliánchóng le. ‘He felt that he had become a pitiful thing who had nothing aside from money.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [䑿᮴䭓⠽] (shbn wú cháng wù 䑿⛵䭋⠽) ‘have no surplus things on you – have nothing but the necessities of life,’ [ぎぎབг] (kdng kdng rú yg ぎぎ བг) ‘completely empty,’ [ᆊᕦಯຕ] ( jia tú sì bì ᆊᕦಯຕ) ‘home only has four walls – completely destitute.’ Antonyms: [ᑨ᳝ሑ᳝] ( ycng yiu jìn yiu ឝ᳝ⲵ᳝) ‘have everything that should be had,’ [᮴᠔ϡ᳝] (wú sui bù yiu ⛵᠔ϡ᳝) ‘there is nothing one doesn’t have – have everything,’ [ϔᑨ‫ ( ]ܼׅ‬yì ycng jù quán ϔឝ‫‘ )ܼׅ‬complete with everything.’ 210. Ğ၆ᓀࡗᅋğ(ᑞᦗ឵ᗠ) shiu zhe dài tù ᅜ means ‘guard or keep watch over,’ ᷾ means ‘tree stump,’ ᕙ means ‘await,’ and ‫ ܨ‬means ‘hare, rabbit,’ The literal meaning is ‘keep watch over a tree stump waiting for hares (to come and dash themselves against it).’ A freer translation is ‘wait passively for a windfall, wait for gains without pains, trust chance and windfalls.’

Entry 211: ⱒ㢅唤ᬒ

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Example 1: 㽕ᛇ਌ᓩ໪䌘ˈህ㽕Џࡼ䎳໪䌘ӕϮ㘨㋏ˈϡ㛑၆ᓀࡗᅋDŽ Yào xifng xcyhn wàizc, jiù yào zhjdòng gbn wàizc qhyè liánxì, bù néng shiuzhedàitù. ‘If you want to attract foreign investment, then you have to take the initiative and contact foreign enterprises; you can’t just wait for a windfall.’ Example 2: 㕢೑ᰃϔϾゲѝ▔⚜ⱘ⼒Ӯˈ၆ᓀࡗᅋⱘᗱᛇᰃϡ㸠ⱘDŽ Mgiguó shì yí ge jìngzhbng jcliè de shèhuì, shiuzhe-dàitù de scxifng shì bù xíng de. ‘The U.S. is a society of intense competition; the kind of thinking where one “waits for gains without pains” will not do.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate or attributive. Allusion: There was a farmer who made his living on the land. One day a rabbit was running too quickly; all of a sudden, it ran into a wooden post in the ground, snapped its neck, and died. The farmer got a rabbit for nothing and was very happy. So he stopped doing work and every day waited next to the wooden post, hoping more rabbits would run into it, but no more rabbits came. His land became uncultivated, but he also became mocked by everyone. (from “Wu Du” in Han Feizi) Note: Has a negative connotation. Near Synonyms: [ࠏ㟳∖ࠥ] (kè zhdu qiú jiàn ࠏ㟳∖ࡡ) ‘carve boat seek sword – not know how to adapt to changed conditions,’ [തৗቅぎ] (zuò chc shan kdng തৗቅぎ) ‘only to sit and eat will wear even a mountain away – only expenditures without any income will deplete even the greatest fortune.’ Antonym: [ܿ䴶⦆⦥] (ba miàn líng lóng ܿ䴶⦆⪣) ‘smooth and slick, get along well with everyone.’ 211. Ğ‫ڻ‬ઔ໡हğ(ᒑ᜜↜ᚏ) bfi hua qí fàng ⱒ㢅 means ‘all kinds of flowers,’ 唤 means ‘together,’ ᬒ means ‘bloom.’ The literal meaning is ‘all kinds of flowers bloom at the same time.’ An extended meaning is ‘different points of view exist simultaneously.’ Example 1: ᯹໽ᴹњˈ݀ು䞠‫ڻ‬ઔ໡हˈ䴲ᐌⓖ҂DŽ Chentian láile, gdngyuán lh bfihua-qífàng, fbicháng piàoliàng. ‘Spring has come, in the park all kinds of flowers are blooming at the same time, it’s very pretty.’ Example 2: ϡ䆎ᰃ᭛ᄺ⬠ǃ㡎ᴃ⬠ˈ䖬ᰃᬓ⊏⬠ǃᗱᛇ⬠ˈ䛑ᑨ䆹മᣕ‫ڻ‬ઔ໡हǃⱒ ᆊѝ号ⱘॳ߭ˈϡ㛑䅸Ўা᳝ϔ⾡㾖⚍ᰃℷ⹂ⱘDŽ Búlùn shì wénxué jiè yìshùjiè, háishì zhèngzhìjiè scxifngjiè, ddu ycnggai jianchí bfihua-qífàng bfijia-zhbngmíng de yuánzé, bù néng rènwéi zhhyiu yì zhing guandifn shì zhèngquè de.

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Entries 212 – 213: ࡯ϡҢᖗ and ᓖষৠໄ

‘Whether in literary and artistic circles or in political and ideological circles, one should insist on the principle of “let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend”; one should not hold that only one point of view is correct.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Often co-occurs with ⱒᆊѝ号 (bfijia-zhbngmíng ⱒᆊ⠁勈). Note: The extended meaning is now most common. This idiom came to be widely used after a 1942 lecture by Mao Zedong titled ݇Ѣℷ⹂໘⧚Ҏ⇥‫ݙ‬䚼⶯Ⳓⱘ䯂乬 (Guanyú zhèngquè chjlh rénmín nèibù máodùn de wèntí 䮰ᮐℷ⺎㰩⧚Ҏ⇥ܻ䚼 ⶯Ⳓⱘଣ丠) “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People.” Antonyms: [ϔᵱ⣀⾔] (yì zhc dú xiù ϔᵱ⤼⾔) ‘one branch of a tree alone is excellent – outshine others’ (complimentary); [ϔ㢅⣀ᬒ] (yì hua dú fàng ϔ㢅⤼ᬒ) ‘one flower alone blooms’ (somewhat derogatory). 212. Ğೆ‫࠭ݙ‬ቦğ(ዾጰᬙ፬) lì bù cóng xcn Ң here means ‘follow.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘one’s strength does not follow one’s heart,’ with freer translations being ‘lack the ability to do what one would like to do.’ Example 1: Ҫᛇ‫ڣ‬कᑈࠡ䙷ḋᎹ԰ˈԚᰃ↩コᰃಯकቕⱘҎњˈ᳝ѯೆ‫࠭ݙ‬ቦњDŽ Ta xifng xiàng shí nián qián nàyàng gdngzuò, dànshì bìjìng shì sìshí suì de rén le, yiuxib lìbùcóngxcn le. ‘He wants to work like ten years ago, but after all, he’s now a man of forty; to a certain extent, he now lacks the ability to do as he would like to do.’ Example 2: ᘏ㒳ᛇᬍ䴽ˈԚᰃ೑Ӯϡᬃᣕˈᘏ㒳ᰒᕫೆ‫࠭ݙ‬ቦDŽ Zingting xifng gfigé, dànshì guóhuì bù zhcchí, zingting xifnde lìbùcóngxcn. ‘The president wants to implement reforms, but Congress doesn’t support him; the president appears to lack the ability to do what he would like to do.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and object. Near Synonyms: [᳝ᖗ᮴࡯] ( yiu xcn wú lì ᳝ᖗ⛵࡯) ‘intend to but be unable,’ [᮴㛑 Ў࡯] (wú néng wéi lì ⛵㛑⚎࡯) ‘powerless, helpless.’ Antonyms: [␌ߗ᳝ԭ] ( yóu rèn yiu yú ␌ߗ᳝们) ‘more than capable of doing something,’ [ᕫᖗᑨ᠟] (dé xcn yìng shiu ᕫᖗឝ᠟) ‘do or handle expertly.’ 213. Ğፊాᄴဉğ(ᯊጕᐹⓦ) yì kiu tóng shbng ᓖ means ‘different,’ ষ means ‘mouth,’ and ໄ means ‘voice.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘different mouths same sound.’ A freer translation is ‘with one voice, in unison, in concert.’

Entries 214 – 215: 㚠䘧㗠偄 and ࢓೼ᖙ㸠

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Example 1: ໻ᆊፊాᄴဉഄ䇈˖Āϡৃ㛑DŽā Dàjia yìkiu-tóngshbng de shud: “Bù kgnéng.” ‘Everyone said in unison: “Impossible.”’ Example 2: ϡ䆎ᰃ݅੠‫ܮ‬Ҏ䖬ᰃ⇥Џ‫ܮ‬Ҏˈ໻ᆊ䛑ፊాᄴဉഄ⿄䌲Ҫᰃԡӳ໻ⱘ ᘏ㒳DŽ Búlùn shì Gònghédfng rén háishì Mínzhjdfng rén, dàjia ddu yìkiu-tóngshbng de chbngzàn ta shì wèi wgidà de zingting. ‘No matter whether they are Republicans or Democrats, everyone unanimously praises him as having been a great president.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial, followed by verbs meaning ‘say.’ Near Synonym: [ϡ㑺㗠ৠ] (bù yub ér tóng ϡ㋘㗠ৠ) ‘take the same action or have the same view without prior consultation.’ Antonym: [ӫ䇈㒋㒁] (zhòng shud fbn yún ⴒ䁾㋯㋰) ‘opinions vary greatly.’ 214. Ğ۳ࡸऎߗğ(᡽῔ᒚ‑) bèi dào ér chí 㚠 here means ‘opposing,’ 䘧 means ‘road,’ and 偄 means ‘run.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘run on the opposing road,’ with freer translations being ‘run counter to, diametrically opposed to.’ Example 1: Ҫⱘ‫⊩خ‬੠Ҫⱘ䇎㿔ᰒ✊ᰃ۳ࡸऎߗⱘDŽ Ta de zuòff hé ta de nuòyán xifnrán shì bèidào-érchí de. ‘His practices are obviously the exact opposite of his promises.’ Example 2: 䖭乍ᮄᬓㄪᅲ䰙ϞϢᅾ⊩ⱘ㊒⼲۳ࡸऎߗDŽ Zhè xiàng xcn zhèngcè shíjìshàng yj xiànff de jcngshen bèidào-érchí. ‘This new policy actually runs counter to the spirit of the constitution.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [फ䕩࣫䕭] (nán yuán bgi zhé फ䔙࣫䔡) ‘one’s goal and one’s actions are exactly opposite, diametrically opposed.’ Antonyms: [བߎϔ䕭] (rú che yì zhé བߎϔ䔡) ‘as if emerging from the same track – one and the same, cut from the same cloth,’ [ᑊ偒唤偅] (bìng jià qí qe Ϻ侩唞候) ‘run neck and neck with, be on equal terms.’ 215. ĞဴᏴ‫ܘ‬ቲğ(ṬᑋᏜᒭ) shì zài bì xíng The literal meaning is ‘imperative under the situation.’

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Entry 216: ᔧП᮴᛻

Example 1: ᭛࣪໻䴽ੑҹৢˈ㒣⌢ᬍ䴽ဴᏴ‫ܘ‬ቲDŽ Wénhuàdàgémìng yhhòu, jcngjì gfigé shìzàibìxíng. ‘After the Cultural Revolution, economic reform was imperative under the situation.’ Example 2: ಴ЎܼϪ⬠ⱘ⷇⊍䌘⑤া㛑‫⫼ݡ‬ϝकᑈˈ᠔ҹᇏᡒᮄⱘ㛑⑤ဴᏴ‫ܘ‬ቲDŽ Ycnwèi quán shìjiè de shíyóu zcyuán zhh néng zài yòng sanshí nián, suiyh xúnzhfo xcnde néngyuán shìzàibìxíng. ‘Because the entire world’s oil resources can only be used for thirty more years, searching for new energy sources is imperative under the situation.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence. Near Synonym: [໻࢓᠔䍟] (dà shì sui qe ໻ࢶ᠔䍼) ‘the general trend of things, the trend of the times.’ Antonym: [䱣ᖗ᠔℆] (suí xcn sui yù 䱼ᖗ᠔℆) ‘do exactly as one pleases, at will.’ 216. Ğࡩᒄᇄ౤ğ(ἡጴᵨẲ) dang zhc wú kuì ᔧ means ‘take on, accept,’ П means ‘it,’ and ᛺ means ‘shame.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘accept it not have shame.’ Freer translations of the idiom include ‘deserve, merit, be worthy of.’ Example 1: 䌍ᖋࢦᰃ㔥യࡩᒄᇄ౤ⱘ㄀ϔҎDŽ Fèidélè shì wfngtán dangzhc-wúkuì de dìyc rén. ‘Federer deserves to be the number one person of the tennis world.’ Example 2: ⋄ቅࡩᒄᇄ౤ഄܹ䗝њϪ⬠㞾✊Ϣ᭛࣪ঠ䞡䘫ѻDŽ Tài Shan dangzhc-wúkuì de rùxufnle shìjiè zìrán yj wénhuà shuangchóng yíchfn. ‘Mount Tai fully deserves having been selected as a world natural and cultural double heritage site.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate; can also serve as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ৡࡃ݊ᅲ] (míng fù qí shí ৡࡃ݊ᆺ) ‘worthy of the name or reputation,’ [ᅲ㟇ৡᔦ] (shí zhì míng guc ᆺ㟇ৡ⅌) ‘a good reputation will come if there is real achievement.’ Antonyms: [ৡϡࡃᅲ] (míng bú fù shí ৡϡࡃᆺ) ‘unworthy of the name,’ [ℎϪⲫৡ] (qc shì dào míng ℎϪⲰৡ) ‘deceive the generations and steal a name – gain fame by deceiving people,’ [ᕦ᳝݊㸼] (tú yiu qí bifo ᕦ᳝݊㸼) ‘only have its surface – only have external appearances without real substance,’ [ᕦ᳝㰮ৡ] (tú yiu xe míng ᕦ᳝㰯ৡ) ‘enjoy unwarranted fame, in name only,’ [ᔧП᳝᛻] (dang zhc yiu kuì ⭊П᳝᛻) ‘not deserve or be worthy of something.’

Entries 217 – 218: ੘੘䘐Ҏ and ಯ䗮ܿ䖒

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217. Ğ៱៱‫ཽ܆‬ğ(ᘆᘆῗዷ) dud dud bc rén ੘੘ is an interjection indicating surprise, 䘐 means ‘force,’ and 䘐Ҏ means ‘threatening.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘threatening and overbearing.’ Example 1: Ҫ䇈䆱ⱘໄ䷇ᕜ໻ˈ៱៱‫⧚≵ˈཽ܆‬ད䈵г᳝ϝߚ⧚њDŽ Ta shudhuà de shbngycn hgn dà, duddud-bcrén, méi lh hfoxiàng yg yiu san fbn lh le. ‘He speaks with a loud voice, quite threatening and overbearing, so that even when he’s wrong, it appears as though he’s somewhat right.’ Example 2: 䴶ᇍЁ೑㒣⌢Ϟ៱៱‫ⱘཽ܆‬࿕㚕ˈ៥Ӏᑨ䆹ᗢМࡲਸ਼˛ Miànduì Zhdngguó jcngjì shàng duddud-bcrén de wbixié, wimen ycnggai zgnme bàn ne? ‘What should we do in the face of the aggressive and overbearing threat of China’s economy?’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, adverbial, and predicate. Note: Sometimes slightly derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⇨࢓≍≍] (qì shì xidng xidng ⇷ࢶ⌊⌊) ‘fierce or agitated manner,’ [ⲯ⇨‫ޠ‬Ҏ] (shèng qì líng rén ⲯ⇷‫ޠ‬Ҏ) ‘arrogant, overbearing.’ Antonym: [⏽᭛ᇨ䲙] (wbn wén gr yf ⑿᭛⠒䲙) ‘mild-mannered and cultivated.’ 218. Ğ႐ᄰ‫ࡉڭ‬ğ(Ꮘ᱓ዺῖ) sì tdng ba dá 䗮 means ‘pass through freely without impediment’ and 䖒 means ‘reach or extend to without obstruction.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘four (sides) pass through freely and eight (directions) extend to without obstruction.’ This usually describes very convenient transportation networks. A possible English translation is ‘extend or radiate in all directions.’ Example 1: Ѯ⡍݄໻ԡѢ㕢೑ϰफ䚼ˈᰃϔϾѸ䗮႐ᄰ‫ⱘࡉڭ‬໻ජᏖDŽ Yàtèlándà wèiyú Mgiguó ddngnán bù, shì yí ge jiaotdng sìtdng-badá de dà chéngshì. ‘Atlanta is located in the southeast of the U.S.; it’s a major city with a transportation network that radiates in all directions.’ Example 2: Ӻᬺⱘഄ䪕႐ᄰ‫ˈࡉڭ‬कߚᮍ֓DŽ Lúnden de dìtig sìtdng-badá, shífbn fangbiàn. ‘The London underground railway system extends in all directions; it’s very convenient.’ Usage: Functions as attributive and predicate.

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Entries 219 – 220: ৃ℠ৃ⊷ and ᚞ᓧП右

Near Synonym: [⬙䗮᮴䰏] (chàng tdng wú zj ᱶ䗮⛵䰏) ‘unimpeded and unobstructed.’ Antonyms: [∈⊘ϡ䗮] (shuh xiè bù tdng ∈⊘ϡ䗮) ‘not even a drop of water could get through,’ [ಯ䴶⺄ຕ] (sì miàn pèng bì ಯ䴶⺄ຕ) ‘on four sides collide with a wall.’ 219. Ğభ঺భ໲ğ(Ꮅ₞Ꮅᚼ) kg gb kg qì ⊷ means ‘shed tears.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘can sing can cry – moving people to songs and tears,’ with a freer translation being ‘inspiring, heroic and moving.’ Example 1: ೼ᡫ᮹៬ѝЁˈ⍠⦄ߎњ䆌໮భ঺భ໲ⱘ㣅䲘Ҏ⠽੠џ䗍DŽ Zài Kàngrì zhànzhbng zhdng, yingxiàn chele xjdud kggb-kgqì de ycngxióng rénwù hé shìjì. ‘In the Sino-Japanese War, there emerged many heroic and moving heroes and deeds.’ Example 2: 㔫ᆚ⃻ϢᴅБ৊ড᯴ⱘᰃϔϾభ঺భ໲ⱘ⠅ᚙᬙџDŽ Luómì’du yj Zhelìyè ffnyìng de shì yí ge kggb-kgqì de àiqíng gùshi. ‘What Romeo and Juliet reflects is a heroic and moving love story.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Even stronger and more literary is the idiom ᚞໽ഄˈ⊷儐⼲ ( jcng tiandì, qì guhshén) ‘shocking and tragic.’ Near Synonym: [⇨ໂቅ⊇] (qì zhuàng shan hé ⇷ໃቅ⊇) ‘magnificent, inspiring.’ Antonym: [ҸҎ԰਩] (lìng rén zuò iu ҸҎ԰௨) ‘make one feel nauseated – repulsive.’ 220. Ğரঢ়ᒄหğ(➯ጬጴ᱾) jcng gdng zhc nifo ᚞ means ‘frightened of ’ and ᓧ means ‘bow (as in bow and arrow).’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘a bird that is frightened of a bow.’ This is a metaphor for someone who is frightened because of past experience. A possible translation is ‘once bitten twice shy.’ Example 1: ಴Ў㙵⼼Ꮦഎ䖲㓁޴໽ϟ䎠ˈ㙵⇥Ӏ៤њரঢ়ᒄหˈ⫳ᗩ‫ࠄ਀ݡ‬ϡ߽㙵Ꮦ ⱘ⍜ᙃDŽ Ycnwèi gjpiào shìchfng liánxù jh tian xiàdib, gjmínmen chéngle jcnggdng-zhcnifo, shbngpà zài tcngdào búlì gjshì de xiaoxi. ‘Because the stock market fell continuously for several days, speculators in stocks have become like “birds that are frightened of a bow” due to bad experiences in the past, afraid of again hearing unfavorable news about the stock market.’

Entry 221: ⳳᖗᅲᛣ

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Example 2: ༈乊Ϟⱘഄᵓ䳛ࡼњϔϟˈϟ䴶ⱘҎህ‫ڣ‬ரঢ়ᒄหˈ䍊ᖿᕔ䮼໪䎥ˈҹЎ থ⫳њഄ䳛DŽ Tóudhng shàng de dìbfn zhèndòngle yíxià, xiàmiàn de rén jiù xiàng jcnggdngzhcnifo, gfnkuài wfng mén wài pfo, yhwéi fashbngle dìzhèn. ‘When the floorboards above their heads vibrated, the people underneath were just like “birds that are frightened of a bow” due to bad experiences in the past and quickly ran outside the door, mistakenly thinking that an earthquake had taken place.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object, often preceded by verbs such as ៤њ(chéngle) ‘have become,’ or ‫( ڣ‬xiàng) or བ (rú), both of which mean ‘be like.’ Allusion: Two people were standing on a high platform when they saw a bird in the distance that was flying in their direction. One of them said, “I need only draw the bowstring of my bow and I can shoot that bird; I needn’t put in an arrow.” The second person was very surprised at that and said, “Is your skill really that outstanding?” The first person said, “Yes, I can do that.” After a while, a wild goose flew above their heads. The first person drew the bowstring, without putting in an arrow, and there was a loud “bang.” And so that goose dropped down in an instant. Astonished, the second person asked how this had happened. The first person answered: “The goose was wounded.” The second person asked: “It was so far away; how did you know?” The first person replied: “The goose was flying very slowly, calling sadly as it flew. That it flew so slowly showed that it had an internal injury. That it called so sadly showed that it had already left its flock for a long time. The goose heard the sound of my bowstring and got scared, instinctively trying to fly higher with all its might. As a result, its wound burst open, and so it dropped from the sky.” (from “Stratagems of Chu,” No. 4, in Stratagems of the Warring States) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ⓣ㔥П剐] (lòu wfng zhc yú ⓣ㎆П儮) ‘a fish that has slipped through the net – fugitive, runaway.’ Antonym: [߱⫳⠯⡞] (che shbng niú dú ߱⫳⠯⡶) ‘newborn calf.’ 221. Ğᑞቦဣፀğ(᧣፬⁘Ấ) zhbn xcn shí yì ⳳᖗ means ‘true heart’ and ᅲᛣ means ‘real intention.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘true heart real intention,’ with a freer translation being ‘sincere, wholehearted.’ Example 1: া᳝ᑞቦဣፀഄЎ㗕ⱒྦྷⴔᛇᠡ㛑ᕫࠄ㗕ⱒྦྷⱘᢹᡸDŽ Zhhyiu zhbnxcn-shíyì de wèi lfobfixìng zháoxifng cái néng dédào lfobfixìng de ydnghù. ‘Only if one sincerely takes the common people’s interests into consideration can one obtain the common people’s support.’

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Entries 222 – 223: ᙄࠄད໘ and ⋹⋹Ф䘧

Example 2: ៥ⶹ䘧ᙼᰃᑞቦဣፀⱘˈԚᰃᙼⱘདᛣ៥ϡ㛑᥹ফDŽ Wi zhcdao nín shì zhbnxcn-shíyì de, dànshì nín de hfoyì wi bù néng jibshòu. ‘I know you’re being sincere, but I can’t accept your good intentions.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [䆮ᖗ䆮ᛣ] (chéng xcn chéng yì 䁴ᖗ䁴ᛣ) ‘earnestly and sincerely.’ Antonym: [㰮ᚙ‫؛‬ᛣ] (xe qíng jif yì 㰯ᚙ‫؛‬ᛣ) ‘hypocritical, insincere.’ 222. Ğ໵ࡵੑࠀğ(ែᗭᑗᰤ) qià dào hfo chù ᙄ means ‘just, exactly’ and ད໘ here means ‘good place, best situation.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘just right.’ Example 1: ཌྷᕜӮ䇈䆱ˈϡ໮ϡᇥˈ໵ࡵੑࠀDŽ Ta hgn huì shudhuà, bù dud bù shfo, qiàdào-hfochù. ‘She is good with words, saying neither too much nor too little – just right.’ Example 2: 䖭Ͼ㺕߸ᕜ᳝㒣偠ˈ໵ࡵੑࠀഄ㒜ℶњ↨䌯DŽ Zhège cáipàn hgn yiu jcngyàn, qiàdào-hfochù de zhdngzhhle bhsài. ‘This umpire is very experienced, ending the match in just the right way.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Somewhat complimentary in meaning. Antonym: [䖛⢍ϡঞ] (guò yóu bù jí 䘢⤊ϡঞ) ‘going too far is as bad as not going far enough.’ 223. Ğசசಘࡸğ(᠑᠑∛῔) jcn jcn lè dào ⋹ means ‘saliva,’ ⋹⋹ means ‘succulent, tasty,’ Ф means ‘happy to, love to,’ and 䘧 means ‘say, talk about.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘love to talk about, dwell on.’ Example 1: 䖭Ͼᬙџ⌕ӴњϞगᑈњˈҎӀࠄҞ໽ҡ✊சசಘࡸDŽ Zhège gùshi liúchuánle shàng qian nián le, rénmen dào jcntian réngrán jcnjcnlèdào. ‘This story has been handed down for thousands of years; people up until today still love to talk about it.’ Example 2: ཌྷசசಘࡸഄ৥᳟টӀҟ㒡ཌྷᬊ㮣ⱘ㡎ᴃકDŽ Ta jcnjcn-lèdào de xiàng péngyoumen jièshào ta shducáng de yìshùphn.

Entries 224 – 225: প䭓㸹ⷁ and ୰ߎᳯ໪

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‘With great pleasure, she introduced to her friends the works of art she had collected.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, adverbial, and attributive. Near Synonyms: [㛡♭Ҏষ] (kuài zhì rén kiu 㞒♭Ҏষ) ‘on everyone’s lips,’ [Фℸϡ ⮆] (lè ch bù pí ῖℸϡ⮆) ‘never tire of.’ Antonym: [݈ੇ㋶✊] (xìng wèi sui rán 㟜ੇ㋶✊) ‘uninterested.’ 224. Ğན‫࣢ݗޠ‬ğ(ᗻᜳᾚᶑ) qj cháng bj dufn প means ‘take,’ 䭓 means ‘strong point,’ 㸹 means ‘make up for,’ and ⷁ means ‘shortcoming.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘take strong points make up for shortcomings,’ with a freer translation being ‘draw on the strong points of others to make up for one’s own deficiencies.’ Example 1: ϸᆊ໻݀ৌ㱑✊ϡ೼ৠϔϾ乚ඳˈԚᰃড়ᑊҹৢ㛑໳ན‫ˈ࣢ݗޠ‬থ᣹৘㞾 ⱘӬ࢓DŽ Lifng jia dà gdngsc sucrán bú zài tóng yí ge lhngyù, dànshì hébìng yhhòu nénggòu qjcháng-bjdufn, fahuc gèzì de ydushì. ‘Even though the two large companies were not in the same domain, after they merged they were able to draw on each other’s strengths to make up for deficiencies, and develop their individual advantages.’ Example 2: Ҟৢ៥Ӏᑨ䆹ѦⳌᄺдˈན‫ࡴˈ࣢ݗޠ‬ᔎড়԰DŽ Jcnhòu wimen ycnggai hùxiang xuéxí, qjcháng-bjdufn, jiaqiáng hézuò. ‘Hereafter we should learn from each other, draw on each other’s strong points to make up for our own weaknesses, and strengthen cooperation.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Often preceded by words such as ‫׳‬䡈 ( jièjiàn ‫׳‬䨦) ‘profit from another’s experience,’ Ѹ⌕ ( jiaoliú) ‘interact,’ ᄺд (xuéxí ᅌ㖦) ‘learn,’ and ড়԰ (hézuò) ‘cooperate.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᡀ䭓䙓ⷁ] ( yáng cháng bì dufn ᦮䭋䙓ⷁ) ‘enhance strong points and avoid weaknesses,’ [ⳌᕫⲞᕄ] (xiàng dé yì zhang ⳌᕫⲞᕄ) ‘each improves by association with the other.’ Antonym: [೎ℹ㞾ᇕ] (gù bù zì fbng ೎ℹ㞾ᇕ) ‘complacent and conservative.’ 225. Ğᇶ߲ᆃᅪğ(ᲟᎤ᭬Ꮚ) xh che wàng wài ᳯ means ‘one’s hopes.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘one’s happiness exceeds outside of one’s hopes,’ with a freer translation being ‘overjoyed at unexpected good luck, pleasantly surprised.’

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Entry 226: ᴀᴹ䴶Ⳃ

Example 1: ਀ࠄཇ‫ܓ‬㗗Ϟ⏙ढ໻ᄺⱘ⍜ᙃˈ⠊҆ᇶ߲ᆃᅪˈ偀Ϟᣓߎϔ⫊ད䜦䇋໻ᆊ ୱDŽ Tcngdào nr’ér kfoshàng Qcnghuá Dàxué de xiaoxi, fùqin xhchewàngwài, mfshàng náche yì píng hfo jij qhng dàjia hb. ‘When he heard the news that his daughter had passed the entrance examination to and been accepted by Tsinghua University, the father was overjoyed, immediately taking out a bottle of fine wine and inviting everyone to drink.’ Example 2: ҪϡԚᕫࠄњϔᓴ‫ܡ‬䌍ⱘᴹಲᴎ⼼ˈ䖬᳝ϔϾ᯳ᳳⱘ‫ܡ‬䌍ᮙ佚ˈ䖭ⳳ䅽Ҫ ᇶ߲ᆃᅪDŽ Ta búdàn dédàole yì zhang mifnfèi de láihuí jcpiào, hái yiu yí ge xcngqc de mifnfèi lrgufn, zhè zhbn ràng ta xhchewàngwài. ‘He not only received a free round-trip ticket, but also one week’s free hotel accommodations, which really made him overjoyed at his good fortune.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [໻୰䖛ᳯ] (dà xh guò wàng ໻୰䘢ᳯ) ‘overjoyed that things went even better than hoped for,’ [୰Ң໽䰡] (xh cóng tian jiàng ୰ᕲ໽䰡) ‘unexpected joy.’ Antonyms: [䲾Ϟࡴ䳰] (xug shàng jia shuang 䲾Ϟࡴ䳰) ‘on top of snow to add frost – make a bad situation even worse,’ [⽌ϡऩ㸠] (huò bù dan xíng ⽡ϡஂ㸠) ‘misfortune never comes alone, misery loves company.’ 226. Ğ‫۾‬౶ෂ෹ğ(Ꮵᗔᣃᐂ) bgn lái miàn mù ᴀᴹ means ‘original,’ while 䴶Ⳃ means ‘appearance.’ The whole idiom means ‘true colors’ or ‘true qualities.’ Example 1: 䆄㗙‫خ‬њᕜ໮䇗ᶹˈ㒜Ѣথ⦄њ䖭ԡĀᯢ᯳āⱘ‫۾‬౶ෂ෹DŽ Jìzhg zuòle hgn dud diàochá, zhdngyú faxiànle zhè wèi míngxcng de bgnláimiànmù. ‘The reporter did much investigation and in the end discovered the true colors of this “star.”’ Example 2: ग़৆ᄺህᰃ㽕䖬ॳग़৆џӊⱘ‫۾‬౶ෂ෹DŽ Lìshhxué jiùshì yào huányuán lìshh shìjiàn de bgnlái-miànmù. ‘What historians need to do is precisely restore the original appearance of historical incidents.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object. Note: When it refers to people, it has a derogatory meaning.

Entries 227 – 228: 㛡♭Ҏষ and 㞾⬅㞾೼

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Near Synonym: [ⳳⳌ໻ⱑ] (zhbn xiàng dà bái ⳳⳌ໻ⱑ) ‘everything is now clear, the whole truth is out.’ 227. Ğᱦᒡཽాğ(⓲ᛠዷጕ) kuài zhì rén kiu 㛡 means ‘minced meat,’ ♭ means ‘roasted meat,’ and Ҏষ here means ‘people’s mouths.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘minced meat and roasted meat in people’s mouths.’ The original meaning was ‘having a delicious taste,’ but the idiom nowadays means ‘liked by all, very popular, praised by all, on everyone’s lips.’ Example 1: ཌྷ߯԰њ໻䞣ᱦᒡཽాⱘ℠᳆DŽ Ta chuàngzuòle dàliàng kuàizhì-rénkiu de gbqj. ‘She produced a large number of highly praised songs.’ Example 2: ҪЎৢҎ⬭ϟњϔ䚼ᱦᒡཽాⱘ԰કDŽ Ta wèi hòurén liúxiàle yí bù kuàizhì-rénkiu de zuòphn. ‘He left behind for later generations a very popular work.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Ѹষ⿄䁝] ( jiao kiu chbng yù Ѹষ々䅑) ‘praise unanimously,’ [୰䯏Ф㾕] (xh wén lè jiàn ୰㘲ῖ㽟) ‘love to see and hear.’ Antonyms: [ᑇ⎵᮴ੇ] (píng dàn wú wèi ᑇ⎵⛵ੇ) ‘insipid, flat,’ [ੇৠಐ㳵] (wèi tóng jiáo là ੇৠಐ㷳) ‘taste like chewing wax – without taste.’ 228. ĞᔈᎅᔈᏴğ(ᒢᏻᒢᑋ) zì yóu zì zài Since 㞾⬅ means ‘free’ and 㞾೼ means ‘unrestrained,’ this idiom means ‘free and unrestrained.’ Example 1: Ҫাᛇ䖛ᔈᎅᔈᏴⱘ⫳⌏ˈ᠔ҹϡᜓᛣ㒧ီDŽ Ta zhh xifng guò zìyóu-zìzài de shbnghuó, suiyh bú yuànyi jiéhen. ‘He only wants to have a free and unrestrained life, so he’s unwilling to get married.’ Example 2: ᄽᄤӀ೼㤝ഄϞᔈᎅᔈᏴഄ⥽㗡DŽ Háizimen zài cfodì shàng zìyóu-zìzài de wánshuf. ‘The children played freely and unrestrained on the grass.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, adverbial, and predicate. Near Synonyms: [᮴᢬᮴ᴳ] (wú je wú shù ⛵᢬⛵ᴳ) ‘unrestrained,’ [䗡䘹㞾೼] (xiao yáo zì zài 䗡䘭㞾೼) ‘free and unrestrained.’

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Entries 229 – 230: ⇨୬৕৕ and ⬏㲛⏏䎇

Antonyms: [ᴳ᠟ᴳ㛮] (shù shiu shù jifo ᴳ᠟ᴳ㝇) ‘tied hand and foot,’ [䑿ϡ⬅Ꮕ] (shbn bù yóu jh 䑿ϡ⬅Ꮕ) ‘having no control over one’s body or actions.’ 229. Ğ໮ࠇᎱᎱğ(ᦟᲝᐼᐼ) qì chufn xe xe ୬ means ‘gasp for breath, pant’ and ৕৕ is the sound of panting. The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘gasp for breath, pant.’ Example 1: ⠌⠌໮ࠇᎱᎱഄ䎳ⴔ‫ܓ‬ᄤ⠀ࠄቅ乊ˈᇍ‫ܓ‬ᄤ䇈˖ Ā៥㗕њDŽā Bàba qìchufn-xexe de gbnzhe érzi pádào shandhng, duì érzi shud: “Wi lfo le.” ‘Gasping for breath, the father followed his son in climbing to the summit, and said to his son: “I’ve gotten old.” ’ Example 2: Ҫϡᐌ䬏⚐䑿ԧˈ᠔ҹাᠧњकߚ䩳㇂⧗ህ㌃ᕫ໮ࠇᎱᎱⱘњDŽ Ta bù cháng duànliàn shbnth, suiyh zhh dfle shí fbn zhdng lánqiú jiù lèi de qìchufnxexe de le. ‘He doesn’t often exercise, so he was tired to the point of panting after playing basketball for only ten minutes.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate and complement. Note: A more colloquial way of expressing about the same meaning is Ϟ⇨ϡ᥹ ϟ⇨ (shàng qì bù jib xià qì Ϟ⇷ϡ᥹ϟ⇷). Antonym: [ᑇᖗ䴭⇨] (píng xcn jìng qì ᑇᖗ䴰⇷) ‘calmly and patiently.’ 230. Ğઙ࿯ᄗᔗğ(ᶁᰦᮐᖭ) huà shé tian zú ⬏ means ‘draw,’ 㲛 means ‘snake,’ ⏏ means ‘add,’ and 䎇 means ‘foot.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘draw a snake and add feet.’ The meaning is ‘add something superfluous and thereby ruin the effect.’ Example 1: 䖭হ䆱≵᳝ҔМᛣᗱˈㅔⳈᰃઙ࿯ᄗᔗDŽ Zhè jù huà méiyiu shénme yìsi, jifnzhí shì huàshé-tianzú. ‘This sentence doesn’t have any meaning; it simply ruins the effect by adding something superfluous.’ Example 2: 䙷Ͼᬙџⱘ㒧ሒ≵᳝ᖙ㽕ˈ㒭Ҏઙ࿯ᄗᔗⱘᛳ㾝DŽ Nàge gùshi de jiéwgi méiyiu bìyào, ggi rén huàshé-tianzú de gfnjué. ‘That story’s ending is unnecessary; it gives one a feeling of the effect being ruined by the addition of something superfluous.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence; also serves as attributive.

Entry 231: ᑻ᮴㰮ᐁ

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Allusion: There were once several servants. One day their master gave them a jug of wine. After consulting among themselves, they decided that, with only one jug of wine for several people to drink, there would not be enough for everyone. Therefore, they decided to have a competition. So they drew pictures of snakes on the ground; whoever finished drawing first would get to drink all of the wine. One man finished drawing first and grabbed the wine, but then said he could draw feet for the snake. Thus, he held the jug of wine in his left hand and drew feet for the snake with his right hand. However, before he had finished drawing feet for the snake, another man finished drawing his snake. This man snatched the jug of wine away from the first man, saying: “Snakes have never had feet. How can you draw feet on a snake?” The second man drank all the wine. In the end, the first person to finish drawing the snake didn’t get to drink the wine. (from Stratagems of the Warring States) Note: Has a negative connotation. Near Synonyms: [໮ℸϔВ] (dud ch yì jj ໮ℸϔ㟝) ‘make an unnecessary move,’ [ᕦࢇ᮴ࡳ] (tú láo wú gdng ᕦࢲ⛵ࡳ) ‘work in vain.’ Antonyms: [⬏啭⚍⴯] (huà lóng difn jcng ⬿啡咲⴯) ‘add the perfect finishing touch,’ [ᙄࠄད໘] (qià dào hfo chù ᙄࠄད㰩) ‘just right.’ 231. Ğᔭᇄኋᇳğ(᥊ᵨᷤ᥆) zuò wú xe xí ᑻ means ‘seat,’ 㰮 means ‘empty,’ and ᐁ also means ‘seat, place.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘as regards seats there are no empty seats,’ with freer translations being ‘a packed house, standing room only.’ Example 1: 䇎䋱ᇨ᭛ᄺ༪ᕫЏℷ೼ⓨ䆆ˈ⼐ූ䞠ᔭᇄኋᇳDŽ Nuòbèi’gr wénxué jifng dézhj zhèng zài yfnjifng, lhtáng lh zuòwúxexí. ‘When the recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature was lecturing, there were no empty seats in the auditorium.’ Example 2: ਼᳿ⱘ೷ֱ㔫໻ᬭූᔭᇄኋᇳˈᬭⱛℷ೼Ꮧ䘧DŽ Zhdumò de Shèng Bfoluó dà jiàotáng zuòwúxexí, jiàohuáng zhèng zài bùdào. ‘On the weekend in St. Paul’s cathedral there were no empty seats, as the pope was giving a sermon.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [⌢⌢ϔූ] ( jh jh yì táng △△ϔූ) ‘a large assembly.’ Antonyms: [䮼ৃ㔫䲔] (mén kg luó què 䭔ৃ㕙䲔) ‘at the doorway one can snare sparrows – an infrequently visited place,’ [ᆹᆹ᮴޴] (liáo liáo wú jh ᆹᆹ⛵ᑒ) ‘very few,’ [ϔ᮴᠔᳝] ( yì wú sui yiu ϔ⛵᠔᳝) ‘have absolutely nothing, destitute.’

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Entries 232 – 233: ໰ҹ㒻᮹ and ᣕПҹᘦ

232. Ğ጗ጲଖ྇ğ(ᘝ᎔⛍፶) yè yh jì rì ҹ means ‘use’ and 㒻 means ‘continue.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘using night to continue the day,’ with a freer translation being ‘day and night.’ Example 1: 㒣䖛Ѩ໽጗ጲଖ྇ⱘ䇜߸ˈঠᮍ᳔㒜䖒៤њण䆂DŽ Jcngguò wj tian yèyhjìrì de tánpàn, shuangfang zuìzhdng dáchéngle xiéyì. ‘After five days of day-and-night negotiations, both sides finally reached an agreement.’ Example 2: ⾥ⷨҎਬ጗ጲଖ྇ഄᎹ԰ˈᳳᳯ㛑໳೼᳔ৢᳳ䰤ࠄ䖒Пࠡᅠ៤䙷乍ӏࡵDŽ Kbyán rényuán yèyhjìrì de gdngzuò, qcwàng nénggòu zài zuìhòu qcxiàn dàodá zhcqián wánchéng nà xiàng rènwù. ‘The scientific research personnel worked day and night, hoping that they could before the arrival of the final deadline complete that task.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonyms: [䗮ᆉ䖒ᮺ] (tdng xiao dá dàn 䗮ᆉ䘨ᮺ) ‘all night long until the dawn,’ [ᑳᆱᖬ亳] (fèi qhn wàng shí ᒶᆶᖬ亳) ‘abandon sleeping and forget eating.’ Antonym: [ᙴઝ␌ઝ] ( ydu zai yóu zai ᙴઝ␌ઝ) ‘free from restraint’ (colloquial). 233. Ğߒᒄጲੱğ(៑ጴ᎔ៅ) chí zhc yh héng ᣕ means ‘hold,’ П means ‘it,’ ҹ means ‘take, use,’ and ᘦ means ‘permanence.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘hold it with permanence.’ This idiom is used with the meaning ‘persevere, persist.’ Example 1: ᄺдӏԩ໪䇁䛑㽕ߒᒄጲੱˈϔϸ໽ᰃᄺϡӮⱘDŽ Xuéxí rènhé wàiyj ddu yào chízhc-yhhéng, yì lifng tian shì xué bú huì de. ‘In learning any foreign language, you must persevere; you can’t learn it in just a day or two.’ Example 2: ᬓᑰ‫އ‬ᖗߒᒄጲੱഄডᇍ䋾∵੠ফ䌓㸠ЎDŽ Zhèngfj juéxcn chízhc-yhhéng de ffnduì tanwe hé shòuhuì xíngwéi. ‘The government determined to persevere in opposing corruption and bribery.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [䬆㗠ϡ㟡] (qiè ér bù shg 䤹㗠ϡ᤼) ‘work with perseverance,’ [ᄰᄰ ϡ‫( ]׺‬zc zc bú juàn ᄰᄰϡ‫‘ )׺‬diligently,’ [മᣕϡវ] ( jian chí bú xiè ෙᣕϡវ) ‘unremitting.’

Entries 234 – 235: 䩜䫟Ⳍᇍ and ⳌᕫⲞᕄ

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Antonyms: [⌙ᇱ䕘ℶ] (qifn cháng zhé zhh ⏎௫䓦ℶ) ‘shallowly taste then stop – stop after gaining a little knowledge of something,’ [ञ䗨㗠ᑳ] (bàn tú ér fèi ञ䗨㗠ᒶ) ‘give up halfway,’ [ϝ໽ᠧ剐ˈϸ໽ᰦ㔥] (san tian df yú, lifng tian shài wfng ϝ໽ ᠧ儮ˈܽ໽᳀㎆) ‘go fishing for three days, dry the nets for two days – lack of perseverance; work by fits and starts.’ 234. Ğᑣग़ሤ࣪ğ(᪂⋸ᡐ⁝) zhbn fbng xiang duì 䩜䫟 means ‘pinpoint’ and Ⳍᇍ means ‘diametrically opposed, opposite.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘pinpoints diametrically opposed,’ that is, the point of one pin being precisely against the point of another pin. A freer translation is ‘in sharp opposition, give tit for tat.’ Example 1: ೼᳔催⊩䰶໻⊩ᅬⱘҎ䗝Ϟˈֱᅜ⌒Ϣᬍ䴽⌒ᑣग़ሤ࣪ˈгᦤߎњ㞾Ꮕⱘ ‫׭‬䗝ҎDŽ Zài zuìgao ffyuàn dàffguan de rénxufn shàng, bfoshiupài yj gfigépài zhbnfbngxiangduì, yg tíchele zìjh de hòuxufnrén. ‘In the choosing of a Chief Justice for the Supreme Court, the conservative faction stood in sharp opposition to the reformist faction, putting forward its own candidate.’ Example 2: 䩜ᇍᇍ᠟ⱘᙊᛣᬏߏˈҪ䖯㸠њᑣग़ሤ࣪ⱘডߏDŽ Zhbnduì duìshiu de èyì gdngjc, ta jìnxíngle zhbnfbng-xiangduì de ffnjc. ‘In light of his adversary’s malicious attack, he carried out a counterattack where he gave tit for tat.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, adverbial, and attributive. Often occurs in debates and political campaigns. Near Synonym: [ᇌℹϡ䅽] (cùn bù bú ràng ᇌℹϡ䅧) ‘not yield an inch.’ Antonym: [䗔䙓ϝ㟡] (tuì bì san shè 䗔䙓ϝ㟡) ‘make concessions to avoid conflict.’ 235. Ğሤࡻፄᐻğ(ᡐᬗ᧟) xiang dé yì zhang Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ ᕫ means ‘obtain,’ Ⲟ means ‘even more,’ and ᕄ means ‘clear, obvious.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘mutual coordination makes the results even better’ or ‘each improves by association with the other.’ In freer translation, this can be rendered as ‘bring out the best in each other, complement each other.’ Example 1: 䖭ᇍ໿ྏˈϔϾ୘Ѣ೼໪䴶䇜⫳ᛣˈϔϾ୰⃶೼ᆊ䞠‫خ‬ᆊࡵˈϸϾҎሤࡻ ፄᐻDŽ Zhè duì feqc, yí ge shànyú zài wàimiàn tán shbngyi, yí ge xhhuan zài jia lh zuò jiawù, lifng ge rén xiangdé-yìzhang.

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Entry 236: ᗉᗉϡᖬ

‘This husband and wife, one of them is good at doing business on the outside, the other likes doing housework at home, the two of them complement each other very well.’ Example 2: Ё೑সҷⱘ⬏ᆊϔ㠀ᴹ䇈к⊩੠䆫䆡䛑ᕜདˈ಴ℸˈ䆫ǃкǃ⬏ሤࡻ! ፄᐻDŽ Zhdngguó gjdài de huàjia yìban lái shud sheff hé shccí ddu hgn hfo, ycnch, shc, she, huà xiangdé-yìzhang. ‘In general, ancient Chinese painters were good both at calligraphy and in poetry; therefore, poetry, calligraphy, and painting complemented and brought out the best in each other.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [প䭓㸹ⷁ] (qj cháng bj dufn প䭋㺰ⷁ) ‘draw on the strong points of others to make up for one’s own deficiencies,’ [⦴㘨⩻ড়] (zhe lián bì hé ⦴㙃 ⩻ড়) ‘perfect match,’ [Ⳍ䕙Ⳍ៤] (xiang fj xiang chéng Ⳍ䓨Ⳍ៤) ‘complement each other,’ [ѸⳌ䕝᯴] ( jiao xiang huc yìng ѸⳌ䓱᯴) ‘enhance one another’s beauty.’ Antonyms: [࢓ϡϸゟ] (shì bù lifng lì ࢶϡܽゟ) ‘irreconcilable, incompatible,’ [ϸ䋹‫ׅ‬Ӹ] (lifng bài jù shang ܽᬫ‫‘ )ڋׅ‬both sides lose and are equally wounded.’ 236. Ğศศ‫ݙ‬ᆄğ(ᙞᙞጰᔵ) niàn niàn bú wàng ᗉ here means ‘think of.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘never forget, constantly bear in mind.’ Example 1: Ҫศศ‫ݙ‬ᆄ⠊҆ᇍҪⱘᬭ䇆ˈĀЎ೑ᆊ໮‫خ‬ϔѯџDŽā Ta niànniàn-búwàng fùqcn duì ta de jiàohuì, “Wèi guójia dud zuò yìxib shì.” ‘He constantly bore in mind his father’s teaching, “Do more for your country.”’ Example 2: ϝᑈ䖛এњˈཌྷҡศศ‫ݙ‬ᆄཌྷⱘ߱ᘟᚙҎDŽ San nián guòqùle, ta réng niànniàn-búwàng ta de cheliàn qíngrén. ‘Three years had passed, but she still constantly kept in mind her first love.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonym: [ᳱᗱᲂᛇ] (zhao sc mù xifng ᳱᗱᲂᛇ) ‘think of from dawn to dusk.’ Antonym: [ᡯ೼㛥ৢ] (pao zài nfo hòu ᢟ೼㜺ᕠ) ‘throw to the back of one’s mind – not remember.’

Entries 237 – 238: ⏅ᗱ❳㰥 and ⣀ᷥϔᏰ

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237. Ğ࿾ႈၚ൅ğ(ᮥូ∹⇢) shbn sc shú lq ❳ means ‘mature, thorough’ and 㰥 means ‘consider.’ The literal meaning is ‘deeply think thoroughly consider,’ with a freer translation being ‘careful deliberation or consideration.’ Example 1: 㒣䖛࿾ႈၚ൅ˈҪᦤߎњ㞾Ꮕⱘᓎ䆂DŽ Jcngguò shbnsc-shúlq, ta tíchele zìjh de jiànyì. ‘After careful consideration, he raised his suggestion.’ Example 2: ᘏ㒳࿾ႈၚ൅Пৢˈ‫އ‬ᅮᇍܼԧ݀⇥ⱘए⭫ֱ䰽䖯㸠ᬍ䴽DŽ Zingting shbnsc-shúlq zhchòu, juédìng duì quánth gdngmín de ycliáo bfoxifn jìnxíng gfigé. ‘After careful deliberation, the president decided to undertake reforms of all citizens’ health insurance.’ Usage: Often functions as object of the verb 㒣䖛 ( jcngguò ㍧䘢) ‘undergo, experience.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [⏅䇟䖰㰥] (shbn móu yufn lq ⏅䃔䘴ᝂ) ‘circumspect and far sighted.’ Antonym: [ϡ‫؛‬ᗱ㋶] (bù jif sc sui ϡ‫؛‬ᗱ㋶) ‘without stopping to think.’ 238. Ğࣖၥጙᒚğ(⎕⍯ዯ⇔) dú shù yí zhì ⣀ means ‘alone,’ ᷥ here means ‘set up,’ and Ᏸ means ‘flag.’ A literal translation of the idiom is ‘a single individual raises a flag.’ A freer translation would be ‘have one’s own style, fly one’s own colors, create one’s own school of thought, be unique.’ Example 1: ཌྷⱘ㒬⬏亢Ḑ೼ᭈϾ㡎ᴃ⬠ࣖၥጙᒚDŽ Ta de huìhuà fbnggé zài zhgnggè yìshùjiè dúshù-yízhì. ‘Her brushwork style is unique in the entire art world.’ Example 2: ޴कᑈПৢˈҪᓎゟ䍋њࣖၥጙᒚⱘ⧚䆎ԧ㋏DŽ Jh shí nián zhchòu, ta jiànlì qh le dúshù-yízhì de lhlùn thxì. ‘A few decades later, he established his own unique theoretical system.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㞾៤ϔᆊ] (zì chéng yì jia 㞾៤ϔᆊ) ‘personally create a school – unique in one’s style,’ [⣀䕳䐞ᕘ] (dú pì xc jìng ⤼䮶䐞ᕥ) ‘alone open a road for

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Entries 239 – 240: ᚞໽ࡼഄ and ϰにџথ

oneself – develop one’s own style or method,’ [ᷛᮄゟᓖ] (bcao xcn lì yì ῭ᮄゟ⭄) ‘create something new and different.’ Antonyms: [བߎϔ䕭] (rú che yì zhé བߎϔ䔡) ‘as if emerging from the same track – one and the same, cut from the same cloth,’ [๼ᅜ៤㾘] (mò shiu chéng guc ๼ᅜ៤㽣) ‘stick to conventions or outmoded practices,’ [ҎѥѺѥ] (rén yún yì yún ҎѥѺѥ) ‘repeat other’s ideas – say and do exactly as others,’ [㧻㾘᳍䱣] (Xiao guc Cáo suí 㭁㽣᳍䱼) ‘Xiao’s rules Cao (the famous general) follows – abide by the rules laid down by one’s predecessor, follow in someone’s footsteps.’ 239. Ğரᄖࣅ࢐ğ(➯፞᪳ᑊ) jcng tian dòng dì ᚞໽ means ‘startle or surprise the heavens’ and ࡼഄ means ‘move the earth.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘earthshaking, resounding.’ Example 1: 䮾⬉Пৢᰃரᄖࣅ࢐ⱘᎼડDŽ Shfndiàn zhchòu shì jcngtian-dòngdì de jùxifng. ‘After the lightning struck there was an earthshaking loud sound.’ Example 2: ᳝Ҏ೼↯⋑ϰᇣᯊ‫׭‬ህⳟߎҪᇚᴹӮ‫ߎخ‬ϔ⬾ரᄖࣅ࢐ⱘџϮDŽ Yiu rén zài Máo Zéddng xifoshíhou jiù kànche ta jianglái huì zuòche yì fan jcngtian-dòngdì de shìyè. ‘There are people who, when Mao Zedong was a child, already were able to tell that in the future he would accomplish earthshaking feats.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ഄࡼቅᨛ] (dì dòng shan yáo ഄࢩቅ᧪) ‘earthshaking,’ [໽ዽഄ㺖] (tian bbng dì liè ໽ዽഄ㺖) ‘earth-shattering.’ Antonyms: [ϛ㈕‫ׅ‬ᆖ] (wàn lài jù jì 㨀㈳‫ׅ‬ᆖ) ‘the sounds of nature are all quiet,’ [⊶╰ϡ᚞] (bd lán bù jcng ⊶☒ϡ倮) ‘mighty waves not risen – uneventful.’ 240. Ğࣁࠊူखğ(ᚣᶛᗇᶋ) ddng chuang shì fa に means ‘window’ and থ means ‘discovered.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the matter by the east window has been discovered.’ This is a metaphor for intrigue that has failed and been exposed. English equivalents include ‘the plot has come to light’ and ‘the secret is out.’ Example 1: 䙷ԡ催ᅬ䎳ᓔথଚ᳝㚠ৢѸᯧˈৢᴹࣁࠊူखˈҪ㹿䖿䕲এњ㘠ࡵDŽ Nà wèi gaoguan gbn kaifashang yiu bèihòu jiaoyì, hòulái ddngchuang-shìfa, ta bèipò cíqùle zhíwù. ‘That high official had a secret business deal with a commercial developer; later their plot came to light and he was forced to resign his post.’

Entry 241: 䫎໽Ⲫഄ

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Example 2: 䪅ᴗѸᯧ㽕‫ⴔݦ‬ᕜ໻ⱘ亢䰽ˈϔᮺࣁࠊူखˈাདএത⠶њDŽ Qián quán jiaoyì yào màozhe hgndà de fbngxifn, yídàn ddngchuang-shìfa, zhh hfo qù zuòláo le. ‘Trading money for power involves a great amount of risk; once you have been discovered, the only alternative is to go to jail.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: During the Southern Song Dynasty, the traitor Qin Hui wanted to kill Yue Fei (1103–1142 C.E.), the most famous national hero in Chinese history, but many righteous officials were opposed. Qin Hui and his wife plotted by the east window, discussing what they should do. His wife said: “The tiger has now already been caught; to let the tiger go would be easy. But after you let it go, to then try to catch it again, that would be hard.” And so Qin Hui killed Yue Fei on trumped up charges. Thirteen years later, Qin Hui died. His wife had a Taoist priest come to drive out the demons. The Taoist priest saw Qin Hui in hell receiving all kinds of cruel punishments. Qin Hui told the Buddhist priest: “Please convey to my wife that our intrigue by the east window has been discovered.” Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ⳳⳌ໻ⱑ] (zhbn xiàng dà bái ⳳⳌ໻ⱑ) ‘everything is now clear, the whole truth is out,’ [ॳᔶ↩䴆] ( yuán xíng bì lù ॳᔶ⬶䴆) ‘reveal one’s true colors.’ Antonyms: [㩭೼哧䞠] (méng zài gj lh 㩭೼哧㺣) ‘keep inside a drum – keep in the dark, keep ignorant,’ [⾬㗠ϡᅷ] (mì ér bù xuan ⾬㗠ϡᅷ) ‘secret and not announce – keep secret.’ 241. Ğໂᄖঙ࢐ğ(⋲፞Ωᑊ) pe tian gài dì 䫎 means ‘spread out’ and Ⲫ means ‘cover.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘cover the earth, omnipresent.’ Example 1: ᔧϔԡܿकѠቕⱘ㗕ҎϢϔԡѠकܿቕⱘཇҎ㒧ီⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ၦԧϞᡍ䆘ⱘ ໄ⌾ໂᄖঙ࢐㗠ᴹDŽ Dang yí wèi bashí’èr suì de lforén yj yí wèi èrshíba suì de nrrén jiéhen de shíhou, méith shàng pcpíng de shbnglàng petian-gàidì ér lái. ‘When an 82-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman got married, the uproar of criticism in the media came from everywhere.’ Example 2: ೼࣫⃻ˈໂᄖঙ࢐ⱘ໻䲾ᐌᐌϔϟህᰃϔ໽DŽ Zài Bgi’du, petian-gàidì de dà xug chángcháng yí xià jiù shì yì tian. ‘In Scandinavia, there is omnipresent heavy snow; it often snows for the whole day.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial, predicate, and attributive.

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Entries 242 – 243: ໻ᓴ᮫哧 and ᕀᕀ᳝⼐

Near Synonym: [䙂໽㬑᮹] (zhb tian bì rì 䙂໽㬑᮹) ‘blot out the sky and cover the sun – cover all the sky.’ Antonym: [㴏㳧⚍∈] (qcng ting difn shuh 㴏㳧咲∈) ‘dragonfly skims surface of water – just scratch the surface of something without going into it deeply.’ 242. Ğࡍᐽ໢৴ğ(ጙᬑ₅‘) dà zhang qí gj ᓴ means ‘open’ and ᮫哧 means ‘banners and drums.’ The literal meaning of the idiom is ‘open up banners and drums on a large scale (as in war)’; a freer translation is ‘with a lot of fanfare, on a grand scale.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏ㽕ࡍᐽ໢৴ഄᅷӴ੠㸼ᡀ䙷ѯЎ೑ᆊⱘ߽Ⲟ‫ߎخ‬䋵⤂ⱘҎDŽ Wimen yào dàzhang-qígj de xuanchuán hé bifoyáng nàxib wèi guójia de lìyì zuòche gòngxiàn de rén. ‘We should with a lot of fanfare publicize and praise those who have made contributions for the benefit of the country.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏⱘⷨおᮍ⊩䖬ϡ໾ᅠ୘ˈ᠔ҹᇍѢ㒧ᵰ‫ܜ‬ϡ㽕ࡍᐽ໢৴ഄᅷӴDŽ Wimen de yánjie fangff hái bú tài wánshàn, suiyh duìyú jiégui xian búyào dàzhang-qígj de xuanchuán. ‘Our research method is not yet refined enough, so let’s not yet publicize our results with a lot of fanfare.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial, followed mainly by the verb ᅷӴ (xuanchuán ᅷ‫)ڇ‬ ‘publicize.’ Near Synonym: [݈Ꮬࡼӫ] (xcng shc dòng zhòng 㟜᏿ࢩⴒ) ‘drag a lot of people in, make a big fuss over a small job.’ Antonym: [ᙘ᮴ໄᙃ] (qiao wú shbng xc ᙘ⛵㙆ᙃ) ‘quiet and without a sound.’ 243. Ğܲܲᎌಳğ(ᬔᬔᑺ▚) bcn bcn yiu lh ᕀᕀ means ‘refined, elegant’ and ᳝⼐ means ‘courteous.’ The whole idiom means ‘refined and well-mannered.’ Example 1: 催㑻佁ᑫⱘ᳡ࡵਬᘏᰃܲܲᎌಳˈ䅽ᅶҎᛳ㾝ᕜ㟦᳡DŽ Gaojí fàndiàn de fúwùyuán zingshì bcnbcn-yiulh, ràng kèrén gfnjué hgn shefu. ‘The service personnel in high-class hotels are always refined and well-mannered, allowing guests to feel comfortable.’ Example 2: ཌྷܲܲᎌಳഄಲㄨ䆄㗙ᦤߎⱘ৘⾡৘ḋⱘ䯂乬DŽ Ta bcnbcn-yiulh de huídá jìzhg tíche de gèzhing-gèyàng de wèntí. ‘She answered all the questions that the reporters asked with great courtesy.’

Entries 244 – 245: ❭❭᫬᫬ and ᮴ᕅ᮴䏾

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, can also serve as attributive and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㨑㨑໻ᮍ] (luò luò dà fang 㨑㨑໻ᮍ) ‘natural and dignified,’ [᭛䋼 ᕀᕀ] (wén zhì bcn bcn ᭛䊾ᕀᕀ) ‘refined and courteous.’ Antonym: [㳂῾᮴⧚] (mán hèng wú lh 㸏‿⛵⧚) ‘unreasonable.’ 244. Ğᇛᇛཱཱིིğ(₾₾⚲⚲) xc xc rfng rfng ❭❭ means ‘gentle, happy’ and ᫬᫬ means ‘disorderly, chaotic.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘crowded, bustling, busy.’ Example 1: ໣ᄷˈᏈ咢㸫༈␌ᅶᇛᇛཱཱིིˈ䴲ᐌ⛁䯍ˈϡ䖛ᴀഄҎ䛑ࠄ໪ഄএᑺ‫؛‬њDŽ Xiàjì, Balí jibtóu yóukè xcxc-rfngrfng, fbicháng rè’nao, búguò bgndì rén ddu dào wàidì qù dùjiàle. ‘In the summertime, the streets of Paris are bustling with tourists; it’s very lively, but the locals have all gone out of town on vacation.’ Example 2: ೼ᇛᇛཱཱིིⱘҎ㕸Ёˈ᳝ԡ䑿催ϸ㉇Ѡⱘ໻ϾᄤḐ໪ᓩҎ⊼ⳂDŽ Zài xcxc-rfngrfng de rénqún zhdng, yiu wèi shbn’gao lifng mh èr de dà gèzi géwài yhnrén-zhùmù. ‘In the bustling crowd, there was a tall fellow of two meters twenty who especially attracted people’s attention.’ Usage: Functions as attributive and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ҎቅҎ⍋] (rén shan rén hfi ҎቅҎ⍋) ‘people mountain people sea – huge crowds,’ [∈⊘ϡ䗮] (shuh xiè bù tdng ∈⊘ϡ䗮) ‘not even a drop of water could get through – crowded with people, heavy traffic.’ Antonym: [䮼ৃ㔫䲔] (mén kg luó què 䭔ৃ㕙䲔) ‘at the doorway one can snare sparrows – an infrequently visited place.’ 245. Ğᇄ፬ᇄᔍğ(ᵨ⇝ᵨ●) wú yhng wú zdng ᕅ means ‘shadow’ and 䏾 means ‘track, trace.’ A literal translation is ‘there is no shadow and there is no trace.’ A freer translation of this idiom is ‘vanish without a trace’ or simply ‘without a trace.’ Example 1: ㄝ䄺ᆳ䍊ࠄ⦄എⱘᯊ‫ߊˈ׭‬᠟ᮽᏆ⍜༅ᕫᇄ፬ᇄᔍDŽ Dgng jhngchá gfndào xiànchfng de shíhou, xidngshiu zfoyh xiaoshcde wúyhngwúzdng. ‘By the time the police had rushed to the scene, the assailant had long since disappeared without a trace.’

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Entries 246 – 247: 㟇催᮴Ϟ and ৌぎ㾕ᛃ

Example 2: ᄺᳳ᳿ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ᄺ⫳Ꮖ㒣ᡞ㗕Ꮬ೼ᄺᳳ߱䇈ⱘ䆱ᖬᕫᇄ፬ᇄᔍњDŽ Xuéqcmò de shíhou, xuésheng yhjcng bf lfoshc zài xuéqcche shud de huà wàngde wúyhng-wúzdng le. ‘By the end of the term, the students had already completely forgotten what the instructor had said at the beginning of the term.’ Usage: Functions mainly as complement for verbs such as ⍜༅ (xiaoshc) ‘disappear,’ 䎥 (pfo) ‘run,’ and 䗗 (táo) ‘flee.’ Near Synonym: [㤵✊᮴ᄬ] (dàng rán wú cún 㬽✊⛵ᄬ) ‘vanish without a trace.’ Antonyms: [᳝䗍ৃᇏ] ( yiu jì kg xún ᳝䎵ৃᇟ) ‘there are signs that can be traced,’ [བᕅ䱣ᔶ] (rú yhng suí xíng བᕅ䱼ᔶ) ‘like the shadow following a person – intimate pair,’ [᣹Пϡএ] (huc zhc bú qù ᧂПϡএ) ‘cannot be brushed away – will not go away, lingering.’ 246. Ğᒗ঱ᇄ࿟ğ(ᒣ᪓ᵨጆ) zhì gao wú shàng 㟇 means ‘most.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘most high there is not higher,’ with freer translations including ‘highest’ and ‘supreme.’ Example 1: ೼໽Џᬭ䞠ˈᬭⱛᢹ᳝ᒗ঱ᇄ࿟ⱘᴗ࡯DŽ Zài Tianzhjjiào lh, Jiàohuáng ydngyiu zhìgao-wúshàng de quánlì. ‘In Catholicism, the Pope possesses supreme authority.’ Example 2: ೼ϔϾӴ㒳ᆊᒁ䞠ˈ⠊҆ⱘഄԡᰃᒗ঱ᇄ࿟ⱘDŽ Zài yí ge chuánting jiatíng lh, fùqin de dìwèi shì zhìgao-wúshàng de. ‘In a traditional family, the father’s position is the highest.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonyms: [᮴ߎ݊ে] (wú che qí yòu ⛵ߎ݊ে) ‘second to none,’ [᮴ϢӺ↨] (wú yj lún bh ⛵㟛‫‘ )↨׿‬unequaled, peerless.’ Antonym: [ㄝ㗠ϟП] (dgng ér xià zhc ㄝ㗠ϟП) ‘from this point down.’ 247. Ğႊహ୅ਏğ(Ꮍᜀᖤⁱ) sc kdng jiàn guàn ৌぎ was the title of an official in ancient China; ᛃ means ‘become accustomed to.’ The literal meaning is ‘the Sikong official has gotten used to seeing things,’ with a freer translation being ‘to see so many things that you have gotten used to seeing almost anything and find nothing strange anymore.’ Example 1: ೼ᔧҷ⼒Ӯ䞠ˈ㗕໿ᇥྏⱘ⦄䈵Ꮖ㒣ႊహ୅ਏњˈ໻ᆊϡ‫ڣݡ‬ҹࠡ䙷ḋ ༛ᗾDŽ Zài dangdài shèhuì lh, lfo fe shfo qc de xiànxiàng yhjcng sckdng-jiànguàn le, dàjia bú zài xiàng yhqián nàyàng qíguài.

Entries 248 – 249: ᥹Ѡ䖲ϝ and ᭽䩝៾䪕

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‘In contemporary society, the phenomenon of an older husband with a young wife is no longer anything unusual, everyone no longer finds it strange as in the past.’ Example 2: ೼䙷Ͼ೑ᆊˈ䏶‫⧗؛‬ᰃႊహ୅ਏⱘџᚙDŽ Zài nàge guójia, tc jif qiú shì sckdng-jiànguàn de shìqing. ‘In that country, kicking fake balls is nothing out of the ordinary.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonyms: [ስ㾕ϡ剰] (lr jiàn bù xian ሶ㽟ϡ冂) ‘often seen and nothing remarkable,’ [дҹЎᐌ] (xí yh wéi cháng 㖦ҹ⚎ᐌ) ‘accustomed to something and think it’s always like that,’ [㾕ᗾϡᗾ] ( jiàn guài bú guài 㽟ᗾϡᗾ) ‘see strange things but not find them strange.’ Antonym: [ᇥ㾕໮ᗾ] (shfo jiàn dud guài ᇥ㽟໮ᗾ) ‘a person who has seen little marvels much.’ 248. Ğ୻औೌྯğ(ᬻዶ᱕ጃ) jib èr lián san A literal translation of this idiom is ‘join two link three’ (the numbers Ѡ and ϝ here have no particular meaning). The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘one after another, repeatedly, in rapid succession.’ Example 1: Ҹ໻ᆊᘤᗪⱘᰃˈ䖭⾡џᚙ୻औೌྯഄথ⫳њDŽ Lìng dàjia kingbù de shì, zhè zhing shìqing jib’èr-liánsan de fashbng le. ‘What has horrified everyone is that this kind of thing has happened repeatedly in rapid succession.’ Example 2: Ҫⱘᇣ䇈୻औೌྯഄߎ⠜ˈ㒭ҪᏺᴹњᎼ໻ⱘໄ䁝੠ᬊܹDŽ Ta de xifoshud jib’èr-liánsan de chebfn, ggi ta dàiláile jùdà de shbngyù hé shdurù. ‘His novels are published one after another, which has brought him an enormous reputation and income.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonyms: [㒰㒢ϡ㒱] (luò yì bù jué ㌵㑍ϡ㌩) ‘continuous flow,’ [䱨ϝᏂѨ] (gé san chà wj 䱨ϝᏂѨ) ‘at intervals of three and differing by five – at short intervals, regularly’ (limited mostly to spoken Chinese). Antonym: [⿔⿔㨑㨑] (xc xc luò luò ⿔⿔㨑㨑) ‘sparse, scattered.’ 249. Ğᐮࢺ஀ᄤğ(᭟᪁⁶✷) zhfn dcng jié tig ᭽ means ‘cut, chop,’ 䩝 means ‘nail,’ ៾ means ‘cut, sever,’ and 䪕 means ‘iron.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘cut a nail and sever iron,’ which by metaphor means ‘firm and resolute, decisive.’

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Entry 250: Ⓓパ‫ܙ‬᭄

Example 1: ᄽᄤ䎳⠊҆㽕ϔ䕚ᮄ≑䔺ˈ⠊҆ᐮࢺ஀ᄤഄಲㄨˈĀ≵䮼ʽā Háizi gbn fùqin yào yí liàng xcn qìchb, fùqin zhfndcng-jiétig de huídá, “Méi mén!” ‘When the child wanted a new car from the father, the father answered very firmly, “No way!”’ Example 2: ݀ᅝሔ䭓ᐮࢺ஀ᄤഄ䇈˖Ā៥Ӏ㽕ϡᚰӏԩҷӋᡧԣߊ᠟DŽā Gdnganjúzhfng zhfndcng-jiétig de shud: “Wimen yào bù xc rènhé dàijià zhuazhù xidngshiu.” ‘The head of the Public Security Bureau said resolutely: “No matter what the cost, we must capture the assailant.”’ Usage: Functions as adverbial followed by verbs such as 䇈 (shud 䁾) ‘say’ and ಲㄨ (huídá) ‘answer.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㨑ഄ᳝ໄ] (luò dì yiu shbng 㨑ഄ᳝㙆) ‘fall on the ground and have a sound – firm, resolute, trustworthy,’ [ᦋഄ᳝ໄ] (zhì dì yiu shbng ᫆ഄ᳝㙆) ‘throw on the ground and have a sound – firm, resolute, trustworthy.’ Antonyms: [ᢪ⊹ᏺ∈] (tud ní dài shuh ᢪ⊹ᐊ∈) ‘drag through mud and water – do things sloppily,’ [Ӭᶨᆵᮁ] ( ydu róu guf duàn ‫۾‬ᶨᆵᮋ) ‘irresolute and hesitant, indecisive.’ 250. Ğಆὀߠၫğ(⒖ᡧ᎞∋) làn yú chdng shù Ⓓ means ‘excess,’ パ is the name for a musical instrument somewhat like a flute, and ‫ܙ‬᭄ means ‘make up a number.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘excess yu makes up a number’ or, more freely, ‘someone who does not know how to play the yu pretends to play and becomes a member of the band.’ This is a metaphor for ‘people who have no talent but pretend they do,’ ‘inferior but pose as superior,’ or ‘contribute no work but go undetected because of the work of others.’ Example 1: ⦄೼ᕜ໮᳝䪅ⱘଚҎ䛑೼催᷵䞠‫ݐ‬ӏᬭᥜˈㅔⳈᰃಆὀߠၫDŽ Xiànzài hgn dud yiu qián de shangrén ddu zài gaoxiào lh jianrèn jiàoshòu, jifnzhí shì lànyú-chdngshù. ‘Nowadays many wealthy business people teach as part-time professors at institutes of higher education; this is simply amateurs pretending to be experts.’ Example 2: ᏖഎϞ᳝ᕜ໮‫؛‬ৡ⠠ˈϔѯҎこϞ䖭ѯ᠔䇧ⱘৡ⠠ಆὀߠၫDŽ Shìchfng shàng yiu hgn dud jif míngpái, yìxib rén chuanshàng zhèxib suiwèi de míngpái lànyú-chdngshù. ‘On the market there are many famous brands; some people wear these so-called famous brands to pretend they are something they are not.’

Entries 251 – 252: ϡᢽ᠟↉ and ⋹⋹᳝ੇ

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Allusion: When King Xuan of the country of Qi had musicians play the yu flute, he insisted on having 300 people play together. Now, there was a man by the name of Nanguo who didn’t know how to play the yu; but he pretended to know and asked to play for King Xuan. King Xuan was very pleased and paid him the same salary as the other players. Later King Xuan died and his son became king. The son liked solo performances, so Nanguo had no choice but to flee. (from “Nei Chu Shuo Shang” in Han Feizi) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Occasionally used in a self-depreciatory manner. Near Synonyms: [ৡϡࡃᅲ] (míng bú fù shí ৡϡࡃᆺ) ‘unworthy of the name,’ [剐Ⳃ ⏋⦴] (yú mù hùn zhe 儮Ⳃ⏋⦴) ‘confuse fish eggs and pearls – pass off fake articles for the real thing.’ Antonyms: [ৡࡃ݊ᅲ] (míng fù qí shí ৡࡃ݊ᆺ) ‘worthy of the name or reputation,’ [䋻ⳳӋᅲ] (huò zhbn jià shí 䉼ⳳ‫ۍ‬ᆺ) ‘genuine goods at reasonable prices.’ 251. Ğ‫ݙ‬ᐋ၄ࣤğ(ጰ⍛፯᠈) bù zé shiu duàn ᢽ means ‘choose’ and ᠟↉ means ‘method, means.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘resort to any means, stop at nothing.’ Example 1: ᳝ⱘҎЎњ䖒ࠄⳂⱘ㗠‫ݙ‬ᐋ၄ࣤDŽ Yiude rén wèile dádào mùdì ér bùzé-shiuduàn. ‘Some people will stop at nothing in order to attain their goal.’ Example 2: Ҫ‫ݙ‬ᐋ၄ࣤഄᬏߏᇍ᠟DŽ Ta bùzé-shiuduàn de gdngjc duìshiu. ‘He resorted to any means to attack his adversary.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᖗ⢴᠟䕷] (xcn hgn shiu là ᖗ⢴᠟䕷) ‘extremely cruel and merciless.’ 252. Ğசசᎌᆜğ(᠑᠑ᑺᗾ) jcn jcn yiu wèi ⋹ means ‘saliva,’ ⋹⋹ means ‘succulent, tasty,’ and ᳝ੇ means ‘have flavor, tasty.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘(do something) with gusto.’ Example 1: Ҫசசᎌᆜഄৗ叵⟾ᄤDŽ Ta jcnjcn-yiuwèi de chc jczhufzi. ‘He ate the chicken feet with great gusto.’

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Entries 253 – 254: ⏅ܹ⌙ߎ and Ⳍᦤᑊ䆎

Example 2: 䖭Ͼᬙџ໾਌ᓩҎњˈ໻ᆊ਀ᕫசசᎌᆜDŽ Zhège gùshi tài xcyhn rén le, dàjia tcng de jcnjcn-yiuwèi. ‘This story very much attracted people’s attention, everyone listening with gusto.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Near Synonym: [݈㟈ࢗࢗ] (xìng zhì bó bó 㟜㟈ࢗࢗ) ‘full of enthusiasm.’ Antonyms: [ੇৠಐ㳵] (wèi tóng jiáo là ੇৠಐ㷳) ‘taste like chewing wax – without taste,’ [㋶✊᮴ੇ] (sui rán wú wèi ㋶✊⛵ੇ) ‘dull and without flavor – insipid.’ 253. Ğ࿾ྜྷ༇߲ğ(ᮥዹᮑᎤ) shbn rù qifn che ⏅ means ‘deep’ and ⌙ means ‘shallow.’ The literal translation is ‘deeply enter and shallowly come out.’ This idiom refers to speech or writing with deep content that is expressed in a way that is easy to understand. The idiom can be translated as ‘explain profound things in simple language, make something complicated sound simple.’ Example 1: ཌྷ࿾ྜྷ༇߲ഄ৥਀ӫҟ㒡њ䖭Ͼᮍ䴶ⱘ᳔ᮄ⧚䆎DŽ Ta shbnrù-qifnche de xiàng tcngzhòng jièshàole zhège fangmiàn de zuì xcn lhlùn. ‘She introduced the newest theories in this area to the audience in a way that made them seem simple.’ Example 2: Ҫ䆆䇒ⱘᯊ‫ࡼ⫳׭‬ᑑ咬ǃ࿾ྜྷ༇߲ˈ⏅ফᄺ⫳୰⃶DŽ Ta jifngkè de shíhou shbngdòng ydumò, shbnrù-qifnche, shbnshòu xuésheng xhhuan. ‘When he lectured, he was lively and humorous, with the ability to explain complicated matters in an easy-to-understand manner, so he was much liked by his students.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, predicate, and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [䗮֫ᯧព] (tdng sú yì ding 䗮֫ᯧព) ‘in a colloquial and easy to understand manner’ (used mostly in speech). 254. Ğሤᄋ݀൙ğ(ᡐᴀᗄ⊹) xiang tí bìng lùn Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ ᦤ means ‘mention,’ ᑊ means ‘simultaneously,’ and 䆎 means ‘discuss.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘talk about two different people or things at the same time, mention in the same breath.’

Entry 255: ⏅ᙊ⮯㒱

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Example 1: ᳝ⱘҎᡞᖋᎲϢ㕢೑ⱘ݇㋏䎳ᮄ㽓݄Ϣ㣅೑ⱘ݇㋏ሤᄋ݀൙ˈ݊ᅲ䖭ᰃϡ њ㾷ग़৆DŽ Yiu de rén bf Dézhdu yj Mgiguó de guanxi gbn Xcnxclán yj Ycngguó de guanxi xiangtí-bìnglùn, qíshí zhè shì bù lifojig lìshh. ‘Some people talk about the relationship of Texas to the U.S. in the same breath as the relationship of New Zealand to England; actually, this is not understanding history.’ Example 2: ҪӀϸϾҎⱘ䋵⤂ϔ໻ϔᇣˈḍᴀϡ㛑ሤᄋ݀൙DŽ Tamen lifng ge rén de gòngxiàn yí dà yì xifo, gbnbgn bù néng xiangtí-bìnglùn. ‘As far as the contributions of the two of them are concerned, one was great and one was small; they absolutely cannot be mentioned in the same breath.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [ৠ᮹㗠䇁] (tóng rì ér yj ৠ᮹㗠䁲) ‘speak about on the same day – mention in the same breath.’ Antonym: [ϔߚЎѠ] ( yì fbn wéi èr ϔߚ⚎Ѡ) ‘one divides into two’ (refers to Mao Zedong’s theory of dialectics whereby every phenomenon, throughout all stages of its development, encompasses two mutually opposing and at the same time mutually united antitheses that are simultaneously in a state of unity and in a state of struggle). 255. Ğ࿾इᄼ௾ğ(ᮥ᳢ᶄᶮ) shbn wù tòng jué ⏅ means ‘deeply,’ ᙊ means ‘hate,’ ⮯ also means ‘hate,’ and 㒱 means ‘extremely.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘deeply hate and hate extremely,’ with freer translations being ‘abhor, detest.’ Example 1: ཌྷᇍ䇈䇢ⱘҎ࿾इᄼ௾DŽ Ta duì shudhufng de rén shbnwù-tòngjué. ‘She loathes liars.’ Example 2: ↦કҸҎ࿾इᄼ௾DŽ Dúphn lìng rén shbnwù-tòngjué. ‘Narcotics make one detest them.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ᘼПܹ偼] (hèn zhc rù gj ᘼПܹ偼) ‘hate someone so much that the hate enters the marrow of one’s bones,’ [⮒ᙊབқ] ( jí è rú chóu ⮒ᚵབқ) ‘hate the evil like personal enemies.’ Antonym: [⠅ϡ䞞᠟] (ài bú shì shiu ᛯϡ䞟᠟) ‘love something so much that one can’t let go of it.’

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Entries 256 – 257: ϡৃ໮ᕫ and ⊌⊌ᡀᡀ

256. Ğ‫ݙ‬భࣶࡻğ(ጰᎵᑑᬗ) bù kg dud dé ৃ means ‘can’ and ᕫ means ‘obtain, get.’ The whole idiom means ‘hard to come by, uncommon.’ Example 1: Ҫজᑈ䕏জ᳝㛑࡯ˈᰃϾ‫ݙ‬భࣶࡻⱘҎᠡDŽ Ta yòu niánqcng yòu yiu nénglì, shì gè bùkg-duddé de réncái. ‘He is both young and capable, a person of uncommon talent.’ Example 2: 䖭⾡⫋఼ᰃϝⱒᑈࠡⱘˈᏆ㒣䴲ᐌᇥњˈ‫ݙ‬భࣶࡻDŽ Zhè zhing cíqì shì san bfi nián qián de, yhjcng fbicháng shfole, bùkg-duddé. ‘This type of porcelain is from 300 years ago; there isn’t much of it around anymore, and it is very hard to come by.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. As attributive, often co-occurs with words referring to ‘talent.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ሜᣛৃ᭄] (qe zhh kg shjሜᣛৃᭌ) ‘can be counted on the fingers, very few.’ Antonyms: [໮བ⠯↯] (dud rú niú máo ໮བ⠯↯) ‘as numerous as the hairs of an ox, countless,’ [↨↨ⱚᰃ] (bh bh jib shì ↨↨ⱚᰃ) ‘can be found everywhere.’ 257. Ğॄॄዯዯğ(ᛊᛊᴊᴊ) fèi fèi yáng yáng ⊌⊌ describes the appearance of boiling water and ᡀ means ‘rise.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘noisy, tumultuous, raging.’ Example 1: ҪӀⱘီ໪ᘟ䯍ᕫॄॄዯዯⱘˈܼජҎ䛑ⶹ䘧њDŽ Tamen de henwàiliàn nào de fèifèi-yángyáng de, quán chéng rén ddu zhcdao le. ‘Their extramarital affair noisily raged on and on, everyone in the city finding out about it.’ Example 2: ॄॄዯዯⱘ䗝㕢⌏ࡼ㒧ᴳњˈজᰃྨ‫⨲ݙ‬ᢝᇣྤᔧ䗝Ϫ⬠ᇣྤDŽ Fèifèi-yángyáng de xufnmgi huódòng jiéshùle, yòu shì Wginèiruìla xifojig dangxufn shìjiè xifojig. ‘The tumultuous beauty contest activities concluded, with Miss Venezuela once again having been elected Miss World.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [⒵ජ亢䲼] (mfn chéng fbng yj ⓓජ乼䲼) ‘whole city wind and rain – become the talk of the town.’ Antonym: [叺䲔᮴ໄ] (ya què wú shbng 勝䲔⛵㙆) ‘crow sparrow no sound – complete silence.’

Entries 258 – 259: 䲾Ϟࡴ䳰 and 亢ᇬҚҚ

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258. Ğኩ࿟ଝၶğ(ᱷጆᎧ╍) xug shàng jia shuang 䲾 means ‘snow,’ ࡴ means ‘add,’ 䳰 means ‘frost.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘on top of snow to add frost,’ with freer translations being ‘make a bad situation even worse, exacerbate.’ Example 1: ೼㒣⌢ॅᴎЁˈ亲ᴎЬᅶ‫ޣ‬ᇥˈ䖭ᇍѢ㟾ぎϮᏆ㒣ᰃϡᇣⱘᠧߏњ˗⦄೼ ➗⊍ӋḐজ໻ᐙϞ⍼ˈ䖭᮴⭥ᰃኩ࿟ଝၶDŽ Zài jcngjì wbijc zhdng, fbijc chéngkè jifnshfo, zhè duìyú hángkdngyè yhjcng shì bùxifo de dfjc le; xiànzài rányóu jiàgé yòu dàfú shàngzhfng, zhè wúyí shì xugshàngjiashuang. ‘In the economic crisis, airplane passengers have reduced; this is already a big blow to the aviation industry; now the price of fuel has risen substantially; this without a doubt is exacerbating the situation.’ Example 2: ᴀᴹֱᅜ‫ܮ‬೼⇥ᛣ䇗ᶹЁህᏆ㒣㨑ৢѢᇍ᠟њˈ᳔䖥ϔԡ䞡䞣㑻Ҏ⠽জ ⟚ߎᗻϥ䯏ˈ䖭ᇍѢֱᅜ‫ܮ‬ᴹ䇈ᰃኩ࿟ଝၶDŽ Bgnlái bfoshiudfng zài mínyì diàochá zhdng jiù yhjcng luòhòu yú duìshiu le, zuìjìn yí wèi zhòngliàngjí rénwù yòu bàoche xìngchiuwén, zhè duìyú bfoshiudfng láishud shì xugshàng-jiashuang. ‘In the opinion poll, the conservative party was already lagging behind its adversary; recently a scandal erupted about a major figure; for the conservative party this is making a bad situation even worse.’ Usage: Functions as object, usually preceded by verbs and verbal constructions such as ᰃ ‘be a situation of,’ ⢍བ (yóurú ⤊བ) ‘as if,’ and ᮴ᓖѢ (wúyìyú ⛵⭄ᮐ) ‘be tantamount to.’ Near Synonym: [⽌ϡऩ㸠] (huò bù dan háng ⽡ϡஂ㸠) ‘misfortune never comes alone, misery loves company.’ Antonyms: [䫺Ϟ⏏㢅] ( jhn shàng tian hua 䣺Ϟ⏏㢅) ‘on brocade add flowers – improve to perfection,’ [䲾Ё䗕⚁] (xug zhdng sòng tàn 䲾Ё䗕⚁) ‘deliver charcoal in snowy weather – offer timely assistance,’ [ঠ୰Ј䮼] (shuang xh lín mén 䲭୰㞼䭔) ‘double happiness descends on the house.’ 259. Ğज़޺ໃໃğ(ᣉ‾††) fbng chén pú pú 亢ᇬ means ‘wind and dust – travel’ and ҚҚ means ‘fatigue from travel.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘fatigued from travel.’ Example 1: ᘏ⧚ज़޺ໃໃഄ䍊ࠄഄ䳛᳔Ϲ䞡ⱘഄऎDŽ Zinglh fbngchén-púpú de gfn dào dìzhèn zuì yánzhòng de dìqe. ‘The premier, fatigued from travel, rushed to the area where the earthquake had been the most severe.’

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Entry 260: ᳱϝᲂಯ

Example 2: Դതњϔ໽ⱘ☿䔺ˈ߮ϟ䔺ˈज़޺ໃໃⱘˈ‫ܜ‬এӥᙃ৻DŽ Nh zuòle yì tian de huichb, gang xiàchb, fbngchén-púpú de, xian qù xiexi ba. ‘You just got off the train after riding the whole day, you must be tired from your travels, why don’t you first go rest.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Note: Slightly complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㟳䔺ࢇ乓] (zhdu chb láo dùn 㟳䒞ࢲ䷧) ‘fatigued from travel,’ [ᷝ亢 ≤䲼] (zhì fbng mù yj ₯乼≤䲼) ‘exposed to the elements.’ 260. Ğޫྯ෴႐ğ(ᴟጃ∌Ꮘ) zhao san mù sì ᳱ means ‘morning’ and ᲂ means ‘evening, dusk.’ The literal meaning is ‘in the morning three and in the evening four.’ English translations include ‘fickle and inconstant, change one’s mind frequently, six of one and half a dozen of the other.’ Example 1: Ҫᇍ⠅ᚙ໾ϡ䅸ⳳˈޫྯ෴႐ⱘˈ㒣ᐌᤶཇ᳟টDŽ Ta duì àiqíng tài bú rènzhbn, zhaosan-mùsì de, jcngcháng huàn nrpéngyou. ‘He’s not the least bit serious about love, being fickle and inconstant, and frequently changing girlfriends.’ Example 2: ཌྷᰃ䙷⾡ޫྯ෴႐ⱘҎˈ߿䎳ཌྷѸ᳟টDŽ Ta shì nà zhing zhaosan-mùsì de rén, bié gbn ta jiao péngyou. ‘She is that kind of very fickle person; don’t make friends with her.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate or attributive. Allusion: There was a man who raised monkeys but needed to reduce the amount of food fed to them due to his family’s economic difficulties. Fearing his monkeys would be displeased, he purposely deceived them by saying he would feed them three acorns in the morning and four in the evening. The monkeys were very angry. Then he told them he would feed them four acorns in the morning and three in the evening, resulting in a group of happy monkeys. Note: Can be used in speech as well as in writing. Has a negative connotation; often used to criticize people for not being constant in their love or for changing back and forth in other ways. Note that the character ᳱ, which is most commonly pronounced cháo, is here pronounced zhao. Near Synonyms: [ᳱ⾺ᲂἮ] (zhao Qín mù Chj ᳱ⾺ᲂἮ) ‘serve Qin in the morning and Chu in the evening – fickle and inconstant,’ [ড໡᮴ᐌ] (ffn fù wú cháng ডᕽ ⛵ᐌ) ‘unsteady.’ Antonyms: [㧻㾘᳍䱣] (Xiao guc Cáo suí 㭁㽣᳍䱼) ‘Xiao’s rules Cao (the famous general) follows – abide by the rules laid down by one’s predecessor,’ [ϔ៤ϡব] (yì chéng bú biàn ϔ៤ϡ䅞) ‘fixed and unalterable.’

Entries 261 – 262: ᖗᑇ⇨੠ and ᖋ催ᳯ䞡

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261. Ğቦຳ໮ਜ਼ğ(፬Ꮧᦟᘍ) xcn píng qì hé ᑇ means ‘peaceful,’ ⇨ means ‘spirit,’ and ੠ means ‘harmonious.’ A literal translation of this idiom is therefore ‘heart peaceful spirit harmonious.’ A freer translation is ‘in a calm mood, with a gentle disposition, in an even-tempered manner.’ Example 1: ៥Ӏ㛑ϡ㛑ቦຳ໮ਜ਼ഄതϟᴹ䇜ϔ䇜˛ Wimen néng bù néng xcnpíng-qìhé de zuòxiàlái tán yi tán? ‘Could we sit down calmly and talk?’ Example 2: ेՓᄽᄤ䫭њˈԴгϡ㛑ᗹ䑕ˈ㽕ቦຳ໮ਜ਼ഄ䎳Ҫ䆆䘧⧚DŽ Jíshh háizi cuòle, nh yg bù néng jízào, yào xcnpíng-qìhé de gbn ta jifng dàolh. ‘Even if the child was wrong, you still mustn’t be impatient; you should in an even-tempered manner reason things out with him.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᑇᖗ䴭⇨] (píng xcn jìng qì ᑇᖗ䴰⇷) ‘calmly and patiently.’ Antonym: [ᲈ䏇བ䳋] (bào tiào rú léi ᲈ䏇བ䳋) ‘violent, jump about like thunder – fly into a rage.’ 262. Ğࡺ঱ᆃᒮğ(⇞᪓᭬ᢽ) dé gao wàng zhòng ᖋ means ‘moral character,’ ᳯ means ‘prestige,’ and 䞡 here means ‘weighty, heavy, considerable.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘character high prestige considerable,’ with a freer translation being ‘of noble character and high prestige.’ Example 1: ೼⬉ᕅ⬠ˈҪᰃϔԡࡺ঱ᆃᒮⱘ㗕ࠡ䕜DŽ Zài diànyhng jiè, ta shì yí wèi dégao-wàngzhòng de lfoqiánbèi. ‘In film circles, he is a doyen of noble character and high prestige.’ Example 2: ↣Ͼ᯹㡖ˈᓳᄤӀ䛑ӮএⳟᳯҪӀࡺ঱ᆃᒮⱘᇐᏜDŽ Mgi gè chenjié, dìzhmen ddu huì qù kànwàng tamen dégao-wàngzhòng de dfoshc. ‘Every Chinese New Year, the disciples will all call on their teacher, who is of noble character and high prestige.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Antonyms: [᮴ৡᇣ䕜] (wú míng xifo bèi ⛵ৡᇣ䓽) ‘anonymous incapable people,’ [᮴ৡ哴䕜] (wú míng shj bèi ⛵ৡ哴䓽) ‘anonymous and worthless people; unknown scoundrels.’

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Entries 263 – 264: ➗ⳝПᗹ and ϡॠ݊⚺

263. Ğ཮඘ᒄૻğ(⎓ᡑጴើ) rán méi zhc jí ➗ means ‘burn,’ ⳝ means ‘eyebrow,’ and ᗹ means ‘urgency.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the urgency of fire singeing the eyebrows,’ with a freer translation being ‘a matter of great urgency.’ Example 1: ᬥᧈҎਬ⫼Ⳉछ亲ᴎ䖤ᴹњ佂⫼∈ˈ㾷‫އ‬њ♒ऎҎ⇥ⱘ཮඘ᒄૻDŽ Jiùyuán rényuán yòng zhíshbngfbijc yùnláile yhnyòngshuh, jigjuéle zaiqe rénmín de ránméi-zhcjí. ‘The rescue workers used helicopters to bring in drinking water; they solved the urgent problems of the people in the disaster area.’ Example 2: Ё༂ᬓᑰ⡍߿䌋ℒϔⱒғ㕢‫ˈܗ‬㾷њ䙷ᆊ໻䫊㸠ⱘ཮඘ᒄૻDŽ Zhdngyang zhèngfj tèbié dàikufn yc bfi yì mgiyuán, jigle nà jia dà yínháng de ránméi-zhcjí. ‘The central government made a special loan of 10 billion U.S. dollars, relieving the urgent problems of that large bank.’ Usage: Functions as object, usually preceded by verbs such as 㾷‫ ( އ‬jigjué 㾷≎) ‘solve’ or 㾷 ( jig) ‘relieve.’ Near Synonyms: [䖿೼ⳝⴿ] (pò zài méi jié 䖿೼ⳝⴿ) ‘very urgent,’ [ᔧࡵПᗹ] (dang wù zhc jí ⭊ࢭПᗹ) ‘a matter of great urgency.’ 264. Ğ‫ݙ‬ዡ໚धğ(ጰ‫‫‬ᗥἄ) bú yàn qí fán ॠ means ‘dislike,’ ݊ means ‘its,’ and ⚺ means ‘trouble.’ The whole idiom means ‘not mind the trouble, with great patience, tirelessly.’ Example 1: ⠊↡‫ݙ‬ዡ໚धഄಲㄨཇ‫ⱘߎᦤܓ‬ϔϾজϔϾĀㅔऩāⱘ䯂乬DŽ Fùmj búyàn-qífán de huídá nr’ér tíche de yí ge yòu yí ge jifndan de wèntí. ‘Her parents tirelessly answered the “simple” questions their daughter raised one after another.’ Example 2: ↣⃵໻ӮϞˈ乚ᇐᘏᰃ‫ݙ‬ዡ໚धഄᔎ䇗〇ᅮⱘ䞡㽕ᗻDŽ Mgi cì dàhuì shàng, lhngdfo zingshì búyàn-qífán de qiángdiào wgndìng de zhòngyàoxìng. ‘At each mass meeting, the leader with great patience stressed the importance of stability.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Near Synonym: [㢺ষယᖗ] (kj kiu pó xcn 㢺ষယᖗ) ‘admonish over and over with good intentions.’ Antonym: [ϡ㚰݊⚺] (bú shèng qí fán ϡࢱ݊✽) ‘burdensome, boring.’

Entries 265 – 266: ߿ߎᖗ㺕 and ϡ㾕㒣Ӵ

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265. Ğ߲ܰቦ‫ݡ‬ğ(ᓕᎤ፬ᷮ) bié che xcn cái ߿ means ‘another, different,’ ߎ means ‘come out with, produce,’ and ᖗ㺕 means ‘idea, concept.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘come out with a different plan or concept,’ with freer translations being ‘have an unconventional idea, adopt an original approach.’ Example 1: ཌྷ߲ܰቦ‫ݡ‬ഄ೼ᣛ⬆Ϟ㒍њ޴ᴉᇣ㢅DŽ Ta biéche-xcncái de zài zhhjif shàng wénle jh dui xifo hua. ‘Adopting an original approach, she drew a few small flowers on her nails.’ Example 2: 䋱㙓䫁Ў⊩೑Ꮘ咢㔫⍂ᅿ䆒䅵њϔϾ߲ܰቦ‫⩗⦏ⱘݡ‬䞥ᄫศܹষDŽ Bèi Yùmíng wèi Ffguó Balí Luófú Gdng shèjìle yí ge biéche-xcncái de bdlí jcnzìtf rùkiu. ‘I. M. Pei created a very original glass pyramid entrance for the Louvre museum in Paris, France.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⣀ߎᴎᵐ] (dú che jc zhù ⤼ߎ″ᵐ) ‘on one’s own come up with the idea for something (usually refers to a writer),’ [⣀‫ࣴ݋‬ᖗ] (dú jù jiàng xcn ⤼‫ࣴ݋‬ᖗ) ‘show ingenuity,’ [߿ᓔ⫳䴶] (bié kai shbng miàn ߹䭟⫳䴶) ‘start something new.’ Antonyms: [ग㆛ϔᕟ] (qian pian yí lq ग㆛ϔᕟ) ‘a thousand essays uniform – follow the same pattern, stereotyped,’ [བ⊩⚂ࠊ] (rú ff páo zhì བ⊩⚂ࠊ) ‘follow a set pattern,’ [✻⣿⬏㰢] (zhào mao huà hj ✻䉧⬿㰢) ‘draw a tiger with a cat as a model – follow a model’ (spoken style). 266. Ğ‫ݙ‬୅ளࠅğ(ጰᖤ὚Ṟ) bú jiàn jcng zhuàn 㒣Ӵ means ‘classics.’ A literal translation is ‘something not seen in the classics.’ A freer translation is ‘unattested by historical records, unknown.’ Example 1: ህᰃ䖭ḋϔԡℸࠡ‫ݙ‬୅ளࠅⱘᇣҎ⠽ᬍ‫ݭ‬њᭈϾग़৆DŽ Jiùshì zhèyàng yí wèi chqián bújiàn-jcngzhuàn de xiforénwù gfixigle zhgnggè lìshh. ‘It was precisely a heretofore unknown “nobody” like this who rewrote all of history.’ Example 2: Ҁ࠻᳒㒣ৡ‫ݙ‬୅ளࠅˈাᰃࠄњ⏙ᳱҹৢᠡ⌕㸠䍋ᴹDŽ Jcngjù céngjcng míngbújiànjcngzhuàn, zhhshì dàole Qcngcháo yhhòu cái liúxíng qhlai. ‘Beijing Opera used to be unknown; it was only with the advent of the Qing Dynasty that it came into fashion.’

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Entries 267 – 268: 㫮✊៤亢 and ໻᚞ᇣᗾ

Usage: Functions as attributive Note: A common alternate form of this idiom is ৡϡ㾕㒣Ӵ (míng bú jiàn jcng zhuànৡϡ㽟㍧‫)ڇ‬. Near Synonyms: [咬咬᮴䯏] (mò mò wú wén 咬咬⛵㘲) ‘unknown to the public,’ [᮴ৡ哴䕜] (wú míng shj bèi ⛵ৡ哴䓽) ‘anonymous and worthless people; unknown scoundrels.’ Antonyms: [໻ৡ哢哢] (dà míng dhng dhng ໻ৡ哢哢) ‘famous; well known,’ [ӫ᠔਼ ⶹ] (zhòng sui zhdu zhc ⴒ᠔਼ⶹ) ‘as is known to all,’ [ᆊஏ᠋ᰧ] ( jia yù hù xifo ᆊஏ᠊Ო) ‘known to every family, widely known.’ 267. Ğᆛ཭߅ज़ğ(⊍ᵩᑯᣉ) wèi rán chéng fbng 㫮✊ means ‘luxuriant, magnificent’ and 亢 here means ‘established practice or custom.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘magnificently become the custom.’ A freer translation of the idiom is ‘become common practice.’ Example 1: ᳔䖥޴ᑈˈ亳⭫ᆛ཭߅ज़DŽ Zuìjìn jh nián, shíliáo wèirán-chéngfbng. ‘The last few years, nutritional therapy has become common practice.’ Example 2: ೼Ҫⱘোীϟˈ‫ޣ‬ᇥ⌾䌍ǃֱᡸ⦃๗ᆛ཭߅ज़DŽ Zài ta de hàozhào xià, jifnshfo làngfèi, bfohù huánjìng wèirán-chéngfbng. ‘As a result of his appeal, reducing waste and protecting the environment have become common practice.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonyms: [㫮Ў໻㾖] (wèi wéi dà guan 㫮⚎໻㾔) ‘present an impressive sight,’ [亢䴵ϔᯊ] (fbng mí yì shí 乼䴵ϔᰖ) ‘fashionable for a period of time.’ 268. Ğࡍரቃਆğ(ጙ➯ጟᙥ) dà jcng xifo guài The meaning of this idiom is ‘get excited over little things, make a big fuss about nothing.’ Example 1: 䖭≵ҔМњϡ䍋ⱘˈ߿ࡍரቃਆⱘDŽ Zhè méishénme lifobùqh de, bié dàjcng-xifoguài de. ‘This is nothing unusual, don’t make such a big deal about it.’ Example 2: ྍྍࡍரቃਆഄ䇈˖ĀઢਔˈԴӀⳟʽ䖭М໮㱖㱕ʽā Mèimei dàjcng-xifoguài de shud: “kiya, nhmen kàn! Zhème dud mfyh!” ‘Making a big fuss over nothing, younger sister said: “Oh, look! So many ants!”’

Entries 269 – 270: ग䕯ϛ㢺 and ϰᮑᬜ乺

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Near Synonym: [ᇥ㾕໮ᗾ] (shfo jiàn dud guài ᇥ㽟໮ᗾ) ‘a person who has seen little marvels much.’ Antonyms: [ৌぎ㾕ᛃ] (sc kdng jiàn guàn ৌぎ㽟᜷) ‘get used to seeing and no longer think it strange,’ [ϡ䎇Ў༛] (bù zú wéi qí ϡ䎇⚎༛) ‘not at all surprising.’ 269. Ğ໻ባᅺౄğ(ጓᖰὈᢋ) qian xcn wàn kj The literal meaning is ‘a thousand pains and ten thousand bitternesses.’ The meaning of the idiom is ‘countless sufferings, innumerable hardships.’ Example 1: Ҫग़ሑ໻ባᅺౄˈᠡᡞ䖭Ͼ݀ৌথሩ៤ЎϪ⬠᳝ৡⱘ໻݀ৌDŽ Ta lìjìn qianxcn-wànkj, cái bf zhège gdngsc fazhfn chéngwéi shìjiè yiumíng de dà gdngsc. ‘He experienced countless hardships; only after that did he develop this company into a world-famous major firm.’ Example 2: 䙷Ͼᑈҷˈ⫳⌏ᴵӊᕜᏂˈ⠊↡໻ባᅺౄഄᡞϔᆊᄽᄤ‫ݏ‬໻DŽ Nàge niándài, shbnghuó tiáojiàn hgn chà, fùmj qianxcn-wànkj de bf yì jia háizi yfngdà. ‘In those years, living conditions were very bad; the parents endured innumerable sufferings and hardships in raising their children.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object, often preceded by verbs meaning ‘experience,’ such as ग़ሑ (lìjìn ⅋ⲵ), 㒣ग़ ( jcnglì ㍧⅋), 㒣䖛 ( jcngguò ㍧䘢), etc. Near Synonym: [ग䲒ϛ䰽] (qian nán wàn xifn ग䲷㨀䱾) ‘numerous difficulties and dangers.’ Antonym: [ϔᏚ亢乎] ( yì fan fbng shùn ϔᏚ乼䷚) ‘smooth sailing, unimpeded progress.’ 270. Ğࣁဗ቉ịğ(ᚣ០ᥳ⟒) Ddng Shc xiào pín ϰᮑ is the name of a fictional person in the Spring and Autumn Period in Chinese history, ᬜ means ‘imitate,’ and 乺 means ‘knit the brows, frown.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘Dong Shi imitates (the famous beauty Xi Shi) in knitting her eyebrows (and ends up looking even uglier).’ This is a metaphor for ‘imitate others only to make a fool of oneself.’ Example 1: ῵⡍ⱘ䑿ᴤẦˈ᠔ҹこ䙷ḋⱘ㸷᳡དⳟ˗㗠Դⱘ䑿ᴤ䙷МᏂˈこ䙷ḋⱘ㸷 ᳡ৃህࣁဗ቉ịњDŽ Mótè de shbncái bàng, suiyh chuan nàyàng de ycfú hfokàn; ér nh de shbncái nàme chà, chuan nàyàng de ycfú kg jiù Ddng Shc-xiàopín le.

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Entry 271: ಴࢓߽ᇐ

‘The model had a great figure, so when she wore that kind of clothes, it looked good; but your figure is so bad that if you wear that kind of clothes, it will be just like when Dong Shi tried to imitate Xi Shi in knitting her eyebrows but only ended up making a fool of herself.’ Example 2: Դⱘথ䷇䙷МᏂˈै㽕῵ӓ߿Ҏⱘ㜨䇗ˈⳳᰃࣁဗ቉ịDŽ Nh de faycn nàme chà, què yào móffng biérén de qiangdiào, zhbn shì Ddng Shc-xiàopín. ‘Your pronunciation is so bad, and yet you want to imitate other people’s accents; it’s really like the time when Dong Shi tried to imitate Xi Shi in knitting her eyebrows but only ended up making a fool of herself.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: Of the four great beauties of ancient China, Xi Shi was the most beautiful. There was a time when Xi Shi’s stomach hurt and so, as she walked, she held her hand to her stomach and knit her eyebrows. Now, among Xi Shi’s fellow townspeople there was a woman by the name of Dong Shi who was especially ugly. Seeing Xi Shi like that, she thought that was also very beautiful, so she imitated Xi Shi in the way she held her hand to her stomach and knit her eyebrows. When they saw her, those among Dong Shi’s fellow townspeople who were rich closed their front doors tightly and wouldn’t come out; those who weren’t rich hurriedly pulled their wives and children with them and hid far away. Dong Shi knew that the way Xi Shi knit her eyebrows was beautiful, but she didn’t know why it was beautiful. (from “Tian Yun” in Zhuangzi) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [✻⣿⬏㰢] (zhào mao huà hj ✻䉧⬿㰢) ‘draw a tiger with a cat as a model – follow a model,’ [⫳ᨀ⹀༫] (shbng ban yìng tào ⫳ᨀ⹀༫) ‘copy mechanically and force-fit into.’ Antonyms: [ᷛᮄゟᓖ] (biao xcn lì yì ῭ᮄゟ⭄) ‘create something new and different,’ [ᢽ୘㗠Ң] (zé shàn ér cóng ᪛୘㗠ᕲ) ‘select the good and follow it.’ 271. Ğፐဴಽࡴğ(ᑆṬᓗ⍈) ycn shì lì dfo ಴ here means ‘according to,’ ࢓ means ‘situation,’ and ߽ᇐ means ‘skillfully guide.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘according to the situation skillfully guide (action),’ with a freer translation being ‘guided by the circumstances.’ Example 1: ೼‫ݰ‬ᴥⱘᬍ䴽পᕫ៤ࡳৢˈ䙧ᇣᑇፐဴಽࡴˈ೼ජᏖҹঞ݊Ҫ㸠Ϯг䖯㸠њ ܼ䴶ⱘᬍ䴽DŽ Zài nóngcen de gfigé qjdé chénggdng hòu, Dèng Xifopíng ycnshì-lìdfo, zài chéngshì yhjí qíta hángyè yg jìnxíngle quánmiàn de gfigé. ‘After the reforms in the countryside achieved success, Deng Xiaoping was guided by the circumstances, and in the cities and in other professions also carried out comprehensive reforms.’

Entries 272 – 273: ग䞠䖶䖶 and ḐḐϡܹ

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Example 2: Ꮦᬓᑰᡧԣᴎ䘛ˈፐဴಽࡴˈᓎゟњϔᡍߎষӕϮDŽ Shì zhèngfj zhuazhù jcyù, ycnshì-lìdfo, jiànlìle yì pc chekiu qhyè. ‘The municipal government seized the opportunity, skillfully guiding their action according to the situation, and set up a number of export enterprises.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [乎∈᥼㟳] (shùn shuh tuc zhdu ䷚∈᥼㟳) ‘push one’s boat along with a favorable current – go with the tide.’ Antonym: [‫צ‬㸠䗚ᮑ] (dfo xíng nì shc ‫צ‬㸠䗚ᮑ) ‘go against the tide of history, try to push the clock back.’ 272. Ğ໻ಱᄠᄠğ(ጓᖾᢰᢰ) qian lh tiáo tiáo 䖶䖶 means ‘far away.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘thousands of miles away, far away.’ Example 1: 䙷ԡ䆄㗙໻ಱᄠᄠഄ䎥ࠄ‫أ‬䖰ⱘ䖍⭚ⱘ‫ݰ‬ᴥ䞛䆓ᔧഄҎⱘⳳᅲ⫳⌏DŽ Nà wèi jìzhg qianlh-tiáotiáo de pfodào pianyufn de bianjiang de nóngcen cfiffng dangdì rén de zhbnshí shbnghuó. ‘That reporter went far away to the remote countryside in the border region to interview local people about their true lives.’ Example 2: ⮙Ҏ໻ಱᄠᄠഄᴹࠄ࣫Ҁ⊏⮙DŽ Bìngrén qianlh-tiáotiáo de láidào Bgijcng zhìbìng. ‘Patients came to Beijing from far away to seek treatment for their illnesses.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Near Synonym: [ϡ䖰ग䞠] (bù yufn qian lh ϡ䘴ग䞠) ‘not consider a thousand miles as far’ (used mostly in speech). 273. Ğৃৃ‫ྜྷݙ‬ğ(ᦕᦕጰዹ) gé gé bú rù ḐḐ means ‘obstruct.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘incompatible with, incongruous with.’ Example 1: 䖭⾡㾖ᗉ䎳Ё೑ⱘᅲ䰙ᚙ‫ྜྷݙৃৃމ‬DŽ Zhè zhing guanniàn gbn Zhdngguó de shíjì qíngkuàng gégé-búrù. ‘Such an attitude is incompatible with the actual situation in China.’ Example 2: 䎳䈾ढⱘᅿ↓ৃৃ‫ⱘྜྷݙ‬ᰃˈ䮼ষキⴔϔ㕸вϤDŽ Gbn háohuá de gdngdiàn gégé-búrù de shì, ménkiu zhànzhe yì qún qhgài.

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Entries 274 – 275: བ☿བ㥐 and 㙗✊䍋ᭀ

‘What was incongruous with the lavish palace was that, at the entrance, there was standing a group of beggars.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [∈☿ϡᆍ] (shuh hui bù róng ∈☿ϡᆍ) ‘as incompatible as fire and water,’ [ᮍᵬ೚ߓ] (fang ruì yuán záo ᮍᵬ೧䩓) ‘like a square peg in a round hole.’ Antonym: [∈чѸ㵡] (shuh rj jiao róng ∈чѸ㵡) ‘water and milk blended together – in perfect harmony.’ 274. Ğྙ૜ྙ᜙ğ(ᑙᎂᑙᰡ) rú hui rú tú 㥐 means ‘the white flowers of cogon grass.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘as (red as) fire and as (white as) cogon grass flowers,’ with freer translations being ‘like a raging fire, with great fervor, flourishing.’ Example 1: ೑ᆊℷ೼䞡⚍ᓎ䆒䖭Ͼഄऎˈ᠔ҹ৘⾡ᓎ䆒乍Ⳃྙ૜ྙ᜙ഄሩᓔњDŽ Guójia zhèngzài zhòngdifn jiànshè zhège dìqe, suiyh gè zhing jiànshè xiàngmù rúhui-rútú de zhfnkaile. ‘The country is giving priority to reconstructing this district, so all kinds of construction projects have been launched with great fervor.’ Example 2: ೼ྙ૜ྙ᜙ⱘ᭛࣪໻䴽ੑ䞠ˈⶹ䆚ߚᄤফࠄⱘᕅડ᳔໻DŽ Zài rúhui-rútú de wénhuà dà gémìng lh, zhcshi fènzh shòudào de yhngxifng zuì dà. ‘During the conflagration that was the Cultural Revolution, intellectuals were the most affected.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, adverbial, and predicate. Used mostly in connection with political campaigns or activities. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [䕄䕄⚜⚜] (hdng hdng liè liè 䔳䔳⚜⚜) ‘grand and gigantic.’ Antonym: [᮴ໄ᮴ᙃ] (wú shbng wú xc ⛵㙆⛵ᙃ) ‘no sound no breath – silent.’ 275. ĞႬ཭໦஺ğ(ᶼᵩᩪệ) sù rán qh jìng 㙗✊ means ‘with great respect,’ 䍋 means ‘give rise to,’ and ᭀ means ‘respect.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘suddenly have great respect or reverence for.’ Example 1: ཌྷ‫ॅⴔݦ‬䰽Ң⊇䞠ᬥϞᴹϔϾᇣᄽ‫ˈܓ‬䖭ḋⱘ㸠Ў䅽ҎႬ཭໦஺DŽ Ta màozhe wbixifn cóng hé lh jiùshànglái yí ge xifoháir, zhèyàng de xíngwéi ràng rén sùrán-qhjìng. ‘She risked danger in rescuing a child from the river; this kind of conduct makes one suddenly feel great respect.’

Entry 276: ᡀ䭓䙓ⷁ

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Example 2: ਀њҪⱘᬙџҹৢˈ៥ϡ⽕Ⴌ཭໦஺DŽ Tcngle ta de gùshi yhhòu, wi bù jcn sùrán-qhjìng. ‘After hearing his story, I couldn’t help suddenly having great respect for him.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate after ҸҎ (lìng rén), 䅽Ҏ (ràng rén 䅧Ҏ), or ՓҎ (shh rén), all of which mean ‘make someone . . .’ or ‘make people. . . .’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [༝㢹⼲ᯢ] (fèng ruò shén míng ༝㢹⼲ᯢ) ‘revere something as sacred.’ Antonym: [ஸПҹ唏] (chc zhc yh bí ஸПҹ唏) ‘snort at contemptuously with one’s nose.’ 276. Ğዯ‫࣢ܜޠ‬ğ(ᴊᜳ┭ᶑ) yáng cháng bì dufn ᡀ means ‘raise,’ 䭓 means ‘strong point,’ 䙓 means ‘avoid,’ and ⷁ means ‘shortcoming.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘raise strong points avoid shortcomings,’ with a freer translation being ‘enhance one’s strong points and avoid any weaknesses.’ Example 1: 䙷ᬃ⧗䯳ⱘ䭓໘ᰃ䰆ᅜˈѢᰃҪӀዯ‫ˈ࣢ܜޠ‬䙓‫ܡ‬䎳ᇍ᠟ᇍᬏDŽ Nà zhc qiúduì de chángchù shì fángshiu, yúshì tamen yángcháng-bìdufn, bìmifn gbn duìshiu duìgdng. ‘That team’s strong point is defense, and so they took advantage of their strong points and avoided their shortcomings, avoiding going on the offensive against their opponent.’ Example 2: ᮹ᴀ乚ೳ⣁ᇣˈ䌘⑤Ⳍᇍ㔎УˈԚᰃ᮹ᴀҎዯ‫ˈ࣢ܜޠ‬໻࡯থሩ催⾥ᡔѻકˈ ՟བ✻Ⳍᴎ੠≑䔺ㄝѻકDŽ Rìbgn lhngtj xiáxifo, zcyuán xiàngduì qubfá, dànshì Rìbgnrén yángcháng-bìdufn, dàlì fazhfn gaokbjì chfnphn, lìrú zhàoxiàngjc hé qìchb dgng chfnphn. ‘Japanese territory is narrow and small, and resources are relatively lacking; but the Japanese enhance their strong points and avoid their weaknesses, vigorously developing high-tech products, for instance, products such as cameras and cars.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [প䭓㸹ⷁ] (qj cháng bj dufn প䭋㺰ⷁ) ‘draw on the strong points of others to make up for one’s own deficiencies,’ [䙓ᅲߏ㰮] (bì shí jc xe 䙓ᆺ᪞㰯) ‘avoid the enemy’s strength and hit its weaknesses.’ Antonym: [㞾ϡ䞣࡯] (zì bú liàng lì 㞾ϡ䞣࡯) ‘not know one’s own limitations.’

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Entries 277 – 278: 㪌㪌᮹Ϟ and 㛌᳝៤ネ

277. Ğᑬᑬ྇࿟ğ(℧℧፶ጆ) zhbng zhbng rì shàng 㪌㪌 means ‘thriving’ and ᮹Ϟ means ‘improving day by day.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘become more thriving and flourishing each day, progress day by day.’ Example 1: 㞾ҢҪᔧᏖ䭓ҹᴹˈᏖ䞠ⱘ৘乍џϮᑬᑬ྇࿟DŽ Zìcóng ta dang shìzhfng yhlái, shì lh de gè xiàng shìyè zhbngzhbng-rìshàng. ‘Ever since he became mayor, all kinds of businesses in the city have been flourishing.’ Example 2: ೑᳝ӕϮೄ䲒䞡䞡ⱘᯊ‫⾕ˈ׭‬㧹ӕϮਜ⦄ߎᑬᑬ྇࿟ⱘ᱃䈵DŽ Guóyiu qhyè kùnnán chóngchóng de shíhou, scyíng qhyè chéngxiànche zhbngzhbngrìshàng de jhngxiàng. ‘While state-owned enterprises have been beset with difficulties, private enterprises have been revealing a picture of being more thriving and flourishing by the day.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [⃷⃷৥㤷] (xcn xcn xiàng róng ⃷⃷৥ᾂ) ‘thriving, flourishing.’ Antonyms: [∳⊇᮹ϟ] ( jiang hé rì xià ∳⊇᮹ϟ) ‘rivers and streams daily decline – deteriorate day by day, go from bad to worse,’ [↣‫މ‬ᛜϟ] (mgi kuàng yù xià ↣⊕ ᛜϟ) ‘go from bad to worse.’ 278. Ğቺᎌ߅ᓇğ(ᨩᑺᑯᒒ) xidng yiu chéng zhú 㛌 means ‘chest, thorax,’ ៤ means ‘fully developed,’ and ネ means ‘bamboo.’ The literal meaning is ‘(when about to draw bamboo,) in the chest there is fully developed bamboo.’ English translations include ‘have a well thought out plan, have a whole idea in one’s mind, have a card up one’s sleeve.’ Example 1: 㟇Ѣϟϔℹᑨ䆹ᗢМ‫ˈخ‬ཌྷᏆ㒣ቺᎌ߅ᓇњDŽ Zhìyú xià yí bù ycnggai zgnme zuò, ta yhjcng xidngyiuchéngzhú le. ‘As for what she should do as the next step, she already has a well thought out plan.’ Example 2: Ҫቺᎌ߅ᓇഄಲㄨ˖Ā䖭ӊџ㒱ᇍ≵䯂乬DŽā Ta xidng yiu chéng zhú de huídá: “Zhè jiàn shì juéduì méi wèntí.” ‘With a well thought out plan in mind, he answered, “There are absolutely no problems concerning this matter.” ’ Explanation: When painting bamboo, if you draw it slowly, one section or leaf at a time, then you will certainly not be able to draw the bamboo well. Before painting the bamboo, you should already have a preconceived notion in your mind. That way, when you paint it, you can do so quickly.

Entries 279 – 280: 㙚᮴ᖠᛂ and ಿ೉৲ᵷ

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence; also serves as adverbial modifier after verbs such as 䇈 (shud 䁾) ‘say’ and ಲㄨ (huídá) ‘answer.’ Note: Written-style usage. Has a positive connotation. There is an alternate form ៤ネ೼㛌 (chéng zhú zài xidng). Near Synonyms: [㛌Ё᭄᳝] (xidng zhdng yiu shù 㛌Ё᳝ᭌ) ‘have a good idea of how things stand,’ [㚰ࠌ೼ᦵ] (shèng quàn zài wò ࢱࠌ೼ᦵ) ‘have the game in one’s hands, certain of winning.’ Antonyms: [㛌Ё᮴᭄] (xidng zhdng wú shù 㛌Ё⛵ᭌ) ‘ignorant of how things stand,’ [㛌᮴⚍๼] (xidng wú difn mò 㛌⛵咲๼) ‘not a bit of ink in one’s chest – without much learning or knowledge.’ 279. Ğႍᇄଓࡤğ(Ὡᵨᔶ⇯) sì wú jì dàn 㙚 means ‘unrestrained,’ ᖠ means ‘scruples, misgivings,’ and ᛂ means ‘fear.’ The literal meaning is ‘unrestrained and not have any scruples or fear,’ with a freer translation being ‘unscrupulous, unbridled.’ Example 1: ҪҫⴔҪ⠌⠌ᰃও䭓ˈ಴ℸ೼䙷Ͼও䞠ࠄ໘‫خ‬ണџˈႍᇄଓࡤDŽ Ta zhàngzhe ta bàba shì xiànzhfng, ycnch zài nàge xiàn lh dàochù zuò huài shì, sìwújìdàn. ‘He was relying on his father’s being county magistrate, and therefore did bad things everywhere in that county, completely without scruples.’ Example 2: ᓔথଚႍᇄଓࡤഄⷡӤᏈ㽓Ѯ偀䗞⊇⌕ඳⱘỂᵫDŽ Kaifashang sìwújìdàn de kfnfá Baxc Yàmfxùn Hé liúyù de sbnlín. ‘Commercial developers, completely without scruples, are felling the forests in the Amazon River basin.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [᳝ᘗ᮴ᘤ] ( yiu shì wú king ᳝ᘗ⛵ᘤ) ‘have someone one can rely on and not have fear – feel secure because one has strong backing,’ [᮴᠔乒ᖠ] (wú sui gù jì ⛵᠔主ᖠ) ‘have no scruples or misgivings.’ Antonyms: [ᇣᖗ㗐㗐] (xifo xcn yì yì ᇣᖗ㗐㗐) ‘cautiously,’ [ᕾ㾘䐜ⶽ] (xún guc dfo jj ᕾ㽣䐜ⶽ) ‘toe the line, stick to convention.’ 280. Ğᡳᡲᅔ᐀ğ(ᔀグᓣᴤ) hú lún ten zfo ಿ೉ means ‘whole, complete,’ ৲ means ‘swallow,’ and ᵷ means ‘date.’ A literal translation is ‘swallow a date whole,’ with a freer translation being ‘study or read something without thinking it through carefully’ or ‘accept something uncritically without careful consideration.’

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Entry 281: ᓖТᇏᐌ

Example 1: ᇍѢ㣅䇁ϡᰃ↡䇁ⱘҎᴹ䇈ˈⳟ㥢຿↨Ѯⱘ࠻ᴀ᳝ᯊ‫׭‬᳾‫ܡ‬ᡳᡲᅔ᐀ˈ⧚㾷 ᕫϡϔᅮᅠܼ‫⹂ޚ‬DŽ Duìyú Ycngyj bú shì mjyj de rén lái shud, kàn Shashìbhyà de jùbgn yiu shíhou wèimifn húlún-tenzfo, lhjigde bù yídìng wánquán zhjnquè. ‘For non-native speakers of English, reading Shakespeare’s plays sometimes inevitably involves “swallowing a date whole” without being able completely to digest it; they don’t necessarily understand everything completely accurately.’ Example 2: ᄺд໪೑㒣偠ⱘᯊ‫׭‬㽕㒧ড়ᴀ೑ⱘ೑ᚙˈगϛϡ㛑ᡳᡲᅔ᐀ˈ⫳ᨀ⹀༫DŽ Xuéxí wàiguó jcngyàn de shíhou yào jiéhé bgnguó de guóqíng, qianwàn bù néng húlún-tenzfo, shbngban-yìngtào. ‘When one is studying foreign experience one should integrate it with the national conditions of one’s own country; one absolutely must not swallow something whole without careful consideration, or copy others mechanically and slavishly.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Allusion: It is said that pears are good for the teeth but harm the spleen; and that dates are good for the spleen but harm the teeth. There was once a stupid student who, after thinking for a long time, said: “When I eat pears, I only chew without swallowing; this way it won’t harm my spleen. And when I eat dates, I swallow them whole without chewing; this way it won’t harm my teeth.” Someone joked: “You’re that date that was swallowed whole!” Immediately everyone fell over laughing. (from Zhan Yuan Jing Yu by Bai Wangting, Yuan Dynasty) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⫳ᨀ⹀༫] (shbng ban yìng tào ⫳ᨀ⹀༫) ‘copy mechanically and force-fit into’ (derogatory), [⫳৲⌏࠹] (shbng ten huó bd ⫳৲⌏࠱) ‘swallow raw and skin alive – accept uncritically,’ [ϡ∖⫮㾷] (bù qiú shèn jig ϡ∖⫮㾷) ‘not seek deep understanding.’ Antonyms: [㒚ಐ᜶ઑ] (xì jiáo màn yàn ㌄ಐ᜶౹) ‘chew carefully and swallow slowly,’ [㵡Ӯ䌃䗮] (róng huì guàn tdng 㵡᳗䉿䗮) ‘gain a thorough understanding after comprehensive study,’ [৿㣅੔ढ] (hán ycng jj huá ৿㣅੔㧃) ‘enjoy the beauty of words.’ 281. Ğፊઃኰ‫ޟ‬ğ(ᯊ᎓᳌ᬈ) yì he xún cháng ᓖ means ‘different,’ Т here means ‘from,’ and ᇏᐌ means ‘ordinary, common.’ A literal translation is ‘different from the ordinary,’ with a freer translation being ‘unusual, uncommon, extraordinary.’ Example 1: Ҫさ✊ᇍ೑䰙݇㋏㸼⦄ߎፊઃኰ‫⛁ⱘޟ‬ᚙDŽ Ta terán duì guójì guanxi bifoxiànche yìhe-xúncháng de rèqíng. ‘He suddenly showed unusual enthusiasm for international relations.’

Entries 282 – 283: 䌣ᖗᙺⳂ and সᕔҞᴹ

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Example 2: Ҟᑈⱘ‫ހ‬໽ፊઃኰ‫ޟ‬ഄ‫ˈދ‬ᰃ䖥Ѡकᑈᴹ᳔‫ހⱘދ‬໽DŽ Jcnnián de ddngtian yìhe-xúncháng de lgng, shì jìn èrshí nián lái zuì lgng de ddngtian. ‘Winter this year has been uncommonly cold; it’s the coldest winter in the last twenty years.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and adverbial. Near Synonyms: [ϔডᐌᗕ] ( yì ffn cháng tài ϔডᐌᜟ) ‘depart from one’s normal behavior,’ [ߎҎᛣ᭭] (che rén yì liào ߎҎᛣ᭭) ‘beyond one’s expectations.’ Antonym: [ᛣ᭭ПЁ] ( yì liào zhc zhdng ᛣ᭭ПЁ) ‘as might be expected.’ 282. Ğ࿝ቦᏝ෹ğ(⋂፬ᥝᐂ) shfng xcn yuè mù 䌣ᖗ here means ‘please the mind’ and ᙺⳂ means ‘please the eye.’ The whole idiom means ‘pleasing to the mind and the eye.’ Example 1: Ꮘ㽓⧗ਬⱘ䎇⧗ᡔᴃᕜढБˈҪӀⱘ↨䌯ҸҎ࿝ቦᏝ෹DŽ Baxc qiúyuán de zúqiú jìshù hgn huálì, tamen de bhsài lìng rén shfngxcn-yuèmù. ‘The Brazil players’ soccer technique is magnificent; their matches are pleasing to the eye and to the mind.’ Example 2: ᮄᑈ䙷໽ˈཌྷⳟњϔഎ࿝ቦᏝ෹ⱘⓨߎDŽ Xcnnián nà tian, ta kànle yì chfng shfngxcn-yuèmù de yfnche. ‘On New Year’s Day, she saw a very pleasing performance.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, often preceded by ҸҎ (lìng rén) or 䅽Ҏ (ràng rén 䅧Ҏ), both of which mean ‘make someone. . . .’ Also frequently serves as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᖗᯋ⼲ᗵ] (xcn kuàng shén yí ᖗᲴ⼲ᗵ) ‘cheerful and happy.’ Antonym: [ᘉⳂ᚞ᖗ] (chù mù jcng xcn ᘉⳂ倮ᖗ) ‘alarmed at the sight of something.’ 283. Ğ৵ᆁங౶ğ(Ꮆᙗፂᗔ) gj wfng jcn lái The meaning of this idiom is ‘through the ages, since time immemorial.’ Example 1: ৵ᆁங౶ˈાϾ៤ࡳⱘҎ≵᳝Ҭߎ㡄䕯ⱘࡾ࡯˛ Gjwfng-jcnlái, nfge chénggdng de rén méiyiu fùche jianxcn de njlì? ‘Since time immemorial, what successful person has not had to make hard efforts?’

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Entries 284 – 285: ໻᳝԰Ў and 䲚ᗱᑓⲞ

Example 2: म⠽佚ਬ㒭໻ᆊϔϔҟ㒡њ৵ᆁங౶ⱘৡ⬏DŽ Bówùgufnyuán ggi dàjia yc yc jièshàole gjwfng-jcnlái de mínghuà. ‘The museum docent introduced to everyone the famous paintings from through the ages, one after another.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as attributive. Frequently occurs by itself and set off from the rest of a sentence, as in Example 1. Near Synonym: [᳝৆ҹᴹ] ( yiu shh yh lái ᳝৆ҹ՚) ‘since the beginning of history.’ Antonym: [৆᮴ࠡ՟] (shh wú qián lì ৆⛵ࠡ՟) ‘in history there is no precedent, unprecedented.’ 284. Ğࡍᎌᔫᆐğ(ጙᑺᓆᠥ) dà yiu zuò wéi ໻ here means ‘greatly, very much’ and ԰Ў means ‘achievements, contributions.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘greatly have contributions.’ Freer translations include ‘able to develop one’s ability to the fullest, have great prospects, have great potential.’ Example 1: ೼↩Ϯ‫⼐݌‬Ϟˈ᷵䭓⼱᠔᳝ⱘ↩Ϯ⫳೼⼒ӮϞࡍᎌᔫᆐDŽ Zài bìyè difnlh shàng, xiàozhfng zhù suiyiu de bìyèshbng zài shèhuì shàng dàyiuzuòwéi. ‘At the graduation ceremony, the president wished all the graduates that in society they might have great contributions.’ Example 2: 䖭ϸᆊ໻݀ৌᔎᔎ㘨᠟ˈᰃৃҹࡍᎌᔫᆐⱘDŽ Zhè lifng jia dà gdngsc qiáng qiáng liánshiu, shì kgyh dàyiu zuòwéi de. ‘If these two major companies join forces, they could have great prospects.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [໻ᰒ䑿᠟] (dà xifn shbn shiu ໻乃䑿᠟) ‘display one’s skills to the fullest,’ [໻ሩᅣ೒] (dà zhfn hóng tú ໻ሩᅣ೪) ‘fulfill one’s great aspirations.’ Antonyms: [᮴᠔԰Ў] (wú sui zuò wéi ⛵᠔԰⚎) ‘do or accomplish nothing,’ [⹠⹠ ᮴Ў] (lù lù wú wéi ⹠⹠⛵⚎) ‘ordinary and devoid of ability,’ [ϔџ᮴៤] (yí shì wú chéng ϔџ⛵៤) ‘accomplish nothing,’ [ᒌᒌ⹠⹠] (ydng ydng lù lù ᒌᒌ⹠⹠) ‘mediocre and ordinary.’ 285. Ğૹႈਓፄğ(ṇូ⇚᧟) jí sc gufng yì 䲚 means ‘concentrate,’ ᗱ means ‘thought,’ ᑓ means ‘make wide,’ and Ⲟ means ‘benefit.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘concentrate thoughts and enlarge the benefits,’ with freer translations including ‘benefit from a wide range of opinions’ and ‘profit by soliciting opinions from various sources.’

Entry 286: ϔᑨ‫ܼׅ‬

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Example 1: ᳝݇䚼䮼ૹႈਓፄˈ‫ߚܙ‬਌ᬊϧᆊ੠㕸ӫⱘᛣ㾕DŽ Yiuguan bùmén jísc-gufngyì, chdngfèn xcshdu zhuanjia hé qúnzhòng de yìjiàn. ‘The concerned departments benefited from a wide range of opinions, to the fullest extent possible soliciting opinions from experts and the masses.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏᑨ䆹ૹႈਓፄˈ਀প৘ᮍ䴶ⱘໄ䷇ˈҹ֓ᅠ୘៥ӀⱘᬓㄪDŽ Wimen ycnggai jísc-gufngyì, tcngqj gè fangmiàn de shbngycn, yhbiàn wánshàn wimen de zhèngcè. ‘We should profit by soliciting opinions from various sources, and listen to the voices from all quarters, so as to perfect our policies.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [䲚㜟៤㺬] ( jí yè chéng qiú 䲚㜟៤㺬) ‘collect together many little pieces of fur to make a fur coat,’ [㕸ㄪ㕸࡯] (qún cè qún lì 㕸ㄪ㕸࡯) ‘pool together everyone’s wisdom and strength.’ Antonyms: [⣀ᮁϧ㸠] (dú duàn zhuan xíng ⤼ᮋᇜ㸠) ‘act arbitrarily,’ [ϔᛣᄸ㸠] ( yí yì ge xíng ϔᛣᄸ㸠) ‘cling obstinately to a reckless course.’ 286. Ğጙ።௩ཝğ(ዯ⑬ᣣᐨ) yì ycng jù quán ϔᑨ means ‘all, everything’ and ‫ ܼׅ‬means ‘complete.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘amply supplied with everything needed, complete with everything.’ Example 1: 䌠എ䞠ᮙ佚ǃ佁佚ǃଚᑫǃ䚂ሔㄝጙ።௩ཝˈㅔⳈህᰃϔϾ⼒ऎDŽ Djchfng lh lrgufn, fàngufn, shangdiàn, yóujú dgng yìycng-jùquán, jifnzhí jiùshì yí ge shèqe. ‘In the casino, everything – hotel, restaurants, shops, post office, and so on – is amply provided; it’s virtually a community.’ Example 2: ‫⇥ݰ‬Ꮉ೼ජ䞠पϰ㽓㽕‫݋‬໛ಯϾ䆕ˈা᳝䖭ಯϾ䆕ጙ።௩ཝњˈ᳝݇䚼䮼 ᠡᡍ‫ޚ‬Դৃҹড়⊩ഄपϰ㽓DŽ Nóngmíngdng zài chéng lh mài ddngxi yào jùbèi sì ge zhèng, zhh yiu zhè sì ge zhèng yìycng-jùquán le, yiuguan bùmén cái pczhjn nh kgyh héff de mài ddngxi. ‘Peasant workers who sell things in the city must possess four permits; only when these four permits are all complete do the concerned authorities authorize you so you can legally sell things.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [᮴᠔ϡ᳝] (wú sui bù yiu ⛵᠔ϡ᳝) ‘there is nothing one doesn’t have – have everything,’ [䴶䴶‫( ]ࠄׅ‬miàn miàn jù dào 䴶䴶‫‘ )ࠄׅ‬complete

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Entries 287 – 288: ϡᕫ㗠ⶹ and ᦤᖗ৞㚚

and thorough,’ [ϛџ‫ׅ‬໛] (wàn shì jù bèi 㨀џ‫‘ )٭ׅ‬everything is ready, all is in place.’ Antonym: [ϔ᮴᠔᳝] (yì wú sui yiu ϔ⛵᠔᳝) ‘have absolutely nothing, destitute.’ 287. Ğ‫ࡻݙ‬ऎᒀğ(ጰᬗᒚ᛹) bù dé ér zhc ᕫ means ‘can’ while ⶹ means ‘know.’ 㗠 here has no meaning, only contributing a syllable so that the idiom can have the standard four syllables. The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘cannot be known, unable to ascertain.’ Example 1: 㟇ѢҪᖗ䞠ᰃᗢМᛇⱘˈ䙷ህ‫ࡻݙ‬ऎᒀњDŽ Zhìyú ta xcnlh shì zgnme xifng de, nà jiù bùdé’érzhc le. ‘As for how he thought in his mind, that cannot be known.’ Example 2: 䖭⾡ᖿ令ⱘ⛁䞣ࠄᑩ᳝໮ᇥˈ⍜䌍㗙ҡ✊‫ࡻݙ‬ऎᒀDŽ Zhè zhing kuàican de rèliàng dàodh yiu dudshfo, xiaofèizhg réngrán bùdé’érzhc. ‘Consumers are still unable to ascertain how many calories this kind of fast food really has.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, occurring at the end of a sentence. Note: Somewhat derogatory in meaning. Antonym: [њབᣛᥠ] (lifo rú zhh zhfng ⶁབᣛᥠ) ‘understand as well as one’s own fingers and palms – completely clear.’ 288. Ğᄋቦࢭࡠğ(ᴀ፬ᐺ⓰) tí xcn diào dfn ᦤ here means ‘carry,’ ৞ means ‘hang,’ and 㚚 means ‘gallbladder.’ The literal meaning is ‘carry one’s heart and hang one’s gallbladder,’ which can be translated as ‘very worried, very much afraid.’ Example 1: 䙷Ͼ㸫ऎϡᅝܼˈ䰘䖥ⱘሙ⇥ᄋቦࢭࡠⱘˈϔࠄ໽咥ህϡᬶϞ㸫DŽ Nàge jibqe bù anquán, fùjìn de jemín tíxcn-diàodfn de, yí dào tianhbi jiù bù gfn shàngjib. ‘That area is not safe, the residents nearby being very much afraid; as soon as it gets dark, they don’t dare to go on the streets.’ Example 2: Ҫ䋾∵њ೑ᆊⱘ䪅ˈᄋቦࢭࡠഄ⫳⌏њϔᑈৢˈ᳔㒜㞾Ꮕᡒ䄺ᆳᡓ䅸њDŽ Ta tanwele guójia de qián, tíxcn-diàodfn de shbnghuóle yì nián hòu, zuìzhdng zìjh zhfo jhngchá chéngrènle. ‘He embezzled the country’s money; after living in great fear for a year, in the end he went to the police himself and confessed.’

Entries 289 – 290: 䋻ⳳӋᅲ and 叵⢀छ໽

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᖗ᚞㚚៬] (xcn jcng dfn zhàn ᖗ倮㞑᠄) (also written as [ᖗ᚞㚚乸] (xcn jcng dfn chàn ᖗ倮㞑丿) ) ‘terror-stricken.’ Antonym: [ᖗᅝ⧚ᕫ] (xcn an lh dé ᖗᅝ⧚ᕫ) ‘have peace of mind.’ 289. Ğૡᑞଥဣğ(᱈᧣↡⁘) huò zhbn jià shí 䋻 means ‘goods, merchandise,’ Ӌ means ‘price,’ and ᅲ means ‘honest, solid, reasonable.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘genuine goods at reasonable prices.’ Example 1: 䖭ᆊଚᑫपⱘଚકૡᑞଥဣˈ⏅ফ⍜䌍㗙⃶䖢DŽ Zhè jia shangdiàn mài de shangphn huòzhbn-jiàshí, shbnshòu xiaofèizhg huanyíng. ‘The merchandise this store sells is genuine and prices are reasonable, so it is very favorably received by consumers.’ Example 2: ཌྷᰃᅲ࡯⌒ˈϡᰃ䴴♦԰៤ৡⱘˈᰃૡᑞଥဣⱘᯢ᯳DŽ Ta shì shílìpài, bú shì kào chfozuò chéngmíng de, shì huòzhbn-jiàshí de míngxcng. ‘She has real power and she didn’t gain fame through hype; she’s a genuine star.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ৡࡃ݊ᅲ] (míng fù qí shí ৡࡃ݊ᆺ) ‘worthy of the name or reputation,’ [ৡϡ㰮Ӵ] (míng bù xe chuán ৡϡ㰯‫‘ )ڇ‬live up to one’s reputation.’ Antonyms: [ढ㗠ϡᅲ] (huá ér bù shí 㧃㗠ϡᆺ) ‘flowers but no fruit – flashy but lacking substance,’ [ᕦ᳝㰮ৡ] (tú yiu xe míng ᕦ᳝㰯ৡ) ‘enjoy unwarranted fame, in name only.’ 290. Ğ૰འဍᄖğ(◮ᎉፖ፞) jc qufn shbng tian 叵 means ‘chicken,’ ⢀ means ‘dog,’ and छ means ‘rise up to.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘(his) chickens and dogs rise to heaven (with him).’ By metaphor, this means that if someone becomes an official, the people who have a connection with him will also gain power, or that followers benefit when their leader gains power. Example 1: ϡㅵসҷⱘᅬഎ䖬ᰃ⦄ҷⱘᅬഎˈ䛑ᰃϔҎᕫ䘧ˈ૰འဍᄖDŽ Bùgufn gjdài de guanchfng háishì xiàndài de guanchfng, ddu shì yìrén-dédào, jcqufn-shbngtian.

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Entry 291: ༟ϡ乒䑿

‘No matter whether it’s officialdom in ancient times or officialdom nowadays, it’s always been the case that “when one person attains enlightenment, his chickens and dogs will rise to heaven with him” – in other words, nepotism is a very common phenomenon.’ Example 2: Ҫᔧњᘏ㒳ˈ‫ܘ‬ᓳྤྍ䛑ᔧњ催ᅬˈ䖭ϡᰃϔҎᕫ䘧ˈ૰འဍᄖ৫˛ Ta dangle zingting, xidngdìjigmèi ddu dangle gaoguan, zhè búshì yìrén-dédào, jcqufn-shbngtian ma? ‘When he became president, his siblings became high officials; is this not an example of nepotism?’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, usually used with ϔҎᕫ䘧 (yì rén dé dào) ‘one person attains enlightenment’ or ϔҎᕫ࢓ (yì rén dé shì ϔҎᕫࢶ) ‘one person gains power.’ Allusion: It is said that during Western Han times, Liu An, the king of Huainan, became an immortal through alchemy. He threw the remaining potions into the courtyard, and after the chickens and dogs in the courtyard had eaten them, they also rose to heaven and became immortals. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ϔ㤷‫ׅ‬㤷] ( yì róng jù róng ϔᾂ‫ׅ‬ᾂ) ‘if one flourishes, all flourish; honor one, honor them all.’ Antonym: [᷾䖲бᮣ] (zhe lián jij zú ᷾䗷бᮣ) ‘implicate the nine generations of a family.’ 291. Ğॐ‫৻ݙ‬࿽ğ(⍃ጰ❁ᖮ) fèn bú gù shbn ༟ here means ‘courageous,’ 乒 means ‘consider,’ and 䑿 means ‘one’s own body.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘courageously not consider one’s own body,’ with a freer translation being ‘act boldly without regard for one’s own life.’ Example 1: ህ೼⅍ᕦ㸠ߊⱘϔࠍ䙷ˈҪॐ‫৻ݙ‬࿽ഄ‫ކ‬њϞএˈ㋻㋻ഄᡧԣњ⅍ᕦⱘ ᠟DŽ Jiù zài dfitú hángxidng de yíchà’nà, ta fènbúgùshbn de chdngle shàngqù, jhnjhn de zhuazhùle dfitú de shiu. ‘Just at the instant that the evildoer was committing the crime, he boldly and without regard for his own life rushed forward and tightly grabbed the evildoer’s arm.’ Example 2: ᳝Ͼᄽᄤᥝ䖯њ⊇䞠ˈཌྷॐ‫৻ݙ‬࿽ഄ䏇њϟএˈএᬥ䙷ϾᄽᄤDŽ Yiu ge háizi diàojìnle hé lh, ta fènbúgùshbn de tiàole xiàqù, qù jiù nàge háizi. ‘There was a child that fell into the river; boldly and disregarding her own life, she jumped in to go save the child.’

Entries 292 – 293: ㊒ᠧ㒚ㅫ and Ⳃϡ䕀⴯

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Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㟡⫳ᖬ⅏] (shg shbng wàng sh ᤼⫳ᖬ⅏) ‘abandon one’s life and forget death,’ [ϛ⅏ϡ䕲] (wàn sh bù cí 㨀⅏ϡ䖁) ‘despite ten thousand deaths not decline to do something.’ Antonym: [䋾⫳ᗩ⅏] (tan shbng pà sh 䉾⫳ᗩ⅏) ‘covet life and fear death.’ 292. ĞறࡌᇼႯğ(⃶Ꮮ᯶⃭) jcng df xì suàn ㊒ means ‘skilled,’ 㒚 means ‘meticulous,’ and ᠧㅫ means ‘plan.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘careful planning and calculations.’ Example 1: ᱂䗮Ҏⱘᬊܹϡ催ˈ䖛᮹ᄤህᕫறࡌᇼႯˈ㢅ད↣ϔഫ䪅DŽ Pjtdngrén de shdurù bù gao, guò rìzi jiù dgi jcngdf-xìsuàn, hua hfo mgi yí kuài qián. ‘The income of ordinary people is not high; to live they must plan and calculate carefully, spending every dollar well.’ Example 2: ⊍Ӌϟ䎠њˈϹ䞡ᕅડњҎӀⱘ᮹ᐌ⫳⌏ˈ䖛ᛃњ໻᠟໻㛮ⱘ⫳⌏ⱘ ≭⡍ҎгᓔྟறࡌᇼႯњDŽ Yóujià xiàdible, yánzhòng yhngxifngle rénmen de rìcháng shbnghuó, guòguànle dàshiu-dàjifo de shbnghuó de Shatèrén yg kaishh jcngdf-xìsuàn le. ‘The price of oil has dropped, which has seriously affected people’s everyday lives; even Saudi Arabians, who are used to extravagant lives, have begun carefully planning and calculating.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [‫( ]ׁܟࢸܟ‬kè qín kè jifn ‫‘ )۝ܟࢸܟ‬hardworking and thrifty,’ [ϔϱϡ㢳] (yì sc bù giu ϔ㍆ϡ㣡) ‘not the least bit negligent.’ Antonyms: [໻᠟໻㛮] (dà shiu dà jifo ໻᠟໻㝇) ‘big hands big feet – extravagant,’ [㉫ᖗ໻ᛣ] (ce xcn dà yì ㉫ᖗ໻ᛣ) ‘careless, negligent.’ 293. Ğ෹‫ݙ‬ᓞ஬ğ(ᐂጰ◓Ἦ) mù bù zhufn jcng Ⳃ here means ‘look at,’ 䕀 means ‘turn,’ and ⴯ means ‘eyeballs.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘look at but not turn the eyeballs,’ with freer translations being ‘fix the eyes on, look at with great concentration and attention.’ Example 1: ᄽᄤ෹‫ݙ‬ᓞ஬ഄⳃⴔ⬉㾚⬏䴶DŽ Háizi mùbùzhufnjcng de dcngzhe diànshì huàmiàn. ‘The child with great concentration stared at the televised image.’

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Entries 294 – 295: 䔺∈偀啭 and ϔᳯ᮴䰙

Example 2: 䙷ᇍᚙҎ෹‫ݙ‬ᓞ஬ഄⳟⴔᇍᮍˈⴐ⴯䞠Ӵ䗦њ໮ᇥ⠅ʽ Nà duì qíngrén mùbùzhufnjcng de kànzhe duìfang, yfnjing lh chuándìle dudshfo ài! ‘That pair of sweethearts gazed at each other without moving an eyeball; how much love was transmitted in the eyes!’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, modifying words meaning ‘see.’ Near Synonym: [Ⳃϡ᭰㾚] (mù bù xié shì Ⳃϡ᭰㽪) ‘not look to either side, not be distracted.’ Antonyms: [Ꮊ乒েⳐ] (zui gù yòu pàn Ꮊ主েⳐ) ‘glance this way and that,’ [ϰᓴ㽓ᳯ] (ddng zhang xc wàng ᵅᔉ㽓ᳯ) ‘east look west gaze – look around in all directions.’ 294. Ğ‫ޱ‬ၺ൫ചğ(ᖯᎁ᪑⑎) chb shuh mf lóng The 䔺 or ‘vehicles’ (originally horse carriages) are like ⌕∈ ‘flowing water,’ and the 偀 or ‘horses’ are like playing dragons. The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘a steady stream of.’ Example 1: ໻㸫Ϟ‫ޱ‬ၺ൫ചˈ⛁䯍ᕫᕜDŽ Dàjib shàng chbshuh-mflóng, rènào de hgn. ‘On the streets there was heavy traffic and it was very lively.’ Example 2: ᓔᄺⱘᯊ‫࣫ˈ׭‬Ҁ໻ᄺ䮼ࠡ‫ޱ‬ၺ൫ചˈᕜ໮ᆊ䭓䛑ᴹ䗕㞾ᏅⱘᄽᄤϞᄺDŽ Kaixué de shíhou, Bgijing Dàxué ménqián chbshuh-mflóng, hgn dud jiazhfng ddu lái sòng zìjh de háizi shàngxué. ‘At the start of the school year, there was a steady stream of people in front of the gates of Peking University, many parents having come to bring their children to school.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, usually referring to traffic or people. Near Synonym: [㒰㒢ϡ㒱] (luò yì bù jué ㌵㑍ϡ㌩) ‘continuous flow.’ Antonym: [⿔⿔㨑㨑] (xc xc luò luò ⿔⿔㨑㨑) ‘sparse, scattered.’ 295. Ğጙᆃᇄଔğ(ዯ᭬ᵨↂ) yí wàng wú jì ᳯ means ‘see, gaze’ and 䰙 means ‘border, boundary.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘once you gaze there are no boundaries,’ with a freer translation being ‘stretch as far as the eye can see, boundless, vast.’ Example 1: ֘㔫ᮃⱘϰ䚼ࠄ໘ᰃጙᆃᇄଔⱘỂᵫ੠㤝ॳDŽ Éluósc de ddngbù dàochù shì yíwàng-wújì de sbnlín hé cfoyuán. ‘In the eastern part of Russia, there are everywhere forests and prairies that stretch as far as the eye can see.’

Entries 296 – 297: ϔ៤ϡব and 㜅ষ㗠ߎ

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Example 2: 㕢೑ᕜ໮‫ݰ‬എ䴲ᐌ໻ˈጙᆃᇄଔDŽ Mgiguó hgn dud nóngchfng fbicháng dà, yíwàng-wújì. ‘Many U.S. farms are extremely large, stretching as far as the eye can see.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ϔᳯ᮴൴] ( yí wàng wú yín ϔᳯ⛵൴) ‘boundless, vast,’ [᮴䖍᮴䰙] (wú bian wú jì ⛵䙞⛵䱯) ‘without sides without borders – limitless.’ Antonyms: [੿ሎП䯈] (zhh chh zhc jian ੿ሎП䭧) ‘very close,’ [ϔ㸷ᏺ∈] (yc yc dài shuh ϔ㸷ᐊ∈) ‘narrow strip of water in between.’ 296. Ğጙ߅‫ܤݙ‬ğ(ዯᑯጰ➦) yì chéng bú biàn ៤ means ‘form, shape.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘once something takes shape, it doesn’t change,’ with a freer translation being ‘fixed and unalterable, invariable.’ Example 1: Ҏϡᰃጙ߅‫ˈⱘܤݙ‬㗠ᰃফ⦃๗ᕜ໻ᕅડⱘDŽ Rén bú shì yìchéng-búbiàn de, ér shì shòu huánjìng hgn dà yhngxifng de. ‘Humans are not fixed and unalterable, but rather are strongly influenced by their environment.’ Example 2: ҪᏆ㒣ৗ㝏њ޴कᑈᴹጙ߅‫ⱘܤݙ‬ᮽ令ˈϡᰃ✢叵㲟ህᰃ❂叵㲟DŽ Ta yhjcng chcnìle jh shí nián lái yìchéng-búbiàn de zfocan, bú shì jian jcdàn jiùshì zhj jcdàn. ‘He has gotten sick and tired of eating a breakfast that hasn’t varied for decades; either it’s fried eggs or it’s boiled eggs.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [๼ᅜ៤㾘] (mò shiu chéng guc ๼ᅜ៤㽣) ‘stick to conventions or outmoded practices,’ [㧻㾘᳍䱣] (Xiao guc Cáo suí 㭁㽣᳍䱼) ‘Xiao’s rules Cao (the famous general) follows – abide by the rules laid down by one’s predecessor.’ Antonyms: [गবϛ࣪] (qian biàn wàn huà ग䅞㨀࣪) ‘a great number of changes, ever changing,’ [ᳱҸ໩ᬍ] (zhao lìng xc gfi ᳱҸ໩ᬍ) ‘morning order evening change – make frequent and unpredictable changes in policy.’ 297. Ğᅙాऎ߲ğ(ᰉጕᒚᎤ) tud kiu ér che 㜅 means ‘break free from, escape from.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘escaping from the mouth to come out,’ with freer translations including ‘come out spontaneously, say without thinking, blurt out, let slip.’

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Entry 298: ⫳⇨ࢗࢗ

Example 1: ཌྷᰃসҷ᭛ᄺᬭᥜˈϡ䆎Դᦤࠄા佪䆫䆡ˈཌྷ䛑㛑ᅙాऎ߲ˈܼ䚼㚠ϟ ᴹDŽ Ta shì gjdài wénxué jiàoshòu, búlùn nh tídào nf shiu shccí, ta ddu néng tudkiuérche, quánbù bèixiàlái. ‘She is a professor of ancient literature; no matter which poem you mention, she can recite it spontaneously without thinking.’ Example 2: ਀㾕᳝Ҏᠧ஋ౣˈᮕ䖍ⱘҎᅙాऎ߲ˈĀBless you!ā Tcngjiàn yiu rén df pbntì, pángbian de rén tudkiu-érche, “Bless you!” ‘When they heard a person sneeze, the people next to the person said spontaneously, “Bless you!”’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [ֵষᓔ⊇] (xìn kiu kai hé ֵষ䭟⊇) ‘say whatever comes to mind.’ Antonym: [ᅜষབ⫊] (shiu kiu rú píng ᅜষབ⫊) ‘guard one’s mouth like a jar lid – keep one’s mouth shut.’ 298. Ğည໮݈݈ğ(᏷ᦟᝥᝥ) shbng qì bó bó ⫳⇨ means ‘vitality’ and ࢗࢗ means ‘vigorous, exuberant.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘full of vitality.’ Example 1: 㒑㑺ᘏᰃ㒭Ҏϔ⾡ည໮݈݈ⱘॄ䈵ˈ㗠೼㕢೑फᮍ߭ᰒᕫᅝ䴭њ䆌໮DŽ Nijyub zingshì ggi rén yì zhing shbngqì-bóbó de yìnxiàng, ér zài Mgiguó nánfang zé xifnde anjìngle xjdud. ‘New York always gives one an impression of great vitality, but in the south of the U.S. it appears a lot quieter.’ Example 2: ᮄ乚ᇐᥠㅵ݀ৌৢˈ݀ৌߎ⦄њᎼ໻ⱘব࣪ˈည໮݈݈DŽ Xcn lhngdfo zhfnggufn gdngsc hòu, gdngsc chexiànle jùdà de biànhuà, shbngqìbóbó. ‘After the new boss took charge of the company, the company experienced great changes, becoming full of energy.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate; can also serve as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⫳啭⌏㰢] (shbng lóng huó hj ⫳啡⌏㰢) ‘bursting with energy’ (when referring to people), [⫳ᴎࢗࢗ] (shbng jc bó bó ⫳″ࢗࢗ) ‘full of vitality’ (when referring to things). Antonym: [⅏⇨≝≝] (sh qì chén chén ⅏⇷≝≝) ‘lifeless.’

Entries 299 – 300: ໽㒣ഄН and ⢤‫؛‬㰢࿕

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299. Ğᄖள࢐ፃğ(፞὚ᑊὤ) tian jcng dì yì The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘in accordance with the rules of heaven and the principles of earth – absolutely correct, entirely justified, unalterable.’ Example 1: ᴔҎٓੑǃ⃴؎䖬䪅ˈ䖭ᰃᄖள࢐ፃⱘџDŽ Sha rén cháng mìng, qiàn zhài huán qián, zhè shì tianjcng-dìyì de shì. ‘Paying for a murder with one’s own life, and paying back money if one has a debt – these are absolutely correct and justified things.’ Example 2: Դ೼߿ⱘ೑ᆊⱘ乚ೳϞˈህᕫ䙉ᅜ䆹೑ⱘ⊩ᕟˈᄖள࢐ፃˈ≵᳝ҔМད ଚ䞣ⱘDŽ Nh zài biéde guójia de lhngtj shàng, jiù dgi zenshiu gai guó de fflq, tianjcng-dìyì, méiyiu shénme hfo shangliáng de. ‘When you are in the territory of another country, you must observe the laws of that country; this is absolutely correct and there is nothing further to talk about.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, predicate, and object. Near Synonym: [⧚᠔ᔧ✊] (lh sui dang rán ⧚᠔⭊✊) ‘of course, naturally.’ Antonym: [ቖ᳝ℸ⧚] (qh yiu ch lh 䈜᳝ℸ⧚) ‘absurd, outrageous.’ 300. Ğઊଣ઎ᆆğ(᛫᪛ᜥរ) hú jif hj wbi ⢤ means ‘fox,’ ‫ ؛‬means ‘borrow,’ 㰢 means ‘tiger,’ and ࿕ means ‘strength.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘a fox borrows the might of a tiger.’ The extended meaning is ‘rely on powerful connections with one person to bully another person.’ Example 1: Ꮦ䭓ⱘ⾬кઊଣ઎ᆆˈ೼ᔧഄᕜ⢖མDŽ Shìzhfng de mìshe hújif-hjwbi, zài dangdì hgn kuángwàng. ‘The mayor’s secretary relies on his connections with the mayor to bully others, acting extremely arrogantly in the local area.’ Example 2: ᳝ⱘҎዛ⋟ၮ໪ˈ䅸䆚њ޴Ͼ໪೑Ҏˈህઊଣ઎ᆆ䍋ᴹˈ㾝ᕫ㞾Ꮕད‫ڣ‬ 催ҎϔㄝњDŽ Yiu de rén chóngyáng-mèiwài, rènshile jh ge wàiguórén, jiù hújif-hjwbi qhlai, juéde zìjh hfoxiàng gao rén yì dgng le. ‘Some people worship and fawn over all things foreign; if they have gotten to know a few foreigners, they start relying on their connections to bully others, feeling that they are a cut above others.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, attributive, and adverbial.

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Entry 301: њབᣛᥠ

Allusion: The king of Chu said to his ministers of state: “I have heard that the smaller countries in the north all very much fear our prime minister; is this really true?” Most of the ministers didn’t answer; there was only one who spoke: “When a tiger catches any animal, it devours it. One day, a tiger caught a fox. The fox said: ‘You dare not eat me! The heavenly emperor sent me to serve as the leader of all the animals. If you eat me, then you will be going against the command of heaven. If you don’t believe me, let me walk in front, with you following behind me, and let’s see if the other animals don’t run away.’ The tiger thought that what the fox had said made sense, so he followed behind the fox. When the other animals saw the tiger, they were terrified. But the tiger didn’t realize that the other animals were afraid of it, mistakenly believing that they feared the fox. Great King, the area of your country is vast and you have great numbers of troops. The smaller countries in the north are not afraid of our prime minister, but rather they fear your army, just like the animals who were afraid of that tiger.” (from “Stratagems of Chu” in Stratagems of the Warring States) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⢫ҫҎ࢓] (giu zhàng rén shì ⢫ҫҎࢶ) ‘dog relies on master’s influence – rely on the power of one’s benefactor to bully others’ (derogatory), [ҫ࢓ℎҎ] (zhàng shì qc rén ҫࢶℎҎ) ‘rely on one’s own or another’s influence to bully others.’ 301. Ğ೫ྙᒎᐾğ(Ⓓᑙ។᳷) lifo rú zhh zhfng њ means ‘understand,’ བ means ‘like,’ and ᣛᥠ means ‘fingers and palms.’ The literal meaning is ‘understand as well as one’s own fingers and palms,’ with a freer translation being ‘completely clear about, know someone or something from A to Z.’ Example 1: 䄺ᆳᇍ⢃㔾ߚᄤⱘᚙ‫މ‬೫ྙᒎᐾˈাㄝᴎӮᴹЈህࡼ᠟њDŽ Jhngchá duì fànzuìfènzh de qíngkuàng liforú-zhhzhfng, zhh dgng jchuì láilín jiù dòngshiu le. ‘The police are completely clear about the criminals’ situation, they’re merely waiting for an opportunity to come for them to strike.’ Example 2: ཌྷ೼㘨䙺ᬓᑰ䞠Ꮉ԰њಯकᑈˈᇍᬓᑰ䞠ⱘϔѯ‫ݙ‬ᐩ೫ྙᒎᐾDŽ Ta zài liánbang zhèngfj lh gdngzuòle sìshí nián, duì zhèngfj lh de yìxib nèimù liforú zhhzhfng. ‘She worked in the federal government for forty years, so she knows the inner workings of the government from A to Z.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, usually preceded by coverbial construction with ᇍ (duì ᇡ) ‘about.’ Near Synonym: [ϔ⏙ѠἮ] ( yì qcng èr chj ϔ⏙ѠἮ) ‘completely clear.’ Antonym: [ϔ᮴᠔ⶹ] ( yì wú sui zhc ϔ⛵᠔ⶹ) ‘know absolutely nothing about something.’

Entries 302 – 303: ߿᳝⫼ᖗ and Ѩ‫ܝ‬क㡆

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302. Ğܰᎌ፿ቦğ(ᓕᑺᏸ፬) bié yiu yòng xcn ߿ means ‘other, separate,’ ᳝ means ‘have,’ and ⫼ᖗ means ‘intention, motive.’ The whole idiom means ‘harbor ulterior motives’ or ‘have something up one’s sleeve.’ Example 1: ϔѯܰᎌ፿ቦⱘҎӕ೒߽⫼㗕ⱒྦྷᴹࠊ䗴⏋хDŽ Yìxib biéyiuyòngxcn de rén qhtú lìyòng lfobfixìng lái zhìzào hùnluàn. ‘Some people with ulterior motives attempt to use the populace to create chaos.’ Example 2: Ҫ䖭ḋ‫خ‬㸼䴶ϞᰃᐂࡽԴˈ݊ᅲܰᎌ፿ቦDŽ Ta zhèyàng zuò bifomiàn shàng shì bangzhù nh, qíshí biéyiuyòngxcn. ‘His doing this on the surface is helping you, but actually he has ulterior motives.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ሙᖗ৉⌟] ( je xcn pi cè ሙᖗ৉␀) ‘have evil intentions that are unpredictable’ (derogatory). Antonyms: [‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑] (guang míng lgi luò ‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑) and [‫ܝ‬ᯢℷ໻] (guang míng zhèng dà ‫ܝ‬ᯢℷ໻), both of which mean ‘frank and forthright’ and both of which are complimentary in meaning. 303. Ğᇋ਒လྻğ(ጺᐤጀᒩ) wj guang shí sè ‫ ܝ‬means ‘light’ and 㡆 means ‘color.’ A literal translation is ‘five lights and ten colors,’ with a freer translation being ‘all kinds of colors, multicolored.’ Example 1: ཌྷ୰⃶⃷䌣佭␃㸫༈ᇋ਒လྻⱘᑓਞ⠠DŽ Ta xhhuan xcnshfng Xianggfng jibtóu wjguang-shísè de gufnggàopái. ‘She likes to enjoy the multicolored advertising signs on the streets of Hong Kong.’ Example 2: Ҫдᛃњ໻䛑Ꮦⱘ䙷⾡ᇋ਒လྻⱘ໰⫳⌏DŽ Ta xíguànle dàdeshì de nà zhing wjguang-shísè de yè shbnghuó. ‘He is used to the colorful nightlife of big cities.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Slightly complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [Ѩᔽ㓸㒋] (wj cfi bcn fbn Ѩᔽ㑑㋯) ‘multicolored.’

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Entries 304 – 305: ϡড়ᯊᅰ and ᆠБූⱛ

304. Ğ‫ݙ‬੝ဟጩğ(ጰᑁ᥸ᘹ) bù hé shí yí ড় means ‘conform to,’ ᯊ means ‘at the time,’ and ᅰ means ‘that which is appropriate.’ The whole idiom means ‘out of keeping with the times.’ Example 1: ⼒Ӯ೼থሩˈ㗠Ҫⱘᗱᛇ≵᳝䖯ℹˈ಴ℸᮽህ‫ݙ‬੝ဟጩњDŽ Shèhuì zài fazhfn, ér ta de scxifng méiyiu jìnbù, ycnch zfo jiù bùhé-shíyí le. ‘Society is developing but his thought has not progressed, therefore he has for a long time now not been in tune with the times.’ Example 2: ཌྷⱘᚙ㒾ϡ໾དˈ䇈њϔѯ‫ݙ‬੝ဟጩⱘ䆱DŽ Ta de qíngxù bú tài hfo, shudle yìxib bùhé-shíyí de huà. ‘She’s not in a very good mood, so she said some inopportune things.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Antonym: [಴ഄࠊᅰ] ( ycn dì zhì yí ಴ഄࠊᅰ) ‘adapt to local conditions.’ 305. Ğ঍ಸჭશğ(᳈⚡᫜ᡈ) fù lì táng huáng ᆠБ means ‘magnificent’ and ූⱛ means ‘grand.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘magnificent and grand.’ Example 1: Ꮘ咢㔫⍂ᅿ঍ಸჭશˈ䞠䴶᳝ᕜ໮⦡䌉ⱘ㡎ᴃકDŽ Balí Luófúgdng fùlì-tánghuáng, lhmiàn yiu hgn dud zhbnguì de yìshùphn. ‘The Louvre in Paris is magnificent and grand, inside there are many precious works of art.’ Example 2: 䖭᠔໻ᄺ೼ϔϾᇣ䬛ˈ㱑✊≵᳝঍ಸჭશⱘᓎㄥˈԚᰃ਌ᓩњϪ⬠ϔ⌕ⱘ ᄺ㗙DŽ Zhè sui dàxué zài yí ge xifozhèn, sucrán méiyiu fùlì-tánghuáng de jiànzhù, dànshì xcyhnle shìjiè ycliú de xuézhg. ‘This college is in a small town; though there aren’t any grand and magnificent buildings, it has attracted some of the world’s top scholars.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive, usually used to describe buildings. Near Synonyms: [䞥⹻䕝✠] ( jcn bì huc huáng 䞥⹻䓱✠) ‘resplendent in bright colors,’ [㕢䕂㕢༖] (mgi lún mgi huàn 㕢䓾㕢༤) ‘tall and pleasing to the eye.’ Antonyms: [ᆊᕦಯຕ] ( jia tú sì bì ᆊᕦಯຕ) ‘home only has four walls – completely destitute,’ [ϔ䋿བ⋫] ( yì pín rú xh ϔ䉻བ⋫) ‘as poor as if everything had been washed away by a flood.’

Entries 306 – 307: 偀ϡ‫ذ‬䐘 and ᓔ䮼㾕ቅ

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306. Ğ൫‫ݙ‬ᄫᄍğ(᪑ጰ᪚⏽) mf bù tíng tí 䐘 means ‘hoof.’ The literal meaning is ‘horse doesn’t stop its hooves,’ with a freer translation being ‘nonstop, without stopping.’ Example 1: ᘏ㒳‫׭‬䗝Ҏ൫‫ݙ‬ᄫᄍഄ䆓䯂њϔϾᎲজϔϾᎲˈࠄ໘ᅷӴҪⱘᬓㄪDŽ Zingting hòuxufnrén mfbùtíngtí de ffngwènle yí ge zhdu yòu yí ge zhdu, dàochù xuanchuán ta de zhèngcè. ‘The presidential candidate visited one state after another nonstop, publicizing his policies everywhere.’ Example 2: ϔϟ亲ᴎˈཌྷህ൫‫ݙ‬ᄫᄍഄ䍊ࠄњഄ䳛♒ᆇ᳔Ϲ䞡ⱘഄऎDŽ Yí xià f bijc, ta jiù mfbùtíngtí de gfndàole dìzhèn zaihài zuì yánzhòng de dìqe. ‘As soon as she got off the plane, she rushed without stopping to the area where the earthquake disaster had been the most serious.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Near Synonyms: [໰ҹ㒻᮹] ( yè yh jì rì ໰ҹ㑐᮹) ‘day and night,’ [ᖿ偀ࡴ䶁] (kuài mf jia bian ᖿ侀ࡴ䶁) ‘fast horse add whip – at high speed.’ Antonym: [ϝ໽ᠧ剐ˈϸ໽ᰦ㔥] (san tian df yú, lifng tian shài wfng ϝ໽ᠧ儮ˈܽ ໽᳀㎆) ‘go fishing for three days, dry the nets for two days – lack of perseverance; work by fits and starts.’ 307. Ğఎඡ୅࿍ğ(Ḷ᜴ᖤጢ) kai mén jiàn shan The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘open the door and see the mountain,’ with a freer translation being ‘come straight to the point.’ Example 1: 䆄㗙ఎඡ୅࿍ഄ䯂˖ĀԴⶹ䘧ϡⶹ䘧䖭ᰃ⊩ᕟϡ‫ܕ‬䆌ⱘ˛ ā Jìzhg kaimén-jiànshan de wèn: “Nh zhcdao bù zhcdao zhè shì f flq bù yjnxj de?” ‘The reporter came straight to the point and asked, “Do you know this is not permitted by law?” ’ Example 2: ᅶҎఎඡ୅࿍ˈᡞҪⱘᛇ⊩Ⳉ᥹ਞ䆝њЏҎDŽ Kèrén kaimén-jiànshan, bf ta de xifngf f zhíjib gàosule zhjrén. ‘The guest came straight to the point and told his opinion directly to the host.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial modifier or predicate. As an adverbial modifier, usually occurs before the verbs 䯂 (wèn ଣ) ‘ask’ or 䇈 (shud 䁾) ‘say.’ Near Synonyms: [Ⳉ៾њᔧ] (zhí jié lifo dàng Ⳉ៾њ⭊) ‘direct, straightforward,’ [ऩߔⳈܹ] (dan dao zhí rù ஂߔⳈܹ) ‘single sword enters straight – come straight to the point,’ [Ⳉ㿔ϡ䆇] (zhí yán bú huì Ⳉ㿔ϡ䃅) ‘speak frankly without reservation.’

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Entries 308 – 309: ߿‫݋‬ϔḐ and ϔ䩜㾕㸔

Antonyms: [ᢤᔃᢍ㾦] (gufi wan mò jifo ᢤᔢᢍ㾦) ‘take a circuitous route, beat around the bush,’ [䕀ᔃᢍ㾦] (zhufn wan mò jifo 䔝ᔢᢍ㾦) ‘a tortuous route, beat around the bush.’ 308. Ğܰ௥ጙৃğ(ᓕᗤዯᦕ) bié jù yì gé ߿ means ‘other/another,’ ‫ ݋‬means ‘have,’ and Ḑ here means ‘style.’ The literal translation of this idiom is ‘have another type of style,’ with a freer translation being ‘have a unique or distinctive style.’ Example 1: ཌྷ↣ᑈ䗕㒭߿Ҏⱘ೷䆲⼐⠽䛑ܰ௥ጙৃDŽ Ta mgi nián sòng ggi biérén de shèngdàn lhwù ddu biéjù-yìgé. ‘The Christmas gifts she gives others every year are always unique.’ Example 2: ៥ᕜ⃷䌣ཌྷ⊍⬏Ϟⱘܰ௥ጙৃⱘ㡆ᔽDŽ Wi hgn xcnshfng ta yóuhuà shàng de biéjù-yìgé de sècfi. ‘I very much admire the distinctive colors of her oil paintings.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive or predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⣀ᷥϔᏰ] (dú shù yí zhì ⤼‍ϔᐳ) ‘fly one’s own colors, have a style of one’s own,’ [߿ᓔ⫳䴶] (bié kai shbng miàn ߹䭟⫳䴶) ‘start something new.’ Antonyms: [ग㆛ϔᕟ] (qian pian yí lq ग㆛ϔᕟ) ‘a thousand essays uniform – follow the same pattern, stereotyped,’ [བߎϔ䕭] (rú che yì zhé བߎϔ䔡) ‘as if emerging from the same track – one and the same, cut from the same cloth.’ 309. Ğጙᑣ୅ኪğ(ዯ᪂ᖤᒬ) yì zhbn jiàn xig 䩜 means ‘needle’ and 㸔 means ‘blood.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘one (prick of a) needle and one sees blood.’ Freer translations include ‘exactly right, to the point, hit the nail on the head, go right to the heart of a matter.’ Example 1: ↯⋑ϰጙᑣ୅ኪഄᣛߎˈⶹ䆚ߚᄤ‫݋‬᳝ϸ䴶ᗻDŽ Máo Zéddng yìzhbn-jiànxig de zhhche, zhcshi fènzh jùyiu lifngmiànxìng. ‘Mao Zedong, getting right to the heart of the matter, pointed out that the intelligentsia possess a dual character.’ Example 2: ཌྷ䇈䆱㱑✊ϡ໮ˈԚᰃᕔᕔጙᑣ୅ኪˈℷЁ㽕ᆇDŽ Ta shudhuà sucrán bù dud, dànshì wfngwfng yìzhbn-jiànxig, zhèngzhòng yàohài. ‘Although she doesn’t say much, she always hits the nail on the head with the central, crucial point.’

Entry 310: 㤝᳼ⱚ݉

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Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, often followed by ഄᣛߎ (̚ de zhhche) ‘point out in a . . . manner.’ Can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϔ䇁Ёⱘ] (yì yj zhòng dì ϔ䁲Ёⱘ) ‘with one word to hit the target – come right to the point,’ [ܹ᳼ϝߚ] (rù mù san fbn ܹ᳼ϝߚ) ‘enter wood 3/10 of an inch (in calligraphy) – forceful, bold, sharp.’ Antonyms: [䱨䵈᧨⮦] (gé xub sao yfng 䱨䵈᧨ⰶ) ‘scratch an itch from outside the boot – make a fruitless attempt,’ [ϡ⮯ϡ⮦] (bú tòng bù yfng ϡ⮯ϡⰶ) ‘not hurt not itch – scratching the surface, superficial.’ 310. Ğ‫ݻ‬෸୼ܸğ(ᨿ፹ᡇᓒ) cfo mù jib bcng 㤝 means ‘grass,’ ᳼ means ‘tree,’ ⱚ means ‘all,’ and ݉ means ‘soldier.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the grass and the trees all (look like enemy) soldiers,’ with a freer translation being ‘frightened, panic-stricken.’ Example 1: ᬓᑰ‫ݯ‬೼ᯢ໘ˈ␌ߏ䯳䒆೼ᷥᵫ䞠৥ᬓᑰ‫ݯ‬ᇘߏˈ᧲ᕫᬓᑰ‫ݻݯ‬෸୼ܸDŽ Zhèngf j jen zài míngchù, yóujcduì dui zài shùlín lh xiàng zhèngf j jen shèjc, gfode zhèngfj jen cfomù-jibbcng. ‘The government troops were in the open; the guerrilla forces hid in the woods and fired at the government troops, making the government troops panic-stricken.’ Example 2: ೼Ϲᠧⱘ໻ᔶ࢓ϟˈ䖱䖛⊩ⱘҎᛳࠄ亢ໄ吸ଇǃ‫ݻ‬෸୼ܸDŽ Zài yándf de dà xíngshì xià, wéiguò f f de rén gfndào f bngshbng-hèlì, cfomùjibbcng. ‘In the overall situation of the anti-crime crackdown, people who had disobeyed the law felt very frightened and panic-stricken.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive, often preceded by 亢ໄ吸ଇ (f bng shbng hè lì 乼㙆厈ଇ) ‘sound of wind and cry of cranes – frightened by the slightest sound.’ Allusion: In 383 C.E., the Former Qin emperor Fu Jian led 900,000 troops to attack Eastern Jin, and Eastern Jin sent out 80,000 of its troops to wage war. Because the Former Qin army underestimated their enemy, they suffered a great defeat. When Fu Jian saw that the grass and trees on the mountain on which the Eastern Jin army was encamped were shaped like men, he mistook them for troops and was terrified. (from “An Account of Fu Jian” in History of the Jin Dynasty) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᵃᓧ㲛ᕅ] (bbi gdng shé yhng ᵃᓧ㲛ᕅ) ‘take the shadow of a bow in a cup as the shadow of a snake – very suspicious, paranoid,’ [亢ໄ吸ଇ] (f bng shbng hè lì 乼㙆厈ଇ) ‘sound of wind and cry of cranes – frightened by the slightest sound.’

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Entries 311 – 312: ϧᖗ㟈ᖫ and ූූℷℷ

Antonyms: [䬛ᅮ㞾㢹] (zhèn dìng zì ruò 䦂ᅮ㞾㢹) ‘perfectly calm and collected, in possession of oneself,’ [䇜ュ亢⫳] (tán xiào fbng shbng 䂛ュ乼⫳) ‘talk and laugh merrily,’ [㢹᮴݊џ] (ruò wú qí shì 㢹⛵݊џ) ‘as if nothing had happened,’ [〇བ ⋄ቅ] (wgn rú Tài shan 〽བ⋄ቅ) ‘as stable as Mount Tai – standing firmly in place.’ 311. Ğᓜቦᒘᒔğ(᫵፬ᢄᔷ) zhuan xcn zhì zhì ϧᖗ means ‘concentrate one’s attention,’ 㟈 means ‘utmost,’ and ᖫ means ‘intention.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘very attentive, with single-minded devotion.’ Example 1: ཌྷ↣໽ࠄ೒к佚䞠ᓜቦᒘᒔഄⳟϸϾᇣᯊⱘкDŽ Ta mgi tian dào túshegufn lh zhuanxcn-zhìzhì de kàn lifng ge xifoshí de she. ‘Every day she goes to the library and reads very attentively for two hours.’ Example 2: ཌྷҢᴹϡᢡ⬉㾚࠻ˈᘏᰃᓜቦᒘᒔഄᢡ⬉ᕅDŽ Ta cónglái bù pai diànshìjù, zingshì zhuanxcn-zhìzhì de pai diànyhng. ‘She has never made soap operas; she always, with single-minded devotion, makes movies.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᖗ᮴ᮕ偯] (xcn wú páng wù ᖗ⛵ᮕ俪) ‘single-minded,’ [㘮㊒Ӯ⼲] ( jù jcng huì shén 㘮㊒᳗⼲) ‘with total concentration.’ Antonyms: [ᖗϡ೼⛝] (xcn bú zài yan ᖗϡ೼⛝) ‘heart is not there – absent-minded, distracted,’ [ϝᖗѠᛣ] (san xcn èr yì ϝᖗѠᛣ) ‘of two minds, half-hearted,’ [ᖗ⤓ ᛣ偀] (xcn yuán yì mf ᖗ⤓ᛣ侀) ‘heart (agile as an) ape and thoughts (swift as a) horse – fanciful and fickle, capricious.’ 312. Ğჭჭᑵᑵğ(᫜᫜ᏩᏩ) táng táng zhèng zhèng ූූ means ‘powerful manner’ and ℷℷ means ‘orderly manner.’ The original meaning of this idiom was ‘powerful and orderly’ but the meaning has now become ‘open and aboveboard, fair and square.’ Example 1: ҪϡԚ䭓ᕫჭჭᑵᑵˈ‫خ‬џгჭჭᑵᑵDŽ Ta búdàn zhfngde tángtáng-zhèngzhèng, zuòshì yg táng táng zhèng zhèng. ‘He not only looks open and aboveboard, in his work he is also open and aboveboard.’ Example 2: ៥ᰃϾჭჭᑵᑵⱘҎˈϡᗩ߿Ҏ೼㚠ৢ䇈ണ䆱DŽ Wi shì ge tángtáng-zhèngzhèng de rén, bú pà biérén zài bèihòu shud huài huà.

Entries 313 – 314: ⊷ϡ៤ໄ and ᮴ϢӺ↨

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‘I’m an open and aboveboard sort of person; I’m not afraid of others saying nasty things behind my back.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, adverbial, and complement. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ℷ໻‫ܝ‬ᯢ] (zhèng dà guang míng ℷ໻‫ܝ‬ᯢ) ‘upright and frank,’ [‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑] (guang míng lgi luò ‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑) ‘frank and forthright.’ Antonym: [ℾ䮼䙾䘧] (wai mén xié dào ℾ䭔䙾䘧) ‘crooked doors evil paths – dishonest ways.’ 313. Ğ໲‫߅ݙ‬ဉğ(ᚼጰᑯⓦ) qì bù chéng shbng ⊷ means ‘cry in a low voice, sob’ and ϡ៤ໄ means ‘it doesn’t form a sound.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘choke with sobs.’ Example 1: 䙷Ͼᬙџ䖬≵᳝਀ᅠˈཌྷᮽᏆ໲‫߅ݙ‬ဉњDŽ Nàge gùshi hái méiyiu tcngwán, ta zfo yh qìbùchéngshbng le. ‘Before she finished listening to that story, she was already choking with sobs.’ Example 2: Ҫ໾ᛳࡼњˈ໲‫߅ݙ‬ဉഄ䇈˖Āⳳⱘ໾ᛳ䇶ᙼњˈᙼⳳᰃདҎʽā Ta tài gfndòngle, qìbùchéngshbng de shud: “Zhbn de tài gfnxiè nín le, nín zhbn shì hfo rén!” ‘He was too moved; choking with sobs, he said: “I really thank you so much, you really are a good person!” ’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial. Antonym: [ᓔᗔ໻ュ] (kai huái dà xiào 䭟់໻ュ) ‘laugh loudly to one’s heart’s content.’ 314. ĞᇄᎧൕ‫܈‬ğ(ᵨℚᣭ፾) wú yj lún bh Ӻ means ‘peer, match.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘unequaled, peerless, incomparable.’ Example 1: 㥿ᠢ⡍೼䷇ФϞⱘ໽ߚㅔⳈᰃᇄᎧൕ‫ⱘ܈‬DŽ Mòzhatè zài ycnyuè shàng de tianfèn jifnzhí shì wúyjlúnbh de. ‘Mozart’s genius in music was simply unparalleled.’ Example 2: ↨ᇨfⲪ㣼ЎϾҎ䅵ㅫᴎⱘ᱂ঞ੠থሩ‫ߎخ‬њᇄᎧൕ‫ⱘ܈‬䋵⤂DŽ Bh’gr Gàicí wèi gèrén jìsuànjc de pjjí hé fazhfn zuòchele wúyjlúnbh de gòngxiàn. ‘Bill Gates made unparalleled contributions for the popularization and development of the personal computer.’

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Entries 315 – 316: ㋴ϡⳌ䆚 and ූ㗠ⱛП

Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϡৃ↨ᢳ] (bù kg bh nh ϡৃ↨ᫀ) ‘incomparable,’ [⣀ϔ᮴Ѡ] (dú yc wú èr ⤼ϔ⛵Ѡ) ‘unique,’ [ВϪ᮴ঠ] ( jj shì wú shuang 㟝Ϫ⛵䲭) ‘matchless, unrivaled.’ Antonyms: [↨↨ⱚᰃ] (bh bh jib shì ↨↨ⱚᰃ) ‘can be found everywhere,’ [ϡⳌϞϟ] (bù xiang shàng xià ϡⳌϞϟ) ‘equally matched, without much difference.’ 315. ĞႤ‫ݙ‬ሤဤğ(ᨌጰᡐ♡) sù bù xiang shí ㋴ means ‘always,’ Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ and 䆚 means ‘know, be acquainted with.’ The whole idiom means ‘never have met someone before, not know someone.’ Example 1: 䙷Ͼᄽᄤ಴Ўᆊᒁ䋿か㗠༅ᄺњˈ䆌໮Ⴄ‫ݙ‬ሤဤⱘҎ㒋㒋⤂ߎ⠅ᖗˈ䌘ࡽ 䙷ϾᄽᄤϞᄺDŽ Nàge háizi ycnwèi jiatíng pínqióng ér shcxuéle, xjdud sùbùxiangshí de rén f bnfbn xiànche àixcn, zczhù nàge háizi shàngxué. ‘When that child was unable to continue her education because her family was poor, many people who had never met her before offered their love one after another, helping her financially so she could attend school.’ Example 2: ᳟টˈԴ៥Ⴄ‫ݙ‬ሤဤˈԴЎҔМᘏᰃ䎳ⴔ៥˛ Péngyou, nh wi sùbùxiangshí, nh wèishénme zingshì gbnzhe wi? ‘Friend, you and I have never met before, why are you always following me?’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Antonym: [ϔ㾕བᬙ] ( yí jiàn rú gù ϔ㽟བᬙ) ‘the first time you see someone be like old friends.’ 316. Ğჭऎશᒄğ(᫜ᒚᡈጴ) táng ér huáng zhc ූⱛ means ‘imposing manner.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘imposingly, ostentatiously, openly.’ Example 1: 䙷ᇍᕅ㾚ᯢ᯳ϡ‫݊ڣ‬ҪҎ䙷ḋᆇᗩ⢫Ҩ䯳ˈჭऎશᒄഄ೼໻㸫Ϟ⡉᠟䍄䏃DŽ Nà duì yhngshì míngxcng bú xiàng qíta rén nàyàng hàipà giuzfiduì, táng’érhuángzhc de zài dàjib shàng qianshiu ziulù. ‘That pair of movie and T.V. stars is not like the others in being afraid of the paparazzi; they openly walk on the street holding hands.’ Example 2: ҹࠡ㹿⽕ℶⱘߞ⠽⦄೼ჭऎશᒄഄᨚ೼кᑫⱘкᶊϞDŽ Yhqián bèi jìnzhh de kanwù xiànzài táng’érhuángzhc de bfi zài shediàn de shejià shàng.

Entries 317 – 318: 䆁㒗᳝㋴ and ࠏ偼䫁ᖗ

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‘Publications that formerly were prohibited now openly are placed on the bookshelves of bookstores.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial followed by the adverbial marker ഄ (de). Note: Used to be pejorative in meaning but that sense is gradually disappearing. Antonym: [ًًᩌᩌ] (tdu tdu md md ًًᩌᩌ) ‘surreptitiously, covertly.’ 317. Ğኵ೗ᎌႤğ(ᩡ≱ᑺᨌ) xùn liàn yiu sù 䆁㒗 means ‘train’ and ㋴ means ‘usually, always.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘always in training, well trained.’ Example 1: ϡᰃ↣ϾӮ䇈㣅䇁ⱘҎ䛑㛑ᬭ㣅᭛ˈা᳝ኵ೗ᎌႤⱘҎᠡ㛑໳㚰ӏ䖭乍 Ꮉ԰DŽ Bú shì mgi ge huì shud Ycngyj de rén ddu néng jiao Ycngwén, zhhyiu xùnliànyiusù de rén cái nénggòu shèngrèn zhè xiàng gdngzuò. ‘Not every person who can speak English can teach English; only well-trained people are qualified for this work.’ Example 2: ⳟཌྷ‫خ‬џⱘᮍᓣህⶹ䘧ཌྷኵ೗ᎌႤDŽ Kàn ta zuòshì de fangshì jiù zhcdao ta xùnliàn-yiusù. ‘Looking at the way she works, one knows that she is well trained.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [㸠ᆊ䞠᠟] (háng jia lh shiu 㸠ᆊ䞠᠟) ‘expert.’ Antonym: [ञ䏃ߎᆊ] (bàn lù che jia ञ䏃ߎᆊ) ‘become a monk late in life – change careers to something for which one is not trained.’ 318. Ğర৷ූቦğ(ᗩ᪒ⅲ፬) kè gj míng xcn ࠏ偼 means ‘carved on one’s bones’ and 䫁ᖗ means ‘engraved on one’s mind.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘engraved on one’s memory, unforgettable.’ Example 1: Ā᭛䴽āकᑈˈ㒭Ҫ⬭ϟњర৷ූቦⱘ䆄ᖚDŽ “Wén’gé” shí nián, ggi ta liúxiàle kègj-míngxcn de jìyì. ‘The ten years of the “Cultural Revolution” left him with deeply ingrained memories.’ Example 2: ҪӀⱘ߱ᘟర৷ූቦˈϸϾҎ∌䖰ϡӮᖬ䆄DŽ Tamen de cheliàn kègj-míngxcn, lifng ge rén yingyufn bú huì wàngjì. ‘Their first love was deeply ingrained in their memory; the two of them would never forget it.’

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Entries 319 – 320: ϡሥϔ乒 and ᇍ⠯ᔍ⨈

Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Near Synonym: [ᗉᗉϡᖬ] (niàn niàn bú wàng ᗉᗉϡᖬ) ‘never forget.’ Antonyms: [䖛ⴐ⚳ѥ] (gùo yfn yan yún 䘢ⴐ✭䳆) ‘like smoke and clouds passing before the eyes – transient, ephemeral,’ ⍂‫ܝ‬ᥴᕅ (fú guang lüè yhng ⍂‫ܝ‬ᥴᕅ) ‘floating light passing shadows – skimming over the surface, cursory.’ 319. Ğ‫ݙ‬቞ጙ৻ğ(ጰ᤹ዯ❁) bú xiè yí gù ሥ means ‘deign to’ and 乒 means ‘look.’ The whole idiom means ‘not deign to look, be too conceited to even take a look.’ Example 1: ཌྷ୰⃶ⳟ⾥ᄺ㨫԰ˈᇍ᭛ᄺ԰ક‫ݙ‬቞ጙ৻DŽ Ta xhhuan kàn kbxué zhùzuò, duì wénxué zuòphn búxiè-yígù. ‘She likes to read scientific works, not deigning to look at literary works.’ Example 2:Ā䖭᳝ҔМњϡ䍋˛āҪⱘ䆱䷇䞠ᏺⴔ‫ݙ‬቞ጙ৻ⱘ䇁⇨DŽ Zhè yiu shénme lifobùqh? Ta de huàycn lh dàizhe búxiè-yígù de yjqì. ‘“What’s so special about this?” His voice carried a disdainful tone of voice.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, used at the end of a sentence; can also serve as attributive and adverbial. Near Synonyms: [ϡ䎇ᣖ啓] (bù zú guà chh ϡ䎇᥯唦) ‘not worth hanging on the teeth – not worth mentioning,’ [ஸПҹ唏] (chc zhc yh bí ஸПҹ唏) ‘snort at contemptuously with one’s nose.’ Antonyms: [ࠂⳂⳌⳟ] (gua mù xiang kàn ࠂⳂⳌⳟ) ‘hold someone in high esteem,’ [В䎇䕏䞡] ( jj zú qcng zhòng㟝䎇䓩䞡) ‘play a decisive role.’ 320. Ğ࣪฻ࡧ༭ğ(⁝ᎈ⇜ᵺ) duì niú tán qín ᔍ means ‘pluck, play’ and ⨈ means ‘stringed instrument.’ A literal translation is ‘play the lute for cattle,’ in other words, to discuss something complex with stupid people. English translations include ‘talk over somebody’s head, cast pearls to swine, preach to deaf ears, waste someone’s time.’ Example 1: 䎳໻ᄫϡ䆚ⱘҎ䆆㢁㭒㟲ˈㅔⳈᰃ࣪฻ࡧ༭ʽ Gbn dà zì bù shí de rén jifng balgiwj, jifnzhí shì duìniú-tánqín! ‘To discuss ballet with illiterate people is simply a waste of time!’ Example 2: ⓨ䆆ⱘҎ೼ৄϞᕜ݈༟ഄ䇈Ͼϡ‫ৄˈذ‬ϟⱘ਀ӫ䛑ᠧજ⃴њˈ䖭ḋⱘⓨ䆆 ད‫࣪ڣ‬฻ࡧ༭DŽ Yfnjifng de rén zài táishàng hgn xcngf èn de shud ge bù tíng, táixià de tcngzhòng ddu df haqian le, zhèyàng de yfnjifng hfoxiàng duìniú-tánqín.

Entry 321: ࡽҎЎФ

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‘On stage, the lecturer kept talking on and on excitedly, while off stage, the audience was yawning; this kind of lecture is like casting pearls to swine.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, often preceded by ㅔⳈᰃ (jifnzhí shì ㇵⳈᰃ) ‘simply is,’ ད‫( ڣ‬hfoxiàng) ‘seems like,’ བৠ (rútóng) ‘is like,’ or ㄝѢ (dgngyú ㄝᮐ) ‘equals.’ Allusion: Gong Mingyi was a famous musician of the Spring and Autumn Period who was very good at playing the lute. Once, when he played refined, ancient lute melodies for a cow, it ate grass with its head down, as if it hadn’t heard. But it wasn’t that the cow hadn’t heard, rather it was that this kind of melody wasn’t appropriate for it. Later, Gong Mingyi used his lute to imitate the sounds of mosquitoes and horseflies buzzing and the cry of a calf seeking its mother; immediately, the cow wagged its tail and straightened its ears and began walking back and forth to listen carefully. (from Li Huo Lun by Mou Rong, Han Dynasty) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [᮴ⱘᬒⶶ] (wú dì f àng shh ⛵ⱘᬒⶶ) ‘without a target to release arrows – make unfounded accusations.’ Antonyms: [᳝ⱘᬒⶶ] ( yiu dì f àng shh ᳝ⱘᬒⶶ) ‘have an object in view,’ [ᇍ⮛ϟ㥃] (duì zhèng xià yào ᇡⰹϟ㮹) ‘suit the medicine to the illness.’ 321. Ğᓐཽᆐಘğ(ᓛዷᠥ∛) zhù rén wéi lè ࡽ means ‘help,’ Ҏ means ‘other people,’ Ў means ‘be,’ and Ф means ‘happiness.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘help other people is happiness,’ with a freer translation being ‘enjoy helping others.’ Example 1: ᅫᬭਞ䆿៥Ӏ㽕໮‫خ‬୘џˈᓐཽᆐಘˈ䖭ḋ⅏ৢህ㛑䖯ܹ໽ූDŽ Zdngjiào gàojiè wimen yào dud zuò shànshì, zhùrén-wéilè, zhèyàng sh hòu jiù néng jìnrù tiantáng. ‘Religion admonishes us that we should do more good works and enjoy helping others; this way, after we die, we can enter heaven.’ Example 2: Ңᇣህ㽕෍‫ݏ‬䍋ᓐཽᆐಘⱘདક䋼DŽ Cóng xifo jiù yào péiyfng qh zhùrén-wéilè de hfo phnzhì. ‘From childhood on, one should start cultivating the good quality of enjoying helping other people.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and object. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [Ф୘དᮑ] (lè shàn hào shc ῖ୘དᮑ) ‘charitable, benevolent.’ Antonym: [ЬҎПॅ] (chéng rén zhc wbi ЬҎПॅ) ‘take advantage of someone’s precarious position.’

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Entries 322 – 323: 㸷亳ԣ㸠 and ϡ㚰ᵮВ

322. Ğጠအᓕቲğ(ᒮᣋᒴᒭ) yc shí zhù xíng 㸷 means ‘clothing,’ 亳 means ‘food,’ ԣ here means ‘housing,’ and 㸠 here means ‘transportation.’ The literal meaning is ‘clothing, food, housing, and transportation.’ The connotation is ‘the basic necessities of life.’ Example 1: ᬍ䴽ᓔᬒҹৢˈ‫⇥ݰ‬೼ጠအᓕቲ৘Ͼᮍ䴶䛑᳝ᬍ୘DŽ Gfigé kaif àng yhhòu, nóngmín zài ycshí-zhùxíng gègè f angmiàn ddu yiu gfishàn. ‘After the policy of reform and opening, peasants saw improvements in every aspect of life’s basic necessities.’ Example 2: ೼㕢೑ˈϔ㠀䇈ᴹˈ݀ৌᇍѢ㘠ਬⱘጠအᓕቲ䛑ϡㅵˈ䙷ᰃ㘠ਬ㞾Ꮕⱘ џᚙDŽ Zài Mgiguó, yìban shudlái, gdngsc duìyú zhíyuán de ycshí-zhùxíng ddu bù gufn, nà shì zhíyuán zìjh de shìqing. ‘In the U.S., generally speaking, companies do not take care of employees’ basic necessities of life; that is the employees’ own business.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, object, or subject. Common collocations include ̚ㄝᮍ䴶 (̚dgng f àngmiàn), ̚৘ᮍ䴶 (̚gè fàngmiàn), and ̚ⱘ䯂乬 (̚de wèntí ̚ⱘଣ丠). Near Synonym: [⫳㗕⮙⅏] (shbng lfo bìng sh ⫳㗕⮙⅏) ‘(such matters as) birth, senility, illness, and death.’ Antonym: [ಯ໻ⱚぎ] (sì dà jib kdng ಯ໻ⱚぎ) ‘(in Buddhism) the four major elements (earth, water, fire, air) are all void – everything is an illusion.’ 323. Ğ‫ݙ‬ဒඒ௟ğ(ጰᲓᚱ⓴) bú shèng méi jj ϡ㚰 means ‘unable to do completely,’ ᵮ means ‘one at a time,’ and В means ‘enumerate, list.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘cannot enumerate one at a time,’ with a freer translation being ‘too numerous to cite individually.’ Example 1: Ё೑ⱘЦЧ⧗Ϫ⬠‫ݙݯݴ‬ဒඒ௟DŽ Zhdngguó de pcngpangqiú shìjiè guànjen búshèng-méijj. ‘Chinese table tennis world championships are too numerous to cite individually.’ Example 2: ᇣ݀ৌথሩໂ໻ৢৗᥝ໻݀ৌⱘ՟ᄤ‫ݙ‬ဒඒ௟DŽ Xifo gdngsc fazhfn zhuàngdà hòu chcdiào dà gdngsc de lìzi búshèng-méijj. ‘Examples of small companies that, after growing strong, ate up big companies are too numerous to mention individually.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate.

Entries 324 – 325: 䌲ϡ㒱ষ and ໻ৡ哢哢

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Near Synonyms: [᭄ϡ㚰᭄] (shj bú shèng shj ᭌϡࢱᭌ) ‘too many to be counted, innumerable,’ [ϡ䅵᭄݊] (bú jì qí shù ϡ㿜݊ᭌ) ‘not calculate its number – too numerous to count.’ Antonyms: [ሜᣛৃ᭄] (qe zhh kg shj ሜᣛৃᭌ) ‘can be counted on the fingers, very few,’ [ᆹᆹ᮴޴] (liáo liáo wú jh ᆹᆹ⛵ᑒ) ‘very few.’ 324. Ğᏸ‫ݙ‬௾ాğ(⟰ጰᶮጕ) zàn bù jué kiu 䌲 means ‘praise,’ 㒱 means ‘stop,’ and ষ means ‘mouth, talk.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘praise and not stop talking.’ Freer translations include ‘praise profusely, be full of praise.’ Example 1: ໪೑␌ᅶᇍЁ೑ⱘᴖᡔᏸ‫ݙ‬௾ాDŽ Wàiguó yóukè duì Zhdngguó de zájì zànbùjuékiu. ‘Foreign tourists are full of praise for China’s acrobatics.’ Example 2: 䙷ԡ໻䷇Фᆊᇍ䖭Ͼᇣཇᄽ‫ⱘܓ‬ⓨ༣ᏸ‫ݙ‬௾ాˈ䇈ҪѠकᑈᴹ≵᳝㾕䖛 䖭М᳝┰࡯ⱘᄽᄤDŽ Nà wèi dà ycnyuèjia duì zhège xifo nrháir de yfnzòu zànbùjuékiu, shud ta èrshí nián lái méiyiu jiànguo zhème yiu qiánlì de háizi. ‘That great musician was full of praise for this young girl’s performance; he said he hadn’t seen a child with such potential in twenty years.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Ѹষ⿄䌲] ( jiao kiu chbng zàn Ѹষ々䅮) ‘joining mouths giving praise – overflowing with praise,’ [ᢡḜি㒱] (pai àn jiào jué ᢡḜি㌩) ‘hit the table and call out excellent – express admiration.’ Antonym: [⸈ষ໻偖] (pò kiu dà mà ⸈ষ໻㕉) ‘break-open mouth great abuse – shout abuse at someone.’ 325. Ğࡍ෗ࢼࢼğ(ጙᑀ‗‗) dà míng dhng dhng 哢哢 means ‘grand, magnificent.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘famous, well known.’ Example 1: Ҫህᰃࡍ෗ࢼࢼⱘᇣ䇈ᆊ䞥ᒌ‫⫳ܜ‬DŽ Ta jiù shì dàmíng-dhngdhng de xifoshudjia Jcnydng xianshbng. ‘He is none other than the well-known novelist Mr. Jin Yong.’ Example 2: 䖭എ䎇⧗↨䌯਌ᓩњᕜ໮㾖ӫˈ಴Ў䞠䴶᳝ϝԡࡍ෗ࢼࢼⱘ⧗᯳DŽ Zhè chfng zúqiú bhsài xcyhnle hgn dud guanzhòng, ycnwèi lhmiàn yiu san wèi dàmíng-dhngdhng de qiúxcng.

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Entries 326 – 327: བ᭄ᆊ⦡ and 䎗䎗℆䆩

‘This soccer competition has attracted a lot of spectators, because in it there are three very famous soccer stars.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Sometimes also occurs as 哢哢໻ৡ (dhng dhng dà míng). Near Synonyms: [䌿䌿᳝ৡ] (hè hè yiu míng 䌿䌿᳝ৡ) ‘celebrated and famous, illustrious,’ [བ䳋䌃㘇] (rú léi guan gr བ䳋䉿㘇) ‘like thunder passing through one’s ear,’ [ВϪ䯏ৡ] ( jj shì wén míng 㟝Ϫ㘲ৡ) ‘world famous.’ Antonym: [咬咬᮴䯏] (mò mò wú wén 咬咬⛵㘲) ‘unknown to the public.’ 326. Ğྙၫଜᑜğ(ᑙ∋ᤲᠸ) rú shj jia zhbn བ means ‘like,’ ᭄ means ‘count,’ ᆊ means ‘family,’ and ⦡ means ‘treasure.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘like counting family treasures,’ with a freer translation being ‘very familiar with one’s subject.’ Example 1: ϔ䇈䍋⬉ᕅⓨਬˈཌྷህӮྙၫଜᑜ㠀ഄ㒭Դ䆆ߎϔ໻ІDŽ Yì shud qh diànyhng yfnyuán, ta jiù huì rúshj-jiazhbn ban de ggi nh jifng che yí dà chuàn. ‘Once on the topic of film actors and actresses, she is so familiar with this subject that she will talk up a storm for you, going on and on.’ Example 2: 䇜ࠄᴀഄⱘ⡍ѻˈ㗕ҎྙၫଜᑜDŽ Tán dào bgndì de tèchfn, lforén rúshj-jiazhbn. ‘When talking about local specialties, the old people are as familiar with this topic as if they were counting their family treasures.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [њབᣛᥠ] (lifo rú zhh zhfng ⶁབᣛᥠ) ‘understand as well as one’s own fingers and palms – completely clear.’ Antonym: [ϔ᮴᠔ⶹ] ( yì wú sui zhc ϔ⛵᠔ⶹ) ‘know absolutely nothing about something.’ 327. ĞᏘᏘᎷ၂ğ(✰✰ᮃᾦ) yuè yuè yù shì 䎗 usually means ‘jump’; here, 䎗䎗 means ‘impatient, anxious, in a hurry.’ ℆ means ‘want’ and 䆩 means ‘try.’ Therefore, a literal translation of this idiom is ‘impatiently want to try,’ with a freer translation being ‘eager to try.’

Entry 328: স㡆স佭

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Example 1: ਀䇈䙷ϾජᏖ㽕㢅Ꮌ䌘ᓎ䆒ӮሩЁᖗˈ䆌໮ᓎㄥଚᏘᏘᎷ၂DŽ Tcngshud nàge chéngshì yào hua jùzc jiànshè huìzhfn zhdngxcn, xjdud jiànzhùshang yuèyuè-yùshì. ‘When they heard that that city was going to spend a huge amount of money to construct a conference and exhibition center, a lot of contractors were eager to give it a shot.’ Example 2: ϔৡ໪೑ЦЧ⧗䗝᠟䇈㽕ᠧ䋹Ё೑᠔᳝䗝᠟ᑊ༎ᕫ䞥⠠ˈ䖭ᓩ䍋њᎼ໻ⱘ ডડˈ䆌໮䗝᠟ᏘᏘᎷ၂DŽ Yì míng wàiguó pcngpangqiú xufnshiu shud yào dfbài Zhdngguó suiyiu xufnshiu bìng duódé jcnpái, zhè yhnqhle jùdà de ffnxifng, xjdud xufnshiu yuèyuè-yùshì. ‘When a foreign ping pong player said that he was going to defeat all the Chinese players and capture the gold medal, this touched off an enormous response, many players being eager to try.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ᨽᣇ᪺ᥠ] (mó quán ca zhfng ᨽᣇ᪺ᥠ) ‘rub fists wipe palms – itching for a fight,’ [㷶㷶℆ࡼ] (chjn chjn yù dòng 㷶㷶℆ࢩ) ‘restless and about to make a move,’ [੘੘䘐Ҏ] (dud dud bc rén ੘੘䘐Ҏ) ‘threatening, agressive.’ Antonyms: [᮴ࡼѢ㹋] (wú dòng yú zhdng ⛵ࢩᮐ㹋) ‘unmoved, unconcerned,’ [᥼ϝ 䰏ಯ] (tuc san zj sì ᥼ϝ䰏ಯ) ‘decline with all sorts of excuses.’ 328. Ğ৵ྻ৵ሧğ(ᎶᒩᎶᣍ) gj sè gj xiang A literal translation of this idiom is ‘ancient color ancient flavor.’ The meaning is ‘antique, old-fashioned.’ Example 1: ᠓䯈䞠䴶ⱘᆊ‫݋‬䛑ᰃᱫ㑶㡆ˈᰒᕫ৵ྻ৵ሧⱘDŽ Fángjian lhmiàn de jiajù ddu shì ànhóngsè, xifnde gjsè-gjxiang de. ‘The furniture in the room was all dark red, looking antique in appearance.’ Example 2: Ҫⱘࡲ݀ᅸ䞠ᣖⴔϔᓴ৵ྻ৵ሧⱘᄫ⬏DŽ Ta de bàngdngshì lh guàzhe yì zhang gjsè-gjxiang de zìhuà. ‘In his office hung a piece of antique calligraphy.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Usually modifies words having to do with furniture, buildings, etc. Note: There is an alternate form as স佭স㡆 (gj xiang gj sè). Antonym: [㢅䞠㚵઼] (hua lh hú shào 㢅㺣㚵઼) ‘(of color) mixed and disorderly’ (derogatory in meaning).

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Entries 329 – 330: ᥼⊶ࡽ╰ and ⧁䮼ᓘ᭻

329. Ğᅎ݆ᓐ౿ğ(ᭆᛆᓛ⚸) tuc bd zhù lán ᥼ means ‘push,’ ⊶ means ‘wave,’ ࡽ means ‘help,’ and ╰ means ‘billow, big wave.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘push waves and help billows.’ Freer translations include ‘make a situation even worse, add fuel to the fire, exacerbate.’ Example 1: ᴀᴹ䖭ᰃϸ೑䯈ⱘϔϾᇣᨽ᪺ˈԚᰃ㒣䖛ᶤϾ໻೑ᅎ݆ᓐ౿ৢˈⓨব៤њ ϸ೑໻㾘῵ⱘ‫ݯ‬џ‫ކ‬さDŽ Bgnlái zhè shì lifng guó jian de yí ge xifo móca, dànshì jcngguò miu ge dàguó tucbd-zhùlán hòu, yfnbiàn chéngle lifng guó dà gucmó de jenshì chdngte. ‘This used to be just a matter involving minor friction between the two countries, but after a certain major power added fuel to the fire, it developed into a largescale military conflict between the two countries.’ Example 2: ໻⷇⊍݀ৌ೼䖭⃵೑䰙⊍Ӌ໻⍼Ё䍋њᅎ݆ᓐ౿ⱘ԰⫼DŽ Dà shíyóu gdngsc zài zhè cì guójì yóujià dà zhfng zhdng qhle tucbd-zhùlán de zuòyòng. ‘In the sharp rise in international oil prices this time, the major oil companies had the effect of exacerbating the situation.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive or predicate. As attributive, often preceded by the verb construction 䍋њ (qhle) ‘had’ and often followed by the noun ԰⫼ (zuòyòng) ‘effect.’ Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⏏⊍ࡴ䝟] (tian yóu jia cù ⏏⊍ࡴ䝟) ‘add oil add vinegar – add inflammatory details, embellish,’ [☿Ϟ⌛⊍] (hui shàng jiao yóu ☿Ϟ╚⊍) ‘add fuel to the flames, pour oil on the fire.’ Antonyms: [ᙃџᅕҎ] (xc shì níng rén ᙃџᆻҎ) ‘patch up a quarrel and reconcile the parties concerned,’ [໻џ࣪ᇣ] (dà shì huà xifo ໻џ࣪ᇣ) ‘disguise something major as something minor,’ [ᇣџ࣪њ] (xifo shì huà lifo ᇣџ࣪њ) ‘disregard a minor incident.’ 330. Ğ‫ۂ‬ඡโॽğ(ᧈ᜴ᔯᚐ) Ban mén nòng fj ⧁ refers to Lu Ban, the founder of carpentry in China, 䮼 means ‘front door,’ ᓘ means ‘play with,’ and ᭻ means ‘axe.’ A literal translation is ‘at the front door of Lu Ban’s house to play with an axe.’ This means ‘show off one’s meager skills before an expert and not know one’s own limitations.’ Example 1: ĀህԴ䙷⚍∈ᑇˈ䖬ᛇ೼⠯⋹໻ᄺⓨ䆆ˈ߿‫ۂ‬ඡโॽњDŽā “Jiù nh nà difn shuhpíng, hái xifng zài Niújcn Dàxué yfnjifng, bié Banmén-nòngfj le.” ‘“You have only very limited proficiency, and you actually want to give a lecture at Oxford; don’t show off your meager skills before the experts.”’

Entry 331: ‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑

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Example 2: Ҫ䴲ᐌ䇺㰮ഄ䇈ˈ Ā৘ԡϧᆊˈ៥ህ‫ۂ‬ඡโॽњˈϡᇍⱘഄᮍ䇋ᙼᣛℷDŽ” Ta fbicháng qianxe de shud, “Gèwèi zhuanjia, wi jiù Banmén-nòngfj le, bú duì de dìfang qhng nín zhhzhèng.” ‘He said very modestly, “All of you experts, I shall show off my meager skills before you; please do correct my mistakes.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: The origin of this idiom is actually very ancient. But the most commonly cited source is a poem that Mei Zhihuan (1575–1641 C.E.) of the Ming Dynasty wrote when he was touring the grave of Li Bai. Li Bai (701–762 C.E.) was the most famous poet in Chinese history. After he died, he was buried on the banks of the Yangtze and, when people toured his grave, they would leave a poem, which is the reason that Mei Zhihuan also left a poem. Mei’s poem read: 䞛⷇∳䖍ϔේೳˈ ᴢⱑПৡ催गসDŽᴹᴹᕔᕔϔ佪䆫ˈ剕⧁䮼ࠡᓘ໻᭻DŽ(Cfi shí jiang bian yì duc tj, Lh Bái zhc míng gao qian gj. Lái lái wfng wfng yì shiu shc, lj ban mén qián nòng dà fj ᥵⷇∳䙞ϔේೳˈᴢⱑПৡ催गসDŽ՚՚ᕔᕔϔ佪䀽ˈ元⧁䭔ࠡᓘ໻᭻DŽ) The general meaning of this poem is that Mei is ridiculing those who do not know their own limitations; they actually went so far as to leave poems at the poet Li Bai’s tomb! It is said that Lu Ban (ca. 507–444 B.C.E.), influenced by the fact that leaves of cogon grass are shaped like the teeth of a saw, invented the saw; and that he constructed out of bamboo strips a bird that could fly in the air for three days and three nights without falling. Lu Ban had a number of different inventions, which is the reason why he is worshipped by the Chinese people as the founder of the trade of carpentry. To ‘play with an axe at the doorway to Lu Ban’s house’ is, of course, indicative of not knowing one’s own limitations. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㞾ϡ䞣࡯] (zì bú liàng lì 㞾ϡ䞣࡯) ‘not know one’s own limitations,’ [䌏ュ໻ᮍ] (yí xiào dà fang 䊑ュ໻ᮍ) ‘be laughed at by knowledgeable people.’ Antonyms: [㞾ⶹПᯢ] (zì zhc zhc míng 㞾ⶹПᯢ) ‘self-knowledge,’ [䷀‫ݏܝ‬᰺] (tao guang yfng huì 䶰‫ܝ‬仞᰺) ‘conceal one’s abilities and bide one’s time.’ 331. Ğ਒ීಜൢğ(ᐤᚘ≙ό) guang míng lgi luò ‫ܝ‬ᯢ here means ‘open’ and ⺞㨑 means ‘candid, straightforward.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘open and candid, frank and forthright.’ Example 1: ཌྷϔ⫳ℷⳈˈമᣕॳ߭ˈ਒ීಜൢDŽ Ta yìshbng zhèngzhí, jianchí yuánzé, guangmíng-lgiluò. ‘Her whole life long she was upright, sticking to her principles and being open and candid.’ Example 2: ཌྷЎҎ਒ීಜൢˈҢᴹϡⒹ⫼㞾Ꮕ᠟Ёⱘᴗ߽DŽ Ta wéirén guangmíng-lgiluò, cónglái bú lànyòng zìjh shiuzhdng de quánlì.

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Entries 332 – 333: Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ and 䖢ߗ㗠㾷

‘She is an open and straightforward person who never abuses the authority in her hands.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [㼳ᗔഺ㤵] ( jcn huái tfn dàng 㼳់ഺ㬽) ‘magnanimous, broad-minded, open-hearted.’ Antonyms: [थ䛭ᇣҎ] (bbi bh xifo rén थ䛭ᇣҎ) ‘mean and vile,’ [ሙᖗ৉⌟] ( je xcn pi cè ሙᖗ৉␀) ‘have evil intentions that are unpredictable.’ 332. Ğࠂഗ‫ݙ‬ᇦğ(ጣ᠐ጰᥖ) chuan liú bù xc Ꮁ means ‘river,’ ⌕ means ‘flow,’ and ᙃ means ‘stop.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘continuous flow.’ Example 1: ࣫Ҁ⥟ᑰѩ໻㸫Ϟ㸠Ҏ੠䔺䕚ࠂഗ‫ݙ‬ᇦDŽ Bgijcng Wángfjjhng Dàjib shàng xíngrén hé chbliàng chuanliú-bùxc. ‘On the streets of Wangfujing in Beijing, there is a continuous flow of pedestrians and vehicles.’ Example 2: ҪএᡒᎹ԰ˈԚᰃⳟࠄࠂഗ‫ݙ‬ᇦⱘ∖㘠ⱘҎˈҪⱘᖗᕜ㋻ᓴDŽ Ta qù zhfo gdngzuò, dànshì kàndào chuanliú-bùxc de qiúzhí de rén, ta de xcn hgn jhnzhang. ‘He went looking for a job, but seeing the unending stream of people seeking employment, he was very anxious.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, attributive, and adverbial. Note: Typically refers to people or traffic. Near Synonym: [㒰㒢ϡ㒱] (luò yì bù jué ㌵㑍ϡ㌩) ‘continuous flow.’ 333. Ğ፩ྂऎஊğ(ᜪ጑ᒚᾢ) yíng rèn ér jig 䖢 means ‘meet,’ ߗ means ‘knife blade,’ and 㾷 means ‘split.’ The whole idiom literally means ‘meet blade and split.’ This originally referred to the splitting of bamboo, since when the knife-edge cuts into the bamboo, it splits all the way down. A freer translation is ‘easily solved.’ Example 1: ᇍ߿Ҏᴹ䇈䴲ᐌẬ᠟ⱘ䯂乬ˈҪࠄњህ፩ྂऎஊDŽ Duì biérén lái shud fbicháng jíshiu de wèntí, ta dàole jiù yíngrèn-érjig. ‘Problems that are extremely difficult for others to deal with, once he arrives he can solve them with ease.’

Entries 334 – 335: ᇍ⮛ϟ㥃 and ⛁☿ᳱ໽

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Example 2: া㽕᳝ᅠ໛ⱘ⊩ᕟˈӏԩ㑴㒋䛑Ӯ፩ྂऎஊDŽ Zhhyào yiu wánbèi de fflq, rènhé jiefbn ddu huì yíngrèn-érjig. ‘As long as there are perfect laws, any dispute will be easily solved.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, usually preceded by nouns such as 䯂乬 (wèntí ଣ丠) ‘problem,’ 䲒乬 (nántí 䲷丠) ‘baffling problem,’ and ⶯Ⳓ (máodùn) ‘conflict.’ Near Synonyms: [࢓བ⸈ネ] (shì rú pò zhú ࢶབ⸈ネ) ‘situation like splitting bamboo – meet with no resistance,’ [∈ࠄ⏴៤] (shuh dào qú chéng ∈ࠄ⏴៤) ‘water arrives and channel is formed – when conditions are ripe success is achieved; achieved naturally and without effort,’ [ᯧབডᥠ] ( yì rú ffn zhfng ᯧབডᥠ) ‘as easy as turning one’s palms over – very easy.’ Antonyms: [ⱒᗱϡ㾷] (bfi sc bù jig ⱒᗱϡ㾷) ‘hundreds of thoughts not understand – remain perplexed despite much thought,’ [䗚∈㸠㟳] (nì shuh xíng zhdu 䗚∈ 㸠㟳) ‘row a boat against the water – sail against the current.’ 334. Ğ࣪ᑸሆጇğ(⁝⚿ጄ♔) duì zhèng xià yào ᇍ means ‘facing, be directed at,’ ⮛ means ‘illness,’ ϟ here means ‘prescribe,’ and 㥃 means ‘medicine.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘prescribe medicine that is directed at the illness,’ with freer translations being ‘suit the medicine to the illness’ and ‘act appropriately to the situation.’ Example 1: Դᕫ‫⏙ⳟܜ‬䯂乬ⱘᴀ䋼ˈ✊ৢᠡ㛑࣪ᑸሆጇDŽ Nh dgi xian kàn qcng wèntí de bgnzhì, ránhòu cáinéng duìzhèng-xiàyào. ‘You must first see clearly the essence of the problem; only then can you act appropriately to the situation.’ Example 2: 䗮䋻㝼㚔ⱘॳ಴ᰃ⫳ѻϡ䎇ˈা㽕࣪ᑸሆጇˈህ㛑ҢḍᴀϞ㾷‫އ‬䖭Ͼ䯂乬DŽ Tdnghuòpéngzhàng de yuánycn shì shbngchfn bù zú, zhhyào duìzhèng-xiàyào, jiù néng cóng gbnbgn shàng jigjué zhège wèntí. ‘The reason for inflation is insufficient production; provided that we suit the medicine to the illness, we can thoroughly solve this problem.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [᳝ⱘᬒⶶ] ( yiu dì fàng shh ᳝ⱘᬒⶶ) ‘have an object in view.’ Antonym: [᮴ⱘᬒⶶ] (wú dì f àng shh ⛵ⱘᬒⶶ) ‘without a target to release arrows – make unfounded accusations.’ 335. Ğེ૜ޫᄖğ(∻ᎂᴟ፞) rè hui cháo tian This idiom describes an atmosphere that is enthusiastic, active, and energetic. Translations include ‘bustling with activity, going ahead at full steam.’

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Entry 336: ϡ䎇Ў༛

Example 1: ᓎㄥᎹഄϞˈᎹҎӀᑆᕫེ૜ޫᄖDŽ Jiànzhù gdngdì shàng, gdngrénmen gàn dé rèhui-cháotian. ‘At the construction site, the workers were working at full steam.’ Example 2: ▇໻߽Ѯ㔥⧗݀ᓔ䌯ℷ೼ེ૜ޫᄖഄ䖯㸠ˈৃᰃ䙷ৡ⾡ᄤ䗝᠟ै಴Ӹᮽᮽ 䗔ߎњDŽ Àodàlìyà Wfngqiú Gdngkaisài zhèngzài rèhui-cháotian de jìnxíng, kgshì nà míng zhingzh xufnshiu què ycn shang zfozfo tuìche le. ‘Australia’s tennis open is currently taking place with great enthusiasm, but that seeded player because of an injury withdrew from the tournament long ago.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, adverbial or complement. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [བ☿བ㥐] (rú hui rú tú བ☿བ㥐) ‘like a raging fire, flourishing.’ Antonym: [⅏⇨≝≝] (sh qì chén chén ⅏⇷≝≝) ‘lifeless.’ 336. Ğ‫ݙ‬ᔗᆐໜğ(ጰᖭ⠆ᘟ) bù zú wéi qí 䎇 means ‘enough’ or ‘worth,’ Ў means ‘be,’ and ༛ means ‘unusual.’ The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘not be enough to be considered strange’ and a freer translation is ‘not at all surprising, expected.’ Example 1: ϝक⺙ⱘ㽓⪰‫ݙ‬ᔗᆐໜˈ៥ৗ䖛Ѩक⺙ⱘ㽓⪰DŽ Sanshí bàng de xcgua bùzú-wéiqí, wi chcguo wjshí bàng de xcgua. ‘A thirty-pound watermelon is nothing unusual; I’ve eaten fifty-pound watermelons.’ Example 2: ಴Ў㕢೑ⱘЁᇣᄺϡᬭ㣅䇁ⱘ䇁⊩ˈ᠔ҹ㕢೑ᄺ⫳ϡពᕫ∝䇁ⱘ䆡ᗻгህ ‫ݙ‬ᔗᆐໜњDŽ Ycnwei Mgiguó de zhdng-xifoxué bù jiao Ycngyj de yjff, suiyh Mgiguó xuésheng bù dingde Hànyj de cíxìng yg jiù bùzú-wéiqí le. ‘Because U.S. elementary and middle schools don’t teach English grammar, it’s not surprising that U.S. students don’t understand Chinese parts of speech.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonyms: [↨↨ⱚᰃ] (bh bh jib shì ↨↨ⱚᰃ) ‘can be found everywhere,’ [ৌぎ 㾕ᛃ] (sc kdng jiàn guan ৌぎ㽟᜷) ‘get used to seeing something and no longer find it strange.’ Antonyms: [໻᚞ᇣᗾ] (dà jcng xifo guài໻倮ᇣᗾ) ‘make a big fuss about nothing,’ [ग༛ⱒᗾ] (qian qí bfi guài ग༛ⱒᗾ) ‘many kinds of curious and strange things.’

Entries 337 – 338: 㜅㚢ᤶ偼 and ᡀⳝ৤⇨

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337. Ğᅙ჏ધ৷ğ(ᰉᢀᴈ᪒) tud tai huàn gj 㜅 means ‘break free from, escape from,’ 㚢 means ‘placenta,’ ᤶ means ‘change,’ and 偼 means ‘bones.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘break free from one’s placenta and change one’s bones.’ This was originally a Buddhist term referring to a monk or nun obtaining enlightenment. In current usage, the meaning of the whole idiom is ‘reborn, remold oneself, turn over a new leaf.’ Example 1: 㣅೑ⱘ㒣⌢๲䭓ᮍᓣ໾ձ䌪䞥㵡ϮˈᎹϮ≵᳝ৢࢆˈ೼䴶ᇍϪ⬠㒣⌢ॅᴎ ᯊˈᖙ乏ᅙ჏ધ৷ˈᠡ㛑ᨚ㜅㒣⌢ॅᴎⱘᕅડDŽ Ycngguó de jcngjì zbngzhfng f angshì tài yclài jcnróngyè, gdngyè méiyiu hòujìn, zài miànduì shìjiè jcngjì wbijc shí, bìxe tudtai-huàngj, cái néng bfitud jcngjì wbijc de yhngxifng. ‘The British economic growth model relies too much on the financial sector, industry having no stamina; in facing the world economic crisis, we must remold ourselves; only then can we shake off the influence of the economic crisis.’ Example 2: 㒧ီҹৢˈ೼ྏᄤⱘᐂࡽϟˈҪথ⫳њᅙ჏ધ৷ⱘব࣪ˈད‫ڣ‬ব៤њ঺໪ ϔϾҎDŽ Jiéhen yhhòu, zài qczi de bangzhù xià, ta fashbngle tudtai-huàngj de biànhuà, hfoxiàng biànchéngle lìngwài yí ge rén. ‘After getting married, with the help of his wife, he underwent change as though he had been reborn, it appearing as if he had become another person.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⋫ᖗ䴽䴶] (xh xcn gé miàn ⋫ᖗ䴽䴶) ‘reform oneself thoroughly, turn over a new leaf,’ [右ᵾᤶ⚂] (nifo qiang huàn pào 効ᾡ᦯⚂) ‘a bird rifle exchanged for a cannon – a big change for the better’ (used mostly in spoken Chinese). Antonym: [ϔҡ݊ᮻ] ( yì réng qí jiù ϔҡ݊㟞) ‘everything is still the same as in the old days.’ 338. Ğዯ඘ᅊ໮ğ(ᴊᡑᐻᦟ) yáng méi tj qì ᡀ means ‘raise,’ ⳝ means ‘brow,’ ৤ here means ‘pour out,’ and ⇨ here means ‘resentment.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘lift one’s brow and pour out one’s resentment,’ with freer translations being ‘stand up with one’s head held high’ and ‘feel proud and elated.’ Example 1: ᯊҷবњˈ‫⇥ݰ‬ϡ‫ݡ‬ᰃかೄⱘҷৡ䆡ˈҪӀ㒜Ѣዯ඘ᅊ໮њDŽ Shídài biàn le, nóngmín bú zài shì qióngkùn de dàimíngcí, tamen zhdngyú yángméitjqì le. ‘Times have changed; peasants are no longer a synonym for poverty, they have finally stood up with their heads held high.’

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Entries 339 – 340: 㤵✊᮴ᄬ and ৊݀ད啭

Example 2: ↣ϾҎ䛑᳝ዯ඘ᅊ໮ⱘᯊ‫׭‬DŽ Mgi ge rén ddu yiu yángméi-tjqì de shíhou. ‘Everyone has a time when he or she feels proud and elated.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ⳝ亲㡆㟲] (méi fbi sè wj ⳝ亯㡆㟲) ‘eyebrows fly face dances – delighted, elated.’ Antonyms: [ൖ༈ϻ⇨] (chuí tóu sàng qì ൖ丁୾⇷) ‘hang one’s head in dejection,’ [ᖡ⇨৲ໄ] (rgn qì ten shbng ᖡ⇷৲㙆) ‘restrain one’s anger and keep silent.’ 339. Ğ࡬཭ᇄࡀğ(⏖ᵩᵨᑜ) dàng rán wú cún 㤵 means ‘cleanse, wash,’ 㤵✊ means ‘clean,’ and ᮴ᄬ means ‘with nothing remaining.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘vanish without a trace.’ Example 1: ៥䆄ᖚЁⱘ䙷ᴵᇣ㸫བҞᏆ㒣࡬཭ᇄࡀњˈ೼䙷ϾഄᮍⲪ䍋њ催ὐDŽ Wi jìyì zhdng de nà tiáo xifo jib rújcn yhjcng dàngrán-wúcún le, zài nàge dìfang gàiqhle gaolóu. ‘The little road that I remember has now vanished without a trace, in that space they have built tall buildings.’ Example 2: 䙷Ͼ೑ᆊⱘᬓᑰᅬਬ催ᑺ㜤䋹ˈ᠔ҹ⇥Џ੠⊩ࠊᅲ䰙Ϟ࡬཭ᇄࡀDŽ Nàge guójia de zhèngfj guanyuán gaodù f jbài, suiyh mínzhj hé f fzhì shíjìshàng dàngrán-wúcún. ‘Government officials from that country are highly corrupt, so democracy and the legal system in fact have vanished without a trace.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence. Near Synonyms: [᮴ᕅ᮴䏾] (wú yhng wú zdng ⛵ᕅ⛵䐸) ‘without a shadow without tracks – without a trace,’ [⚳⍜ѥᬷ] (yan xiao yún sàn ✭⍜䳆ᬷ) ‘smoke disappears clouds disperse – without a trace.’ Antonym: [ձ✊ᬙ៥] ( yc rán gù wi ձ✊ᬙ៥) ‘I am still my same old self.’ 340. Ğጔ৛ੑചğ(὾ፊᑗ⑎) Yè gdng hào lóng ৊ is a Chinese surname, ݀ was a term of respect for males in ancient China somewhat like ‘Duke,’ and ད means ‘like.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘Duke Ye likes dragons.’ This is a metaphor for ‘on the surface to like something but actually not to like it at all’ or ‘pretend to like what one really dislikes or fears.’

Entry 341: ϔ㛝Ⳍᡓ

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Example 1: Ҫষ༈Ϟ䇈⃶䖢໻ᆊᦤߎϡৠᛣ㾕ˈৃᰃϔᮺ߿Ҏⳳⱘᦤߎњϡৠᛣ㾕ˈ Ҫজᕜϡ催݈ˈ䖭ህ᳝⚍‫ܓ‬ጔ৛ੑചњDŽ Ta kiutóu shàng shud huanyíng dàjia tíche bùtóng yìjiàn, kgshì yídàn biérén zhbnde tíchele bùtóng yìjiàn, ta yòu hgn bù gaoxìng, zhè jiù yiudifnr Yègdnghàolóng le. ‘He said orally that he welcomed everyone to put forward different opinions, but once someone else really put forward a different opinion, he was very unhappy; so this was a little like Duke Ye claiming that he liked dragons but actually being terrified of them.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏ᢯ᬊҎᠡϡᰃጔ৛ੑചˈ㗠ᰃ䅽ҪӀⳳℷথ᣹ᠡ㛑DŽ Wimen zhaoshdu réncái búshì Yègdng-hàolóng, érshì ràng tamen zhbnzhèng fahuc cáinéng. ‘When we recruit persons of talent, we don’t say one thing and mean another; instead, we let them really bring their talents into full play.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: In ancient China there was a rich gentleman by the name of Ye who was very fond of dragons. Dragons were embroidered on his clothes, dragons were engraved on his wine pitcher, and dragons were carved on his house; in a word, in his home dragons were everywhere. Now, when the real dragons in the heavens above heard about this, they came down from the heavens to see him. Dragon heads extended into his windows and dragon tails stretched into his living room. When he saw the real dragons, he ran in the opposite direction as if he was about to die, with an ashen expression on his face, totally unable to control himself. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㸼䞠ϡϔ] (bifo lh bù yc 㸼㺵ϡϔ) ‘behavior on the outside and thought on the inside are not consistent,’ [㿔ϡ⬅㹋] (yán bù yóu zhdng 㿔ϡ⬅㹋) ‘words are not sincere.’ Antonym: [ৡࡃ݊ᅲ] (míng fù qí shí ৡࡃ݊ᆺ) ‘worthy of the name or reputation.’ 341. Ğጙ൴ሤߌğ(ዯᨫᡐᙱ) yí mài xiang chéng 㛝 means ‘blood vessel,’ Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ and ᡓ means ‘succeed.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘(with) one blood vessel to succeed one another.’ Freer translations include ‘come down in a continuous line, traced to the same origin, of the same lineage.’ Example 1: Ϫ⬠৘ഄⱘ໽Џᬭⱘϡৠ⌒߿ⱘᗱᛇᰃጙ൴ሤߌⱘDŽ Shìjiè gè dì de Tianzhjjiào de bùtóng pàibié de scxifng shì yímài-xiangchéng de. ‘The ideology of the different factions of Catholicism everywhere in the world can be traced to the same origin.’

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Entries 342 – 343: 㕂Пϡ⧚ and 䑿‫ܜ‬຿द

Example 2: Ҫⱘ԰કⱘ亢Ḑ䎳Ҫⱘ㗕Ꮬⱘጙ൴ሤߌDŽ Ta de zuòphn de f bnggé gbn ta de lfoshc de yímài-xiangchéng. ‘The style of his works comes down in a straight line from that of his teacher.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonym: [㧻㾘᳍䱣] (Xiao guc Cáo suí 㭁㽣᳍䱼) ‘Xiao’s rules Cao (the famous general) follows – abide by the rules laid down by one’s predecessor.’ 342. Ğᒙᒄ‫ݙ‬ಯğ(ὠጴጰᮿ) zhì zhc bù lh 㕂 means ‘put,’ П means ‘it,’ and ⧚ means ‘pay attention to.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘put it aside and not pay attention to it,’ with a freer translation being ‘pay no attention to, ignore.’ Example 1: ཌྷᏆ㒣޴Ͼ᳜≵᳝Ѹ⬉䆱䌍њˈ⬉䆱݀ৌ޴⃵থֵˈཌྷ䛑ᒙᒄ‫ݙ‬ಯDŽ Ta yhjcng jh ge yuè méiyiu jiao diànhuàf èi le, diànhuà gdngsc jh cì f axìn, ta ddu zhìzhc-bùlh. ‘She hasn’t paid her telephone bill for several months; the telephone company has sent letters several times, but she pays no attention to them.’ Example 2: Ҫᇍए⫳ⱘ䄺ਞᒙᒄ‫ݙ‬ಯˈձ✊ᢑ⚳ୱ䜦ˈ㒧ᵰ䑿ԧ䍞ᴹ䍞ᏂDŽ Ta duì ycshbng de jhnggào zhìzhc-bùlh, ycrán chduyan hbjij, jiégui shbnth yuè lái yuè chà. ‘He ignores the warnings of his doctors, still smoking and drinking as before; as a result, his health is getting worse and worse.’ Usage: Functions as predicate at the end of a sentence. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㕂㢹㔨䯏] (zhì ruò wfng wén 㕂㢹㔨㘲) ‘turn a deaf ear to, ignore,’ [ᴳП催䯕] (shù zhc gao gé ᴳП催䭷) ‘bind and put aside in a high place – put something aside, shelve a matter.’ Antonym: [঺ⴐⳟᕙ] (lìng yfn kàn dài ঺ⴐⳟᕙ) ‘look at from a new point of view.’ 343. Ğ࿽ሌိᔘğ(ᖮᐧ጗ᗳ) shbn xian shì zú 䑿 means ‘oneself,’ ‫ ܜ‬means ‘in front of,’ and ຿द means ‘rank-and-file soldiers.’ The literal meaning of the idiom is ‘oneself be in front of the rank-and-file soldiers,’ with a freer translation being ‘lead one’s troops in a charge, provide leadership and set an example.’

Entries 344 – 345: ㊒⼲ᡪ᪲ and ՗՗㗠䇜

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Example 1: ೼㒣⌢ϡ᱃⇨ⱘᯊᳳˈ݀ৌⱘ㗕ᵓ࿽ሌိᔘˈࡴ⧁ࡴ⚍ˈ᳔㒜⥛乚݀ৌ 䍄ߎೄ๗DŽ Zài jcngjì bù jhngqì de shíqc, gdngsc de lfobfn shbnxian-shìzú, jiaban jiadifn, zuìzhdng shuàilhng gdngsc ziuche kùnjìng. ‘During the period when the economy was in a slump, the company boss provided leadership to his employees; he worked extra hours and in the end led the company out of its predicament.’ Example 2: Ꮘ乓ᇚ‫ݯ‬԰៬࢛ᬶˈ࿽ሌိᔘˈ᳝ᯊ‫៬ࠄ׭‬᭫ࠡ㒓҆㞾㾖ᆳᚙ‫މ‬DŽ Badùn jiangjen zuòzhàn yinggfn, shbnxian-shìzú, yiu shíhou dào zhàndòu qiánxiàn qcnzì guanchá qíngkuàng. ‘General Patton was brave in combat, himself leading his troops into battle; sometimes he would go to the frontline of battle to personally observe the situation.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ҹ䑿԰߭] ( yh shbn zuò zé ҹ䑿԰ࠛ) ‘set an example for others.’ 344. Ğறခ࣌႟ğ(⃶᧷ᕁ╲) jcng shén diu siu ᡪ᪲ means ‘stir up, rouse.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘full of energy.’ Example 1: ӥᙃњϸ໽ҹৢˈҪᓔྟறခ࣌႟ഄϞ⧁DŽ Xiexile lifng tian yhhòu, ta kaishh jcngshén-diusiu de shàngban. ‘After having rested for two days, he began to go to work full of energy.’ Example 2: ⳟࠄ຿݉ӀϾϾறခ࣌႟ˈᇚ‫ݯ‬䴲ᐌ⒵ᛣDŽ Kàndào shìbcngmen gègè jcngshén-diusiu, jiangjen f bicháng mfnyì. ‘On seeing that each and every one of the rank-and-file soldiers was full of energy, the general was very satisfied.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [ᛣ⇨亢থ] ( yì qì fbng fa ᛣ⇷乼ⱐ) ‘with boundless enthusiasm,’ [ᆍ‫⛩ܝ‬থ] (róng guang huàn fa ᆍ‫‘ )ⱐ✹ܝ‬one’s face glowing with health.’ Antonym: [㧢䴵ϡᤃ] (wgi mí bú zhèn 㧢䴵ϡᤃ) ‘dispirited.’ 345. Ğᖙᖙऎტğ(ᗕᗕᒚ⊯) kfn kfn ér tán ՗՗ means ‘confident and unhurried.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘speak with confidence and conviction.’

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Entries 346 – 347: 䆮ᖗ䆮ᛣ and ग‫ݯ‬ϛ偀

Example 1: 䴶ᇍ䆄㗙ˈҪᖙᖙऎტˈ㸼䖒њ㞾Ꮕⱘ㕢དᜓᳯDŽ Miànduì jìzhg, ta kfnkfn’értán, bifodále zìjh de mgihfo yuànwàng. ‘In front of the reporters, he spoke with confidence and conviction, expressing his own wonderful aspirations.’ Example 2: ଂὐᇣྤϢ乒ᅶᖙᖙऎტˈҟ㒡ҪӀⱘὐⲬⱘᚙ‫މ‬DŽ Shòulóu xifojig yj gùkè kfnkfn’értán, jièshào tamen de lóupán de qíngkuàng. ‘The female real estate agent spoke with her customers with confidence and conviction, introducing the situation in their apartment building.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonyms: [⒨⒨ϡ㒱] (tao tao bù jué ⒨⒨ϡ㌩) ‘talking on and on,’ [࿧࿧䘧ᴹ] (wgi wgi dào lái ࿧࿧䘧՚) ‘talking tirelessly’ (complimentary), [༌༌݊䇜] (kua kua qí tán 䁛䁛݊䂛) ‘full of boasts and exaggerations’ (derogatory). Antonyms: [ᓴষ㒧㟠] (zhang kiu jié shé ᔉষ㌤㟠) ‘open mouth tie tongue – at a loss for words,’ [થষ᮴㿔] ( yf kiu wú yán ଲষ⛵㿔) ‘dumb and without words – speechless,’ [৲৲৤৤] (ten ten tj tj ৲৲৤৤) ‘hem and haw,’ [ᳳᳳ㡒㡒] (qc qc ài ài ᳳᳳ㡒㡒) ‘stammer.’ 346. Ğߋቦߋፀğ(ᾬ፬ᾬẤ) chéng xcn chéng yì 䆮ᖗ means ‘sincere heart’ and 䆮ᛣ means ‘sincere intention.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘earnestly and sincerely.’ Example 1: Ҫߋቦߋፀഄ৥Դ䘧ℝˈԴЎҔМϡ⧚Ҫ˛ Ta chéngxcn-chéngyì de xiàng nh dàoqiàn, nh wèishénme bù lh ta? ‘He apologized to you earnestly and sincerely; why do you ignore him?’ Example 2: 䖭Ͼ᜜୘ᆊߋቦߋፀഄᐂࡽかೄഄऎⱘҎ⇥DŽ Zhège císhànjia chéngxcn-chéngyì de bangzhù qióngkùn dìqe de rénmín. ‘This philanthropist earnestly and sincerely helps people from poverty-stricken areas.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ⳳᖗᅲᛣ] (zhbn xcn shí yì ⳳᖗᆺᛣ) ‘wholehearted, sincere.’ Antonym: [㰮ᚙ‫؛‬ᛣ] (xe qíng jif yì 㰯ᚙ‫؛‬ᛣ) ‘hypocritical, insincere.’ 347. Ğ໻ంᅺ൫ğ(ጓ᢬Ὀ᪑) qian jen wàn mf ‫ ݯ‬means ‘soldiers, troops.’ The literal meaning is ‘a thousand troops and ten thousand horses,’ with a freer translation being ‘a vast array of infantry and cavalry, a powerful army.’

Entry 348: 㒲ሑ㛥∕

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Example 1: Ё೑ᬍ䴽ᓔᬒ߱ᳳⱘ催㗗ˈৃҹ⿄ᕫϞᰃĀ໻ంᅺ൫䖛⣀᳼ḹāˈ㛑໳ 㗗Ϟ໻ᄺⱘ䛑ᰃӬ⾔ⱘҎᠡDŽ Zhdngguó gfigé kaif àng cheqc de gaokfo, kgyh chbngdeshàng shì “qianjen-wànmf guò dúmùqiáo,” nénggòu kfoshàng dàxué de ddu shì yduxiù de réncái. ‘The university entrance examination during the early period of the reforms and opening up to the outside world could be called “a thousand troops and ten thousand horses crossing a single-plank bridge,” with those able to get into universities being outstanding persons of talent.’ Example 2: ݀ৌⱘ乚ᇐህ‫ݯڣ‬䯳Ёⱘᇚ‫ˈݯ‬ᇚ‫ݯ‬㽕ᣛ᣹໻ంᅺ൫ˈ乚ᇐ㽕ᏺࡼܼԧ ਬᎹDŽ Gdngsc de lhngdfo jiù xiàng jenduì zhdng de jiangjen, jiangjen yào zhhhuc qianjenwànmf, lhngdfo yào dàidòng quánth yuángdng. ‘The leader of a company is like a general in the armed forces; a general is supposed to command a vast array of infantry and cavalry, while a leader is supposed to spur on all of his or her staff members.’ Usage: Nominal element, functions as object or subject. Antonym: [ᄸᆊᆵҎ] (ge jia guf rén ᄸᆊᆵҎ) (originally meant ‘I’ as spoken by the emperor, nowadays means ‘an isolated man, a loner’; used mostly in speech). 348. Ğ୲஧ฎᒃğ(ᶫ⃔ὴᏮ) jifo jìn nfo zhc 㒲 means ‘entangle,’ ሑ means ‘completely,’ 㛥 means ‘brain,’ and ∕ means ‘juice.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘rack one’s brains.’ Example 1: Ўњ㾷‫އ‬䖭Ͼ䲒乬ˈҪ୲஧ฎᒃˈ᳔ৢ㒜ѢᛇߎњϔϾᅠ㕢ⱘࡲ⊩DŽ Wèile jigjué zhège nántí, ta jifojìn-nfozhc, zuìhòu zhdngyú xifngchele yí ge wánmgi de bànf f. ‘In order to solve this difficult problem, he racked his brains, in the end finally thinking of the perfect way to deal with it.’ Example 2: 咥⼒Ӯߚᄤ୲஧ฎᒃ䒆䙓䄺ᆳⱘ᧰ᶹDŽ Hbishèhuì fènzh jifojìn-nfozhc duibì jhngchá de sduchá. ‘The members of the criminal gang racked their brains to dodge the police during their search.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Near Synonyms: [ᣪぎᖗᗱ] (wa kdng xcn sc ᣪぎᖗᗱ) ‘rack one’s brains,’ [गᮍⱒ䅵] (qian fang bfi jì गᮍⱒ㿜) ‘by every possible means.’ Antonym: [♉ᴎϔࡼ] (líng jc yí dòng 䴜″ϔࢩ) ‘have a sudden inspiration, have a bright idea.’

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Entries 349 – 350: ൖ༈ϻ⇨ and ᥽㘇ⲫ䪗

349. Ğࠓᄿྵ໮ğ(ឃ␴Რᦟ) chuí tóu sàng qì ൖ means ‘hang down,’ ϻ means ‘lose,’ and ⇨ means ‘spirit.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘hang head lose spirit,’ with freer translations including ‘hang one’s head in dejection, dejected, discouraged.’ Example 1: Ўњ䖭എ↨䌯ˈҪӀ‫ޚ‬໛њϔᑈˈ㒧ᵰै㹿ᠧᕫ໻䋹ˈ䯳ਬӀ↨䌯ৢϔϾϾ ࠓᄿྵ໮ഄಲњᮙ佚DŽ Wèile zhè chfng bhsài, tamen zhjnbèile yì nián, jiégui què bèi dfde dàbài, duìyuánmen bhsài hòu yí ge ge chuítóu-sàngqì de huíle lrgufn. ‘For this competition, they prepared for one year, and in the end, they suffered a great defeat; after the competition, each and every one of the team members returned to the hotel hanging his head in dejection.’ Example 2: ཌྷϹढ़ഄ䇈˖ⳟԴ䙷ࡃࠓᄿྵ໮ⱘḋᄤˈા‫ڣ‬ϔϾ⬋Ҏʽ Ta yánlì de shud: “Kàn nh nà fù chuítóu-sàngqì de yàngzi, nf xiàng yí ge nánren!” ‘She said sternly: “Look at that dejected manner of yours; that isn’t like a man!”’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [᮴㊒ᠧ䞛] (wú jcng df cfi ⛵㊒ᠧ䞛) ‘listless, in low spirits.’ Antonyms: [᭫ᖫᯖᡀ] (dòu zhì áng yáng 價ᖫᯖ᦮) ‘full of fighting spirit,’ [ᕫᛣ ⋟⋟] (dé yì yáng yáng ᕫᛣ⋟⋟) ‘complacent, self-satisfied.’ 350. Ğዚऐࡹഅğ(ᭁᒜᶏ῱) yfn gr dào líng ᥽ means ‘cover,’ 㘇 means ‘ear,’ ⲫ means ‘steal,’ and 䪗 means ‘bell.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘cover ears steal bell,’ with a freer translation being ‘cover one’s own ears while one is stealing a bell so as to prevent others from hearing the sound of the bell.’ This is a metaphor for ‘deceive oneself and others.’ Example 1: Ҫϔᮍ䴶ໄ⿄㞾Ꮕ㓈ᡸ⼪೑㒳ϔˈԚᰃ঺ϔᮍ䴶জ⾬ᆚӮ᰸ߚ㺖ߚᄤˈ 䖭⾡ዚऐࡹഅⱘ‫⊩خ‬䅽ҎᙊᖗDŽ Ta yì fangmiàn shbngchbng zìjh wéihù zjguó tingyc, dànshì lìng yì fangmiàn yòu mìmì huìwù fbnliè fènzh, zhè zhing yfn’gr-dàolíng de zuòff ràng rén gxcn. ‘On the one hand he declared that he was upholding the unification of the motherland, but on the other hand he was secretly meeting with the separatists; this way of doing things where you are deceiving yourself and others is disgusting.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏᖙ乏࢛ᬶഄ䴶ᇍⳂࠡⱘೄ๗ˈϡ㛑ዚऐࡹഅDŽ Wimen bìxe yinggfn de miànduì mùqián de kùnjìng, bù néng yfn’gr-dàolíng. ‘We must bravely face our current difficulties; we should not try to deceive ourselves or others.’

Entries 351 – 352: ᮹໡ϔ᮹ and ༘༘ϔᙃ

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Allusion: Once upon a time, when a noble family had perished, a commoner wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to steal a large bell and carry it home on his back. But the bell was too large for him to carry, so he decided to break it up with a hammer and carry it home in several pieces. While he was breaking up the bell with his hammer, the bell emitted a large “gong.” Afraid that someone else would hear the sound of the bell and grab the bell away from him, the commoner immediately covered up his own ears. (from “Zi Zhi” in Mr. Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㞾ℎℎҎ] (zì qc qc rén 㞾ℎℎҎ) ‘deceive oneself and other people,’ [ᓘᎻ៤᢭] (nòng qifo chéng zhud ᓘᎻ៤᢭) ‘too clever for one’s own good.’ Antonyms: [‫ܝ‬ᯢℷ໻] (guang míng zhèng dà ‫ܝ‬ᯢℷ໻) ‘frank and upright,’ [ᓔ䆮 Ꮧ݀] (kai chéng bù gdng 䭟䁴Ꮧ݀) ‘have a frank and sincere talk.’ 351. Ğ྇আጙ྇ğ(፶᳞ዯ፶) rì fù yí rì ᮹ means ‘day’ and ໡ means ‘again.’ The literal meaning is ‘a day and again one day,’ with a freer translation being ‘day after day, day in day out.’ Example 1: ⫳⌏ህ䖭ḋ྇আጙ྇ǃᑈ໡ϔᑈഄ䖛ϟএˈ≵᳝ӏԩᬍবDŽ Shbnghuó jiù zhèyàng rìfùyírì, nián f ù yì nián de guòxiàqù, méiyiu rènhé gfibiàn. ‘Life passed in this way day after day, year after year, without any change at all.’ Example 2: Ҫԣ೼䌍ජˈԚᰃ೼㒑㑺Ꮉ԰ˈ಴ℸ྇আጙ྇ഄത☿䔺ᕔ䖨DŽ Ta zhù zài Fèichéng, dànshì zài Nijyub gdngzuò, ycnch rìfùyírì de zuò huichb wfngf fn. ‘He lives in Philadelphia but works in New York; therefore, day after day he takes the train back and forth.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate and attributive. Often used in conjunction with ᑈ໡ϔᑈ (nián fù yì nián) ‘year after year.’ Note: Slightly derogatory in meaning. Antonym: [ग䕑䲒䗶] (qian zfi nán féng ग䓝䲷䗶) ‘once in a thousand years, the chance of a lifetime.’ 352. Ğዙዙጙᇦğ(ᘡᘡዯᥖ) yfn yfn yì xc ༘༘ means ‘feeble breathing’ and ᙃ means ‘breath.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘breathe feebly, one’s last gasp before dying.’

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Entry 353: ग䕑䲒䗶

Example 1: 䙷ԡ⮙Ҏ⮙ᕫᕜ䞡ˈሑㅵ⫼њ᳔དⱘ㥃ˈԚᰃ䖬ᰃᬥϡ䖛ᴹˈᏆ㒣ዙዙ! ጙᇦњDŽ Nà wèi bìngrén bìngde hgn zhòng, jhngufn yòngle zuì hfo de yào, dànshì háishì jiù bú guòlái, yhjcng yfnyfn-yìxc le. ‘That patient is seriously ill; even though they used the best medicine, they’re unable to save him; he is already on his last breath.’ Example 2: ⬅Ѣ㒣⌢ফࠄ೑䰙䌘ᴀⱘ᥻ࠊˈ䖭Ͼ೑ᆊⱘ⇥ᮣᎹϮዙዙጙᇦњDŽ Yóuyú jcngjì shòudào guójì zcbgn de kòngzhì, zhège guójia de mínzú gdngyè yfnyfn-yìxc le. ‘Due to its economy being controlled by international capital, this country’s national industry is on its last legs.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonyms: [በበৃॅ] ( jí jí kg wbi በበৃॅ) ‘in imminent danger,’ [⅏ࠄЈ༈] (sh dào lín tóu ⅏ࠄ㞼丁) ‘death approaches,’ [㸠ᇚህ᳼] (xíng jiang jiù mù 㸠ᇛህ ᳼) ‘about to enter a coffin – on the verge of death.’ Antonyms: [ᳱ⇨㫀ࢗ] (zhao qì péng bó ᳱ⇷㫀ࢗ) ‘full of vigor and vitality,’ [⫳啭 ⌏㰢] (shbng lóng huó hj ⫳啡⌏㰢) ‘bursting with energy.’ 353. Ğ໻Ᏺซफ़ğ(ጓ῍⚈ᱝ) qian zfi nán féng 䕑 here means ‘year’ and 䗶 means ‘meet, encounter.’ A literal translation of the entire idiom is ‘in a thousand years hard to encounter.’ This describes a rare opportunity. Freer translations include ‘once in a thousand years, the chance of a lifetime.’ Example 1: 䖭ᰃϔϾ໻Ᏺซफ़ⱘᴎӮˈϔᅮ㽕ᡧԣDŽ Zhè shì yí ge qianzfi-nánféng de jchuì, yídìng yào zhuazhù. ‘This is the opportunity of a lifetime; you definitely need to seize it.’ Example 2: ⏅ഇᡧԣњ໻Ᏺซफ़ⱘग़৆ᴎ䘛ˈѢᰃҢϔϾᴥᄤϔ䎗៤Ў೑䰙࣪໻䛑ᏖDŽ Shbnzhèn zhuazhù le qianzfi-nánféng de lìshh jcyù, yúshì cóng yí ge cenzi yíyuè chéngwéi guójìhuà dàdeshì. ‘Shenzhen seized an extremely rare historical opportunity, subsequently changing from a village to an international metropolis.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; often followed by the nouns ᴎ䘛 (jcyù ″䘛) ‘lucky opportunity’ or ᴎӮ ( jchuì ″᳗) ‘opportunity.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ⱒᑈϡ䘛] (bfi nián bú yù ⱒᑈϡ䘛) ‘hundred years not meet – one won’t see this in a hundred years, rare.’

Entries 354 – 355: ᳾䲼㓌㓾 and ሙ催Јϟ

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Antonym: [ৌぎ㾕ᛃ] (sc kdng jiàn guàn ৌぎ㽟᜷) ‘get used to seeing something and no longer find it strange.’ 354. ĞᆚᎦ߭᫥ğ(Ꮶ᜼ℂⓓ) wèi yj chóu móu ᳾ means ‘not yet,’ 䲼 here means ‘rain,’ and 㓌㓾 is said to once have meant ‘silk umbrella.’ The idea is ‘prepare one’s umbrella in advance even before it rains.’ Nowadays, this idiom usually means ‘worry about something that hasn’t happened yet, take preventive measures.’ Example 1: ཌྷ‫خ‬ӏԩџᚙ䛑ᆚᎦ߭᫥ˈ಴ℸ≵᳝ߎ⦄䖛䞡໻ⱘᤳ༅DŽ Ta zuò rènhé shìqing ddu wèiyj-chóumóu, ycnch méiyiu chexiànguo zhòngdà de sjnshc. ‘Whatever she does, she takes preventive measures; therefore, large losses have never occurred.’ Example 2: 乚ᇐ㗙ᕫ‫݋‬໛ᆚᎦ߭᫥ⱘᛣ䆚ˈ䖭ḋᠡ㛑䰆ᙷѢ᳾✊DŽ Lhngdfozhg dgi jùbèi wèiyj-chóumóu de yìshi, zhèyàng cái néng fánghuàn yú wèirán. ‘Leaders must possess an awareness of preventive measures; only in this way can they guard against undesirable things happening in the future.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive; sometimes followed by 䰆ᙷ Ѣ᳾✊ (fánghuàn yú wèirán 䰆ᙷᮐ᳾✊) ‘guard against something bad happening in the future.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [᳝໛᮴ᙷ] ( yiu bèi wú huàn ᳝‫‘ )ᙷ⛵٭‬have preparation not have disaster – preparedness averts peril.’ Antonym: [Ј␈ᥬѩ] (lín kg jué jhng 㞼␈ᥬѩ) ‘just before becoming thirsty dig a well – do things at the last moment.’ 355. Ğ௙঱೹ሆğ(ᘾ᪓⓳ጄ) je gao lín xià The literal meaning is ‘reside in a high place and look downward,’ with a freer translation being ‘a commanding position or view.’ Example 1: Ҫⱘ߿๙೼ජᏖ䞠ⱘᇣቅ乊Ϟˈ௙঱೹ሆˈৃҹⳟ㾕ܼජDŽ Ta de biéshù zài chéngshì lh de xifo shandhng shàng, jegao-línxià, kgyh kànjiàn quánchéng. ‘His villa is at the top of a little hill in the city; it’s located way up there and looks down, so that you can see the whole city.’

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Entries 356 – 357: ᖗᅝ⧚ᕫ and ϔᛣᄸ㸠

Example 2: ᳝ⱘ乚ᇐᘏᰃᵓⴔ㜌ˈ䇈䆱ᏺⴔ௙঱೹ሆⱘ䇁⇨DŽ Yiude lhngdfo zingshì bfnzhe lifn, shudhuà dàizhe jegao-línxià de yjqì. ‘Some leaders always keep a straight face, speaking with a tone of voice as though they were in a high position looking down.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive, adverbial, and predicate. Near Synonyms: [催催೼Ϟ] (gao gao zài shàng 催催೼Ϟ) ‘up very high, isolated from the masses,’ [ⲯ⇨‫ޠ‬Ҏ] (shèng qì líng rén ⲯ⇷‫ޠ‬Ҏ) ‘arrogant, overbearing,’ [催ሟ ᓎ⫈] (gao we jiàn líng 催ሟᓎ⫈) ‘operate from a strategically advantageous position.’ Antonyms: [ᑇᯧ䖥Ҏ] (píng yì jìn rén ᑇᯧ䖥Ҏ) ‘amiable and approachable.’ 356. Ğቦ‫ڔ‬ಯࡻğ(፬ᑠᮿᬗ) xcn an lh dé ᅝ means ‘peaceful,’ ⧚ means ‘reason,’ and ᕫ means ‘obtain.’ A literal translation is ‘mind is peaceful and reason has been obtained,’ with a freer translation being ‘have peace of mind, have a clear conscience.’ Example 1: 䖭ϾҎⳳᰃ᮴㘏ˈሙ✊ቦ‫ڔ‬ಯࡻഄ᥹ফ߿Ҏⱘ䌓䌖DŽ Zhège rén zhbn shì wúchh, jerán xcn’an-lhdé de jibshòu biérén de huìlù. ‘This person is truly shameless, actually accepting bribes from others with a clear conscience.’ Example 2: ៥䖭Ͼᑈ㑾ⱘҎ‫خ‬џϡ∖߿ⱘњˈা∖ቦ‫ڔ‬ಯࡻDŽ Wi zhège niánjì de rén zuòshì bù qiú biéde le, zhh qiú xcn’an-lhdé. ‘Someone of my age in doing things does not seek anything else; I only seek peace of mind.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [䯂ᖗ᮴᛻] (wèn xcn wú kuì ଣᖗ⛵᛻) ‘have a clear conscience.’ Antonyms: [ᖤᖥϡᅝ] (tfn tè bù an ᖤᖥϡᅝ) ‘feel uneasy,’ [䯂ᖗ᳝᛻] (wèn xcn yiu kuì ଣᖗ᳝᛻) and [‫خ‬䌐ᖗ㰮] (zuò zéi xcn xe ‫خ‬䊞ᖗ㰯), both of which mean ‘have a guilty conscience.’ 357. Ğጙፀ৲ቲğ(ዯẤᘴᒭ) yí yì ge xíng ᄸ means ‘alone, isolated.’ A literal translation is ‘with full intention to walk in isolation.’ Freer translations are ‘cling obstinately to a reckless course’ and ‘hellbent on having one’s own way.’

Entry 358: ϝҸѨ⬇

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Example 1: ཌྷ䇈བᵰ㕢೑ጙፀ৲ቲˈᇍЁ೑ߎষ䖯㸠ࠊ㺕ˈЁ೑гӮⳌᑨഄ䖯㸠᡹໡DŽ Ta shud rúgui Mgiguó yíyì-gexíng, duì Zhdngguó chekiu jìnxíng zhìcái, Zhdngguó yg huì xiangyìng de jìnxíng bàofù. ‘She said that if the U.S. obstinately clings to its own reckless course and imposes sanctions on Chinese imports, China will retaliate accordingly.’ Example 2: 㨷џ䭓ϡ乒㨷џӮ݊Ҫ៤ਬⱘডᇍˈጙፀ৲ቲˈ㒧ᵰ㒭݀ৌᏺᴹњᎼ໻ⱘ 㒣⌢ᤳ༅DŽ Dingshìzhfng bú gù dingshìhuì qíta chéngyuán de ffnduì, yíyì-gexíng, jiégui ggi gdngsc dàiláile jùdà de jcngjì sjnshc. ‘The chairman of the board paid no heed to the objections of the other board members, being hell-bent on having his own way, and as a result he brought the company huge economic losses.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᠻ䗋ϡᙳ] (zhí mí bú wù ෋䗋ϡᙳ) ‘persist in one’s errors and refuse to come to one’s senses.’ Antonyms: [Ң୘བ⌕] (cóng shàn rú liú ᕲ୘བ⌕) ‘follow the good as naturally as water runs downhill – accept good advice readily,’ [㰮ᗔ㢹䈋] (xe huái ruò gj 㰯់㢹䈋) ‘a mind as open as a valley – very open-minded.’ 358. Ğྯഎᇋ࿺ğ(ጃ᎛ጺᏽ) san lìng wj shbn Ҹ means ‘order’ and ⬇ means ‘explain.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘three orders five explanations,’ with freer translations being ‘repeated orders and commands’ or ‘issue orders repeatedly.’ Example 1: 㱑✊Ё༂ྯഎᇋ࿺ˈഄᮍᬓᑰ䖬ᰃⵦ᡹ӸѵџᬙDŽ Sucrán zhdngyang sanlìng-wjshbn, dìfang zhèngfj háishì mánbào shangwáng shìgù. ‘Though the central authorities issued repeated orders, the local government nonetheless withheld facts in reporting about the accident that resulted in injuries and deaths.’ Example 2: ᬭ㚆䚼ྯഎᇋ࿺㽕ֱ䆕ЁᇣᄺᬭᏜⱘᎹ䌘থᬒˈৃᰃ䖬ᰃ᳝䚼䮼᣾⫼ᬭᏜ Ꮉ䌘DŽ Jiàoyùbù sanlìng-wjshbn yào bfozhèng zhdngxifoxué jiàoshc de gdngzc fafàng, kgshì háishì yiu bùmén nuóyòng jiàoshc gdngzc. ‘The Ministry of Education issued orders repeatedly to guarantee the issuing of wages to secondary and elementary school teachers, but there were nevertheless departments that diverted the teachers’ wages.’

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Entries 359 – 360: ձձϡ㟡 and Фϡᗱ㳔

Usage: Functions as predicate, with terms such as Ё༂ᬓᑰ (zhdngyang zhèngfj) ‘central government’ frequently serving as subject. The result in the main clause is often negative. Near Synonym: [থোᮑҸ] (fa hào shc lìng ⱐ㰳ᮑҸ) ‘give orders.’ Antonyms: [㕂㢹㔨䯏] (zhì ruò wfng wén 㕂㢹㔨㘲) ‘turn a deaf ear to, ignore,’ [ስ⽕ϡℶ] (lr jìn bù zhh ሶ⽕ϡℶ) ‘repeatedly forbidden but not stopping,’ [ᭋ㸡 њџ] (fe yfn lifo shì ᭋ㸡њџ) ‘do a perfunctory job.’ 359. Ğጞጞ‫ݙ‬࿱ğ(ᗍᗍጰ᭑) yc yc bù shg ձձ means ‘reluctant to part with’ and 㟡 means ‘abandon, part.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘feel a sense of regret when leaving, cannot bear to leave, reluctant to part from.’ Example 1: ⬭ᄺ⫳Ӏጞጞ‫ݙ‬࿱ഄ⾏ᓔ࣫ҀˈⳐᳯⴔሑᖿಲᴹDŽ Liúxuéshengmen ycyc-bùshg de líkai Bgijcng, pànwàngzhe jìnkuài huílái. ‘The foreign students left Beijing with a great sense of regret, hoping to return as soon as possible.’ Example 2: ໻❞⣿㹿䗕ಲቅ䞠ˈཌྷ⫼ጞጞ‫ݙ‬࿱ⱘⴐ⼲ⳟⴔ但‫ݏ‬њཌྷϝᑈⱘ但‫ݏ‬ਬˈ䙷 എ䴶ⳳҸҎᛳࡼDŽ Dàxióngmao bèi sònghuí shan lh, ta yòng ycyc-bùshg de yfnshén kànzhe sìyfngle ta san nián de sìyfngyuán, nà chfngmiàn zhbn lìng rén gfndòng. ‘When the panda was sent back into the mountains, she looked at the keeper who had fed her for three years with a look in her eyes indicating her reluctance to part; that scene was really touching.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᘟᘟϡ㟡] (liàn liàn bù shg ។។ϡ᤼), [ձձᚰ߿] (yc yc xc bié ձձ ᚰ߹), and [䲒㟡䲒ߚ] (nán shg nán f bn 䲷᤼䲷ߚ), all of which mean ‘reluctant to part from.’ Antonym: [ϔߔϸᮁ] ( yì dao lifng duàn ϔߔܽᮋ) ‘one (blow of a) knife two severed portions – make a clean break with.’ 360. Ğಘ‫ݙ‬ႈၟğ(∛ጰូᾏ) lè bù sc Shj Ф means ‘happy,’ ᗱ means ‘think about, miss,’ and 㳔 means ‘the Kingdom of Shu Han (221–263 C.E.).’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘so happy that one doesn’t miss one’s home country of Shu Han,’ with freer translations being ‘indulge in pleasure and forget home and duty, too merry to be homesick.’

Entry 361: ্Ў㾖ℶ

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Example 1: ҪҢ䌍ජࠄᏈ咢ߎᏂˈࡲᅠ݀џҹৢҡ✊೼䙷䞠ᕙњϔ໽জϔ໽ˈㅔⳈ ಘ‫ݙ‬ႈၟњDŽ Ta cóng Fèichéng dào Balí chechai, bànwán gdngshì yhhòu réngrán zài nàlh daile yì tian yòu yì tian, jifnzhí lèbùscshj le. ‘He went from Philadelphia to Paris on a business trip; after finishing his business, he still stayed there day after day; he was simply so happy that he almost forgot he should return.’ Example 2: ཌྷӀ೼䙷䞠⥽‫ܓ‬њϔϾ᳜њˈৃᰃ䖬ϡᛇಲᆊˈϔࡃಘ‫ݙ‬ႈၟⱘḋᄤDŽ Tamen zài nàlh wánrle yí ge yuè le, kgshì hái bù xifng huíjia, yí fù lèbùscshj de yàngzi. ‘They’ve been amusing themselves there for one month now, but still don’t want to return home; it appears they’re having so much fun that they have forgotten their home.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Allusion: In 263 C.E., the king of Shu Han, Liu Chan, surrendered to another kingdom, Xi Jin, and was forced to leave the capital of his home kingdom and live in the capital of Xi Jin. One day the king of Xi Jin asked Liu Chan if he missed his native country, and Liu Chan replied: “This place is great fun; I don’t miss Shu Han at all.” The king of Xi Jin laughed, saying: “If a man is as shameless as him, even the smartest person in the world cannot help him.” Note: Derogatory in meaning. Antonym: [㨑৊ᔦḍ] (luò yè guc gbn 㨑㨝⅌ḍ) ‘falling leaves return to their roots – end one’s days on one’s native soil, after having resided elsewhere return to one’s ancestral home.’ Note that there is an alternate form of this idiom written ৊㨑 ᔦḍ (yè luò guc gbn 㨝㨑⅌ḍ) . 361. Ğშᆐ਋ᒏğ(′ᠥ⟤፻) tàn wéi guan zhh ্ means ‘sigh with emotion,’ 㾖 means ‘look,’ and ℶ means ‘stop.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘sigh with emotion because once you have seen a certain place you don’t need to see anything else.’ Freer translations include ‘in awe, sigh in wonder, acclaim something as perfect.’ Example 1: ᬙᅿᓎㄥ㕸㾘῵ᅣ໻ˈҸҎშᆐ਋ᒏDŽ Gùgdng jiànzhùqún gucmó hóngdà, lìng rén tànwéiguanzhh. ‘The cluster of buildings that is the Forbidden City is on an enormous scale; it makes people sigh in awe.’ Example 2: 䰓ḍᓋ⧗ਬ偀ᢝ໮㒇ⱘ㛮⊩Ҹ㾖ӫშᆐ਋ᒏDŽ kgbntíng qiúyuán Mfladudnà de jifoff lìng guanzhòng tànwéiguanzhh. ‘The footwork of the Argentinean soccer player Maradona makes the audience sigh in wonder.’

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Entries 362 – 363: ໻᳝Ҏ೼ and 䲾Ё䗕⚁

Usage: Functions mainly as causative predicate; the usual structure is ‘ҸҎ̚ (lìng rén) / 䅽Ҏ̚ (ràng rén 䅧) ‘make someone. . . .’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᢡḜি㒱] (pai àn jiào jué ᢡḜি㌩) ‘hit the table and call out excellent – express admiration.’ Antonyms: [ϡ䎇ᣖ啓] (bù zú guà chh ϡ䎇᥯唦) ‘not worth hanging on the teeth – not worth mentioning,’ [ϡؐϔᦤ] (bù zhí yì tí ϡؐϔᦤ) ‘not worth mentioning.’ 362. ĞࡍᎌཽᏴğ(ጙᑺዷᑋ) dà yiu rén zài ໻ here means ‘many.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘there are many people like this.’ Example 1: 㱑✊ᬃᣕཌྷⱘҎᕜ໮ˈԚᰃডᇍⱘгࡍᎌཽᏴDŽ Sucrán zhcchí ta de rén hgn dud, dànshì ffnduì de yg dàyiurénzài. ‘Though there were many people who supported her, there were also lots of people who opposed her.’ Example 2: Դᇍ៥ⱘ䆘Ӌ໾催њˈ݊ᅲ↨៥∈ᑇ催ⱘࡍᎌཽᏴDŽ Nh duì wi de píngjià tài gaole, qíshí bh wi shuhpíng gao de dàyiurénzài. ‘Your appraisal of me is too high; actually there are plenty of people with a higher level than me.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence. Near Synonyms: [ϡУ݊Ҏ] (bù fá qí rén ϡУ݊Ҏ) ‘no lack of such people,’ [↨↨ ⱚᰃ] (bh bh jib shì ↨↨ⱚᰃ) ‘can be found everywhere.’ Antonym: [ᆹᆹ᮴޴] (liáo liáo wú jh ᆹᆹ⛵ᑒ) ‘very few.’ 363. Ğኩᒦ႙ჩğ(ᱷጱᩰᠩ) xug zhdng sòng tàn ⚁ means ‘charcoal.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘in the midst of snowy weather send charcoal.’ This is a metaphor for ‘provide timely and critical assistance’ or ‘offer opportune help.’ Example 1: Ϫ⬠৘ഄⱘҎӀ㒭ফ♒㗙䗕এњ໻ᡍⱘᏤ㇋੠ẝ㹿ˈⳳᰃኩᒦ႙ჩଞʽ Shìjiè gè dì de rénmen ggi shòuzaizhg sòngqùle dà pc de zhàngpéng hé miánbèi, zhbn shì xugzhdng-sòngtàn a! ‘People from all over the world sent the natural disaster victims large quantities of tents and quilts, which really did provide timely and crucial assistance!’ Example 2: ᭈϾ㙵Ꮦ໘೼ॅᴎПЁˈᬓᑰኩᒦ႙ჩˈ໻ᐙ䰡Ԣњ䫊㸠ᄬℒ߽⥛DŽ Zhgnggè gjshì chjzài wbijc zhczhdng, zhèngfj xugzhdng-sòngtàn, dàfú jiàngdcle yínháng cúnkufn lìlq.

Entries 364 – 365: ϔㅍ㥿ሩ and ∈⊘ϡ䗮

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‘The entire stock market is in the midst of a crisis; the government has provided opportune assistance by greatly lowering banks’ interest rates for savings.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᢨߔⳌࡽ] (bá dao xiang zhù ᢨߔⳌࡽ) ‘draw one’s sword and help another – come to someone’s rescue.’ Antonym: [㨑ѩϟ⷇] (luò jhng xià shí 㨑ѩϟ⷇) ‘someone falls in a well and someone else throws stones down at them – hit a person when he or she is down.’ 364. Ğጙ߫෤ᐱğ(ዯ⛆ᰙ᤺) yì chóu mò zhfn ㅍ means ‘plan,’ 㥿 means ‘not,’ and ሩ here means ‘implement.’ A literal translation is ‘even one plan not implement,’ with freer translations being ‘can’t think of any way to solve a problem, at one’s wit’s end.’ Example 1: ⬅Ѣ䖭䍋ḜӊЁଃϔⱘ䆕ҎϡᑌএϪњˈ䄺ᆳ಴ℸጙ߫෤ᐱDŽ Yóuyú zhè qh ànjiàn zhdng wéiyc de zhèngrén búxìng qùshì le, jhngchá ycnch yìchóumòzhfn. ‘Because the only witness in this case unfortunately has died, the police therefore are at their wit’s end.’ Example 2: ህ೼໻ᆊጙ߫෤ᐱⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬さ✊ӴᴹϔϾད⍜ᙃDŽ Jiù zài dàjia yìchóu-mòzhfn de shíhou, terán chuánlái yí ge hfo xiaoxi. ‘Just when everybody was at their wit’s end, suddenly a piece of good news was sent in.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Often followed by ᯊ (shí ᰖ), ⱘᯊ‫( ׭‬de shíhou ⱘᰖ‫)׭‬, or П䰙 (zhc jì П䱯), all of which mean ‘when.’ Near Synonyms: [᮴䅵ৃᮑ] (wú jì kg shc ⛵㿜ৃᮑ) ‘at one’s wit’s end,’ [ᴳ᠟᮴ㄪ] (shù shiu wú cè ᴳ᠟⛵ㄪ) ‘tied hands without plan – at a complete loss about what to do.’ Antonym: [䎇ᱎ໮䇟] (zú zhì dud móu 䎇ᱎ໮䃔) ‘enough wisdom and enough plans – wise and resourceful.’ 365. Ğၺቛ‫ݙ‬ᄰğ(ᎁᛋጰ᱓) shuh xiè bù tdng ⊘ means ‘let out (water)’ and 䗮 means ‘come through.’ The meaning is ‘not even a drop of water could come through’ – so crowded is a place, so heavy is traffic, or so tightly surrounded is some person or place. Example 1: ⼎࿕ⱘҎ㕸ᡞᘏ㒳ᑰೈᕫၺቛ‫ݙ‬ᄰDŽ Shìwbi de rénqún bf zingtingfj wéide shuhxiè-bùtdng.

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Entry 366: ⳌձЎੑ

‘The crowds of people who were demonstrating surrounded the Presidential Palace very tightly.’ Example 2: 䌁⠽ЁᖗᮄᓔϮˈଚકᠧѨᡬˈ៤गϞϛ乒ᅶ⍠њ䖛ᴹˈ䌁⠽Ёᖗ᣸ᕫ ၺቛ‫ݙ‬ᄰDŽ Gòuwù zhdngxcn xcn kaiyè, shangphn df wjzhé, chéngqian-shàngwàn gùkè yingle guòlai, gòuwù zhdngxcn jhde shuhxiè-bùtdng. ‘When the shopping mall started doing business, merchandise was on sale at fifty percent off; tens of thousands of customers poured in, the shopping mall being so crowded that not even a drop of water could have gotten through.’ Usage: Functions mainly as complement for verbs such as ೈ (wéi ೡ) ‘surround,’ ᣸ ( jh ᪴) ‘squeeze,’ and ฉ (dj) ‘stop up.’ The pattern is verb  ᕫ (de)  ∈⊘ϡ 䗮. Near Synonym: [ҎቅҎ⍋] (rén shan rén hfi ҎቅҎ⍋) ‘people mountain people sea – huge crowds.’ Antonyms: [ಯ䗮ܿ䖒] (sì tdng ba dá ಯ䗮ܿ䘨) ‘extend or radiate in all directions,’ [⬙䗮᮴䰏] (chàng tdng wú zj ᱶ䗮⛵䰏) ‘unimpeded and unobstructed.’ 366. Ğሤጞᆐෘğ(ᡐᗍᠥᘒ) xiang yc wéi mìng Ⳍ means ‘one another,’ ձ means ‘depend on,’ Ў means ‘be,’ and ੑ means ‘life.’ A literal translation is ‘several people depend on one another for their lives,’ with a freer translation being ‘depend on each other for survival, bound by a common destiny.’ Example 1: ಴Ў⠊҆⅏ᕫᮽˈᄽᄤ䎳↡҆ሤጞᆐෘDŽ Ycnwèi fùqcn shde zfo, háizi gbn mjqin xiangyc-wéimìng. ‘Because the father died early, the children and their mother depended on one another for survival.’ Example 2: ⬅Ѣ⫳⌏かೄˈܼᆊѨষҎ᣸೼ϔ䯈ሟᄤ䞠ሤጞᆐෘDŽ Yóuyú shbnghuó qióngkùn, quán jia wj kiu rén jh zài yì jian wezi lh xiangycwéimìng. ‘Because their lives were destitute, all of the five people in the family crammed into one room, depending on each other for survival.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonyms: [Ⳍ▵ҹ≿] (xiang rú yh mò Ⳍ▵ҹ≿) ‘moisten one another with saliva – help one another in difficult times,’ [ᙷ䲒Ϣ݅] (huàn nàn yj gòng ᙷ䲷㟛 ݅) ‘go through difficulties together.’ Antonym: [৘༨ࠡ⿟] (gè bèn qián chéng ৘༨ࠡ⿟) ‘each going her or his own way without regard for others.’

Entries 367 – 368: 㸫༈Ꮛሒ and ᮴ᖂϡ㟇

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367. Ğ୾ᄿሳᆘğ(ᷭ␴ឩᔤ) jib tóu xiàng wgi 㸫༈ means ‘street corner’ and Ꮛሒ means ‘the end of a lane.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘streets and lanes.’ Example 1: ೼Ꮘ㽓୾ᄿሳᆘ䏶⧗ⱘᇥᑈЁߎ⦄њ䆌໮ৢᴹⱘ䎇⧗Ꮌ᯳DŽ Zài Baxc jibtóu-xiàngwgi tcqiú de shàonián zhdng chexiànle xjdud hòulái de zúqiú jùxcng. ‘Among the youth who kick balls in the streets and lanes of Brazil, there have emerged many a future megastar of soccer.’ Example 2: ໣໽ᴹњˈ୾ᄿሳᆘߎ⦄њᕜ໮∈ᵰ᨞‫ܓ‬DŽ Xiàtian láile, jibtóu-xiàngwgi chexiànle hgn dud shuhguitanr. ‘Summer has come and, in the streets and lanes, there have appeared many fruit vendor stands.’ Usage: Nominal element, can function as object of coverb phrase with ೼ (zài); can also serve as subject, object, and attributive. Near Synonym: [໻㸫ᇣᏋ] (dà jib xifo xiàng ໻㸫ᇣᏋ) ‘all the streets and lanes.’ 368. Ğᇄᆈ‫ݙ‬ᒗğ(ᵨẢጰᒣ) wú wbi bú zhì ᖂ means ‘small’ and 㟇 means ‘arrive.’ A literal translation is ‘there is no small (area where attention or care) did not arrive.’ This idiom can be translated as ‘meticulous, leaving nothing undone.’ Example 1: ೼⠊↡ᇄᆈ‫ݙ‬ᒗⱘ✻乒ϟˈᄽᄤ‫ع‬ᒋഄ៤䭓DŽ Zài fùmj wúwbi-búzhì de zhàogù xià, háizi jiànkang de chéngzhfng. ‘Under the meticulous care of its parents, the child grew up in good health.’ Example 2: ए⫳ᇄᆈ‫ݙ‬ᒗഄ݇ᗔ᠔᳝ⱘ⮙ҎDŽ Ycshbng wúwbi-búzhì de guanhuái suiyiu de bìngrén. ‘Doctors show concern for all their patients, leaving not the slightest thing undone.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [݇ᗔ໛㟇] (guan huái bèi zhì 䮰់‫٭‬㟇) ‘show the utmost solicitude.’ Antonyms: [㉫ᖗ໻ᛣ] (ce xcn dà yì ㉫ᖗ໻ᛣ) ‘careless, negligent,’ [⓴ϡ݇ᖗ] (mò bù guan xcn ⓴ϡ䮰ᖗ) ‘indifferent,’ [偀偀㰢㰢] (mf mf he he 侀侀㰢㰢) ‘casual, careless’ (used mostly in spoken Chinese).

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Entries 369 – 370: ϡ‫؛‬ᗱ㋶ and ∳䚢ᠡሑ

369. Ğ‫ݙ‬ଣႈჃğ(ጰ᪛ូᨍ) bù jif sc sui ‫ ؛‬means ‘make use of ’ and ᗱ㋶ means ‘think, ponder.’ The whole idiom means ‘without stopping to think, without hesitation.’ Example 1: ཌྷ‫ݙ‬ଣႈჃഄಲㄨ˖Āᙼᬒᖗ৻ˈ≵䯂乬DŽā Ta bùjif-scsui de huídá: ‘Nín fàngxcn ba, méiwèntí.’ ‘She answered without hesitating: “Relax, there’s no problem.”’ Example 2: ਀њᇍᮍⱘ䆱ҹৢˈҪ‫ݙ‬ଣႈჃഄ䇈˖ Āϡ㸠ʽā Tcngle duìfang de huà yhhòu, ta bùjif-scsui de shud: ‘Bùxíng.’ ‘After he had heard the remarks from the other side, he said without hesitation: “No!”’ Usage: Functions as adverbial; usually followed by a verb meaning ‘say.’ Near Synonym: [㜅ষ㗠ߎ] (tud kiu ér che㛿ষ㗠ߎ) ‘blurt out.’ Antonym: [⏅ᗱ❳㰥] (shbn sc shú lq ⏅ᗱ❳ᝂ) ‘careful deliberation or consideration.’ 370. Ğ୕ಋ‫ݣ‬஧ğ(ᒆᢸጭ⃔) Jiang láng cái jìn ∳ is a Chinese surname, 䚢 means ‘man,’ ᠡ means ‘talent,’ and ሑ means ‘exhausted, used up.’ A literal translation is ‘the talents of the man by the name of Jiang were exhausted,’ with a freer translation being ‘one’s talents have been used up’ or ‘one’s creative energies have become exhausted.’ Example 1: ⠯乓ᰮᑈ೼⾥ᄺϞ≵᳝ҔМさߎⱘ䋵⤂ˈ䖭ϡᰃ಴ЎҪ୕ಋ‫ݣ‬஧њˈ㗠ᰃ 䍄䫭њᮍ৥DŽ Niúdùn wfnnián zài kbxué shàng méiyiu shénme teche de gòngxiàn, zhè bú shì ycnwèi ta Jiangláng-cáijìn le, ér shì ziucuòle fangxiàng. ‘In his later years, Newton had no prominent contributions; this was not because his creative energies were exhausted, but because he proceeded in the wrong direction.’ Example 2: Ҫᑈ䕏ⱘᯊ‫׭‬᳒㒣߁‫׳‬ϔϾҎⱘ࡯䞣ᤑᬥ䖛ϔϾ݀ৌˈԚᰃᰮᑈг᳝୕ಋ ‫ݣ‬஧ⱘᯊ‫׭‬DŽ Ta niánqcng de shíhou céngjcng píngjiè yí ge rén de lìliàng wfnjiùguo yí ge gdngsc, dànshì wfnnián yg yiu Jiangláng-cáijìn de shíhou. ‘When he was young, he once – relying on his own strength – rescued a company; but in his later years, there were also times when his creative energies were exhausted.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Allusion: Jiang Yan (444–505 C.E.) was a famous literary figure during the Southern Dynasties Period who, in his youth, wrote excellent essays. It is said that one

Entries 371 – 372: ϡⳌϞϟ and ሙᅝᗱॅ

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evening during his later years, he dreamed of a handsome man by the name of Guo Pu, a famous author (276–324 C.E.). In the dream, Guo Pu said to Jiang Yan: “I have a pen that has been in your possession for many years; now you can give it back to me.” When Jiang Yan felt around in his robe, he really did find a fivecolor pen, which he returned to Guo Pu. From this time on, the quality of Jiang Yan’s poetry deteriorated dramatically. Everyone said that Jiang Yan’s talent was really Guo Pu’s and that now it was gone. (from Shi Pin by Zhong Rong) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [咨偈ᡔか] (Qián lp jì qióng 咨倶ᡔも) ‘the Guizhou donkey’s skills have been exhausted – exhaust one’s bag of clumsy tricks’ (derogatory). Antonym: [߱䴆䫟㡦] (che lù fbng máng ߱䴆䢦㡦) ‘first reveal spear edge – show one’s talent for the first time.’ 371. Ğ‫ݙ‬ሤ࿟ሆğ(ጰᡐጆጄ) bù xiang shàng xià Ⳍ means ‘mutually’ and Ϟϟ means ‘high and low, superior and inferior.’ The whole idiom means ‘equally matched, without much difference, about the same.’ Example 1: ϸϾҎⱘЦЧ⧗∈ᑇ‫ݙ‬ሤ࿟ሆˈ䛑ᕜ䲒䌶ᇍᮍDŽ Lifng ge rén de pcngpangqiú shuhpíng bùxiang-shàngxià, ddu hgn nán yíng duìfang. ‘Their level in ping pong is approximately the same, so it will be hard for either to win over the other.’ Example 2: 䖭ϸӊଚકⱘ䋼䞣‫ݙ‬ሤ࿟ሆˈԚᰃӋḐᏂᕫህ໮њDŽ Zhè lifng jiàn shangphn de zhìliàng bùxiang-shàngxià, dànshì jiàgé chà de jiù dud le. ‘The quality of these two items of merchandise is without much difference, but the price is very different.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [ϡߚԃӆ] (bù fbn bó zhòng ϡߚԃӆ) ‘irrespective of order of seniority among brothers – not much different.’ Antonym: [໽ຸП߿] (tian rfng zhc bié ໽ຸП߹) ‘as different as heaven and earth.’ 372. Ğ௙‫ڔ‬ႈᆉğ(ᘾᑠូᐶ) je an sc wbi ሙ means ‘live in,’ ᅝ means ‘peace,’ ᗱ means ‘think about,’ and ॅ means ‘danger.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘live in peace (but) think about danger.’ A freer translation of the whole idiom is ‘vigilant even in peacetime.’

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Entry 373: 䖥೼੿ሎ

Example 1: ⦄೼៥Ӏⱘᔶ࢓ϔ⠛໻དˈԚᰃ៥Ӏϡ㛑ⳆⳂФ㾖ˈ㽕ᇣᖗ䇼ᜢˈ௙‫!ڔ‬ ႈᆉDŽ Xiànzài wimen de xíngshì yípiàn dàhfo, dànshì wimen bùnéng mángmù lèguan, yào xifoxcn jhnshèn, je’an-scwbi. ‘Right now our situation is that everything is excellent, but we cannot be blindly optimistic; we must be very cautious and prudent, and prepare for danger even in peacetime.’ Example 2: Ϟৌਞ䆿ϟሲ㽕ࡴᔎ௙‫ڔ‬ႈᆉⱘᖻᙷᛣ䆚DŽ Shàngsc gàojiè xiàshj yào jiaqiáng je’an-scwbi de yduhuàn yìshi. ‘The superiors admonished the subordinates to strengthen their awareness of danger even at a time of security.’ Usage: Functions as predicate or attributive. If used as attributive, often followed by ᛣ䆚 (yìshi ᛣ䄬) ‘awareness’ or ᗱᛇ (scxifng) ‘mind.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [䰆ᙷ᳾✊] (fáng huàn wèi rán 䰆ᙷ᳾✊) ‘defend against possible disaster, prevent trouble before it happens,’ [᳾䲼㓌㓾] (wèi yj chóu moú ᳾䲼 ㍶㐚) ‘worry about something that hasn’t happened yet.’ Antonyms: [咏⯍໻ᛣ] (má bì dà yì 咏⯍໻ᛣ) ‘careless and inattentive,’ [催ᵩ᮴ᖻ] (gao zhgn wú ydu 催ᵩ⛵᝖) ‘high pillow no worries – rest easy.’ 373. ĞதᏴᩃߛğ(ᜬᑋ᝼፥) jìn zài zhh chh A ੿ was a unit of measurement in ancient China consisting of eight ᇌ or ‘Chinese inches.’ A ሎ or ‘Chinese foot’ was another ancient measurement. Together, ੿ሎ means ‘short distance.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘extremely close, close at hand.’ Example 1: 䖭ᆊᮙ佚ህ೼໻Փ佚ⱘᇍ䴶ˈதᏴᩃߛˈ᠔ҹԣᆓⱘҎᘏᰃ⒵ⴔDŽ Zhè jia lrgufn jiù zài dàshhgufn de duìmiàn, jìnzài-zhhchh, suiyh zhùsù de rén zingshì mfnzhe. ‘This hotel is right across from the embassy, very close at hand, so it’s always fully occupied by guests.’ Example 2: ҪӀϸϾҎதᏴᩃߛˈৃᰃᚙᛳϞै䖰೼໽⎃DŽ Tamen lifng ge rén jìnzài-zhhchh, kgshì qínggfn shàng què yufnzài-tianyá. ‘The two of them are very close to each other in physical distance, but emotionally they’re as distant from each other as the ends of the earth.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonyms: [੿ሎП䘹] (zhh chh zhc yáo ੿ሎП䘭) ‘very close,’ [ϔ㸷ᏺ∈] (yc yc dài shuh ϔ㸷ᐊ∈) ‘narrow strip of water in between.’

Entries 374 – 375: ोೳ䞡ᴹ and ‫ބ‬໽䲾ഄ

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Antonyms: [䖰೼໽⎃] (yufn zài tian yá 䘴೼໽⎃) ‘as distant as the ends of the earth,’ [੿ሎ໽⎃] (zhh chh tian yá ੿ሎ໽⎃) ‘so near and yet so far away.’ 374. Ğ௳ᅉᒮ౶ğ(ᬸ጖ᢽᗔ) jufn tj chóng lái ोೳ means ‘sweep up dust.’ This describes people and horses who are running. 䞡ᴹ means ‘come again.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘stage a comeback.’ Example 1: Ϟ⃵Ϫ⬠ᵃᏈ㽓༅߽њˈ䖭⃵ҪӀ௳ᅉᒮ౶ˈ䴲㽕༎প‫ݯݴ‬ϡৃDŽ Shàngcì Shìjièbbi Baxc shclìle, zhè cì tamen jufntj-chónglái, fbi yào duóqj guànjen bùkg. ‘In the last World Cup, Brazil suffered a setback; this time they are staging a comeback and are dead set on winning the championship.’ Example 2: ᇍѢ䋾∵㜤䋹⦄䈵ϔᅮ㽕ᣕ㓁ϡᮁഄᠧߏˈ಴Ў⿡ᖂϔᬒᵒˈᅗӀህӮ ௳ᅉᒮ౶DŽ Duìyú tanwe fjbài xiànxiàng yídìng yào chíxù búduàn de dfjc, ycnwèi shaowbi yí fàngsdng, tamen jiù huì jufntj-chónglái. ‘We definitely should persist in cracking down on graft and corruption without interruption, because the minute you relax just a little, they will stage a comeback.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Slightly derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϰቅ‫ݡ‬䍋] (ddng shan zài qh ᵅቅ‫ݡ‬䍋) ‘(from) East Mountain rise up again – stage a comeback,’ [⅏♄໡➗] (sh huc fù rán ⅏♄ᕽ➗) ‘dying embers again burn – come back to life,’ [঺䍋♝♊] (lìng qh lú zào ঺䍋⟤♊) ‘start a new kitchen – start all over again.’ Antonyms: [ϔ䑊ϡᤃ] ( yì jué bú zhèn ϔ䑊ϡᤃ) ‘unable to recover from a setback,’ [ϛࡿϡ໡] (wàn jié bú fù 㨀ࡿϡᕽ) ‘doomed for ten thousand generations,’ [‫ؗ‬᮫ ᙃ哧] (yfn qí xc gj ‫ؗ‬᮫ᙃ哧) ‘roll up the flags and silence the drums – call everything off.’ 375. Ğܹᄖኩ࢐ğ(ᐫ፞ᱷᑊ) bcng tian xug dì ‫ބ‬໽ means ‘icy sky’ and 䲾ഄmeans ‘snow-covered ground.’ The whole idiom means ‘all covered with ice and snow, bitterly cold.’ Example 1: Ё೑ⱘϰ࣫䎳㕢೑ⱘѨ໻␪ऎᏂϡ໮ˈ‫ހ‬໽ⱘᯊ‫׭‬ᘏᰃܹᄖኩ࢐DŽ Zhdngguó de Ddngbgi gbn Mgiguó de Wjdàhú qe chàbùdud, ddngtian de shíhou zingshì bcngtian-xugdì. ‘The Northeast of China is much like the Great Lakes region of the U.S., being all covered with ice and snow in the winter.’

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Entries 376 – 377: ᳝ⱘᬒⶶ and ϔᇬϡᶧ

Example 2: ᮙ㸠㗙䗋њ䏃ˈԚᰃ䴴ϡ໮ⱘϔ⚍≑⊍੠亳⠽ˈ೼ܹᄖኩ࢐ⱘቅᵫ䞠മᣕ њѨ໽ˈ᳔ৢ㹿ҎᬥњDŽ Lrxíngzhg míle lù, dànshì kào bù dud de yìdifn qìyóu hé shíwù, zài bcngtian-xug de shanlín lh jianchíle wj tian, zuìhòu bèi rén jiù le. ‘The travelers lost their way, but relying on their small supply of gasoline and provisions, they held on for five days in the mountainous forests that were all covered with ice and snow, until finally they were rescued.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Near Synonym: [໽ᆦഄ‫( ]ޏ‬tian hán dì dòng ໽ᆦഄ‫‘ )ޡ‬sky is cold and ground is frozen.’ Antonym: [᯹ᱪ㢅ᓔ] (chen nufn hua kai ᯹ᱪ㢅䭟) ‘spring is warm and flowers bloom.’ 376. Ğᎌࡼहဦğ(ᑺᛵᚏᐄ) yiu dì fàng shh ⱘ here means ‘target, goal,’ ᬒ means ‘release,’ and ⶶ means ‘arrow.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘have a target and release arrows,’ with freer translations being ‘have an object in mind, goal-oriented.’ Example 1: ‫خ‬ӏԩџ䛑㽕ᦤࠡ䇗ᶹˈ䖭ḋᠡ㛑ᎌࡼहဦˈপᕫ᳔དⱘᬜᵰDŽ Zuò rènhé shì ddu yào tíqián diàochá, zhèyàng cáinéng yiudì-fàngshh, qjdé zuì hfo de xiàogui. ‘In doing anything you should investigate beforehand; only in this way can you be goal-oriented and obtain the best results.’ Example 2: ᇍѢ㔾⢃ˈ㽕‫ߚܙ‬њ㾷ҪӀ៤䭓ⱘग़৆ˈ✊ৢᎌࡼहဦഄ䖯㸠ᬭ㚆DŽ Duìyú zuìfàn, yào chdngfèn lifojig tamen chéngzhfng de lìshh, ránhòu yiudìfàngshh de jìnxíng jiàoyù. ‘Regarding offenders, one must sufficiently understand the history of how they grew up, and after that, in a goal-oriented manner, carry out education.’ Usage: Functions as predicate and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᇍ⮛ϟ㥃] (duì zhèng xià yào ᇡⰹϟ㮹) ‘suit the medicine to the illness.’ Antonym: [᮴ⱘᬒⶶ] (wú dì f àng shh ⛵ⱘᬒⶶ) ‘without a target to release arrows – make unfounded accusations.’ 377. Ğጙ޺‫཰ݙ‬ğ(ዯ‾ጰ៭) yì chén bù rfn ᇬ means ‘dust’ and ᶧ means ‘dye, contaminate.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘not contaminated by even a single particle of dust,’ with a freer translation

Entry 378: џञࡳ‫ס‬

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being ‘spotless, clean, pure’ (of the environment or of a person). This idiom derives from Buddhism, in which sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thought were called the ‘six dusts,’ by which a Buddhist was not supposed to be contaminated. Example 1: ཌྷ೼ৡ߽എ䞠޴कᑈैጙ޺‫ˈ཰ݙ‬໾䲒‫ࠄخ‬њDŽ Ta zài mínglìchfng lh jh shí nián què yìchén-bùrfn, tài nán zuòdàole. ‘She spent decades in the circles of those seeking fame and fortune and yet remained pure; that is very hard to do.’ Example 2: 䖭ᰃϔᆊѨ᯳㑻ⱘ䜦ᑫˈϡԚ᳝ጙ޺‫⦃ⱘ཰ݙ‬๗ˈ䖬᳝䍙ϔ⌕ⱘ᳡ࡵDŽ Zhè shì yì jia wjxcngjí de jijdiàn, búdàn yiu yìchén-bùrfn de huánjìng, hái yiu chao ycliú de fúwù. ‘This is a five-star hotel; it not only has a spotless environment, it also has more than first-class service.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᅜ䑿བ⥝] (shiu shbn rú yù ᅜ䑿བ⥝) ‘keep oneself as pure as jade – maintain one’s moral integrity,’ [‫( ]⋕⥝⏙ބ‬bcng qcng yù jié ‫‘ )┨⥝⏙ބ‬ice clear and jade pure – incorruptible,’ [ϸ㹪⏙亢] (lifng xiù qcng fbng ܽ㹪⏙乼) ‘(in one’s) two sleeves (there is only) pure wind – honest and not corrupt, not a penny to one’s name.’ Antonym: [℆ລ䲒฿] ( yù hè nán tián ℆ລ䲷฿) ‘greed is like a valley that is hard to fill – the greedy will never be satisfied.’ 378. Ğူ‫ۍ‬৖۶ğ(ᗇᎮᎨᣑ) shì bàn gdng bèi ࡳ here means ‘efficacy, effect’ and ‫ ס‬means ‘double.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘work half effect double,’ with a freer translation being ‘twice the results with half the effort.’ Example 1: 䇏к㽕ࡼ㛥ㄟˈᠡ㛑ᬊࠄူ‫ۍ‬৖۶ⱘᬜᵰDŽ Dúshe yào dòng nfojcn, cáinéng shdudào shìbàn-gdngbèi de xiàogui. ‘In studying you have to use your head, only then can you achieve twice the results with half the effort.’ Example 2: 催⾥ᡔ㛑䍋ࠄူ‫ۍ‬৖۶ⱘ԰⫼DŽ Gaokbjì néng qhdào shìbàn-gdngbèi de zuòyòng. ‘High-tech can bring about the effect of twice the results with half the effort.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Frequently preceded by verbs such as পᕫ (qjdé) ‘obtain,’ ᬊࠄ (shdudào) ‘achieve,’ 䖒ࠄ (dádào 䘨ࠄ) ‘attain,’ and 㦋ᕫ (huòdé ⥆ᕫ) ‘obtain.’ Often followed by nouns such as ᬜᵰ (xiàogui) ‘result,’ 㒧ᵰ ( jiégui ㌤ᵰ) ‘result,’ and ԰⫼ (zuòyòng) ‘effect.’

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Entries 379 – 380: ϡৠ޵ડ and ѩᑩП㲭

Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϔВϸᕫ] ( yì jj lifng dé ϔ㟝ܽᕫ) ‘kill two birds with one stone,’ [ϔㆁঠ䲩] (yí jiàn shuang diao ϔㆁ䲭䲩) ‘one arrow pair (of ) hawks – kill two birds with one stone.’ Antonyms: [џ‫ࡳס‬ञ] (shì bèi gdng bàn џ‫ࡳס‬ञ) ‘twice the work with half the result,’ [ᕫϡٓ༅] (dé bù cháng shc ᕫϡ۳༅) ‘the gain does not make up for the loss.’ 379. Ğ‫ݙ‬ᄴदሰğ(ጰᐹጉ❀) bù tóng fán xifng ϡৠ means ‘different from,’ ޵ means ‘ordinary,’ and ޵ડ means ‘common music.’ The whole idiom means ‘out of the ordinary, head and shoulders above the rest, outstanding.’ Example 1: જԯ໻ᄺⱘᬭᥜ∈ᑇህᰃ催ˈ㾖⚍ᕜ⣀⡍ˈ‫ݙ‬ᄴदሰDŽ Hafó Dàxué de jiàoshòu shuhpíng jiùshì gao, guandifn hgn dútè, bùtóngfánxifng. ‘The level of the professors at Harvard University is just high and their points of view are unique; they stand head and shoulders above everyone else.’ Example 2: ҪᰃϔϾ‫ݙ‬ᄴदሰⱘҎ⠽ˈҹৢϔᅮ䖬Ӯ᳝໻থሩDŽ Ta shì yí ge bùtóng-fánxifng de rénwù, yhhòu ycdìng hái huì yiu dà fazhfn. ‘He is an uncommon man; in the future he is bound to experience rapid development.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [Ϣӫϡৠ] ( yj zhòng bù tóng 㟛㸚ϡৠ) ‘different from everyone else, out of the ordinary,’ [ߎ㉏ᢨ㧗] (che lèi bá cuì ߎ串ᢨ㧗) ‘stand out and be preeminent.’ Antonym: [ᑇ⎵᮴༛] (píng dàn wú qí ᑇ⎵⛵༛) ‘flat and uninteresting.’ 380. Ğழ࢏ᒄᅤğ(ጸᙑጴᷦ) jhng dh zhc wa ѩ means ‘well’ and 㲭 means ‘frog.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘a frog at the bottom of a well.’ This is a metaphor for ‘a narrow-minded or shortsighted or inexperienced person.’ Example 1: ೼≵᳝ᬊ䷇ᴎǃ⬉䆱ǃ⬉㾚੠Ѧ㘨㔥ⱘᯊҷˈ‫أ‬䖰‫ݰ‬ᴥⱘҎህ‫ڣ‬ழ࢏ᒄᅤˈ ᇍ໪䴶޴Тϔ⚍䛑ϡњ㾷DŽ Zài méiyiu shduycnjc, diànhuà, diànshì hé hùliánwfng de shídài, pianyufn nóngcen de rén jiù xiàng jhngdh-zhcwa, duì wàimiàn jche yìdifn ddu bù lifojig.

Entry 381: ໻ৠᇣᓖ

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‘During the period when there were no radios, telephones, televisions or Internet, people in the remote countryside were like frogs in the bottom of a well, understanding almost nothing about the outside.’ Example 2: ཌྷ㄀ϔ⃵ࠄ⊩೑ˈ䍄೼佭ᾁБ㟡໻㸫Ϟˈᛳ㾝㞾Ꮕ‫ڣ‬ϔাழ࢏ᒄᅤDŽ Ta dìyc cì dào Ffguó, ziu zài Xiang Xièlìshè dàjib shàng, gfnjué zìjh xiàng yì zhc jhngdh-zhcwa. ‘When she went to France for the first time, she walked along the Champs Élysées, feeling naive and inexperienced like a frog in the bottom of a well.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object. Allusion: There was a little frog in a shallow well that said to a giant sea turtle that had come from the East Sea: “See how happy I am! When I want to go out to play, I jump around the railing at the mouth of the well; and when I wish to rest, I take a nice nap in one of the holes in the wall of the well. When I jump into the water, the water surface just reaches my waist; and when I step into the mud, the mud merely submerges my feet. How can other little critters like crabs and tadpoles compare with me? I occupy my own space, playing any way I feel like. I’m so happy! Why don’t you come here more often to visit?” Before the giant sea turtle’s left foot had even entered the well, its right knee had already gotten stuck in the well wall. It moved back and forth a number of times, but there was no way it could get in. So it began solemnly to tell the little frog the story of the ocean: “The ocean is thousands of miles distant and thousands of feet deep; even if in ten years there were nine years of floods, there still wouldn’t appear to be more water in the ocean; and even if in eight years there were seven years of great drought, there still wouldn’t appear to be less water in the ocean. The ocean is impervious to the changes of time or the amount of rainfall. These are the reasons why it is such a pleasure to live in the ocean!” When the little frog had heard this, it was very much taken aback, deeply sensing its own insignificance. (from “Qiushui” in Zhuangzi) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [໰䚢㞾໻] (Yè Láng zì dà ໰䚢㞾໻) ‘parochialism and self-importance,’ [ϔᄨП㾕] (yì king zhc jiàn ϔᄨП㽟) ‘a view through a small hole – one-sided view, limited view’ (modest expression). Antonym: [㾕໮䆚ᑓ] ( jiàn dud shí gufng 㽟໮䄬ᒷ) ‘experienced and well informed.’ 381. Ğࡍᄴቃፊğ(ጙᐹጟᯊ) dà tóng xifo yì ৠ means ‘same’ and ᓖ means ‘different.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘mostly the same with only minor differences.’ Example 1: 䖭ϸᴀкⳟ䍋ᴹᕜϡϔḋˈ݊ᅲ‫ݙ‬ᆍࡍᄴቃፊDŽ Zhè lifng bgn she kànqhlai hgn bù yíyàng, qíshí nèiróng dàtóng-xifoyì. ‘These two books look quite different, but actually their content is much the same.’

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Entries 382 – 383: 䇜ュ亢⫳ and ϡѺФТ

Example 2: 䖥ѯᑈˈ⃻㕢೑ᆊ䘛ࠄⱘ䯂乬ࡍᄴቃፊˈ䛑Ꮒϡ໮DŽ Jìn xib nián, numgi guójia yùdào de wèntí dàtóng-xifoyì, ddu chàbùdud. ‘In recent years, the problems that Europe and the U.S. have encountered are much the same; they’re not much different.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, occurring at the end of a sentence. Antonyms: [໻Ⳍᕘᒁ] (dà xiang jìng tíng ໻Ⳍᕥᒁ) ‘as different as path and yard – poles apart,’ [໽ຸП߿] (tian rfng zhc bié ໽ຸП߹) ‘as different as heaven and earth.’ 382. Ğტቈज़ညğ(⊯ᨆᣉ᏷) tán xiào fbng shbng 亢⫳ means ‘interest, enthusiasm.’ The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘talk and laugh with interest and enthusiasm.’ A freer translation is ‘chat merrily, engage in witty conversation.’ Example 1: Ӯ䇜ⱘ⇨⇯䴲ᐌ䕏ᵒˈ໻ᆊტቈज़ညDŽ Huìtán de qìfbn fbicháng qcngsdng, dàjia tánxiào-fbngshbng. ‘The atmosphere at the negotiations was very relaxed, everyone chatting merrily.’ Example 2: ϸϾҎტቈज़ညˈϔ䍋䍄䖯ᬭᅸDŽ Lifng ge rén tánxiào-fbngshbng, yìqh ziujìn jiàoshì. ‘The two of them were engaged in witty conversation as together they walked into the classroom.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Antonym: [咬咬᮴䇁] (mò mò wú yj 咬咬⛵䁲) ‘completely silent and without words.’ 383. Ğ‫ݙ‬ጾಘઃğ(ጰᐑ∛᎓) bú yì lè he Ѻ means ‘also,’ Ф means ‘happy,’ andТ is the Classical Chinese equivalent of the Modern Chinese question particle ৫. The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘Is it not also a happy thing?’ A freer translation is ‘what a pleasure’ or ‘what a delight.’ However, in modern usage, this idiom is most commonly used to express a high degree and may be translated as ‘very, extremely.’ Example 1: ೷䆲㡖ࠄњˈᄽᄤӀ䛑ᴹњˈ䖭ᇍ㗕໿ཛᖭᕫ‫ݙ‬ጾಘઃDŽ Shèngdànjié dào le, háizimen ddu lái le, zhè duì lfo fefù máng de búyìlèhe. ‘When Christmas arrived, the children all came, and the old couple was extremely busy.’

Entries 384 – 385: ᡓࠡਃৢ and ৠ⫬݅㢺

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Example 2: ϸϾҎ䛑ᕜӮ䇈䆱ˈ䖭⃵ϔਉᶊˈਉᕫ‫ݙ‬ጾಘઃDŽ Lifng ge rén ddu hgn huì shudhuà, zhè cì yì chfojià, chfo de búyìlèhe. ‘Both of them are very articulate, so this time when they quarreled, they had quite the argument.’ Usage: Functions as complement. The predicate that comes before often expresses ‘being busy.’ Note: The source of this idiom is the collection of Confucius’ sayings known as The Analects, in which there is a line ᳝᳟㞾䖰ᮍᴹˈϡѺФТ˛(yiu peng zì yufn f ang lái, bú yì lè he ᳝᳟㞾䘴ᮍ՚ˈϡѺῖТ˛) ‘Is it not a delight to have friends come from afar?’ Antonym: [ϡৃᓔѸ] (bù kg kai jiao ϡৃ䭟Ѹ) ‘a hopeless state of affairs.’ 384. Ğߌ༄໪ઁğ(ᙱ᝟᭘ឹ) chéng qián qh hòu ᡓ means ‘continue, carry on’ and ਃ means ‘open up, begin.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘continue what has come before and open up what is to come after,’ with freer translations being ‘succeed the past and develop the future’ or ‘carry on the great traditions of something.’ Example 1: 㥿༜೼㕢ᴃ৆Ϟᰃϔԡߌ༄໪ઁᓣⱘ⬏ᆊDŽ Mònài zài mgishùshh shàng shì yí wèi chéngqián-qhhòu shì de huàjia. ‘In art history, Monet was the type of artist who built on the great traditions of the past to develop those of the future.’ Example 2: 䖭ᰃϔ⃵ߌ༄໪ઁǃ㒻ᕔᓔᴹⱘ໻ӮDŽ Zhè shì yí cì chéngqián-qhhòu, jìwfng-kailái de dàhuì. ‘This is a conference that continues past traditions while opening up new ones, that carries on the glorious heritage of the past while developing new directions for the future.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonyms: [ᡓϞਃϟ] (chéng shàng qh xià ᡓϞଳϟ) ‘link the preceding with the following,’ [㒻ᕔᓔᴹ] ( jì wfng kai lái 㑐ᕔ䭟՚) ‘carry on the glorious traditions of the past and open up the way to the future.’ Antonym: [ぎࠡ㒱ৢ] (kdng qián jué hòu ぎࠡ㌩ৢ) ‘never before or since.’ 385. Ğᄴজৢౄğ(ᐹ᏶ᐩᢋ) tóng gan gòng kj ৠ means ‘together,’ ⫬ means ‘sweet,’ ݅ means ‘collectively,’ and 㢺 means ‘bitter.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘together sweet collectively bitter,’ with freer translations being ‘share joys and sorrows’ or ‘share comforts and hardships.’

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Entry 386: ᯢⳂᓴ㚚

Example 1: ϡᇥЁ೑໿ྏ೼㡄䲒ⱘᯊ‫׭‬㛑ᄴজৢౄˈԚᰃ៤ࡳৢ᳝ϡᇥ䯂乬DŽ Bùshfo Zhdngguó feqc zài jiannán de shíhou néng tónggan-gòngkj, dànshì chénggdng hòu yiu bùshfo wèntí. ‘Many Chinese couples during difficult times can share their joys and sorrows, but after they succeed, they have many problems.’ Example 2: 㕸ӫ⡍߿ᢹᡸ䙷ѯ㛑ϢҪӀᄴজৢౄⱘᅬਬDŽ Qúnzhòng tèbié ydnghù nà xib néng yj tamen tónggan-gòngkj de guanyuán. ‘The masses particularly support those officials who can share their joys and their sorrows.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ৠ㟳݅⌢] (tóng zhdu gòng jì ৠ㟳݅△) ‘same boat together cross (river) – overcome difficulties together,’ [᳝⽣ৠѿ] (yiu fú tóng xifng ᳝⽣ৠѿ) ‘when there is good fortune together enjoy it,’ [᳝䲒ৠᔧ] (yiu nàn tóng dang ᳝䲷ৠ⭊) ‘when there are hardships together confront them.’ Antonym: [ৠᑞᓖṺ] (tóng chuáng yì mèng ৠᑞ⭄໶) ‘same bed different dreams – work together but for different ends.’ 386. Ğී෹ᐽࡠğ(ᚘᐂᬑ⓰) míng mù zhang dfn ᯢⳂ means ‘open the eyes’ and ᓴ㚚 means ‘gather up one’s courage.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘open, flagrant, brazen.’ This refers to doing bad things openly and brazenly. Example 1: 䖭ᑻජᏖⱘ⊏ᅝ໾Ꮒњˈᇣًコ✊ී෹ᐽࡠഄ೼໻㸫Ϟًϰ㽓DŽ Zhè zuò chéngshì de zhì’an tài chà le, xifotdu jìngrán míngmù-zhangdfn de zài dàjib shàng tdu ddngxi. ‘Law and order in this city are very much lacking, thieves actually stealing things brazenly on the open street.’ Example 2: 䙷Ͼ໻೑ḍᴀϡ乒㘨ড়೑݀㑺ˈී෹ᐽࡠഄ։⬹߿ⱘᇣ೑DŽ Nàge dà guó gbnbgn bú gù Liánhéguó gdngyub, míngmù-zhangdfn de qcnlüè biéde xifo guó. ‘That great power doesn’t give any consideration at all to United Nations covenants, brazenly invading other smaller countries.’ Usage: Functions as adverbial. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᯢ☿ᠻҫ] (míng hui zhí zhàng ᯢ☿෋ҫ) ‘do evil openly,’ [‫ܝ‬໽ ࣪᮹] (guang tian huà rì ‫ܝ‬໽࣪᮹) ‘in broad daylight.’

Entries 387 – 388: 㘇䯏Ⳃⵍ and ୐ュⱚ䴲

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Antonyms: [Ꮬߎ᳝ৡ] (shc che yiu míng ᏿ߎ᳝ৡ) ‘take action with just reasons,’ [ৡℷ㿔乎] (míng zhèng yán shùn ৡℷ㿔䷚) ‘perfectly justifiable,’ [儐儐⼳⼳] (guh guh suì suì 儐儐⼳⼳) ‘furtive, stealthy.’ 387. Ğऐᆫ෹ࣙğ(ᒜℎᐂἳ) gr wén mù dj 㘇 means ‘ears,’ 䯏 means ‘hear,’ Ⳃ means ‘eyes,’ and ⵍ means ‘see.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘ears hear and eyes see.’ This refers to hearing something with one’s own ears and seeing something with one’s own eyes. A freer translation would be ‘what one hears and sees, observe in person.’ Example 1: 䖭ѯᑈˈҪऐᆫ෹ࣙњϔѯ䅽Ҏ⇨ᛸⱘџDŽ Zhè xib nián, ta grwén-mùdj le yìxib ràng rén qìfèn de shì. ‘These last few years, he has personally observed some things that would make people furious.’ Example 2: ऐᆫ෹ࣙ䖭ϔߛৢˈҪᛳࡼњˈথ䁧‫خ‬ϔϾདҎDŽ trwén-mùdj zhè yíqiè hòu, ta gfndòng le, fashì zuò yí ge hforén. ‘After he had personally observed all this, he was moved, and swore to be a good person.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonym: [㘇▵Ⳃᶧ] (gr rú mù rfn 㘇▵Ⳃᶧ) ‘ears immersed and eyes contaminated – influenced by what one hears and sees.’ Antonym: [䯁Ⳃา਀] (bì mù sè tcng 䭝Ⳃา㙑) ‘close eyes and block listening – oblivious to the world.’ 388. Ğᄎቈ୼ऻğ(Ლᨆᡇ᜾) tí xiào jib fbi ୐ means ‘cry,’ ⱚ means ‘both,’ and 䴲 means ‘is not.’ The literal meaning is ‘cry laugh both is not.’ A freer translation of this idiom is ‘not know whether it is better to laugh or cry, in an awkward situation.’ Example 1: ҪᕜϹ㙗ഄ䆆њϔϾ㗕ᥝ⠭ⱘュ䆱ˈ䅽Ҏᄎቈ୼ऻDŽ Ta hgn yánsù de jifngle yí ge lfo diàoyá de xiàohua, ràng rén tíxiào-jibfbi. ‘He very seriously told an old joke, making people not know whether they should laugh or cry.’ Example 2: Ҫᦤߎњϔ⾡䅽Ҏᄎቈ୼ऻⱘ⧚䆎DŽ Ta tíchele yì zhing ràng rén tíxiào-jibfbi de lhlùn. ‘He proposed a theory that put people in an awkward position.’

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Entries 389 – 390: ⅏♄໡➗ and า㖕༅偀

Usage: Functions mainly as predicate after 䅽Ҏ (ràng rén 䅧Ҏ) / ҸҎ (lìng rén) / ՓҎ (shh rén) ‘make someone. . . .’ Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ુュϡᕫ] (ke xiào bù dé ુュϡᕫ) ‘not know whether to laugh or cry.’ 389. Ğႌાআ཮ğ(ᒁᒎ᳞⎓) sh huc fù rán ⅏♄ means ‘dead ashes,’ ໡ means ‘again,’ and ➗ means ‘burn.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘dead ashes burn again,’ with freer translations being ‘come back to life’ and ‘resurgence.’ Example 1: ‫ހ‬໽ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ϔѯ೼໣໽催⏽ᴵӊϟᏆ㒣“⅏ѵ”ⱘ⮙↦ᐌᐌӮႌાআ཮DŽ Ddngtian de shíhou, yìxib zài xiàtian gaowbn tiáojiàn xià yhjcng shwáng de bìngdú chángcháng huì shhuc-fùrán. ‘In winter time, some viruses that already “died” under the conditions of high temperatures in the summer will often return to life.’ Example 2: ↦કѸᯧ೼䖭ᑻජᏖ᳝ႌાআ཮ⱘ䗍䈵DŽ Dúphn jiaoyì zài zhè zuò chéngshì yiu shhuc-fùrán de jìxiàng. ‘Narcotics trafficking in this city has indications of a resurgence.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive followed by nouns such as ⦄䈵 (xiànxiàng ⧒䈵) ‘appearance,’ 䗍䈵 ( jìxiàng 䎵䈵) ‘indication,’ and 䍟࢓ (qeshì 䍼ࢶ) ‘tendency.’ Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϰቅ‫ݡ‬䍋] (ddng shan zài qh ᵅቅ‫ݡ‬䍋) ‘(from) East Mountain rise up again – stage a comeback,’ [ोೳ䞡ᴹ] ( jufn tj chóng lái ᥆ೳ䞡՚) ‘bounce back, stage a comeback.’ 390. Ğྭᆲပ൫ğ(ẂᨚᏌ᪑) sài wbng shc mf า means ‘frontier,’ 㖕 means ‘old man,’ and ༅ means ‘lose.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘an old man living at the frontier of his country lost his horse,’ with freer translations being ‘a loss may turn out to be a gain, a blessing in disguise.’ Example 1: ៥㱑✊೼䌠എ䞠䕧њϡᇥ䪅ˈԚᰃྭᆲပ൫ˈ⛝ⶹ䴲⽣ˈ៪䆌៥фⱘ㙵⼼ ᯢ໽ህ໻⍼њDŽ Wi sucrán zài djchfng lh shele bùshfo qián, dànshì sàiwbng-shcmf, yanzhc-fbifú, huòxj wi mfi de gjpiào míngtian jiù dà zhfng le.

Entry 391: ষষໄໄ

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‘Although I lost much money at the casino, who knows if it’s not a blessing in disguise; maybe the stocks I bought will rise greatly tomorrow.’ Example 2: ཌྷ༅এњ䙷ӑ〇ᅮⱘᎹ԰ৢ㹿䖿‫خ‬䍋њᇣ䋽ˈ䇕ⶹ䘧コ✊থњ໻䋶ˈⳳᰃ ྭᆲပ൫ˈ⛝ⶹ䴲⽣ʽ Ta shcqùle nà f èn wgndìng de gdngzuò hòu bèipò zuòqhle xifofàn, shuí zhcdao jìngrán f ale dàcái, zhbn shì sàiwbng-shcmf, yanzhc-fbifú! ‘After she lost that stable job, she was forced to become a vendor; who would have thought that she would actually make a fortune? It really is true that misfortune can be a blessing in disguise!’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as object. Often followed by ⛝ⶹ䴲⽣ (yan zhc fbi fú) ‘How do you know it is not a blessing?’ Allusion: A man who lived on the northern frontier of China was good at riding horses. One day, for no obvious reason, his horse ran away to the nomads across the border. Everyone tried to console him, but his father said: “What makes you so sure this isn’t a blessing in disguise?” Some months later, his horse returned, bringing a splendid nomad horse with it. Everyone congratulated him, but his father said, “How do you know this will not end up in disaster?” Now, the son loved to ride. One day he fell and broke his hip. Everyone tried to console him, but his father said, “What makes you so sure this isn’t a blessing in disguise?” A year later, the nomads came in great force across the border, every young man taking his bow and going into battle. The Chinese frontiersmen lost nine out of every ten men. It was only because the son was lame that the father and son survived to take care of one another. Truly, a blessing can become a disaster, and a disaster can become a blessing; changes have no end, nor can the mystery be fathomed. Near Synonym: [಴⽌ᕫ⽣] ( ycn huò dé fú ಴⽡ᕫ⽣) ‘because of misfortune get luck – luck grows out of adversity.’ Antonyms: [⽌ϡऩ㸠] (huò bù dan xíng ⽡ϡஂ㸠) ‘misfortune never comes alone, misery loves company,’ [Фᵕ⫳ᚆ] (lè jí shbng bbi ῖὉ⫳ᚆ) ‘joy to highest degree generates sorrow – extreme joy begets sorrow.’ 391. Ğాాဉဉğ(ጕጕⓦⓦ) kiu kiu shbng shbng ষ means ‘mouth’ and ໄ means ‘voice.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘say over and over again.’ Example 1: ϞৄҹࠡˈҪాాဉဉഄ䇈㽕໻㚚ᬍ䴽ˈৃᰃϞৄҹৢै≵᳝ҔМ㸠ࡼDŽ Shàngtái yhqián, ta kiukiu-shbngshbng de shud yào dàdfn gfigé, kgshì shàngtái yhhòu què méiyiu shénme xíngdòng. ‘Before assuming power, he said over and over again that he wanted to boldly undertake reforms, but after assuming power, he didn’t take any action.’

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Entries 392 – 393: ∈㨑⷇ߎ and ៥㸠៥㋴

Example 2: ཌྷᇍ៥ᕜᅶ⇨ˈ㱑✊া䎳៥ᄺ䖛޴໽ˈԚᰃҹৢ㾕䴶ⱘᯊ‫ాా׭‬ဉဉഄি ៥㗕ᏜDŽ Ta duì wi hgn kèqi, sucrán zhh gbn wi xuéguo jh tian, dànshì yhhòu jiànmiàn de shíhou kiukiu-shbngshbng de jiào wi lfoshc. ‘She is very polite toward me; though she had only studied with me for a few days, later when she saw me she would again and again call me “Teacher.”’ Usage: Functions as adverbial. Note: Sometimes derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ֵ䁧ᮺᮺ] (xìn shì dàn dàn ֵ䁧ᮺᮺ) ‘make a solemn pledge.’ Antonym: [㒱ষϡᦤ] ( jué kiu bù tí ㌩ষϡᦤ) ‘stop talking about and never mention again.’ 392. Ğၺൢဝ߲ğ(ᎁόᐅᎤ) shuh luò shí che 㨑 means ‘fall, recede.’ The literal meaning is ‘when the water recedes, the rocks (that are hidden under the water) will appear.’ The extended meaning is ‘come to light, get to the bottom of, the truth is revealed.’ Example 1: ៥ϔᅮ㽕ᡞ䖭ϾџᚙᶹϾၺൢဝ߲DŽ Wi yídìng yào bf zhège shìqing chá ge shuhluò-shíche. ‘I’m definitely going to get to the bottom of this matter.’ Example 2: 㒣䖛᭄ⱒẔᆳҎਬ޴Ͼ᳜ⱘ䇗ᶹˈ䖭䍋Ḝӊ㒜Ѣၺൢဝ߲њDŽ Jcngguò shù bfi jifnchá rényuán jh ge yuè de diàochá, zhè qh ànjiàn zhdngyú shuhluò-shíche le. ‘After several months of investigations by several hundred investigators, the truth about this case is finally coming to light.’ Usage: Functions mainly as complement for the verb phrases ᶹϾ . . . (chá ge ᶹ‫)ן‬ ‘investigate’ and ᓘϾ . . . (nòng ge ᓘ‫‘ )ן‬handle.’ Near Synonyms: [ⳳⳌ໻ⱑ] (zhbn xiàng dà bái ⳳⳌ໻ⱑ) ‘everything is now clear, the whole truth is out,’ [ॳᔶ↩䴆] ( yuán xíng bì lù ॳᔶ⬶䴆) ‘reveal one’s true colors’ (derogatory). Antonym: [ϡᯢϡⱑ] (bù míng bù bái ϡᯢϡⱑ) ‘ambiguous, murky.’ 393. ĞᆸቲᆸႤğ(ᔾᒭᔾᨌ) wi xíng wi sù 㸠 means ‘walk’ and ㋴ means ‘always.’ The idea is that however you always did things in the past, you will still do things that way now without changing them. A freer translation is ‘stick to one’s own way of doing things.’

Entry 394: ᳯ㗠ैℹ

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Example 1: ೼Ё༂থᏗ᭛ӊҹৢˈϟ䖍᳝ѯഄᮍᬓᑰձ✊ᆸቲᆸႤˈϡᡞЁ༂ⱘ᭛ӊ ᬒ೼ⴐ䞠DŽ Zài zhdngyang fabù wénjiàn yhhòu, xiàbian yiu xib dìf ang zhèngfj ycrán wixíngwisù, bù bf zhdngyang de wénjiàn fàng zài yfn lh. ‘After the central authorities promulgated the document, at the lower levels in some places the government still stuck to its own way of doing things, not paying attention to the central authorities’ document.’ Example 2: ཌྷ೼ᄺ᷵䞠ᆸቲᆸႤˈᓔྟⱘᯊ‫׭‬໻ᆊϡ᥹ফཌྷˈৢᴹ䛑㾝ᕫཌྷᕜ䝋DŽ Ta zài xuéxiào lh wixíng-wisù, kaishh de shíhou dàjia bù jibshòu ta, hòulái ddu juéde ta hgn kù. ‘In school she did things her own way; at the beginning, everybody didn’t accept her; later they all felt she was cool.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: In the past was usually derogatory in meaning but that sense has become weaker. When describing an individual, can now sometimes even be complimentary. Near Synonym: [⡍ゟ⣀㸠] (tè lì dú xíng ⡍ゟ⤼㸠) ‘individualistic.’ Antonym: [㿔਀䅵Ң] ( yán tcng jì cóng 㿔㙑㿜ᕲ) ‘listen to someone’s words and follow someone’s plan – follow someone’s advice.’ 394. Ğᆃऎས‫ݛ‬ğ(᭬ᒚᝩᕥ) wàng ér què bù ᳯ means ‘see,’ ै means ‘stop,’ and ℹ means ‘step.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘see something and stop one’s steps,’ with freer translations being ‘shrink back at the sight of, flinch, frightened.’ Example 1: 䙷ᆊ催ḷ佁ᑫⱘ㦰Ӌ催ᕫ⾏䈅ˈՓҎᆃऎས‫ݛ‬DŽ Nà jia gaodàng fàndiàn de càijià gao de lípj, shh rén wàng’érquèbù. ‘The price of meals at that upmarket restaurant is unreasonably high; it makes people flinch when they see it.’ Example 2: 㱑✊䙷ഫഄⲂ䴲ᐌདˈԚᰃೳഄⱘᢹ᳝㗙ᓔষህ㽕ϸғ㕢‫ˈܗ‬Ҹॳᴀ䆌໮ ᛳ݈䍷ⱘҎᆃऎས‫ݛ‬DŽ Sucrán nà kuài dìpí fbicháng hfo, dànshì tjdì de ydngyiuzhg kaikiu jiù yào lifng yì Mgiyuán, lìng yuánbgn xjdud gfnxìngqù de rén wàng’érquèbù. ‘Although that piece of land is well located, the land owner has asked a starting price of 200 million U.S. dollars; it makes many people who were originally interested flinch upon hearing it.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate in structures such as ՓҎ̚ (shh rén . . . ) / ҸҎ̚ (lìng rén . . . ) / 䅽Ҏ̚ (ràng rén . . . 䅧Ҏ̚) / িҎ̚ ( jiào rén . . . ) ‘make someone’; can also serve by itself as predicate.

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Entries 395 – 396: ᳝㸔᳝㙝 and ໽⎃⍋㾦

Near Synonyms: [⬣㓽ϡࠡ] (wèi sud bù qián ⬣㐂ϡࠡ) ‘afraid to advance,’ [‫ذ‬⒲ ϡࠡ] (tíng zhì bù qián ‫ذ‬Ⓝϡࠡ) ‘stop and stagnate and not advance – come to a standstill, get bogged down.’ Antonym: [࢛ᕔⳈࠡ] (ying wfng zhí qián ࢛ᕔⳈࠡ) ‘courageously go straight ahead – advance bravely.’ 395. Ğᎌኪᎌྔğ(ᑺᒬᑺᒞ) yiu xuè yiu ròu 㸔 means ‘blood’ and 㙝 means ‘flesh.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘have blood have flesh,’ with a freer translation being ‘vivid, lifelike.’ Example 1: 䙷ᴀ䭓㆛ᇣ䇈៤ࡳഄล䗴њ޴कϾᎌኪᎌྔⱘҎ⠽ᔶ䈵DŽ Nà bgn chángpian xifoshud chénggdng de sùzàole jh shí ge yiuxuè-yiuròu de rénwù xíngxiàng. ‘That novel successfully depicts several dozen vivid and lifelike character images.’ Example 2: ᭛䴽ᯊᳳҎӀᡞ↯⋑ϰ⼲࣪њˈ݊ᅲҪгᰃϔϾᎌኪᎌྔⱘҎˈ㗠ϡᰃ ⼲DŽ Wén’gé shíqc rénmen bf Máo Zéddng shénhuàle, qíshí ta yg shì yí ge yiuxuè-yiuròu de rén, ér bú shì shén. ‘During the period of the Cultural Revolution, people deified Mao Zedong; actually, he also was a person of blood and flesh, not a god.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⌏♉⌏⦄] (huó líng huó xiàn ⌏䴜⌏⧒) ‘vivid, lifelike,’ [੐П℆ߎ] (he zhc yù che ੐П℆ߎ) ‘call it and it wants to pop out – vivid,’ [᷽᷽བ⫳] (xj xj rú shbng ᷽᷽བ⫳) ‘lifelike.’ Antonyms: [ञ⅏ϡ⌏] (bàn sh bù huó ञ⅏ϡ⌏) ‘half-dead,’ [⅏⇨≝≝] (sh qì chén chén ⅏⇷≝≝) ‘lifeless.’ 396. Ğᄖዄ਱୯ğ(፞ᮕᦫᖥ) tian yá hfi jifo ⎃ means ‘edge’ and 㾦 means ‘corner.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘heaven’s edges and sea’s corners,’ with a freer translation being ‘the ends of the earth, a very distant place, far away.’ Example 1: ᮴䆎Դ䍄ࠄᄖዄ਱୯ˈԴⱘ҆Ҏ∌䖰݇ᖗԴDŽ Wúlùn nh ziu dào tianyá-hfijifo, nh de qcnrén yingyufn guanxcn nh. ‘No matter if you go to the ends of the earth, your family will forever be concerned about you.’

Entries 397 – 398: 䕏ᦣ⎵‫ ݭ‬and ુュϡᕫ

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Example 2: ৠ⧁ৠᄺ↩Ϯҹৢ༨৥ᄖዄ਱୯ˈ৘㞾ᡒࠄ㞾Ꮕⱘ㨑㛮⚍DŽ Tóngban tóngxué bìyè yhhòu bbnxiàng tianyá-hfijifo, gèzì zhfodào zìjh de luòjifodifn. ‘After graduation the classmates rushed off to far away places, each finding his or her own foothold.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object. Note: Also occurs as ⍋㾦໽⎃ (hfi jifo tian yá). Note that in Hainan Province there is a scenic spot named ໽⎃⍋㾦 (tian yá hfi jifo). Near Synonyms: [໽फഄ࣫] (tian nán dì bgi ໽फഄ࣫) ‘far apart,’ [໽फ⍋࣫] (tian nán hfi bgi ໽फ⍋࣫) ‘all over the place.’ Antonyms: [䖥೼੿ሎ] ( jìn zài zhh chh 䖥೼੿ሎ) ‘close at hand,’ [੿ሎП䘹] (zhh chh zhc yáo ੿ሎП䘭) ‘very close,’ [ϔ㸷ᏺ∈] ( yc yc dài shuh ϔ㸷ᐊ∈) ‘narrow strip of water in between.’ 397. Ğ༵හࡥቖğ(⅜᳸ᮍ⇎) qcng miáo dàn xig 䕏 means ‘lightly,’ ᦣ means ‘trace,’ ⎵ means ‘light (as in color),’ and ‫ ݭ‬here means ‘paint.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘paint in light colors.’ The extended meaning is ‘treat a matter lightly and superficially, mention casually.’ Example 1: ߿Ҏᕜ݇ᖗഄ䯂ཌྷˈཌྷै༵හࡥቖഄ䇈ˈ Ā≵џ‫ˈܓ‬ϔߛ䛑䖛এњDŽā Biérén hgn guanxcn de wèn ta, ta què qcngmiáo-dànxig de shud, “Méi shìr, yíqiè ddu guòqùle.” ‘When others asked her with great concern, she just said casually, “It’s nothing, it has all passed now.” ’ Example 2: ಴ЎҪᑇᯊⱘ㸼⦄ᕜདˈ᠔ҹ㱑✊䖭⃵⢃њ䫭䇃ˈԚᰃ乚ᇐাᰃ༵හࡥቖ ഄᡍ䆘њ޴হDŽ Ycnwèi ta píngshí de bifoxiàn hgn hfo, suiyh sucrán zhè cì fànle cuòwù, dànshì lhngdfo zhh shì qcngmiáo-dànxig de pcpíngle jh jù. ‘Because his normal performance was very good, even though he made a mistake this time, his boss only superficially criticized him in a few sentences.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial; can also serve as predicate. Antonym: [ᇣ乬໻‫( ]خ‬xifo tí dà zuò ᇣ丠໻‫‘ )خ‬make much ado about nothing.’ 398. Ğూቈ‫ࡻݙ‬ğ(ᤌᨆጰᬗ) ke xiào bù dé ᕫ means ‘appropriate.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘not know whether to cry or laugh.’

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Entries 399 – 400: 㞾ਞ༟࢛ and ᣛ呓Ў偀

Example 1: Ҫⱘ䆱ᓘᕫ໻ᆊూቈ‫ࡻݙ‬DŽ Ta de huà nòng de dàjia kexiào-bùdé. ‘What he said made everyone not know whether it was appropriate to laugh or to cry.’ Example 2: ᄭᄤⱘ䆱ᡞ⠋⠋⇨ᕫూቈ‫ࡻݙ‬DŽ Senzi de huà bf yéye qì de kexiào-bùdé. ‘What the grandson said made the grandfather so angry that he didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry.’ Usage: Functions mainly as complement. Often appears in the structure 䅽 (ràng 䅧) / Փ (shh) / ᓘ (nòng) / Ҹ (lìng)  ᕫ (de)  person  ુュϡᕫ. Note: Tends to be used in spoken language. Near Synonym: [୐ュⱚ䴲] (tí xiào jib fbi ୐ュⱚ䴲) ‘not know whether to cry or laugh.’ Antonym: [ϔ㜌ℷ㒣] ( yì lifn zhèng jcng ϔ㞝ℷ㍧) ‘with a serious face.’ 399. Ğᔈসॐ፾ğ(ᒢᓯ⍃ᝣ) zì gào fèn ying ਞ means ‘tell, indicate’ and ༟࢛ means ‘marshal all one’s energy and courage.’ A literal translation is ‘oneself to indicate one’s energy and courage.’ Freer translations include ‘offer to undertake a difficult or dangerous task, volunteer.’ Example 1: Ҫᔈসॐ፾‫ܡ‬䌍㒭໪೑Ҏᔧᇐ␌DŽ Ta zìgào-fènying mifnfèi ggi wàiguórén dang dfoyóu. ‘He voluntarily and free of charge serves as a tour guide for foreigners.’ Example 2: Ҫᔈসॐ፾ഄ䇈ˈĀԴህᬒᖗ৻ˈ䖭ӊџѸ㒭៥њDŽā Ta zìgào-fènying de shud, “Nh jiù fàngxcn ba, zhè jiàn shì jiao ggi wi le.” ‘Offering to undertake a difficult task, he said, “Don’t you worry, hand this matter over to me.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [↯䘖㞾㤤] (Máo Suí zì jiàn ↯䘖㞾㭺) ‘volunteer.’ Antonym: [⬣佪⬣ሒ] (wèi shiu wèi wgi ⬣佪⬣ሒ) ‘fear head fear tail – fraught with uncertainty, overcautious.’ 400. Ğᒎഷᆐ൫ğ(។ᲀᠥ᪑) zhh lù wéi mf ᣛ means ‘point at’ and 呓 means ‘deer.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘point at a deer and say it’s a horse.’ This is a metaphor for ‘purposely confuse right and wrong,’ ‘misrepresent something,’ or ‘distort the facts.’

Entry 401: 䆒䑿໘ഄ

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Example 1: Ҫ⫼ᒎഷᆐ൫ⱘӢֽᠧߏњϔ໻ᡍডᇍҪⱘҎDŽ Ta yòng zhhlù-wéimf de jìlifng dfjcle yí dà pc ffnduì ta de rén. ‘He used the trick of distorting the facts and attacked a large number of people who were opposing him.’ Example 2: 䙷Ͼ೑ᆊⱘᶤϾᯊҷ᳒㒣≵᳝ϔ⚍݀ℷˈࠄњᒎഷᆐ൫ⱘഄℹDŽ Nàge guójia de miu ge shídài céngjcng méiyiu yìdifn gdngzhèng, dàole zhhlùwéimf de dìbù. ‘During a certain period in that country there was a time when there was no justice at all, when it had reached the stage of confusing right and wrong.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Allusion: In the year 207 B.C.E., Zhao Gao, the prime minister of the state of Qin, wanted to plot a rebellion; but he was worried that the ministers of state would not obey him, so he thought of a way to test them in advance. He offered a deer to the emperor, saying “This is a horse.” The emperor laughed and said: “You’re wrong, saying that a deer is a horse.” So Zhao Gao then asked the ministers of state. Some ministers said it was a deer, others didn’t say anything, and still others said it was a horse so as to curry favor with Zhao Gao. When this all was over, Zhao Gao found pretexts to frame those ministers who had said it was a deer. Later there wasn’t a single minister who did not fear Zhao Gao. (from “Qinshihuang Ben Ji” in Records of the Grand Historian) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [乴‫צ‬咥ⱑ] (dian dfo hbi bái 丯‫צ‬咥ⱑ) ‘turn black and white upside down – distort the facts,’ [乴‫צ‬ᰃ䴲] (dian dfo shì fbi 丯‫צ‬ᰃ䴲) or [⏋⎚ᰃ䴲] (hùn xiáo shì fbi ⏋⎚ᰃ䴲) ‘confuse right and wrong,’ [⏋⎚㾚਀] (hùn xiáo shì tcng ⏋ ⎚㽪㙑) ‘mislead the public.’ Antonym: [ᅲџ∖ᰃ] (shí shì qiú shì ᆺџ∖ᰃ) ‘seek truth from facts.’ 401. Ğ࿸࿽ࠀ࢐ğ(᰿ᖮᰤᑊ) shè shbn chj dì 䆒 here means ‘assume, imagine,’ 䑿 means ‘oneself,’ ໘ means ‘in (a certain situation),’ and ഄ means ‘position, circumstances.’ The literal meaning is ‘assume that oneself is in someone else’s position,’ with a freer translation being ‘put oneself in someone else’s shoes, think from someone else’s standpoint, take someone else’s interests into consideration.’ Example 1: ࠊ䗴ଚᑨ䆹Ў⍜䌍㗙࿸࿽ࠀ࢐ഄᛇᛇˈᗢМḋᠡ㛑㒭ҪӀᏺᴹ᳈໻ⱘᮍ֓DŽ Zhìzàoshang ycnggai wèi xiaof èizhg shèshbn-chjdì de xifngxifng, zgnmeyàng cái néng ggi tamen dàilái gèng dà de fangbiàn. ‘Manufacturers should put themselves in the other person’s shoes and think of the consumers; how they can bring them even greater convenience.’

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Entries 402 – 403: ໽ᮍ໰䈁 and 䲙֫݅䌣

Example 2: Դ࿸࿽ࠀ࢐ഄᛇᛇˈህϡ䲒⧚㾷ᇍᮍЎҔМ䙷ḋ‫خ‬њDŽ Nh shèshbn-chjdì de xifngxifng, jiù bù nán lhjig duìfang wèishénme nàyàng zuòle. ‘If you put yourself in the other side’s shoes, then it is not hard to understand why the other side did that.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Often preceded by Ў (ᶤҎ) (wèi [miu rén] ⚎[ᶤҎ] ) ‘for (someone)’ and followed by verbs meaning ‘think,’ such as ᛇᛇ (xifngxifng) and ᗱ㗗 (sckfo). Near Synonym: [ᇚᖗ↨ᖗ] (jiang xcn bh xcn ᇛᖗ↨ᖗ) ‘have sympathy for others.’ Antonyms: [᮴᠔乒ᖠ] (wú sui gù jì ⛵᠔主ᖠ) ‘have no scruples or misgivings,’ [ϡㅵϡ乒] (bù gufn bú gù ϡㅵϡ主) ‘disregard everything, without scruples.’ 402. Ğᄖऱ጗სğ(፞፵ᘝ♣) Tianf ang yè tán ໽ᮍ means ‘Arabian’ and ໰䈁 means ‘night talk.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘Arabian Night Talks,’ the Chinese title of the book known in English as Arabian Nights or One Thousand and One Nights. This expression has, by metaphor, gained the extended meaning of ‘strange and incredible story or comment.’ Example 1: ϔϾϝቕⱘᄽᄤ㛑໳‫ݭ‬䭓㆛ᇣ䇈˛䖭ㅔⳈᰃᄖऱ጗სDŽ Yí ge san suì de háizi nénggòu xig chángpian xifoshud? Zhè jifnzhí shì Tianfangyètán. ‘A three-year-old child can write novels? This is simply a strange and incredible story.’ Example 2: ‫צ‬䗔Ѩकᑈˈ༹Ꮘ偀៤Ўᘏ㒳ᰃᄖऱ጗ს㠀ⱘџDŽ Dàotuì wjshí nián, Àobamf chéngwéi zingting shì Tianf ang-yètán ban de shì. ‘If you go back fifty years, for Obama to become President would be as incredible as a story from the Arabian Nights.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate after ᰃ (shì) ‘be.’ Near Synonyms: [᮴】П䇜] (wú jc zhc tán ⛵】П䂛) ‘nonsensical talk,’ [ᄤ㰮Р᳝] (zh xe we yiu ᄤ㰯⚣᳝) ‘sheer fiction,’ [㚵䇈ܿ䘧] (hú shud ba dào 㚵䁾ܿ䘧) ‘talk nonsense’ (in speech). Antonym: [ᓩ㒣᥂‫ ( ]݌‬yhn jcng jù difn ᓩ㍧᪮‫‘ )݌‬quote the classics.’ 403. ĞዅႣৢ࿝ğ(ṅᝏᐩ⋂) yf sú gòng shfng 䲙 here means ‘cultured or refined people,’ ֫ means ‘ordinary people,’ and 䌣 means ‘appreciate, enjoy.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘cultured people and ordinary people can all enjoy it,’ with a freer translation being ‘appeal to both cultured and popular tastes.’

Entry 404: ᮴᠔䗖Ң

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Example 1:lj007NJৃҹ䇈ᰃϔ㋏߫ዅႣৢ࿝ⱘ⬉ᕅDŽ 007 kgyh shud shì yí xìliè yfsú-gòngshfng de diànyhng. ‘007 can be said to be a series of films enjoyed by both cultured and ordinary people.’ Example 2: еᴥ䷇Ф⿄ᕫϞᰃዅႣৢ࿝DŽ Xiangcen ycnyuè chbngdeshàng shì yfsú-gòngshfng. ‘Country music can be said to be something enjoyed by both cultured and ordinary people alike.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [㗕ᇥઌᅰ] (lfo shào xián yí 㗕ᇥઌᅰ) ‘suitable for both old and young.’ Antonym: [᳆催੠ᆵ] (qj gao hè guf ᳆催੠ᆵ) ‘the higher the melody the fewer the singers.’ 404. ĞᇄჅး࠭ğ(ᵨᙰ⋢ᬙ) wú sui shì cóng 䗖 here means ‘go’ and Ң means ‘follow.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘have nowhere to go and nothing to follow,’ with freer translations being ‘at a loss how to proceed, not know what to do.’ Example 1: ᄽᄤҹࠡᘏ᳝⠊↡✻乒ˈ⦄೼⣀ゟ⫳⌏ˈᕔᕔӮᛳࠄᇄჅး࠭DŽ Háizi yhqián zing yiu fùmj zhàogù, xiànzài dúlì shbnghuó, wfngwfng huì gfndào wúsuishìcóng. ‘Before the child always had her parents to look after her, now she lives independently; she often feels at a loss about what to do.’ Example 2: ࠡӏ乚ᇐᅮϟњϔ༫㾘ⶽˈᮄӏ乚ᇐজᅮϟњ঺ϔ༫㾘ⶽˈ᧲ᕫਬᎹӀ ᇄჅး࠭DŽ Qiánrèn lhngdfo dìngxiàle yí tào gucju, xcnrèn lhngdfo yòu dìngxiàle lìng yí tào gucju, gfode yuángdngmen wúsuishìcóng. ‘The former leader made up one set of rules, and the new leader made up another set of rules, making it so that the employees were at a loss about how to proceed.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonym: [ϡⶹ᠔᥾] (bù zhc sui cuò ϡⶹ᠔᥾) ‘not know what to do.’ Antonyms: [㧻㾘᳍䱣] (Xiao guc Cáo suí 㭁㽣᳍䱼) ‘Xiao’s rules Cao (the famous general) follows – abide by the rules laid down by one’s predecessor,’ [Ϟ㸠ϟᬜ] (shàng xíng xià xiào Ϟ㸠ϟᬜ) ‘the actions of superiors are imitated by subordinates,’ [✻⣿⬏㰢] (zhào mao huà hj ✻䉧⬿㰢) ‘draw a tiger with a cat as a model – follow a model’ (spoken style).

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Entries 405 – 406: ϡᆍ㕂⭥ and ⌕䖲ᖬ䖨

405. Ğ‫ྏݙ‬ᒙጧğ(ጰᤶὠ⃎) bù róng zhì yí ᆍ means ‘allow’ and 㕂⭥ means ‘raise doubts.’ The whole idiom means ‘allow no doubts, undeniable.’ Example 1: ཌྷⱘ᭛ゴᴤ᭭Єᆠˈ䆎䆕ড়⧚ˈ㒧䆎‫ྏݙ‬ᒙጧDŽ Ta de wénzhang cáiliào fbngf ù, lùnzhèng hélh, jiélùn bùróng-zhìyí. ‘She has abundant data for her article and her proof is convincing; the conclusion is undeniable.’ Example 2: ϡᇥҎ䅸Ў↯⋑ϰⱘ䆱হহᰃⳳ⧚ˈᰃ‫ྏݙ‬ᒙጧⱘDŽ Bùshfo rén rènwéi Máo Zéddng de huà jù jù shì zhbnlh, shì bùróng-zhìyí de. ‘Many people believed that every one of Mao Zedong’s words was the truth; this is undeniable.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: [↟ᒌ㕂⭥] (wù ydng zhì yí ↟ᒌ㕂⭥) and [᮴ᒌ㕂⭥] (wú ydng zhì yí ⛵ᒌ㕂⭥) are more formal, written equivalents. Near Synonym: [गⳳϛ⹂] (qian zhbn wàn què गⳳ㨀⺎) ‘absolutely true.’ Antonym: [㤦䆲ϡ㒣] (huang dàn bù jcng 㤦䁩ϡ㍧) ‘fantastic, incredible.’ 406. Ğഗೌᆄऩğ(᠐᱕ᔵᜫ) liú lián wàng ffn ⌕䖲 means ‘cannot bear to leave, linger,’ ᖬ means ‘forget,’ and 䖨 means ‘return.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘unwilling to leave and forget to return.’ Freer translations of the idiom include ‘enjoy oneself so much as to forget to return home, hate to leave.’ Example 1: 䰓ᇨथᮃቅⱘ亢᱃㕢ᕫ䎳⬏ϔḋˈⳳ䅽ҎഗೌᆄऩDŽ k’grbbisc Shan de fbngjhng mgi de gbn huà yíyàng, zhbn ràng rén liúliánwàngffn. ‘The scenery in the Alps is as beautiful as a painting; it really makes people unwilling to leave and return home.’ Example 2: 䖾ᮃሐФುད⥽ᵕњˈҸᄽᄤӀഗೌᆄऩDŽ Díscní lèyuán hfowán jí le, lìng háizhmen liúlián-wàngffn. ‘Disney World is so much fun; it makes children feel that they don’t want to leave.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ᘟᘟϡ㟡] (liàn liàn bù shg ។។ϡ᤼) ‘reluctant to part from,’ [ձձϡ㟡] (yc yc bù shg ձձϡ᤼) ‘feel a sense of regret when leaving,’ [Фϡᗱ㳔]

Entries 407 – 408: 㗏ᴹ㽚এ and ᮴Ё⫳᳝

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(lè bù sc Shj ῖϡᗱ㳔) ‘so happy one doesn’t think of the ancient state of Shu – so happy as to forget home and duty.’ 407. Ğड౶঄བྷğ(▰ᗔ◃Ꮄ) fan lái fù qù 㗏 means ‘turn over’ and 㽚 means ‘turn back around.’ The whole idiom can have two different meanings: ‘turn over back and forth, toss and turn’ (as when sleeping) or ‘repeat something again and again.’ Example 1: ᰮϞˈཌྷड౶঄བྷⴵϡད㾝ˈᛇϡߎϔϾད⊩ᄤDŽ Wfnshàng, ta fanlái-fùqù shuìbùhfo jiào, xifngbùche yí ge hfo ffzi. ‘At night, she tossed and turned, not being able to sleep well; she couldn’t think of any good way (to deal with her problem).’ Example 2: Ҫⱘ䙷Ͼュ䆱ड౶঄བྷഄ⫼њད޴ᑈњˈϔ⚍‫ܓ‬䛑ϡৃュњDŽ Ta de nàge xiàohuà f anlái-fùqù de yòngle hfo jh nián le, yìdifr ddu bù kgxiào le. ‘He has been using that joke of his over and over again for a number of years now; it’s not at all funny any more.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Near Synonym: [䕫䕀ডջ] (zhfn zhufn ffn cè 䔒䔝ড‫‘ )و‬toss and turn (because one is unable to sleep).’ Antonym: [ϔ䫸ᅮ䷇] ( yì chuí dìng ycn ϔ䣬ᅮ䷇) ‘with one beat of the gong to set the tune – have the final word.’ 408. Ğᇄᒦညᎌğ(ᵨጱ᏷ᑺ) wú zhdng shbng yiu A literal translation of this idiom is ‘in the midst of nothing there is engendered something.’ It is frequently translated as ‘fabricated, groundless.’ Example 1: ⢫Ҩ䯳ᐌᐌᇄᒦညᎌˈ㓪䗴စФᯢ᯳ⱘ৘⾡ᇣ䘧⍜ᙃDŽ Giuzfiduì chángcháng wúzhdng-shbngyiu, bianzào yúlè míngxcng de gè zhing xifodào xiaoxi. ‘Paparazzi often create rumors out of nothing, fabricating all kinds of hearsay about stars from the entertainment world.’ Example 2: 䴶ᇍᇄᒦညᎌⱘ䇷㿔ˈҪḍᴀϡ೼ТDŽ Miànduì wúzhdng-shbngyiu de yáoyán, ta gbnbgn bú zàihu. ‘Facing groundless rumors, he didn’t pay any attention at all.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, attributive, and adverbial. Note: Derogatory in meaning.

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Entries 409 – 410: ᑲ✊໻⠽ and 咨偈ᡔか

Near Synonyms: [᮴џ⫳䴲] (wú shì shbng fbi ⛵џ⫳䴲) ‘when there are no problematic matters give birth to trouble – create problems when none exist,’ [乴‫צ‬咥ⱑ] (dian dfo hbi bái 丯‫צ‬咥ⱑ) ‘turn black and white upside down – distort the facts,’ [ֵষ䲠咘] (xìn kiu cí huáng ֵষ䲠咗) ‘talk irresponsibly.’ Antonyms: [䪕䆕བቅ] (tig zhèng rú shan 䨉䄝བቅ) ‘iron evidence like a mountain – ironclad evidence,’ [ᵓϞ䩝䩝] (bfn shàng dìng dcng ᵓϞ䞬䞬) ‘nail nails into a plank – definite, fixed.’ 409. Ğ๫཭ࡍᇕğ(☗ᵩጙᛦ) páng rán dà wù ᑲ✊ means ‘gigantic’ and ໻⠽ means ‘big thing.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘a monster, a giant, a colossus.’ Example 1: ⊶䷇747亲ᴎᰃϾ๫཭ࡍᇕˈ䞠䴶ৃҹ䕑ಯⱒ໮ৡЬᅶDŽ Bdycn 747 fbijc shì ge pángrán-dàwù, lhmiàn kgyh zài sì bfi dud míng chéngkè. ‘A Boeing 747 is a colossus, which on the inside can carry over 400 passengers.’ Example 2: ≗ᇨ⥯೼䳊ଂᏖഎϮЁᰃϾ๫཭ࡍᇕˈ≵᳝݀ৌ㛑ࡼᨛཌྷⱘഄԡDŽ Wò’grmf zài língshòu shìchfngyè zhdng shì ge pángrán-dàwù, méiyiu gdngsc néng dòngyáo ta de dìwèi. ‘Walmart is a giant in the retail industry whose position no company can shake.’ Usage: Nominal element, functions mainly as object. Note: Slightly derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [⸩໻᮴᳟] (shuò dà wú péng ⹽໻⛵᳟) ‘unequalled in size.’ Antonym: [ᖂТ݊ᖂ] (wbi he qí wbi ᖂТ݊ᖂ) ‘very little, next to nothing.’ 410. Ğ༁ഽଆགğ(⑍⟳ᕂ≥) Qián lp jì qióng 咨 is an ancient name for Guizhou Province, 偈 means ‘donkey,’ ᡔ means ‘skill,’ and か means ‘exhaust.’ A literal translation is ‘the Guizhou donkey’s skills have been exhausted,’ with a freer translation being ‘exhaust one’s (limited) bag of tricks’ or ‘have used up all the (limited) skills that one possesses.’ Example 1: ҪᏆ㒣༁ഽଆགњˈϡ䖛ˈ㽕ᇣᖗҪ⢫ᗹњ䏇๭ˈ‫ߎخ‬ϔѯ䖱⊩ⱘџDŽ Ta yhjcng Qiánlp-jìqióng le, búguò, yào xifoxcn ta giu jíle tiàoqiáng, zuòche yìxib wéif f de shì. ‘He has already used up his bag of tricks; however, we have to be careful lest he gets desperate and does something illegal.’ Example 2: ༁ഽଆགⱘཌྷাདᡓ䅸㞾Ꮕ༅䋹њDŽ Qiánlp-jìqióng de ta zhhhfo chéngrèn zìjh shcbàile. ‘She, having used up her bag of tricks, had no choice but to admit defeat.’

Entry 411: ϝϝϸϸ

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Allusion: It is said that in Guizhou and vicinity there are no donkeys. A troublemaker once used a boat to bring in a donkey from the outside, but when it arrived, it proved to be of no use, so the troublemaker set the donkey free in the mountains. A tiger saw it and considered the donkey to be a very large animal; thinking that it must be a god, the tiger only dared to hide in the forest and watch the donkey secretly. Later, the tiger slowly approached the donkey but was very careful, since it didn’t know what the donkey really was. One day the donkey brayed loudly, frightening the tiger, which thought the donkey wanted to eat it, so the tiger fled far away. But the tiger, observing everything closely from afar, felt that the donkey did not possess any outstanding talent. Moreover, the tiger slowly became accustomed to the donkey’s braying and once again began approaching the donkey, though it still didn’t dare to fight with it. Finally, the tiger slowly approached the donkey, its attitude no longer so solemn, and purposely collided with the donkey so as to provoke it. The donkey was furious and with its hoofs kicked the tiger. Now the tiger was glad, thinking: “This is all the talent it’s got?” And so the tiger jumped high, roared loudly, and bit and broke the donkey’s neck, eating up all its flesh, after which it left. (from “The Donkey of Qin” in Three Things to Abstain From by Liu Zongyuan, Tang Dynasty) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [᮴䅵ৃᮑ] (wú jì kg shc ⛵㿜ৃᮑ) ‘at one’s wit’s end’ (neutral in meaning), [ᴳ᠟᮴ㄪ] (shù shiu wú cè ᴳ᠟⛵ㄪ) ‘at a complete loss about what to do’ (neutral in meaning). Antonym: [⼲䗮ᑓ໻] (shén tdng gufng dà ⼲䗮ᒷ໻) ‘all-powerful, omnipotent.’ 411. Ğྯྯೝೝğ(ጃጃᗣᗣ) san san lifng lifng The literal meaning is ‘three three two two,’ with a freer translation being ‘in twos and threes, not many people.’ Example 1: ಴Ў໾ᮽˈ䲚ᏖϞ‫ˈ⏙⏙ދދ‬া㛑ⳟࠄྯྯೝೝⱘҎ㕸DŽ Ycnwèi tài zfo, jíshì shàng lgnglgng qcngqcng, zhh néng kàndào sansan-lifnglifng de rénqún. ‘Because it was too early, the market was deserted, one only being able to see small groups of people in twos and threes.’ Example 2: ᰮӮᓔྟࠡⱘञϾᇣᯊˈ໻ᆊྯྯೝೝഄᴹࠄњ⦄എDŽ Wfnhuì kaishh qián de bàn ge xifoshí, dàjia sansan-lifnglifng de láidàole xiànchfng. ‘During the half hour before the party started, everyone arrived on the scene in groups of two and three.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and adverbial.

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Entries 412 – 413: থোᮑҸ and ᖗᯋ⼲ᗵ

Near Synonym: [⿔⿔ᢝᢝ] (xc xc la la ⿔⿔ᢝᢝ) ‘sparse, scattered.’ Antonym: [Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ] (chuan liú bù xc Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ) ‘continuous flow without stopping (of people or traffic).’ 412. Ğख੓ဗഎğ(ᶋᾊ០᎛) fa hào shc lìng Both ো and Ҹ mean ‘a command, an order’ while ᮑ means ‘carry out, execute.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘give orders, boss people around.’ Example 1: ↣Ͼ೑ᆊⱘЏᴗ䛑ᑇㄝˈ៥Ӏϡ᥹ফӏԩ೑ᆊᇍ៥Ӏख੓ဗഎDŽ Mgi ge guójia de zhjquán ddu píngdgng, wimen bù jibshòu rènhé guójia duì wimen f ahào-shclìng. ‘Every country’s sovereignty is equal, so we don’t accept any country’s giving us orders.’ Example 2: ᔧ乚ᇐⱘख੓ဗഎৢˈ᠟ϟⱘҎህᓔྟᖭњDŽ Dang lhngdfo de fahào-shclìng hòu, shiuxià de rén jiù kaishh máng le. ‘After the leader had given her orders, the subordinates began their work.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Near Synonyms: [䇗݉䘷ᇚ] (diào bcng qifn jiàng 䂓݉䘷ᇛ) ‘transfer troops and dispatch generals – make good use of personnel,’ [乤ᣛ⇨Փ] (yí zhh qì shh ䷸ᣛ⇷ Փ) ‘arrogant and bossy.’ Antonym: [ଃଃ䇎䇎] (wéi wéi nuò nuò ଃଃ䃒䃒) ‘a yes-man.’ 413. Ğቦౙခᤷğ(፬☟᧷ᙧ) xcn kuàng shén yí ᯋ means ‘open,’ ⼲ means ‘spirits,’ and ᗵ means ‘happy.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘heart open spirits happy,’ with a freer translation being ‘relaxed and joyful, cheerful and happy.’ Example 1: 咘⷇݀ು亢᱃Ӭ㕢ˈՓҎቦౙခᤷDŽ Huángshí Gdngyuán f bngjhng ydumgi, shh rén xcnkuàng-shényí. ‘The scenery in Yellowstone National Park is exquisite, making one feel open and relaxed in one’s heart and joyful in one’s spirits.’ Example 2: 㸠䍄೼Ꮘ咢ⱘ㸫䘧Ϟˈϔ䖍਀ⴔ㓧㓧ⱘস‫䷇݌‬Фˈϔ䖍᜶᜶ഄ⃷䌣ⴔ㕢Б ⱘ㸫᱃ˈⳳⱘҸҎቦౙခᤷDŽ Xíngziu zài Balí de jibdào shàng, yìbian tcngzhe hufnhufn de gjdifn ycnyuè, yìbian mànmàn de xcnshfngzhe mgilì de jibjhng, zhbn de lìng rén xcnkuàngshényí.

Entries 414 – 415: 䳋ढ़亢㸠 and ᳱ໩Ⳍ໘

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‘Walking on the streets of Paris, on the one hand listening to the leisurely classical music and on the other hand unhurriedly appreciating the beautiful sights on the streets, really does make one relaxed and joyful.’ Usage: Used mostly after the causative verbs Փ (shh), 䅽 (ràng 䅧), and Ҹ (lìng), all of which mean ‘cause or make (someone something).’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [䌣ᖗᙺⳂ] (shfng xcn yuè mù 䊲ᖗᙙⳂ) ‘pleasing to the mind and eye,’ [ᙴ✊㞾ᕫ] ( ydu rán zì dé ᙴ✊㞾ᕫ) ‘content and leisurely.’ Antonym: [ᖗ⚺ᛣх] (xcn fán yì luàn ᖗ✽ᛣі) ‘worried and upset.’ 414. Ğಙಹज़ቲğ( ↭ᣉᒭ) léi lì fbng xíng 䳋 means ‘thunder,’ ढ़ means ‘violence,’ and 㸠 here means ‘swift.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘as violent as thunder and as swift as wind,’ with a freer translation being ‘vigorous and resolute, in a sweeping manner.’ Example 1: Ҫ೼‫ݯ‬䯳䞠‫ݏ‬៤њಙಹज़ቲⱘ԰亢DŽ Ta zài jenduì lh yfngchéngle léilì-fbngxíng de zuòfeng. ‘He cultivated a vigorous and resolute manner in the military.’ Example 2: Ҫ‫خ‬џಙಹज़ቲˈ䇈ᑆህᑆDŽ Ta zuòshì léilì-fbngxíng, shud gàn jiù gàn. ‘He has a vigorous and resolute manner in his work, and does what he promises.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [໻ᓴ᮫哧] (dà zhang qí gj ໻ᔉ᮫哧) ‘openly show flags and bang drums – with a lot of fanfare,’ [ᑆ‫߽ޔ‬㨑] (gan jìng lì luò ᑆ‫߽ޜ‬㨑) ‘neat and tidy – very efficient.’ Antonyms: [ᢪ⊹ᏺ∈] (tud ní dài shuh ᢪ⊹ᐊ∈) ‘drag through mud and water – do things sloppily,’ [Ӭᶨᆵᮁ] ( ydu róu guf duàn ‫۾‬ᶨᆵᮋ) ‘irresolute and hesitant, indecisive.’ 415. Ğޫᇪሤࠀğ(ᴟጘᡐᰤ) zhao xc xiang chj ᳱ means ‘morning,’ ໩ means ‘evening,’ and Ⳍ໘ means ‘live together.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘constantly together.’ Example 1: ҪӀ೼ৠϔ᠔ᄺ᷵䞠ˈޫᇪሤࠀˈৢᴹѻ⫳њ⠅ᚙDŽ Tamen zài tóng yì sui xuéxiào lh zhaoxc-xiangchj, hòulái chfnshbngle àiqíng. ‘They were in the same school, constantly together, and later they fell in love.’

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Entries 416 – 417: 䏠䑛⒵ᖫ and 䞥⹻䕝✠

Example 2: ህ㽕ਞ߿ޫᇪሤࠀⱘᬭ㒗ˈ䖤ࡼਬӀ⽕ϡԣુњDŽ Jiù yào gàobié zhaoxc-xiangchj de jiàoliàn, yùndòngyuánmen jcnbúzhù ke le. ‘When they were about to take leave of their coach, with whom they had been together night and day for such a long time, the athletes couldn’t help but cry.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive; can also serve as adverbial. Near Synonym: [ᔶᕅϡ⾏] (xíng yhng bù lí ᔶᕅϡ䲶) ‘as inseparable as body and shadow.’ Antonym: [㘮ᇥ⾏໮] ( jù shfo lí dud 㘮ᇥ䲶໮) ‘apart most of the time.’ 416. Ğߨߵ൸ᒔğ(✯♬€ᔷ) chóu chú mfn zhì 䏠䑛 means ‘pleased with oneself,’ ⒵ means ‘content,’ and ᖫ means ‘ideals.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘self-satisfied, puffed up with pride.’ Example 1: ཌྷ೼᭄ϛҎⱘ໻ӮϞ݈༟ഄⓨ䆆ˈϔࡃߨߵ൸ᒔⱘḋᄤDŽ Ta zài shù wàn rén de dàhuì shàng xcngfèn de yfnjifng, yí fù chóuchú-mfnzhì de yàngzi. ‘At a mass meeting of tens of thousands of people, she lectured excitedly, with a smug expression on her face.’ Example 2: ᘏ㒳೼ህ㘠‫⼐݌‬Ϟ໻䇜ҪӮབԩབԩᬍ䴽ˈᇍ᳾ᴹߨߵ൸ᒔDŽ Zingting zài jiùzhí difnlh shàng dà tán ta huì rúhé rúhé gfigé, duì wèilái chóuchúmfnzhì. ‘At the inauguration, the president spoke on and on about how he would reform things, puffed up with pride about the future.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, adverbial, and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᖗ⒵ᛣ䎇] (xcn mfn yì zú ᖗⓓᛣ䎇) ‘completely satisfied.’ Antonym: [ൖ༈ϻ⇨] (chuí tóu sàng qì ൖ丁୾⇷) ‘hang one’s head in dejection.’ 417. Ğ஘‫܌‬ીહğ(ᜲ⃜⋙Ἃ) jcn bì huc huáng 䞥⹻ means ‘gold and green pigments’ and 䕝✠ means ‘glorious, magnificent.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘resplendent in bright colors.’ Example 1: ᬙᅿ஘‫܌‬ીહˈᰃЁ೑সҷᅿᓋᓎㄥⱘҷ㸼DŽ Gùgdng jcnbì-huchuáng, shì Zhdngguó gjdài gdngtíng jiànzhù de dàibifo. ‘The Forbidden Palace is resplendent in bright colors; it’s the representative of ancient Chinese palace architecture.’

Entry 418: ৠ㟳݅⌢

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Example 2: ҪӀখ㾖њ㽓㮣஘‫܌‬ીહⱘᇎᑭDŽ Tamen canguanle Xczàng jcnbì-huchuáng de sìmiào. ‘They visited the brightly colored temples of Tibet.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate; used to describe buildings. Near Synonym: [ᆠБූⱛ] (fù lì táng huáng ᆠ呫ූⱛ) ‘magnificent and grand.’ Antonym: [哃✊᮴‫( ]ܝ‬àn rán wú guang 哃✊⛵‫‘ )ܝ‬dim and without light.’ 418. Ğᄴᒱৢ଍ğ(ᐹᒧᐩ⒒) tóng zhdu gòng jì ৠ means ‘same,’ 㟳 means ‘boat,’ ⌢ means ‘cross a river,’ and ݅ means ‘together.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘cross the river together in the same boat.’ Freer translations include ‘overcome difficulties together, pull together to resolve problems, stand together in time of need.’ Example 1: ೼䖭Ͼॅ䲒ⱘ݇༈ˈ໻ᆊ㽕ᄴᒱৢ଍ˈ৺ܼ߭䚼䙁⅗DŽ Zài zhège wbinàn de guantóu, dàjia yào tóngzhdu-gòngjì, fiuzé quánbù zaoyang. ‘At this dangerous juncture, everybody must pull together to overcome this difficulty; otherwise, all will suffer disaster.’ Example 2: ݀ৌ催ሖ乚ᇐϢ᱂䗮ਬᎹᄴᒱৢ଍ˈ㒜Ѣᑺ䖛њ䖭↉᳔㡄䲒ⱘ㒣⌢ॅᴎ ᯊᳳDŽ Gdngsc gaocéng lhngdfo yj pjtdng yuángdng tóngzhdu-gòngjì, zhdngyú dùguòle zhè duàn zuì jiannán de jcngjì wbijc shíqc. ‘The senior leaders of the company and the ordinary workers pulled together, finally passing through this period of a most difficult economic crisis.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [亢䲼ৠ㟳] (fbng yj tóng zhdu 乼䲼ৠ㟳) ‘wind and rain same boat – bear hardships together,’ [ᙷ䲒Ϣ݅] (huàn nàn yj gòng ᙷ䲷㟛݅) ‘go through difficulties together,’ [⫳⅏Ϣ݅] (shbng sh yj gòng ⫳⅏㟛݅) ‘live and die together,’ [ৠ⫬݅㢺] (tóng gan gòng kj ৠ⫬݅㢺) ‘together sweet collectively bitter – share joys and sorrows.’ Antonyms: [ডⳂЎқ] (ffn mù wéi chóu ডⳂ⚎қ) ‘have a falling out and be enemies,’ [ডⳂ៤қ] (ffn mù chéng chóu ডⳂ៤қ) ‘have a falling out and become enemies,’ [ৠᑞᓖṺ] (tóng chuáng yì mèng ৠᑞ⭄໶) ‘same bed different dreams – work together but for different ends.’

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Entries 419 – 420: ᖫৠ䘧ড় and ૛ѵ啓ᆦ

419. Ğᒔᄴࡸ੝ğ(ᔷᐹ῔ᑁ) zhì tóng dào hé ᖫ means ‘aspiration’ and 䘧 means ‘road.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘aspiration the same and road conforming,’ with a freer translation being ‘have the same aspirations, have common goals.’ Example 1: Ҫ᳝ϔԡ㕢Б୘㡃ǃᒔᄴࡸ੝ⱘྏᄤDŽ Ta yiu yí wèi mgilì shànliáng, zhìtóng-dàohé de qczi. ‘He has a beautiful, kindhearted wife who has the same aspirations he has.’ Example 2: ҪӀᇏᡒᒔᄴࡸ੝ⱘ᳟টˈ✊ৢϔ䍋ᓎゟϔᆊᮄ݀ৌDŽ Tamen xúnzhfo zhìtóng-dàohé de péngyou, ránhòu yìqh jiànlì yì jia xcn gdngsc. ‘They are looking for friends with the same aspirations; then together they will set up a new company.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᚙᡩᛣড়] (qíng tóu yì hé ᚙᡩᛣড়) ‘perfectly suited to each other,’ [‫ܮ‬ৠӤᓖ] (dfng tóng fá yì 咼ৠӤ⭄) ‘help one’s own faction and hamper outsiders.’ Antonyms: [䉠ড়⼲⾏] (mào hé shén lí 䉠ড়⼲䲶) ‘appearance united spirits apart – seemingly agreed but actually at variance, in name or appearance only,’ [ϡ݅ ᠈໽] (bú gòng dài tian ϡ݅᠈໽) ‘cannot live under the same sky – irreconcilable hatred.’ 420. Ğࠗᅾߙ਼ğ(ᤓጏ⌥᳇) chún wáng chh hán ૛ means ‘lip,’ ѵ means ‘lose,’ 啓 means ‘tooth,’ and ᆦ means ‘cold.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘when the lips are gone the teeth are cold.’ The extended meaning is ‘closely related and share common concerns.’ Example 1: ᳱ剰䎳Ё೑ϰ࣫ᰃࠗᅾߙ਼ⱘ݇㋏ˈ䖭гህᰃЎҔМЁ೑೼ᳱ剰៬ѝЁ ߎ݉ᧈࡽᳱ剰ⱘॳ಴DŽ Cháoxifn gbn Zhdngguó ddngbgi shì chúnwáng-chhhán de guanxi, zhè yg jiùshì wèishénme Zhdngguó zài Cháoxifn zhànzhbng zhdng chebcng yuánzhù Cháoxifn de yuánycn. ‘North Korea and northeast China are very closely related, this being the reason why China, during the Korean War, dispatched troops to assist North Korea.’ Example 2: ᘏ㒳੠ࡃᘏ㒳݇㋏ᆚߛˈབᵰࡃᘏ㒳ߎњџˈࠗᅾߙ਼ˈᘏ㒳гӮফࠄ ⡉䖲DŽ Zingting hé fùzingting guanxi mìqiè, rúgui fùzingting chele shì, chúnwángchhhán, zingting yg huì shòudào qianlián.

Entry 421: ᷇ᱫ㢅ᯢ

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‘The relationship between the president and the vice president is very close; if anything happened to the vice president, given that the two of them are as close as the lips and the teeth, the president would also become involved.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive, sometimes preceded by ૛啓 Ⳍձ (chún chh xiang yc 㛷唦Ⳍձ) ‘lips and teeth mutually dependent – closely related and interdependent’ or 䕙䔺Ⳍձ (fj chb xiang yc 䓨䒞Ⳍձ) ‘interdependent.’ Allusion: During the Spring and Autumn Period, the country of Jin was a major power, while the country of Yu, which was to the south of Jin, was a minor power, as was the country of Guo, to the south of Yu. In 655 B.C.E., the king of Jin bribed the king of Yu with a piece of jade, saying that he wanted to have temporary access to one of the roads in Yu so as to go to the south to fight Guo. A minister of Yu requested that the king not provide access to the road, saying that Yu and Guo depended on each other and that the relationship between the two countries was one of interdependence and shared goals, as the lips are to the teeth. However, the king of Yu did not accept the recommendation from his minister. Sure enough, after Jin had destroyed Guo, its troops took advantage of the opportunity to also destroy Yu on their way back home. (from “The Fifth Year of Duke Xi” in The Chronicle of Zuo) Near Synonyms: [ᙃᙃⳌ݇] (xc xc xiang guan ᙃᙃⳌ䮰) ‘interrelated, closely linked,’ [䕙䔺Ⳍձ] (fj chb xiang yc 䓨䒞Ⳍձ) ‘interdependent,’ [ӥ៮Ⳍ݇] (xie qc xiang guan ӥ៮Ⳍ䮰) ‘share joys and sorrows.’ Antonyms: [䱨ኌ㾖☿] (gé àn guan hui 䱨ኌ㾔☿) ‘from the opposite side of the river to watch the fire – indifferent to another’s plight,’ [തቅ㾖㰢᭫] (zuò shan guan hj dòu തቅ㾔㰢價) ‘sit on a mountain and watch the tigers fight – watch a fight from a safe distance (and then reap the spoils when both sides are exhausted).’ 421. Ğഘ‫ڗ‬ઔීğ(៿Ị᜜ᚘ) lij àn hua míng The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘willows shady flowers bright.’ It describes a beautiful scene where willow trees create shade and where flowers are blooming, dazzling the eyes with their bright colors. Later this idiom was also used as a metaphor for hope in the midst of difficulty, or for a bright future after a period of difficulty. This idiom can sometimes be translated as ‘joy after sorrow’ or ‘good fortune after hardship.’ Example 1: 䲚䚂Ꮦഎ᳒㒣᳝䖛ϔ↉ᯊ䯈ϡ᱃⇨ˈԚᰃ⦄೼ഘ‫ڗ‬ઔීњˈ಴Ў⼒ӮϞᇍ 䲚䚂ⱘ݈䍷জ催⍼њDŽ Jíyóu shìchfng céngjcng yiuguo yí duàn shíjian bù jhngqì, dànshì xiànzài lij’ànhuamíng le, ycnwèi shèhuì shàng duì jíyóu de xìngqù yòu gaozhfng le. ‘The stamp collecting market in the past had a period that was depressed, but now there is a bright future after a period of difficulty, because interest in stamp collecting in society has risen again.’

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Entry 422: 㹪᠟ᮕ㾖

Example 2: ҪⱘџϮϝ䍋ϝ㨑ˈ᳒㒣䱋ܹ䖛Ԣ䈋ˈг᳒㒣ഘ‫ڗ‬ઔී䖛DŽ Ta de shìyè sanqh-sanluò, céngjcng xiànrùguo dcgj, yg céngjcng lij’àn-huamíng guò. ‘His career has had its ups and downs; in the past there have been times when it sank into the pits, and there have also been times when it blossomed forth brightly after periods of difficulty.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: This idiom derives from a poem by the Song Dynasty poet Lu You. The whole verse, which is often quoted in its entirety, is: ቅ䞡∈໡⭥᮴䏃ˈ᷇ᱫ㢅ᯢজϔᴥ (shan chóng shuh fù yí wú lù, lij àn hua míng yòu yì cen ቅ䞡∈ᕽ⭥⛵䏃ˈ᷇ᱫ 㢅ᯢজϔᴥ) ‘The mountains multiply and the streams double so that I suspect there is no road, the willows are shady and the flowers are bright and then there is another village.’ Near Synonyms: [ᯊᴹ䖤䕀] (shí lái yùn zhufn ᰖ՚䘟䔝) ‘a change in one’s fortune for the better,’ [㢺ሑ⫬ᴹ] (kj jìn gan lái 㢺ⲵ⫬՚) ‘when the bitter is exhausted sweetness comes.’ Antonyms: [か䗨᳿䏃] (qióng tú mò lù も䗨᳿䏃) ‘dead end, impasse,’ [䍄ᡩ᮴䏃] (ziu tóu wú lù 䍄ᡩ⛵䏃) ‘have no way out, have nowhere to turn.’ 422. Ğኆ၄๬਋ğ(ᰵ፯᥶⟤) xiù shiu páng guan 㹪 means ‘put in one’s sleeves,’ ᮕ means ‘from the sides,’ and 㾖 means ‘look on.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘put one’s hands in one’s sleeves and look on from the sidelines.’ A freer translation is ‘stand by with one’s arms folded, stand idly by.’ Example 1: 䆹೑ⱘ໪ѸᬓㄪᰃˈབᵰϰѮথ⫳њ៬ѝˈҪӀϡӮኆ၄๬਋ˈ㗠ᰃ㽕 ⿃ᵕখϢDŽ Gai guó de wàijiao zhèngcè shì, rúgui ddngyà f ashbngle zhànzhbng, tamen bú huì xiùshiu-pángguan, ér shì yào jcjí canyù. ‘The foreign policy of that country is that, if in East Asia war erupts, they will not stand idly by but will participate actively.’ Example 2: ԴӀᰃད᳟টˈ⦄೼Ҫ䘛ࠄњ䙷М໻ⱘ咏⚺ˈԴᗢМ㛑ኆ၄๬਋ਸ਼˛ Nhmen shì hfo péngyou, xiànzài ta yùdàole nàme dà de máfan, nh zgnme néng xiùshiu-pángguan ne? ‘You’re good friends; now that he has encountered such big trouble, how can you just look on from the sidelines?’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [԰ຕϞ㾖] (zuò bì shàng guan ԰ຕϞ㾔) ‘stand by and watch,’ [ത ቅ㾖㰢᭫] (zuò shan guan hj dòu തቅ㾔㰢價) ‘sit on a mountain and watch the

Entries 423 – 424: 䈕✊ᓔᳫ and 䆫ᚙ⬏ᛣ

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tigers fight – watch a fight from a safe distance (and then reap the spoils when both sides are exhausted).’ Antonyms: [ᢨߔⳌࡽ] (bá dao xiang zhù ᢨߔⳌࡽ) ‘draw one’s sword and help another – come to someone’s rescue,’ [ᤎ䑿㗠ߎ] (thng shbn ér che ᤎ䑿㗠ߎ) ‘step forward courageously.’ 423. Ğ૙཭ఎಌğ(┛ᵩḶᦃ) huò rán kai lfng 䈕✊ means ‘open’ and ᓔᳫ means ‘open and bright.’ The literal meaning is ‘open and bright,’ with a freer translation being ‘suddenly see the light.’ Example 1: ҪӀ䪏ߎቅ⋲ˈⴐࠡ૙཭ఎಌDŽ Tamen zuanche shandòng, yfnqián huòrán-kailfng. ‘When they had made their way out of the cave, before their eyes it suddenly became open and bright.’ Example 2: ਀㗕Ꮬ㾷䞞ҹৢˈҪ૙཭ఎಌˈϔϟᄤᯢⱑњDŽ Tcng lfoshc jigshì yhhòu, ta huòrán-kailfng, yíxiàzi míngbai le. ‘After hearing the teacher’s explanation, he suddenly saw the light.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ᘡ✊໻ᙳ] (hufng rán dà wù ᘡ✊໻ᙳ) ‘suddenly understand,’ [㣙า乓ᓔ] (máo sè dùn kai 㣙า䷧䭟) ‘suddenly see the light.’ Antonyms: [໻ᚥϡ㾷] (dà huò bù jig ໻ᚥϡ㾷) ‘puzzled, baffled,’ [ϔちϡ䗮] (yí qiào bù tdng ϔ゙ϡ䗮) ‘one gate not opened – know nothing about something.’ 424. Ğမ༽ઙፀğ(ᾧᬧᶁẤ) shc qíng huà yì 䆫 means ‘poem,’ ᚙ means ‘feeling,’ and ᛣ means ‘meaning, idea.’ The literal meaning is ‘poem-feeling painting-idea,’ with a freer translation being ‘rich in poetic and artistic flavor.’ Example 1: ໻ᄺ⫳⌏ϡ㒃㊍ᰃမ༽ઙፀˈг‫ܙ‬⒵њህϮࠡⱘ‫ޚ‬໛DŽ Dàxué shbnghuó bù chúncuì shì shcqíng-huàyì, yg chdngmfnle jiùyè qián de zhjnbèi. ‘University life is not purely poetry and art; it’s also filled with preparation prior to employment.’ Example 2: ⌾⓿ЏН԰ક㒭Ҏҹမ༽ઙፀ㠀ⱘѿফDŽ Làngmàn zhjyì zuòphn ggi rén yh shcqíng-huàyì ban de xifngshòu. ‘Works of Romanticism give one a poetic and artistic kind of enjoyment.’

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Entries 425 – 426: ৠ᮹㗠䇁 and ᳒޴ԩᯊ

Usage: Functions mainly as object of the verbs ᆠ᳝ (fùyiu) ‘rich in’ and ‫ܙ‬⒵ (chdngmfn ‫ܙ‬ⓓ) ‘full of.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [བ䆫བ⬏] (rú shc rú huà བ䀽བ⬿) ‘like poems and paintings.’ Antonym: [ᑇ⎵᮴༛] (píng dàn wú qí ᑇ⎵⛵༛) ‘flat and uninteresting.’ 425. Ğᄴ྇ऎᎫğ(ᐹ፶ᒚ⅃) tóng rì ér yj ৠ means ‘same,’ ᮹ means ‘day,’ and 䇁 means ‘speak.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘speak about on the same day,’ with a freer translation being ‘talk about at the same time, mention in the same breath, compare with.’ Example 1: 䖜‫ܟ‬ᇨfШЍ㄀Ѡ⃵໡ߎৢˈ∈ᑇ䎳ҹࠡϡৃᄴ྇ऎᎫDŽ Màikè’gr Qiáodan dì’èr cì fùche hòu, shuhpíng gbn yhqián bù kg tóngrì-éryj. ‘After Michael Jordan resurfaced the second time, his level couldn’t compare with before.’ Example 2: Ҫ໻ᄺ↩Ϯৢ೼ᕜ໮೑ᆊᎹ԰䖛ˈࠄ䖛ᕜ໮ϡৠⱘഄᮍˈ಴ℸ⦄೼ⱘ㾕䆚 ቖ㛑䎳໻ᄺᯊᳳⱘᄴ྇ऎᎫ˛ Ta dàxué bìyè hòu zài hgn dud guójia gdngzuòguo, dàoguò hgn dud bùtóng de dìfang, ycnch xiànzài de jiànshi qh néng gbn dàxué shíqc de tóngrì-éryj? ‘After graduating from college, he worked in many countries and visited many different places; so how could his current knowledge be mentioned in the same breath as that of the period when he was in college?’ Usage: Functions as predicate, usually in negative sentences and rhetorical questions. Near Synonym: [Ⳍᦤᑊ䆎] (xiang tí bìng lùn ⳌᦤϺ䂪) ‘mention in the same breath.’ Antonym: [Ҟ䴲ᯨ↨] ( jcn fbi xc bh Ҟ䴲ᯨ↨) ‘the present does not compare with the past.’ 426. Ğᐒଂੜဟğ(ᴜ᳗ᒺ᥸) céng jh hé shí ᳒ is Classical Chinese for the modern ᳒㒣 and means ‘before, once,’ ޴ԩ means ‘how much,’ and ᯊ means ‘time.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘not very much time (has passed).’ A freer translation is ‘it was not so long ago that . . . , it was not long before. . . .’ However, this idiom is not infrequently misused to mean ‘at some point in the past’ or ‘long ago,’ which is gradually becoming accepted usage. Example 1: ᐒଂੜဟˈ∈ᵰᰃ䖛㡖ⱘ䈵ᕕˈᰃএ҆៮᳟টᆊⱘ⼐કDŽ Céngjhhéshí, shuhgui shì guòjié de xiàngzhbng, shì qù qcnqi péngyou jia de lhphn.

Entries 427 – 428: 催催೼Ϟ and ϔᕔᚙ⏅

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‘It was not so long ago that fruit was the symbol for celebrating holidays, or a gift when going to the homes of relatives and friends.’ Example 2: ᐒଂੜဟˈlj਼ᯧNJ⛁њϔ↉ᯊ䯈DŽ Céngjhhéshí, ZhDu Yì rèle yí duàn shíjian. ‘It was not so long ago that The Book of Changes was “hot” for a period of time.’ Usage: Functions independently as adverbial. Note: Very literary in style. Because of the strong tendency of Chinese idioms to be analyzed in groups of two characters, this idiom is usually pronounced with a brief pause in the middle as ᳒޴||ԩᯊ(céng jh||hé shí). Near Synonyms: [ᔍᣛП䯈] (dàn zhh zhc jian ᔜᣛП䭧) ‘in the time it takes to flick a finger – in a moment,’ [⿡㒉े䗱] (shao zòng jí shì ⿡㐅े䗱) ‘fleeting.’ Antonyms: [Й㗠ЙП] ( jij ér jij zhc Й㗠ЙП) ‘in the course of time,’ [䘹䘹᮴ᳳ] ( yáo yáo wú qc 䘭䘭⛵ᳳ) ‘not in the foreseeable future.’ 427. Ğ঱঱Ᏼ࿟ğ(᪓᪓ᑋጆ) gao gao zài shàng This idiom means ‘up very high, isolated from the masses.’ Example 1: ᔧ乚ᇐⱘϡ㛑㒭߿Ҏϔ⾡঱঱Ᏼ࿟ⱘᛳ㾝ˈ৺߭≵Ҏᜓᛣ䎳Դ᥹䖥DŽ Dang lhngdfo de bùnéng ggi biérén yì zhing gaogao-zàishàng de gfnjúe, fiuzé méi rén yuànyì gbn nh jibjìn. ‘Those who serve as leaders must not give others the feeling that they are very high in position, otherwise there won’t be anyone who wants to approach you.’ Example 2: 䖭Ͼ䆱࠻ᰃ䆑ࠎ䙷ѯ঱঱Ᏼ࿟ⱘ⊩ᅬⱘDŽ Zhège huàjù shì f gngcì nàxib gaogao-zàishàng de f fguan de. ‘This play satirizes those judges who have such high positions.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, attributive, and adverbial. Note: Slightly derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [㟇催᮴Ϟ] (zhì gao wú shàng 㟇催⛵Ϟ) ‘highest, supreme.’ Antonym: [ᑇᯧ䖥Ҏ] (píng yì jìn rén ᑇᯧ䖥Ҏ) ‘amiable and approachable.’ 428. Ğጙᆁ༽࿾ğ(ዯᙗᬧᮥ) yì wfng qíng shbn The meaning of this idiom is ‘fall passionately in love with, head over heels in love with.’

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Entry 429: ⮯ᖗ⮒佪

Example 1: 㱑✊Ϝ໿ߎњ䔺⽌ˈঠ㝓⅟⮒ˈԚᰃྏᄤᇍϜ໿ጙᆁ༽࿾ഄ䇈˖ Ā៥∌䖰 ϡӮ⾏ᓔԴDŽā Sucrán zhàngfu chele chbhuò, shuang tuh cánjí, dànshì qczi duì zhàngfu yìwfngqíngshbn de shud: “Wi yingyufn bú huì líkai nh.” ‘Though the husband had an automobile accident and lost the use of both of his legs, the wife said to the husband, deeply in love with him: “I shall never leave you.”’ Example 2: ཌྷᇍ㟲䐜џϮጙᆁ༽࿾ˈ݁क໮ቕњ䖬҆㞾ⱏৄⓨߎDŽ Ta duì wjdfo shìyè yìwfng-qíngshbn, liùshí dud suì le hái qcnzì dbngtái yfnche. ‘She is passionately in love with dance; at the age of over sixty, she still personally gets on stage to perform.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial, usually preceded by ᇍ (duì ᇡ). Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᚙ⏅ᛣ८] (qíng shbn yì hòu ᚙ⏅ᛣ८) ‘feelings are deep and intentions are thick,’ [ᚙᛣ㓉㓉] (qíng yì mián mián ᚙᛣ㎓㎓) ‘continuous love and affection.’ Antonyms: [ᳱϝᲂಯ] (zhao san mù sì ᳱϝᲂಯ) ‘three in the morning and four at night – fickle and inconstant,’ [ᳱ⾺ᲂἮ] (zhao Qín mù Chj ᳱ⾺ᲂἮ) ‘serve Qin in the morning and Chu in the evening – fickle and inconstant.’ 429. Ğᄼቦૼ၅ğ(ᶄ፬᧓ᣌ) tòng xcn jí shiu ⮯ means ‘hurt,’ ⮒ means ‘pain,’ and 佪 means ‘head.’ A literal translation of the idiom is ‘hurt the heart and pain the head,’ with a freer translation being ‘very distressing or distressed, full of resentment.’ Example 1: 䭓∳ফࠄ䖭МϹ䞡ⱘ∵ᶧˈⳳ䅽Ҏᄼቦૼ၅DŽ Chángjiang shòudào zhème yánzhòng de werfn, zhbn ràng rén tòngxcn-jíshiu. ‘That the Yangtze River was so seriously polluted has really distressed people.’ Example 2: ೼Ё೑ⱘ៤䭓ⱘग़৆Ϟˈথ⫳䖛ᄼቦૼ၅ⱘџDŽ Zài Zhdngguó de chéngzhfng de lìshh shàng, fashbngguo tòngxcn-jíshiu de shì. ‘In the history of China’s growth, there have occurred very distressing things.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate after causative verbs; can also serve as attributive or adverbial. Near Synonym: [㙱㙴ᇌᮁ] (gan cháng cùn duàn 㙱㝌ᇌᮋ) ‘great pain and grief.’ Antonym: [ⳝ亲㡆㟲] (méi fbi sè wj ⳝ亯㡆㟲) ‘eyebrows fly face dances – delighted, elated.’

Entry 430: 呀㱠Ⳍѝˈ⏨㖕ᕫ߽

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430. ĞḸۘሤᑱLjᎢᆲࡻಽğ(䚠ᩑᡐᛢLj₹ᨚᬗᓗ) yù bàng xiang zhbng, yú wbng dé lì 呀 means ‘snipe (a type of water bird),’ 㱠 means ‘clam,’ Ⳍ means ‘mutually,’ ѝ means ‘fight,’ ⏨㖕 means ‘fisherman,’ and ߽ means ‘benefit.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘when the snipe and the clam fought with each other, the fisherman obtained the benefit’ (since he could grab them both while they were distracted). This is a metaphor for a third party’s benefiting when two parties are engaged in a quarrel and neither is willing to yield. Example 1: ѠकϪ㑾ܿकᑈҷˈ㕢೑੠ࠡ㢣㘨Ḹۘሤᑱⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬Ё೑ᕫࠄњᕜ໮ ད໘DŽ Èrshí shìjì bashí niándài, Mgiguó hé qián Selián yùbàng-xiangzhbng de shíhou, Zhdngguó dédàole hgn dud hfochù. ‘During the 1980s in the 20th century, when the U.S. and the former Soviet Union were involved in disputes much like the proverbial “snipe and clam,” China reaped many benefits.’ Example 2: ᘏ㒳໻䗝߱䗝ⱘᯊ‫׭ˈ׭‬䗝Ҏ䛑Ⳑᳯⴔ݊Ҫ‫׭‬䗝ҎḸۘሤᑱˈҪӀདᎢᆲ ࡻಽDŽ Zingting dàxufn chexufn de shíhou, hòuxufnrén ddu pànwàngzhe qíta hòuxufnrén yùbàng-xiangzhbng, tamen hfo yú wbng dé lì. ‘In the primaries of the presidential election, the candidates all hoped that the other candidates would fight with each other like the proverbial “snipe and clam,” so that they could “reap the benefit of the fisherman.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Allusion: During the Warring States Period, the state of Zhao wanted to attack the state of Yan. Under the command of the king of Zhao, there was a minister of state by the name of Su Dai who said to the king: “On my way to see you this morning, I passed a river where I saw a clam that had opened its shell to sun itself. Just then, a water bird stretched over and put its long beak into the clam’s shell, wanting to eat the clam. The clam quickly clamped down on the bird’s beak with the two halves of its shell. The bird said, ‘If it doesn’t rain today and it doesn’t rain tomorrow, you’ll die.’ But the clam said, ‘If your beak can’t break free today, and if it can’t break free tomorrow, you’ll die.’ Neither the clam nor the bird were willing to give up, so both were easily caught by a fisherman.” Understanding what Su Dai meant, the king of Zhao gave up his plan to attack the country of Yan. (from “Stratagems of Yan” in Stratagems of the Warring States) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ЬҎПॅ] (chéng rén zhc wbi ЬҎПॅ) ‘take advantage of someone’s precarious position,’ [തቅ㾖㰢᭫] (zuò shan guan hj dòu തቅ㾔㰢價) ‘sit on a mountain and watch the tigers fight – watch a fight from a safe distance (and reap the spoils when both sides are exhausted).’

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Entries 431 – 433: ᮴ᯊ᮴ࠏˈ⃶໽୰ഄ and Ⅾ㊒チ㰥

Antonym: [ᢨߔⳌࡽ] (bá dao xiang zhù ᢨߔⳌࡽ) ‘draw one’s sword and help another – come to someone’s rescue.’ 431. Ğᇄဟᇄరğ(ᵨ᥸ᵨᗩ) wú shí wú kè A literal translation of this idiom is ‘there isn’t an hour and there isn’t a quarter hour.’ The meaning is ‘constantly, incessantly, all the time.’ Example 1: ཌྷᇄဟᇄరϡ೼ᗱᗉ䖰ᮍⱘϜ໿DŽ Ta wúshí-wúkè bú zài scniàn yufnf ang de zhàngfu. ‘There wasn’t a moment when she wasn’t longing for her faraway husband.’ Example 2: 䋿ೄᇄဟᇄర䛑೼䰏ℶথሩЁ೑ᆊⱘ䖯ℹDŽ Pínkùn wúshí-wúkè ddu zài zjzhh fazhfnzhdng guójia de jìnbù. ‘Poverty is constantly preventing the progress of developing countries.’ Usage: Often used before ϡ೼ (bú zài) as adverbial. Near Synonyms: [ߚߚ⾦⾦] (fbn fbn mifo mifo ߚߚ⾦⾦) ‘every minute and every second,’ [䭓ᑈ㌃᳜] (cháng nián lgi yuè 䭋ᑈ㌃᳜) ‘year after year and month after month.’ 432. Ğઢᄖᇶ࢐ğ(❣፞Ჟᑊ) huan tian xh dì A literal translation of this idiom is ‘happy heaven happy earth.’ The meaning is ‘completely overjoyed.’ Example 1: ҪӀઢᄖᇶ࢐ഄᨀ䖯њᮄ᠓ᄤDŽ Tamen huantian-xhdì de banjìnle xcn fángzi. ‘They moved into their new home completely overjoyed.’ Example 2: 䖭Ͼ໻ᆊᒁᮄ⏏њϔϾᄭᄤˈܼᆊҎ䛑ઢᄖᇶ࢐ⱘDŽ Zhège dàjiatíng xcntianle yí ge senzi, quán jia rén ddu huantian-xhdì de. ‘This large family newly added a grandson, so everyone in the family was overjoyed.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Near Synonym: [୰⇨⋟⋟] (xh qì yáng yáng ୰⇷⋟⋟) ‘jubilant.’ Antonyms: [ᛕⳝ㢺㜌] (chóu méi kj lifn ᛕⳝ㢺㞝) ‘worried eyebrows bitter face – distressed,’ [ᚆ⮯℆㒱] (bbi tòng yù jué ᚆ⮯℆㌩) ‘sorrowful and desperate.’ 433. Ğ᮹றஇ൅ğ(㷈⃶⃧⇢) dan jcng jié lq Ⅾ means ‘use up,’ ㊒ means ‘energy,’ チ also means ‘use up,’ and 㰥 means ‘thought.’ The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘use up all one’s energy and thought,’ with a freer translation being ‘rack one’s brains.’

Entries 434 – 435: 䗮ᚙ䖒⧚ and Ң໽㗠䰡

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Example 1: ᭛࣪໻䴽ੑᳳ䯈ˈ਼ᘽᴹᘏ⧚᮹றஇ൅ˈࡾ࡯ֱᡸњϔᡍ㗕ৠᖫDŽ Wénhuà Dàgémìng qcjian, Zhdu lnlái zinglh danjcng-jiélq, njlì bfohùle yì pc lfotóngzhì. ‘During the Cultural Revolution, Premier Zhou Enlai racked his brains trying to protect a group of old comrades.’ Example 2: Ўњ‫ܓ‬ᄤⱘီџˈ⠊↡᮹றஇ൅ˈᯢᰒ⯺њ䆌໮DŽ Wéile érzi de henshì, fùmj danjcng-jiélq, míngxifn shòule xjdud. ‘For the sake of their son’s marriage, his parents racked their brains, obviously losing a lot of weight.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Somewhat complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [໘ᖗ⿃㰥] (chj xcn jc lq 㰩ᖗ〡ᝂ) ‘deliberately plan something,’ [✲䌍㢺ᖗ] (shà fèi kj xcn ✲䊏㢺ᖗ) ‘take great pains.’ 434. Ğᄰ༽ࡉಯğ(᱓ᬧῖᮿ) tdng qíng dá lh 䗮 means ‘understand,’ ᚙ means ‘situation,’ 䖒 means ‘attain,’ and ⧚ means ‘reason.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘very reasonable or sensible.’ Example 1: ཌྷᕜᄰ༽ࡉಯˈ಴ℸѸњᕜ໮᳟টDŽ Ta hgn tdngqíng-dálh, ycnch jiaole hgn dud péngyou. ‘She is very sensible, therefore she has made many friends.’ Example 2: ⏽㔥ⱘ㾖ӫᰃ᳔ᄰ༽ࡉಯⱘ㾖ӫˈг㒭༅䋹㗙ᕜ໮ᥠໄDŽ Wbnwfng de guanzhòng shì zuì tdngqíng-dálh de guanzhòng, yg ggi shcbàizhg hgn dud zhfngshbng. ‘The spectators at the Wimbledon Open are extremely reasonable spectators, also giving the losers a lot of applause.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [୘㾷Ҏᛣ] (shàn jig rén yì ୘㾷Ҏᛣ) ‘good at understanding others’ intentions.’ Antonyms: [㳂ϡ䆆⧚] (mán bù jifng lh 㸏ϡ䃯⧚) ‘quite unreasonable,’ [ᔎ䆡༎⧚] (qifng cí duó lh ᔋ䀲༾⧚) ‘use far-fetched arguments.’ 435. Ğ࠭ᄖऎଢ଼ğ(ᬙ፞ᒚᣂ) cóng tian ér jiàng 䰡 means ‘fall.’ The literal meaning of the whole idiom is ‘fall from the sky.’ A freer English equivalent is ‘come out of a clear blue sky.’

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Entries 436 – 437: ѩѩ᳝ᴵ and 㢺ষယᖗ

Example 1: 䖭ᴵണ⍜ᙃㅔⳈ࠭ᄖऎଢ଼ˈ䅽Ҏϔ⚍‫ޚ‬໛г≵᳝DŽ Zhè tiáo huài xiaoxi jifnzhí cóngtian-érjiàng, ràng rén yìdifn zhjnbèi yg méiyiu. ‘This piece of bad news simply came out of a clear blue sky, there being no way that one could have been prepared.’ Example 2: ཌྷфᔽ⼼Ёњ⡍ㄝ༪ˈ䋶ᆠ࠭ᄖऎଢ଼ˈϔϟᄤথњ໻䋶DŽ Ta mfi cfipiào zhòngle tèdgngjifng, cáifù cóngtian-érjiàng, yíxiàzi f ale dà cái. ‘She bought a lottery ticket and won the special prize, with riches falling from the sky; all of a sudden, she struck it rich.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Can be used literally or figuratively. Near Synonym: [さབ݊ᴹ] (te rú qí lái さབ݊՚) ‘appear suddenly.’ Antonym: [ᛣ᭭ПЁ] ( yì liào zhc zhdng ᛣ᭭ПЁ) ‘as might be expected.’ 436. Ğழழᎌᄟğ(ጸጸᑺ᭾) jhng jhng yiu tiáo ѩѩ means ‘orderly, well arranged.’ ᳝ᴵ means ᳝ᴵ⧚, which also means ‘orderly, well arranged.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘orderly, in good order, methodical.’ Example 1: Ҫ໾໾ᡞᆊ䞠ᬊᣒᕫழழᎌᄟˈᑆ‫߽ޔ‬㨑DŽ Ta tàitai bf jia lh shdushí de jhngjhng-yiutiáo, ganjìng-lìluò. ‘His wife arranged everything in their home in good order, clean and tidy.’ Example 2: ⾬кᡞџᚙᅝᥦᕫழழᎌᄟˈ乚ᇐ䴲ᐌ⒵ᛣDŽ Mìshe bf shìqing anpái de jhngjhng-yiutiáo, lhngdfo fbicháng mfnyì. ‘The secretary arranged matters in an orderly manner, the boss being extremely satisfied.’ Usage: Functions mainly as complement and predicate. Near Synonym: [⾽ᑣѩ✊] (zhì xù jhng rán ⾽ᑣѩ✊) ‘in methodical order.’ Antonyms: [ᴖх᮴ゴ] (zá luàn wú zhang 䲰і⛵ゴ) ‘disorganized,’ [хϗܿ㊳] (luàn qc ba zao іϗܿ㊳) ‘in great disorder, a mess’ (limited mostly to spoken Chinese). 437. Ğౄాົቦğ(ᢋጕ᫫፬) kj kiu pó xcn 㢺ষ means ‘urge with great patience,’ ယ means ‘old woman,’ and ယᖗ means ‘kindheartedness.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘admonish over and over with good intentions.’

Entry 438: ҎቅҎ⍋

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Example 1: ⠊↡ౄాົቦഄ䎳ᄽᄤ䆆ЎҔМ㽕Ϟ໻ᄺⱘ䘧⧚DŽ Fùmj kjkiu-póxcn de gbn háizi jifng wèishénme yào shàng dàxué de dàolh. ‘Admonishing them over and over again with good intentions, the parents explained to their children the reasons why they should attend college.’ Example 2: Ӵᬭ຿ౄాົቦഄࡱ䇈ҎӀֵӄϞᏱDŽ Chuánjiàoshì kjkiu-póxcn de quànshud rénmen xìnyfng Shàngdì. ‘Admonishing them over and over with good intentions, the missionary urged the people to believe in God.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Near Synonyms: [ϡॠ݊⚺] (bú yàn qí fán ϡঁ݊✽) ‘not mind the trouble,’ [䇁䞡 ᖗ䭓] (yj zhòng xcn cháng 䁲䞡ᖗ䭋) ‘sincere, heartfelt.’ Antonym: [⊍㜨⒥䇗] ( yóu qiang huá diào ⊍㜨⒥䂓) ‘slick tunes smooth melodies – glib.’ 438. Ğཽ࿍ཽ਱ğ(ዷጢዷᦫ) rén shan rén hfi The literal translation of this idiom is ‘people-mountain and people-sea.’ The meaning is ‘many people, huge crowds.’ Example 1: ೑ᑚ㡖ⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬໽ᅝ䮼ᑓഎ␌ᅶ䴲ᐌ໮ˈཽ࿍ཽ਱DŽ Guóqìngjié de shíhou, Tiananmén gufngchfng yóukè f bicháng dud, rénshanrénhfi. ‘On National Day, there were extremely many sightseers on Tiananmen Square – crowds and crowds.’ Example 2: ཌྷᰃ⦄೼᳔᳝ৡⱘ℠᯳ˈ೼ཌྷⱘⓨଅӮ⦄എˈཽ࿍ཽ਱DŽ Ta shì xiànzài zuì yiumíng de gbxcng, zài ta de yfnchànghuì xiànchfng, rénshanrénhfi. ‘She is currently the most famous singer; at the site of her performances, there are always huge crowds of people.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ] (chuan liú bù xc Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ) ‘continuous flow without stopping’ (of people or traffic) (unlike ҎቅҎ⍋, which can only refer to people, Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ can also refer to traffic). Antonym: [ϝϝϸϸ] (san san lifng lifng ϝϝܽܽ) ‘in twos and threes, not many people.’

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Entries 439 – 440: 䖤ㅍᐋᐘ and ᠡ催ܿ᭫

439. ĞᏥ߫ᢁᢂğ(ῒ⛆ᬋ㍪) yùn chóu wéi wò 䖤ㅍ means ‘map out tactics, plan’ and ᐋᐘ means ‘army tent.’ A literal translation is ‘map out strategic plans in an army tent.’ Nowadays, this idiom is usually employed with the extended meaning ‘good at strategies and planning.’ Example 1: ೑݅៬ѝᳳ䯈ˈ↯⋑ϰᏥ߫ᢁᢂˈা⫼њಯᑈᯊ䯈ህᠧ䋹њ㩟ҟ⷇ⱘܿⱒ ϛ‫ݯ‬䯳ˈⳳᰃ‫ݯ‬џ৆Ϟⱘ༛䗍DŽ Guó-Gòng zhànzhbng qcjian, Máo Zéddng yùnchóu-wéiwò, zhh yòngle sì nián shíjian jiù dfbàile Jifng Jièshí de babfi wàn jenduì, zhbn shì jenshìshh shàng de qíjì. ‘At the time of the war between the Kuomintang and the Communists, Mao Zedong excelled at strategic planning, it taking him only four years to defeat Chiang Kai-shek’s eight million troops; it really was a miracle in military history.’ Example 2: Ꮘ㧆⡍Ꮵ߫ᢁᢂˈेՓ೼㙵Ꮦ໻䎠ⱘᯊᳳձ✊㛑䌮ࠄϡᇥ䪅DŽ Bafbitè yùnchóu-wéiwò, jíshh zài gjshì dàdib de shíqc ycrán néng zhuàndào bù shfo qián. ‘U.S. investor Warren Buffett is good at strategies and planning; even at the time of the sharp drop in the stock market, he still was able to earn quite a bit of money.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [‫އ‬㚰ग䞠] ( jué shèng qian lh ≎ࢱग䞠) ‘determine the final outcome,’ [⼲ᴎ཭ㅫ] (shén jc miào suàn ⼲″཭ㅫ) ‘divine stratagem, marvelous scheme.’ Antonym: [ስ៬ስ䋹] (lr zhàn lr bài ሶ᠄ሶᬫ) ‘repeatedly wage war and repeatedly be defeated.’ 440. Ğ‫ݣ‬঱‫࣍ڭ‬ğ(ጭ᪓ዺ፳) cái gao ba diu ᠡ means ‘talent’ (especially literary talent) and ᭫ was a unit of measurement in ancient China, with ten dou making up a dan. A literal translation of this idiom is ‘talent high to the extent of eight dou,’ with a freer translation being ‘lots of talent, extremely talented.’ Example 1: ⥟ᬭᥜস‫݌‬᭛ᄺ෎⸔⏅८ˈ‫ݣ‬঱‫ˈ࣍ڭ‬ᄺᆠѨ䔺ˈ‫ࡃݭ‬ᇍ㘨ϡ䌍ҔМ ࡳ໿DŽ Wáng jiàoshòu gjdifn wénxué jcchj shbnhòu, cáigao-badiu, xuéfù-wjchb, xig fù duìlián bú fèi shénme gdngfu. ‘Professor Wang’s foundation in classical literature is very deep, and he is extremely talented and well-read; composing a couplet expends no effort on his part.’

Entry 441: ⊒⊒㞾୰

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Example 2: 䙷ѯ㞾ҹЎ‫ݣ‬঱‫ⱘ࣍ڭ‬䆘䆎ᆊˈҎᆊⱘ԰કҪḍᴀ≵᳝ⳟᅠህхথ䆘䆎DŽ Nà xib zìyhwéi cáigao-badiu de pínglùnjia, rénjia de zuòphn ta gbnbgn méiyiu kànwán jiù luàn fa pínglùn. ‘Those critics who consider themselves extremely talented, they haven’t even finished reading someone’s works and already they indiscriminately issue their criticisms.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive, often followed by ᄺᆠѨ䔺 (xué fù wj chb ᅌᆠѨ䒞) ‘well-read, learned.’ Allusion: The famous Southern Dynasties poet Xie Lingyun once said: “In the whole world, there is in all only one dan’s (equals ten dou) worth of literature. The poet Cao Zhi alone accounts for eight dou, and I account for one dou; everyone else in the world must together share the remaining dou.” (from “Explaining the Common Saying Badouzhicai,” anonymous) Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᄺᆠѨ䔺] (xué fù wj chb ᅌᆠѨ䒞) ‘well-read, learned,’ [ᠡढ῾⑶] (cái huá héng yì ᠡ㧃‿⑶) ‘overflowing with talent.’ Antonyms: [ᠡ⭣ᄺ⌙] (cái she xué qifn ᠡ⭣ᅌ⏎) ‘little talent and shallow learning’ (self-deprecatory term), [ᖫ໻ᠡ⭣] (zhì dà cái she ᖫ໻ᠡ⭣) ‘great ambition but little talent.’ 441. Ğᐬᐬᔈᇶğ(ᛄᛄᒢᲟ) zhan zhan zì xh ⊒⊒ means ‘frivolous, flighty,’ 㞾 means ‘oneself,’ and ୰ means ‘like, happy with.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘frivolous and happy with oneself,’ with freer translations including ‘pleased with oneself, self-satisfied, complacent.’ Example 1: Ҫপᕫњϡᇣⱘ៤ህˈԚᰃ≵᳝ᐬᐬᔈᇶˈ㗠ᰃ㒻㓁༟᭫DŽ Ta qjdéle bù xifo de chéngjiù, dànshì méiyiu zhanzhan-zìxh, ér shì jìxù fèndòu. ‘He obtained great achievements, but was not complacent, continuing to struggle.’ Example 2: ㄀Ѡ⃵Ϫ⬠໻៬ࠡˈ⊩೑ҎҹЎᖋ೑ϡӮ䖯ᬏ⊩೑ঞ݊ⲳ೑ˈ಴㗠ᐬᐬ! ᔈᇶⱘᯊ‫ˈ׭‬ᖋ೑ⱘഺ‫ܟ‬Ꮖ㒣ᙘᙘഄߎথњDŽ Dì’èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn qián, Ffguórén yhwéi Déguó bú huì jìngdng Ffguó jí qí méngguó, ycn’ér zhanzhan-zìxh de shíhou, Déguó de tfnkè yhjcng qiaoqiao de chefale. ‘Before World War II, the French thought that Germany would not attack France and its allies; therefore, while it was feeling self-satisfied, the German tanks were already secretly setting out.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial and attributive.

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Entries 442 – 443: ⱚ໻⃶୰ and ໻गϪ⬠

Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⋟⋟㞾ᕫ] ( yáng yáng zì dé ⋟⋟㞾ᕫ) ‘complacent, self-satisfied,’ [㞾号ᕫᛣ] (zì míng dé yì 㞾勈ᕫᛣ) ‘pleased with oneself.’ Antonyms: [៦偘៦䑕] ( jiè jiao jiè zào ៦倩៦䑕) ‘guard against arrogance and impetuosity,’ [䇺㰮䇼ᜢ] (qian xe jhn shèn 䃭㰯䄍ᜢ) ‘modest and prudent.’ 442. Ğ୼ࡍઢᇶğ(ᡇጙ❣Ჟ) jib dà huan xh ⱚ means ‘all,’ ໻ means ‘greatly,’ and ⃶୰ means ‘joyful, happy, delighted.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘everyone is happy, to the satisfaction of all.’ Example 1: џᚙⱘ㒧ᵰᰃঠᮍ୼ࡍઢᇶDŽ Shìqing de jiégui shì shuangfang jibdàhuanxh. ‘The result of the matter was that both sides were very pleased.’ Example 2: Ꮦ䭓ᬍ୘њජᏖⱘѸ䗮ˈᏖ⇥Ӏ୼ࡍઢᇶDŽ Shìzhfng gfishànle chéngshì de jiaotdng, shìmínmen jibdàhuanxh. ‘The mayor improved city traffic, so the city residents were all very happy.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonym: [ሑབҎᛣ] ( jìn rú rén yì ⲵབҎᛣ) ‘completely as one wishes.’ Antonym: [ᗼໄ䕑䘧] ( yuàn shbng zfi dào ᗼ㙆䓝䘧) ‘complaints are heard everywhere.’ 443. Ğࡍ໻ီஏğ(ጙጓᎌᠾ) dà qian shì jiè ໻ग means ‘the infinite universe.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘the vast world, the infinite universe.’ Example 1: ࡍ໻ီஏˈ᮴༛ϡ᳝DŽ Dàqian-shìjiè, wúqí-bùyiu. ‘Anything under the sun.’ (lit. ‘In the vast world, there is no strange thing that does not exist.’) Example 2: Ҏ⫳⌏೼ࡍ໻ီஏ䞠ˈᘏӮ䘛ࠄ㞾Ꮕ୰⃶ⱘҎDŽ Rén shbnghuó zài dàqian-shìjiè lh, zing huì yùdào zìjh xhhuan de rén. ‘People live in such a vast world, eventually they will come across someone they like.’ Usage: Nominal element, occurs mainly as object. Note: This idiom, which is a common cliché, was originally a Buddhist term.

Entries 444 – 445: Вϔডϝ and ϡњњП

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Near Synonym: [㢅㢅Ϫ⬠] (hua hua shì jiè 㢅㢅Ϫ⬠) ‘the mortal world of tempting pleasures.’ 444. Ğ௟ጙनྯğ(⓴ዯ፜ጃ) jj yc ffn san В means ‘mention, give an example’ and ড means ‘infer.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘when one (corner of a room) is mentioned, you infer the other three (corners of the room),’ with a freer translation being ‘infer other things from one fact that is already known, extrapolate.’ Example 1: ཌྷ㘾ᯢ㒱乊ˈ௟ጙनྯˈҔМџᚙϔ⚍ህ䗣DŽ Ta cdngmíng juédhng, jjyc-ffnsan, shénme shìqing yì difn jiù tòu. ‘She is utterly brilliant, and can infer other things from one fact; she can understand anything right away with just a little bit of information.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏ㽕୘Ѣᡧԣџᚙⱘᴀ䋼ˈ✊ৢ௟ጙनྯˈ䖭ḋᠡ㛑᳝໻ᬊ㦋DŽ Wimen yào shànyú zhuazhù shìqing de bgnzhì, ránhòu jjyc-f fnsan, zhèyàng cáinéng yiu dà shduhuò. ‘We must be good at capturing the essence of things, and then infer other things from one fact; only in this way can we have great achievements.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. This idiom originated from Confucius’s saying Вϔ䱙ϡҹϝ䱙ডˈ߭ϡ໡г ( Jj yc yú bù yh san yú ffn, zé bú fù yg 㟝ϔ䱙ϡҹ ϝ䱙ডˈࠛϡᕽг). The whole saying means: ‘If you saw one corner of a room but could not infer the other three, then I would not try to enlighten you again.’ Near Synonyms: [㾺㉏ᮕ䗮] (chù lèi páng tdng 㿌串ᮕ䗮) ‘touch one kind others known – know the rest of a kind by analogy,’ [㵡Ӯ䌃䗮] (róng huì guàn tdng 㵡 ᳗䉿䗮) ‘gain a thorough understanding after comprehensive study.’ Antonyms: [ϔちϡ䗮] (yí qiào bù tdng ϔ゙ϡ䗮) ‘one gate not opened – know nothing about something,’ [ಿ೉৲ᵷ] (hú lún ten zfo ಿ೛৲ẫ) ‘swallow a date whole – accept something uncritically without careful consideration.’ 445. Ğ‫ݙ‬೫೫ᒄğ(ጰድድጴ) bù lifo lifo zhc њ means ‘end, finish.’ The whole idiom means ‘settle a matter by leaving it unsettled, let an issue disappear.’ Example 1: 䙷ӊџᚙ಴Ў≵᳝Ҏ㒻㓁䗑おњˈ᳔ৢгህ‫ݙ‬೫೫ᒄњDŽ Nà jiàn shìqing ycnwèi méiyiu rén jìxù zhucjiele, zuìhòu yg jiù bùlifo-lifozhc le. ‘Because nobody continued looking into it, that matter in the end disappeared on its own.’

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Entries 446 – 447: ᕫϡٓ༅ and ًᎹ‫ޣ‬᭭

Example 2: ҪӀⱘᘟ⠅݇㋏≵᳝থሩϟএˈᯊ䯈Йњˈህ‫ݙ‬೫೫ᒄњDŽ Tamen de liàn’ài guanxi méiyiu fazhfn xiàqù, shíjian jij le, jiù bùlifo-lifozhc le. ‘Their romance did not continue developing; with time, it ended on its own.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Near Synonym: [㕂Пϡ⧚] (zhì zhc bù lh 㕂Пϡ⧚) ‘pay no attention to, ignore.’ Antonym: [ϔњⱒњ] ( yc lifo bfi lifo ϔњⱒњ) ‘when you die everything comes to an end.’ 446. Ğࡻ‫ޡݙ‬ပğ(ᬗጰ⑑Ꮜ) dé bù cháng shc ᕫ means ‘get, gain,’ and ٓ means ‘compensate.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘the gain does not make up for the loss.’ Example 1: 䖭ḋ‫خ‬᳝ᕜ໻ⱘ亢䰽ˈབᵰ༅䋹ˈህࡻ‫ޡݙ‬ပњDŽ Zhèyàng zuò yiu hgn dà de fbngxifn, rúgui shcbài, jiù débùchángshc le. ‘Doing this is very risky; if you fail, any gain won’t make up for the loss.’ Example 2: 䙷ᆊ໻݀ৌ೼䖭ӊᮄѻકϞ‫ܝ‬ᠧᑓਞህ㢅њѨⱒϛ㕢‫ˈܗ‬㒧ᵰपᕫᑊϡདˈ ࡻ‫ޡݙ‬ပњDŽ Nà jia dà gdngsc zài zhè jiàn xcn chfnphn shàng guang df gufnggào jiù huale wjbfi wàn Mgiyuán, jiégui mài de bìng bù hfo, débùchángshc le. ‘That large firm spent five million dollars just on advertising for this new product, and the result was that it didn’t sell well at all, so the gain didn’t equal the loss.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence. Note: Has a negative implication. Near Synonym: [಴ᇣ༅໻] ( ycn xifo shc dà ಴ᇣ༅໻) ‘for a small gain lose a lot.’ Antonyms: [䪉⒵Ⲛ⑶] (bd mfn pén yì 㔑ⓓⲚ⑶) (also written as [䪉⒵ⲚⲜ] (bd mfn pén yíng 㔑ⓓⲚⲜ) or [䪉⒵Ⲛ⒵] (bd mfn pén mfn 㔑ⓓⲚⓓ) ) ‘bowl is full and basin overflows.’ 447. Ğᄽ৔ି೯ğ(᪦ጤᵋ᥵) tdu gdng jifn liào ً means ‘steal,’ Ꮉ means ‘work,’ ‫ ޣ‬means ‘reduce,’ and ᭭ means ‘materials.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘do shoddy work by skimping on materials.’ This recently has gained the extended meaning of ‘not be responsible in one’s work, careless, deceive others.’

Entry 448: 催ሟᓎ⫈

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Example 1: ᓎㄥଚᄽ৔ି೯ˈ䛑ᰃĀ䈚㜤⏷āᎹ⿟ˈ㒧ᵰഄ䳛ⱘᯊ‫׭‬䆌໮ᓎㄥ䛑‫צ‬ภ њDŽ Jiànzhùshang tdugdng-jifnliào, ddu shì “dòufjzha” gdngchéng, jiégui dìzhèn de shíhou xjdud jiànzhù ddu dfotale. ‘The builders did shoddy work and skimped on materials, it all being construction of the quality of the “bean waste” that is left over after making soy milk; as a result, when the earthquake occurred, many buildings collapsed.’ Example 2: ‫ࡳخ‬䇒ⱘᯊ‫׭‬㽕䅸ⳳˈϡ㛑ᄽ৔ି೯DŽ Zuò gdngkè de shíhou yào rènzhbn, bù néng tdugdng-jifnliào. ‘When you do your homework you should be diligent; you can’t take shortcuts.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᭋ㸡њџ] (fe yfn lifo shì ᭋ㸡њџ) ‘do a perfunctory job.’ Antonym: [ϔϱϡ㢳] ( yì sc bù giu ϔ㍆ϡ㣡) ‘not the least bit negligent.’ 448. Ğ঱ᇃ୐ᯠğ(᪓ឦឰ⾈) gao we jiàn líng ሟ means ‘roof,’ ᓎ here means ‘to pour water,’ and ⫈ here means ‘water vase.’ A literal translation would be ‘on a high rooftop pour water down.’ A freer translation is ‘operate from a strategically advantageous position.’ Example 1: 佪䭓ⱘ䆆䆱঱ᇃ୐ᯠˈᇍ៥ӀҹৢⱘᎹ԰‫݋‬᳝कߚ䞡㽕ⱘᛣНDŽ Shiuzhfng de jifnghuà gaowe-jiànlíng, duì wimen yhhòu de gdngzuò jùyiu shífbn zhòngyào de yìyì. ‘A leading cadre’s speech is from a strategically advantageous position; it will have very important significance for our jobs in the future.’ Example 2: ཌྷ঱ᇃ୐ᯠഄᇍҹࠡⱘⷨお䖯㸠њϔϾㅔ㽕ⱘᘏ㒧DŽ Ta gaowe-jiànlíng de duì yhqián de yánjie jìnxíngle yí ge jifnyào de zingjié. ‘From a strategically advantageous position, she made a brief summary of previous research.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, adverbial and attributive, often used to describe a person’s speech. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [催ⶏ䖰⵽] (gao zhan yufn zhj 催ⶏ䘴ⶮ) ‘look out from on high and see far – far sighted,’ [ሙ催Јϟ] ( je gao lín xià ሙ催㞼ϟ) ‘reside in a high place and look downward – a commanding position or view.’ Antonym: [തѩ㾖໽] (zuò jhng guan tian തѩ㾔໽) ‘sit in a well and look at the sky – have a limited outlook.’

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Entries 449 – 450: ᘟᘟϡ㟡 and ೈ儣ᬥ䍉

449. Ğೕೕ‫ݙ‬࿱ğ(➔➔ጰ᭑) liàn liàn bù shg ᘟᘟ means ‘lovingly, with great affection’ and 㟡 means ‘abandon, leave.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘lovingly not willing to leave,’ with freer translations being ‘very reluctant to leave, hate to part from.’ Example 1: Ҫ䅽ৌᴎᓔᕫ᜶ϔ⚍‫ˈܓ‬ϡ‫ذ‬ഄಲ༈ⳟˈೕೕ‫ݙ‬࿱ഄ⾏ᓔњ⫳⌏䖛कᑈⱘ ᘏ㒳ᑰDŽ Ta ràng scjc kaide màn yìdifr, bù tíng de huítóu kàn, liànliàn-bùshg de líkaile shbnghuóguo shí nián de zingtingfj. ‘He had the driver drive slower, incessantly looking back; very reluctant to depart, he left the presidential palace where he had lived for ten years.’ Example 2: ཌྷೕೕ‫ݙ‬࿱ഄ䎳⬋᳟টਞ߿DŽ Ta liànliàn-bùshg de gbn nánpéngyou gàobié. ‘Very reluctant to part, she took leave of her boyfriend.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial, used in situations involving leave-taking. Near Synonyms: [ձձϡ㟡] (yc yc bù shg ձձϡ㟡) ‘feel a sense of regret when leaving,’ [䲒㟡䲒ߚ] (nán shg nán fbn 䲷㟡䲷ߚ) ‘reluctant to part from.’ Antonyms: [ϔߔϸᮁ] (yì dao lifng duàn ϔߔܽᮋ) ‘one (blow of a) knife two severed portions – make a clean break with,’ [ᡀ䭓㗠এ] (yáng cháng ér qù ᦮䭋㗠এ) ‘swagger off haughtily.’ 450. Ğᆍᆠ௎ᑌğ(Ჲ☃᭕⅗) wéi Wèi jiù Zhào ೈ means ‘encircle, surround,’ 儣 was the name of a state in ancient China, ᬥ means ‘rescue,’ and 䍉 was the name of another state in ancient China. A literal translation of this idiom is ‘encircle the state of Wei and rescue the state of Zhao.’ This is a metaphor for ‘attack an enemy’s rear in order to force it to give up its own attack.’ Example 1: Ѡ៬Ёˈ1940ᑈ8᳜26᮹ˈ㣅೑ぎ‫⫼ݯ‬ᆍᆠ௎ᑌⱘᮍ⊩㺁ߏњᖋ೑ⱘ佪䛑 ᶣᵫˈҢ㗠‫ޣ‬ᇣњ㣅೑ᮍ䴶ⱘय़࡯DŽ Èrzhàn zhdng, yc-jij-sì-líng nián bá yuè èrshiliù rì, Ycngguó kdngjen yòng wéi Wèi jiù Zhào de fangff xíjcle Déguó de shiude Bólín, cóng’ér jifnxifole Ycngguó fangmiàn de yalì. ‘During World War II, on August 26, 1940, the British air force used the method of “encircling the state of Wei to rescue the state of Zhao” and attacked the German capital of Berlin, thereby lessening the pressure on England.’

Entry 451: 㢅ಶ䫺㇛

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Example 2: ⬆݀ৌᛇᭈϾ৲ᑊЭ݀ৌˈЭ݀ৌᡒࠄ⬆݀ৌᬃ᷅ѻકⱘⓣ⋲ˈ䗮䖛䍋䆝 ⬆݀ৌⱘ‫⊩خ‬䍋ࠄњᆍᆠ௎ᑌⱘᬜᵰDŽ Jif gdngsc xifng zhgnggè tenbìng yh gdngsc, yh gdngsc zhfodào jif gdngsc zhczhù chfnphn de lòudòng, tdngguò qhsù jif gdngsc de zuòff qhdàole wéi Wèi jiù Zhào de xiàogui. ‘When Company A wanted to completely swallow up Company B, Company B found a flaw in one of Company A’s signature products and, by suing Company A, brought about the result of “encircling Wei to save Zhao,” so that Company A was forced to give up its attack.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive. Allusion: In 354 B.C.E., the state of Wei sent its army to besiege Handan, the capital of the state of Zhao. When Zhao sought assistance from the state of Qi, Qi sent Tian Ji and Sun Bin to bring troops to help Zhao. Tian Ji believed that the troops should be brought to Handan, the Zhao capital, but Sun Bin thought that most of the Wei troops were besieging the Zhao capital and that the Wei capital was therefore empty, so it would be better to take advantage of the opportunity to attack the capital of Wei. In that case, the Wei troops would definitely turn around to save Wei, so the Qi troops could lie in wait halfway along the way and make a surprise attack on the Wei troops. And in exactly this manner, the Qi troops really did defeat the Wei troops and save Zhao. (From “Sunzi Wuqi Lie Zhuan” in Records of the Grand Historian) Near Synonym: [ໄϰߏ㽓] (shbng ddng jc xc 㙆ᵅ᪞㽓) ‘announce east attack west – use diversionary tactics.’ 451. Ğઔᅍ஝࠲ğ(᜜‼␜Ⓞ) hua tuán jhn cù This idiom means ‘masses of flowers and piles of brocade.’ This can also refer to well-dressed people or beautiful decorations. Example 1: ೑ᑚ㡖ⱘᯊ‫࣫ˈ׭‬Ҁජⱘ໻㸫ᇣᏋˈઔᅍ஝࠲DŽ Guóqìngjié de shíhou, Bgijcngchéng de dàjib-xifoxiàng, huatuán-jhncù. ‘At the time of National Day, all the streets and lanes of the city of Beijing are filled with masses of flowers and piles of brocade.’ Example 2: ᑓᎲⱘ᯹໽ઔᅍ஝࠲ˈ䴲ᐌⓖ҂DŽ Gufngzhdu de chentian huatuán-jhncù, fbicháng piàoliang. ‘At spring time in Guangzhou, you see masses of flowers and piles of brocade; it’s very pretty.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Near Synonyms: [࿍㋿Ⴗ㑶] (chà zh yan hóng ࿍㋿Ⴗ㋙) ‘beautiful flowers of all colors,’ [ϛ㋿ग㑶] (wàn zh qian hóng 㨀㋿ग㋙) ‘colors of every hue, multicolored.’

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Entries 452 – 453: ᚆ⃶⾏ড় and Ҟ䴲ᯨ↨

452. Ğ‫ۯ‬ઢಭ੝ğ(᳣❣◪ᑁ) bbi huan lí hé The four characters literally mean ‘sad, happy, separate, reunite.’ The whole idiom means ‘sorrows, joys, partings, and reunions’ or ‘the vicissitudes of human life.’ Though ⃶ and ড় have a positive sense, the overall meaning of this idiom emphasizes ᚆ and ⾏, with their negative sense. Example 1: 㔫ᆚ⃻ϢᴅБ৊‫ۯ‬ઢಭ੝ⱘ⠅ᚙᬙџᛳࡼњϔҷজϔҷҎDŽ Luómì’du yj Zhelìyè bbihuan-líhé de àiqíng gùshi gfndòngle yí dài yòu yí dài rén. ‘The love story of Romeo and Juliet with its sorrows, joys, partings, and reunions has moved one generation after another.’ Example 2: ↣⃵៬ѝЁ䛑᳝ᕜ໮‫ۯ‬ઢಭ੝DŽ Mgicì zhànzhbng zhdng ddu yiu hgn dud bbihuan-líhé. ‘In every war there are many sorrows, joys, partings, and reunions.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive or predicate. Note: This idiom has become popularized through a ci or lyric poem by the famous Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo, in which he writes Ҏ᳝ᚆ⃶⾏ড়ˈ᳜᳝䰈᱈೚㔎ˈ ℸџস䲒ܼ (rén yiu bbihuan-líhé, yuè yiu ycnqíng-yuánqub, ch shì gj nán quán Ҏ᳝ᚆℵ䲶ড়ˈ᳜᳝䱄᱈೧㔎ˈℸџস䲷ܼ) ‘People have their sorrows and joys, their partings and reunions; the moon has its dark and cloudy times, its waxing and its waning; these things have not been ideal since ancient times.’ Near Synonyms: [䝌⫰㢺䕷] (suan tián kj là 䝌⫰㢺䕷) ‘sour, sweet, bitter, pungent,’ [୰ᗦઔФ] (xh nù ai lè ୰ᗦઔῖ) ‘delight, anger, sorrow, happiness.’ 453. Ğஙऻᇚ‫܈‬ğ(ፂ᜾ᚓ፾) jcn fbi xc bh ᯨ means ‘former times.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘the present does not compare with the past, times have changed.’ Example 1: Ё೑㒣䖛ϝक໮ᑈ〇ᅮⱘ催䗳ⱘথሩˈᅲ࡯Ꮖ㒣ஙऻᇚ‫܈‬њDŽ Zhdngguó jcngguò sanshí dud nián wgndìng de gaosù de fazhfn, shílì yhjcng jcnfbixcbh le. ‘After over thirty years of stable and rapid development, China’s real power has become unprecedented in her history.’ Example 2: 䙷Ͼ⬉ᕅᯢ᯳㗕њҹৢˈᕅડ࡯гϟ䰡њˈஙऻᇚ‫܈‬њDŽ Nàge diànyhng míngxcng lfole yhhòu, yhngxifnglì yg xiàjiàng le, jcnf bixcbh le. ‘After that movie star aged, his influence declined; his situation today can’t compare with that in the past.’

Entries 454 – 455: ϔџ᮴៤ and ϡӺϡ㉏

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Usage: Functions as predicate, often in the pattern Ꮖ (㒣) ̚њ (yh ( jcng) . . . le Ꮖ (㍧) ̚њ). Near Synonyms: [᮹ᮄ᳜ᓖ] (rì xcn yuè yì ᮹ᮄ᳜⭄) ‘change rapidly with each new day,’ [右ᵾᤶ⚂] (nifo qiang huàn pào 効ᾡ᦯⚂) ‘a bird gun exchanged for a cannon – a big change for the better’ (limited mostly to spoken Chinese). Antonyms: [Ҟϡབᯨ] ( jcn bù rú xc Ҟϡབᯨ) ‘the present is worse than the past,’ [↣‫މ‬ᛜϟ] (mgi kuàng yù xià ↣⊕ᛜϟ) ‘go from bad to worse.’ 454. Ğጙူᇄ߅ğ(ዯᗇᵨᑯ) yí shì wú chéng ៤ here means ‘accomplishment.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘accomplish or achieve nothing, get nowhere.’ Example 1: Ҫ㞾ҹЎ㘾ᯢˈԚᰃ‫خ‬џϡ䅸ⳳˈ㒧ᵰϔ䕜ᄤጙူᇄ߅DŽ Ta zìyhwéi cdngmíng, dànshì zuòshì bú rènzhbn, jiégui yíbèizi yíshì-wúchéng. ‘He considered himself smart, but he wasn’t diligent in his work, with the result that his whole life long he accomplished nothing.’ Example 2: བᵰϔϾҎ䖛ѢֱᅜˈҔМ䛑ϡᬶᇱ䆩ˈᕜৃ㛑Ӯጙူᇄ߅DŽ Rúgui yí ge rén guòyú bfoshiu, shénme ddu bù gfn chángshì, hgn kgnéng huì yíshì-wúchéng. ‘If someone is excessively conservative, not daring to try anything, it is quite possible that they will achieve nothing.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [᮴᠔԰Ў] (wú sui zuò wéi ⛵᠔԰⚎) ‘do or accomplish nothing.’ Antonyms: [ࡳ៤ৡህ] (gdng chéng míng jiù ࡳ៤ৡህ) ‘make a name for oneself,’ [᮴ᕔϡ߽] (wú wfng bú lì ⛵ᕔϡ߽) ‘there is no place one goes where it is not advantageous – go smoothly everywhere.’ 455. Ğ‫ݙ‬ൕ‫ݙ‬ಢğ(ጰᣭጰ⚎) bù lún bú lèi Both Ӻ and ㉏ mean ‘class, category.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘not one thing not another, neither fish nor fowl, nondescript.’ Example 1: 䖭ᑻᓎㄥϟ䴶ಯಯᮍᮍⱘˈ‫ڣ‬ᰃЁ೑Ӵ㒳ⱘᓎㄥˈৃᰃϞ䴶᳝Ͼᕜ催ⱘ ᇪ乊ˈⳟ䍋ᴹ‫ݙ‬ൕ‫ݙ‬ಢⱘDŽ Zhè zuò jiànzhù xiàmiàn sìsìfangfang de, xiàng shì Zhdngguó chuánting de jiànzhù, kgshì shàngmiàn yiu ge hgn gao de jiandhng, kànqhlai bùlún-búlèi de. ‘This building is square-shaped below, like traditional Chinese buildings, but on top there is a very tall apex that looks neither here nor there.’

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Entries 456 – 457: ᆊᐌ֓佁 and ᑇᖗ㗠䆎

Example 2: ᳝Ҏᡞ䈚∕㗏䆥៤࣫ҀৃФˈ਀䍋ᴹ‫ݙ‬ൕ‫ݙ‬ಢⱘDŽ Yiu rén bf dòuzhc f anyì chéng Bgijing kglè, tcngqhlai bùlún-búlèi de. ‘There is someone who has translated douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) as “Beijing cola,” which sounds rather nondescript.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϡϝϡಯ] (bù san bú sì ϡϝϡಯ) ‘not three not four, neither fish nor fowl,’ [䴲偈䴲偀] (fbi lp fbi mf 䴲倶䴲侀) ‘not donkey not horse, neither fish nor fowl.’ Antonym: [ℷ㒣ܿⱒ] (zhèng jcng ba bfi ℷ㍧ܿⱒ) ‘seriously.’ 456. Ğଜ‫ܣޟ‬भğ(ᤲᬈᝅṑ) jia cháng biàn fàn ᆊᐌ means ‘home-style’ and ֓佁 means ‘simple meal,’ so the literal meaning of this idiom is ‘simple home-style food.’ This idiom is often used with the literal meaning, but it is just as often employed as a metaphor for anything that is very common or ordinary. Example 1: 䖭ᰃଜ‫ܣޟ‬भˈ䇋䱣֓⫼ˈϡ㽕ᅶ⇨DŽ Zhè shì jiacháng-biànf àn, qhng suíbiàn yòng, búyào kèqi. ‘This is simple home-style cooking, please help yourself, don’t be polite.’ Example 2: ҪᰃϾᎹ԰⢖ˈࡴ⧁ࠄᰮϞकϔǃѠ⚍ᰃଜ‫ܣޟ‬भDŽ Ta shì ge gdngzuòkuáng, jiaban dào wfnshang shíyc-èr difn shì jiacháng-biànfàn. ‘He’s a workaholic; for him to work overtime until 11 or 12 p.m. is a common occurrence.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [㉫㤊⎵佁] (ce chá dàn fàn ㉫㤊⎵仃) ‘plain food,’ [ৌぎ㾕ᛃ] (sc kdng jiàn guàn ৌぎ㽟᜷) ‘get used to seeing something and no longer find it strange.’ Antonym: [߿ᓔ⫳䴶] (bié kai shbng miàn ߹䭟⫳䴶) ‘start something new.’ 457. Ğຳቦऎ൙ğ(Ꮧ፬ᒚ⊹) píng xcn ér lùn ᑇᖗ means ‘with an impartial heart’ and 䆎 means ‘discuss.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘objectively speaking, in all fairness, to be honest.’ Example 1: ຳቦऎ൙ˈ䖭ԡᘏ㒳㱑✊ᕜ᳝៤ህˈԚᰃг᳝ϡᅠ㕢ⱘഄᮍDŽ Píngxcn-érlùn, zhè wèi zingting sucrán hgn yiu chéngjiù, dànshì yg yiu bù wánmgi de dìfang.

Entries 458 – 459: বᴀࡴढ़ and ৡℷ㿔乎

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‘In all fairness, though this president has lots of achievements, there are also areas that are not perfect.’ Example 2: ຳቦऎ൙ˈ䖭㆛᭛ゴ‫ݭ‬ᕫϡㅫ໾དDŽ Píngxcn-érlùn, zhè pian wénzhang xigde bú suàn tài hfo. ‘To be honest, this essay was not written particularly well.’ Usage: Functions as independent adverbial. 458. Ğ‫۾ܤ‬ଝಹğ(➦ᏥᎧ↭) biàn bgn jia lì ব means ‘change,’ ᴀ means ‘basic nature,’ ࡴ means ‘add,’ and ढ़ means ‘severity.’ The whole idiom means ‘intensify, become worse.’ Example 1: ໪䌘ӕϮᇍᔧഄᎹҎⱘ࠹ࠞ‫۾ܤ‬ଝಹњˈϡԚ≵᳝⍼Ꮉ䌘ˈড㗠䰡њ ϔѯDŽ Wàizc qhyè duì dangdì gdngrén de bdxub biànbgn-jialì le, búdàn méiyiu zhfng gdngzc, ffn’ér jiàngle yìxib. ‘The exploitation of local workers by foreign enterprises has intensified; not only have wages not risen but, on the contrary, they have fallen a little.’ Example 2: ϰफ⊓⍋ϔᏺⱘ䍄⾕⌏ࡼ‫۾ܤ‬ଝಹњˈҢᓔྟⱘ佭⚳ǃᨽᠬ䔺ˈࠄ⦄೼ⱘ ≑䔺ǃ⷇⊍DŽ Ddngnán yánhfi yídài de ziusc huódòng biànbgn-jialì le, cóng kaishh de xiangyan, mótuóchb, dào xiànzài de qìchb, shíyóu. ‘Smuggling in the southeastern coastal area has intensified, from the initial cigarettes and motorcycles to the present automobiles and petroleum.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㙚᮴ᖠᛂ] (sì wú jì dàn 㙚⛵ᖠᝮ) ‘unscrupulous, unbridled,’ [ᇣ乬 ໻‫( ]خ‬xifo tí dà zuò ᇣ丠໻‫‘ )خ‬make much ado about nothing.’ 459. Ğ෗ᑵዔၿğ(ᑀᏩᖦṍ) míng zhèng yán shùn The literal meaning is ‘with right titles and proper words – fitting and proper, perfectly justifiable.’ Example 1: ঠᮍ⠊↡㒜Ѣৠᛣњ䖭ᇍᑈ䕏ҎⱘီџˈѢᰃҪӀ෗ᑵዔၿഄ㒧ီњDŽ Shuangf ang fùmj zhdngyú tóngyìle zhè duì niánqcngrén de henshì, yúshì tamen míngzhèng-yánshùn de jiéhen le. ‘Both parents finally agreed on the young couple’s marriage; as a result, they got married in a fitting and proper way.’

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Entry 460: ᳯṙℶ␈

Example 2: Դ䖭ḋ‫خ‬෗ᑵዔၿˈҔМ䛑ϡ⫼ᢙᖗʽ Nh zhèyàng zuò míngzhèng-yánshùn, shénme ddu búyòng danxcn! ‘If you do things in a fitting and proper way, you don’t have to worry about anything!’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial modifier, predicate, or attribute. Note: The negative form is ৡϡℷ߭㿔ϡ乎 from The Analects of Confucius. Near Synonym: [⧚Ⳉ⇨ໂ] (lh zhí qì zhuàng ⧚Ⳉ⇷ໃ) ‘bold through being in the right, with righteous self-assurance.’ Antonyms: [⧚ሜ䆡か] (lh qe cí qióng ⧚ሜ䀲も) ‘in the wrong and out of arguments,’ [Ꮬߎ᮴ৡ] (shc che wú míng ᏿ߎ⛵ৡ) ‘send the army out without a righteous cause – act without any justifiable reason.’ 460. Ğᆃඓᒏమğ(᭬᭼፻ᵔ) wàng méi zhh kg ᳯ means ‘gaze or look at,’ ṙ means ‘plum,’ ℶ means ‘stop,’ and ␈ means ‘thirsty.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘gaze at plums to quench one’s thirst.’ This is a metaphor for merely consoling oneself with fantasies and being unable to realize one’s goals. One possible English translation is ‘feed on illusions.’ Example 1: ༶՜કᑫ䞠ⱘϰ㽓ϔ㠀Ҏᰃфϡ䍋ⱘˈ᳝ⱘҎাདⳟⳟ⁅に䞠ⱘḋકᆃඓ ᒏమњDŽ Shbchhphndiàn lh de ddngxi yìban rén shì mfibuqh de, yiu de rén zhhhfo kànkan chúchuang lh de yàngphn wàngméi-zhhkg le. ‘Ordinary people are unable to afford the things in the luxury goods store; some people have no choice but to look at the samples in the display windows as if they were “gazing at plums to quench their thirst.”’ Example 2: ᣛᳯҪᐂᖭህ‫ڣ‬ᆃඓᒏమˈ݊ᅲḍᴀᰃᐂϡϞⱘDŽ Zhhwàng ta bangmáng jiù xiàng wàngméi-zhhkg, qíshí gbnbgn shì bangbushàng de. ‘Expecting his help is feeding on illusions; in truth, he is completely unable to help.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: During the Three Kingdoms Period, the famous general Cao Cao was hurrying along the troops that he commanded. It was an unusually hot day, but there were no water sources along the road, so the soldiers were extremely thirsty. Cao Cao said to his soldiers: “Up in front there is a big expanse of plum groves with an abundance of plums that are both sweet and sour. They’ll quench your thirst.” When the soldiers heard this, the saliva flowed in their mouths, so that they had the energy to keep hurrying along. And in the end they finally did reach a water source. (from “Jia Jue,” No. 27, in New Account of Tales of the World)

Entries 461 – 462: ᛣ⇨亢থ and ঠㅵ唤ϟ

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Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [⬏佐‫ܙ‬伹] (huà bhng chdng jc ⬿仙‫ܙ‬伥) ‘draw cakes to still one’s hunger – feed on illusions.’ 461. Ğፀ໮ज़खğ(Ấᦟᣉᶋ) yì qì fbng fa ᛣ⇨ means ‘enthusiasm’ and 亢থ means ‘energetic.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘enthusiastic and energetic, with boundless enthusiasm.’ Example 1: ᑈ䕏Ҏᘏᰃፀ໮ज़खˈ‫ܙ‬⒵⌏࡯DŽ Niánqcng rén zingshì yìqì-fbngfa, chdngmfn huólì. ‘Young people are always enthusiastic and energetic, full of vigor.’ Example 2: ᮄᏖ䭓ፀ໮ज़खഄᇍ䆄㗙䇈ˈĀ៥ᏠᳯᴀᏖⱘ㒣⌢ϝᑈ໻বḋˈѨᑈ㗏 ϔ⬾DŽā Xcn shìzhfng yìqì-fbngf a de duì jìzhg shud, “Wi xcwàng bgnshì de jcngjì san nián dà biànyàng, wj nián f an yì f an.” ‘The new mayor, with boundless enthusiasm, told the reporter, “I hope that the economy of this city will in three years look very different and in five years double.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate, adverbial, and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [㣅࿓ࢗথ] ( ycng zc bó fa 㣅࿓ࢗⱐ) ‘heroic.’ Antonyms: [㧢䴵ϡᤃ] (wgi mí bú zhèn 㧢䴵ϡᤃ) ‘dispirited,’ [ൖ༈ϻ⇨] (chuí tóu sàng qì ൖ丁୾⇷) ‘hang one’s head in dejection,’ [ᖗ♄ᛣ‫( ]ދ‬xcn huc yì lgng ᖗ♄ ᛣ‫‘ )ދ‬downhearted.’ 462. Ğၷ਌໡ሆğ(◬⃩↜ጄ) shuang gufn qí xià ঠ means ‘two, a pair’ and ㅵ means ‘pen, brush.’ A literal translation is ‘paint with two brushes at the same time.’ Later this was used as a metaphor for ‘doing two things simultaneously’ or ‘simultaneously using two ways to achieve one goal.’ Example 1: া᳝ၷ਌໡ሆᠡ㛑㾷‫ⱘࠡⳂއ‬䲒乬ˈϔᮍ䴶㽕ᦤ催䫔䞣ˈ঺ϔᮍ䴶㽕㡖ⳕ ᓔᬃDŽ Zhh yiu shuanggufn-qíxià cái néng jigjué mùqián de nántí, yì fangmiàn yào tígao xiaoliàng, lìng yì fangmiàn yào jiéshgng kaizhc. ‘Only by doing two things simultaneously can we solve the current difficulty; on the one hand, we must raise sales volume and on the other, we must save on expenditures.’

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Entries 463 – 464: ৿䕯㤍㢺 and ゟビ㾕ᕅ

Example 2: Ўњ᳝߽ഄ㾷‫އ‬䖭⃵೑䰙ѝッˈ䆹೑ᬓᑰ䞛পњၷ਌໡ሆⱘࡲ⊩ˈϔ䖍੐ ৕೑䰙⼒Ӯ䖯㸠ҟܹ䇗㾷ˈϔ䖍ࡴᔎњ‫ݯ‬џ‫ޚ‬໛DŽ Wèile yiulì de jigjué zhè cì guójì zhbngduan, gai guó zhèngfj cfiqjle shuanggufnqíxià de bànff, yìbian heyù guójì shèhuì jìnxíng jièrù tiáojig, yìbian jiaqiángle jenshì zhjnbèi. ‘To resolve this international dispute in a beneficial manner, the government of the country in question adopted an approach of simultaneously using two ways to achieve one goal; on the one hand, it appealed to the international community to undertake and get involved in mediation and, on the other hand, it strengthened its military preparations.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonym: [唤༈ᑊ䖯] (qí tóu bìng jìn 唞丁Ϻ䘆) ‘do many things at once.’ 463. Ğ਺ባྕౄğ(ᓺᖰᩄᢋ) hán xcn rú kj ৿ means ‘hold in the mouth,’ 䕯 means ‘hot spicy,’ 㤍 means ‘eat,’ and 㢺 means ‘bitter,’ so that the literal meaning of this idiom is ‘mouth something spicy and eat something bitter.’ A freer translation is ‘suffer great hardships and difficulties.’ Example 1: Դ⠊↡਺ባྕౄˈᡞԴӀϸϾ‫ݏ‬໻ˈᕜϡᆍᯧDŽ Nh fùmj hánxcn-rúkj, bf nhmen lifng ge yfngdà, hgn bù róngyì. ‘Your parents suffered tremendous hardships in raising the two of you; it was really difficult.’ Example 2: Ўњᕫࠄ㄀ϔ᠟ⱘ䌘᭭ˈҪࠄ‫أ‬䖰㨑ৢⱘഄऎ਺ባྕౄഄ䇗ᶹњ޴Ͼ᳜DŽ Wèile dédào dìycshiu de zcliào, ta dào pianyufn luòhòu de dìqe hánxcn-rúkj de diàochále jh ge yuè. ‘To obtain first-hand data, he went to remote, backward regions and, suffering great hardships, conducted research for several months.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Near Synonyms: [Ⳍ▵ҹ≿] (xiang rú yh mò Ⳍ▵ҹ≿) ‘moisten one another with saliva – help one another in difficult times,’ [ग䕯ϛ㢺] (qian xcn wàn kj ग䕯 㨀㢺) ‘many sufferings and hardships.’ Antonym: [‫ݏ‬ᇞ໘Ӭ] ( yfng zen chj ydu 仞ᇞ㰩‫‘ )۾‬have a respected position and live in affluence.’ 464. Ğೂট୅፬ğ(ᐉᡦᖤ⇝) lì gan jiàn yhng ゟ means ‘raise up,’ ビ means ‘pole,’ and ᕅ means ‘shadow.’ The literal meaning of this idiom is ‘put up a pole and see its shadow.’ A freer translation is ‘get quick results.’

Entry 465: ‫ކ‬䫟䱋䰉

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Example 1: 䖭᳡㥃䴲ᐌ⼲༛ˈѻ⫳њೂট୅፬ⱘᬜᵰDŽ Zhè fù yào f bicháng shénqí, chfnshbngle lìgan-jiànyhng de xiàogui. ‘This dose of medicine was extremely miraculous; it brought about immediate results.’ Example 2: Ҫⱘ㒣⌢ᬓㄪೂট୅፬ˈপᕫњ㡃དⱘ㒣⌢ᬜⲞDŽ Ta de jcngjì zhèngcè lìgan-jiànyhng, qjdéle liánghfo de jcngjì xiàoyì. ‘His economic policy got off to a quick start, obtaining excellent economic results.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive; can also serve as predicate. Note: Somewhat complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [偀ࠄ៤ࡳ] (mf dào chéng gdng 侀ࠄ៤ࡳ) ‘horse arrives achieve success – imminent success.’ Antonym: [ᯋ᮹ᣕЙ] (kuàng rì chí jij Ჴ᮹ᣕЙ) ‘long and drawn out, timeconsuming.’ 465. Ğߡग़ሡᑫğ(⊦⋸ᱴ᪈) chdng fbng xiàn zhèn ‫ކ‬䫟 means ‘charge forward and attack,’ 䱋 means ‘break through or breach,’ and 䰉 means ‘battle formation.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘charge forward and submerge the enemy lines’ or ‘dash to the front of battle.’ Example 1: 䖭ԡᇚ‫ݯ‬Ң᱂䗮ⱘ຿݉ᔧ䍋ˈϔ䕜ᄤߡग़ሡᑫˈЎ೑ᆊゟњ໻ࡳDŽ Zhè wèi jiangjen cóng pjtdng de shìbcng dangqh, yíbèizi chdngfbng-xiànzhèn, wèi guójia lìle dàgdng. ‘This general has been serving since he was an ordinary rank-and-file soldier; his whole life long he has been charging forward. He has made very meritorious contributions for his country.’ Example 2: Ҫজ࢛ᬶজ᳝ᱎ䇟ˈ䖭ӊџৃҹিҪএߡग़ሡᑫDŽ Ta yòu yinggfn yòu yiu zhìmóu, zhè jiàn shì kgyh jiào ta qù chdngfbngxiànzhèn. ‘He is both courageous and resourceful, so in this matter we can have him charge forward.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [䍈∸䐜☿] (fù tang dfo hui 䍈⑃䐜☿) ‘go through fire or water,’ [ߎ⫳ܹ⅏] (che shbng rù sh ߎ⫳ܹ⅏) ‘risk one’s life.’ Antonym: [Ј䰉㜅䗗] (lín zhèn tud táo 㞼䰷㛿䗗) ‘flee just before battle.’

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Entries 466 – 467: ∈ࠄ⏴៤ and ॅ㿔㘌਀

466. Ğၺࡵདྷ߅ğ(ᎁᗭᵈᑯ) shuh dào qú chéng ⏴ means ‘a channel (for water)’ and ៤ means ‘is formed.’ The literal meaning is ‘water arrives and channel is formed,’ with a freer translation being ‘when conditions are ripe success is achieved; achieved naturally and without effort.’ Example 1: ҪЎゲ䗝‫خ‬њ໻䞣ⱘ‫ޚ‬໛ˈ᠔ҹ៤ࡳᰃၺࡵདྷ߅ⱘџDŽ Ta wèi jìngxufn zuòle dàliàng de zhjnbèi, suiyh chénggdng shì shuhdào-qúchéng de shì. ‘He made a great deal of preparations for the campaign, so it was natural and only to be expected that he would be successful.’ Example 2: ㄝ⃻⌆৘೑㒣⌢Ϟᅠܼ㵡ড়ҹৢˈᬓ⊏Ϟⱘ㒳ϔ㞾✊ၺࡵདྷ߅DŽ Dgng nuzhdu gè guó jcngjì shàng wánquán rónghé yhhòu, zhèngzhì shàng de tingyc zìrán shuhdào-qúchéng. ‘Once the economies of the various European countries have completely merged, political union will naturally achieve success.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and attributive. Often preceded by the near synonym ⪰❳㩖㨑 (gua shú dì luò) ‘when the melon is ripe it falls off the vine,’ with which it co-occurs. Near Synonyms: [⪰❳㩖㨑] (gua shú dì luò ⪰❳㩖㨑) ‘when the melon is ripe it falls off the vine,’ [乎⧚៤ゴ] (shùn lh chéng zhang ䷚⧚៤ゴ) ‘do something in a reasonable and orderly manner.’ Antonym: [᮴⮒㗠㒜] (wú jí ér zhdng ⛵⮒㗠㌖) ‘without illness to die, pass away peacefully.’ 467. Ğᆉዔ႖ᄧğ(ᐶᖦⓩ❯) wbi yán sing tcng ॅ㿔 means ‘words said to frighten people’ and 㘌਀ means ‘frightening things one hears.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘purposely say startling things in order to frighten people and create a sensation.’ Example 1: 䖭㒱ϡᰃᆉዔ႖ᄧˈग़৆Ϟߎ⦄䖛㉏Ԑⱘᚙ‫މ‬DŽ Zhè jué bú shì wbiyán-singtcng, lìshh shàng chexiànguo lèisì de qíngkuàng. ‘This is absolutely not a case of startling things being said to frighten people and create a sensation; in history there have occurred similar situations.’ Example 2: Ҫ୰⃶১଀Ҏˈᘏ䆆ϔѯᆉዔ႖ᄧⱘ䆱DŽ Ta xhhuan xiàhu rén, zing jifng yìxib wbiyán-singtcng de huà. ‘He likes to frighten people, always saying some startling things so as to create a sensation.’

Entries 468 – 469: ԩএԩҢ and ᳝∖ᖙᑨ

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate in negative sentences; can also serve as attributive. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [偛Ҏ਀䯏] (hài rén tcng wén 俁Ҏ㙑㘲) ‘shocking, terrifying,’ [㘌Ҏ ਀䯏] (sing rén tcng wén 㙇Ҏ㙑㘲) ‘shake people up, sensationalize.’ 468. Ğੜབྷੜ࠭ğ(ᒺᎴᒺᬙ) hé qù hé cóng The first ԩ means ‘where?’ so that ԩএ means ‘go where?’ The second ԩ means ‘what?’ The verb Ң here means ‘do’ so that ԩҢ means ‘do what?’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘what path to take and what to do.’ Example 1: ໻ᄺ↩ϮҹৢˈҪ᳝ѯ㣿✊ˈϡⶹ䘧㞾Ꮕ䆹ੜབྷੜ࠭DŽ Dàxué bìyè yhhòu, ta yiuxib mángrán, bù zhcdao zìjh gai héqù-hécóng. ‘After graduating from college, he was a little lost, not knowing what path he should take or what he should do.’ Example 2: 㣅೑ഄ໘⃻⌆ˈԚᰃϔ৥䎳㕢೑টདˈ⦄೼㕢೑䎳⃻ⲳ᳝њ䞡໻⶯Ⳓˈ㣅೑ ᇚੜབྷੜ࠭˛ Ycngguó dìchj nuzhdu, dànshì yíxiàng gbn Mgiguó yiuhfo, xiànzài Mgiguó gbn numéng yiule zhòngdà máodùn, Ycngguó jiang héqù-hécóng? ‘England is located in Europe, but has always been friendly toward the U.S.; now that the U.S. and the European Union have had a major clash, what path will England take and what will it do?’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Antonyms: [਀໽⬅ੑ] (tcng tian yóu mìng 㙑໽⬅ੑ) ‘abide by the will of heaven, accept one’s fate,’ [਀ПӏП] (tcng zhc rèn zhc 㙑ПӏП) ‘allow things to go any old way, let matters drift.’ 469. Ğᎌཇ‫ܘ‬።ğ(ᑺᕧᏜ⑬) yiu qiú bì yìng ∖ means ‘request,’ ᖙ means ‘certainly,’ and ᑨ means ‘respond.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘if there is a request certainly respond,’ with a freer translation being ‘respond to every plea, grant every request.’ Example 1: Ҫᕜᆠ᳝ˈজᕜ໻ᮍˈ᠔ҹҪⱘ᳟ট᳝ೄ䲒ⱘᯊ‫׭‬䛑এᡒҪᐂࡽˈ㗠Ҫ↣⃵ ᎌཇ‫ܘ‬።DŽ Ta hgn fùyiu, yòu hgn dàfang, suiyh ta de péngyou yiu kùnnán de shíhou ddu qù zhfo ta bangzhù, ér ta mgi cì yiuqiú-bìyìng. ‘He is very wealthy and also very generous, so when his friends have difficulties, they all go looking for him to help, and each time he responds to every request.’

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Entry 470: ᵃᓧ㲛ᕅ

Example 2: 䙷ԡ໻⠠㔥⧗⧗᯳≵᳝ϔ⚍ᯢ᯳ⱘᶊᄤˈ㾖ӫ䇋Ҫㅒৡⱘᯊ‫޴׭‬Тᎌཇ! ‫ܘ‬።DŽ Nà wèi dàpái wfngqiú qiúxcng méiyiu yìdifn míngxcng de jiàzi, guanzhòng qhng ta qianmíng de shíhou jche yiuqiú-bìyìng. ‘That big-name tennis star doesn’t have even a little of the haughtiness of a star; when spectators ask him for an autograph, he grants almost every request.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᴹ㗙ϡᢦ] (lái zhg bú jù ՚㗙ϡᢦ) ‘one who comes is not refused – no one is rejected,’ [Ф୘དᮑ] (lè shàn hào shc ῖ୘དᮑ) ‘charitable, benevolent.’ Antonym: [ᢦП䮼໪] ( jù zhc mén wài ᢦП䭔໪) ‘refuse her or him outside the entrance – refuse someone entrance.’ 470. Ğۭঢ়࿯፬ğ(ᚪጬᰦ⇝) bbi gdng shé yhng ᵃ means ‘cup,’ ᓧ means ‘bow (as in archery),’ 㲛 means ‘snake,’ and ᕅ here means ‘reflection.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘(mistakenly to take the reflection of a) bow in one’s cup as a snake’s reflection,’ with freer translations being ‘entertain imaginary fears, very suspicious, paranoid.’ Example 1: 䗗⢃਀㾕ᇪ䫤ⱘໄ䷇ህҹЎᰃ䄺䔺ˈㅔⳈۭঢ়࿯፬DŽ Táofàn tcngjiàn jianruì de shbngycn jiù yhwéi shì jhngchb, jifnzhí bbigdng-shéyhng. ‘When the escaped convict heard the piercing sound, he thought it was a police car; he was simply paranoid.’ Example 2: ᡩ䌘㗙㽕໻㚚㞾ֵˈϡ㛑ۭঢ়࿯፬DŽ Tóuzczhg yào dàdfn zìxìn, bùnéng bbigdng-shéyhng. ‘Investors must be bold and self-confident; they cannot entertain imaginary fears.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: In ancient times there was a man whose superior once invited him to go drinking with him. Hanging on the wall there was a bow which, in the sunlight, was reflected on the wine cup so that it looked just like a snake. The man felt quite uncomfortable, but the other person was his superior, so he couldn’t very well not drink, and so he drank. When he went home, he felt such severe pain in his chest and abdomen that he couldn’t eat; he tried laxatives but they didn’t help. Later, because of some business, his superior went to his home and, seeing him like that, asked him what was wrong. The subordinate said he feared nothing more than that kind of snake, and now the snake had already entered his belly. His superior went home and thought for a long time; suddenly he saw the bow on the wall and understood immediately. He then sent someone to take his subordinate to the place where they had originally gone drinking; in the cup there again was

Entries 471 – 472: 亢ᑇ⌾䴭 and 䗡䘹⊩໪

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the reflection of a snake. The superior asked the subordinate if it had been this kind of snake, and the subordinate said that, yes, it had been this kind of snake. Then the superior told the subordinate that the ‘snake’ was the reflection of the bow on the wall. The subordinate understood immediately, and so he recovered right away from his serious illness. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [᚞ᓧП右] ( jcng gdng zhc nifo 倮ᓧП効) ‘a bird afraid of a bow – once bitten twice shy,’ [㤝᳼ⱚ݉] (cfo mù jib bcng 㤝᳼ⱚ݉) ‘grass and trees all look like the enemy – panic-stricken,’ [⭥⼲⭥儐] (yí shén yí guh ⭥⼲⭥儐) ‘suspect gods suspect devils – very suspicious and fearful.’ Antonyms: [⋄✊໘П] (tài rán chj zhc ⋄✊㰩П) ‘calmly handle it – handle something with composure,’ [䇜ュ㞾㢹] (tán xiào zì ruò 䂛ュ㞾㢹) ‘go on as if nothing had happened.’ 471. Ğज़ຳ಍ஸğ(ᣉᏗᦥ␭) f bng píng làng jìng A literal translation of this idiom is ‘wind calm waves still.’ The meaning is ‘calm and tranquil, uneventful.’ Example 1: ᲈ䲼䖛ৢˈ⍋䴶Ϟज़ຳ಍ஸDŽ Bàoyj guòhòu, hfimiàn shàng fbngpíng-làngjìng. ‘After the rainstorm, the surface of the sea was calm and tranquil.’ Example 2: 䖭޴໽ˈ㙵⼼Ꮦഎⳟ䍋ᴹད‫ڣ‬ज़ຳ಍ஸˈԚᰃ໻ᆊ䛑⏙Ἦˈ䖛޴໽ህӮϡ ᑇ䴭њDŽ Zhè jh tian, gjpiào shìchfng kànqhlai hfoxiàng fbngpíng-làngjìng, dànshì dàjia ddu qcngchu, guò jh tian jiù huì bù píngjìng le. ‘The last few days the stock market has looked calm and tranquil, but everyone is clear, in a few days it won’t be calm anymore.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [⊶╰ϡ᚞] (bd lán bù jcng ⊶☒ϡ倮) ‘mighty waves not risen – uneventful,’ [ᑇᅝ᮴џ] (píng an wú shì ᑇᅝ⛵џ) ‘peaceful and without troubling matters, all is well.’ Antonyms: [䔽✊໻⊶] (xuan rán dà bd 䒦✊໻⊶) ‘major disturbance,’ [⊶⍯≍⍠] (bd tao xidng ying ⊶▸⌊⍠) ‘roaring waves.’ 472. Ğᨨጁजᅪğ(᱒ⅣᛈᏊ) xiao yáo ff wài 䗡䘹 means ‘carefree and unencumbered’ and ⊩໪ means ‘outside or beyond the law.’ This idiom refers to those who have broken the law but remain unpunished and free. A freer translation is ‘at large.’

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Entry 473: ♃㑶䜦㓓

Example 1: 䖭䍋ḜӊᏆ㒣থ⫳ϔᑈ໮њˈৃᰃߊ᠟ձ✊ᨨጁजᅪˈⳳ䅽ҎᛸᗦDŽ Zhè qh ànjiàn yhjcng fashbng yì nián dud le, kgshì xidngshiu ycrán xiaoyáo-ffwài, zhbn ràng rén f ènnù. ‘This case occurred over a year ago, yet the murderer is still at large; it really makes one angry.’ Example 2: ᳝ⱘ催ᑆᄤᓳҹЎ⠊↡᳝ᴗ᳝䪅ˈҪӀ⢃њ㔾ҹৢҡৃҹᨨጁजᅪDŽ Yiu de gaogàn zhdì yhwéi f ùmj yiu quán yiu qián, tamen fànle zuì yhhòu réng kgyh xiaoyáo-ffwài. ‘The sons and daughters of some high-level cadres believe that because their parents have power and money, after they have committed crimes they can still remain free and beyond the reach of the law.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [᮴⊩᮴໽] (wú ff wú tian ⛵⊩⛵໽) ‘without morality, lawless.’ Antonyms: [⊩㔥䲒䗗] (ff wfng nán táo ⊩㎆䲷䗗) ‘law net hard to escape – the arm of the law reaches far,’ [໽㔥ᘶᘶ] (tian wfng huc huc ໽㎆ᘶᘶ) ‘heavenly net very vast – justice is inescapable.’ 473. Ğࡾ੺ௌൊğ(⎍ᡪ᩾⃼) dbng hóng jij lq A literal translation is ‘lantern is red and wine is green.’ The meaning is ‘debauchery.’ Example 1: Ҫ䖯њ໻ජᏖˈফϡњࡾ੺ௌൊⱘ䇅ᚥˈ᜶᜶ഄ≵᳝䗑∖њDŽ Ta jìnle dàchéngshì, shòubùlifo dbnghóng-jijlq de yòuhuò, mànmàn de méiyiu zhucqiú le. ‘On entering the big city, he was unable to endure the temptations of debauchery, gradually not having anything that he pursued anymore.’ Example 2: 䖭ᴵ㸫ࡾ੺ௌൊˈϡ⬅ᕫ䅽Ҏᛇ䍋㒑㑺ǃϰҀ੠佭␃DŽ Zhè tiáo jib dbnghóng-jijlq, bùyóude ràng rén xifngqh Nijyub, Ddngjcng hé Xianggfng. ‘This street is full of bars and brothels; one can’t help but think of New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.’ Usage: Nominal element, functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Pejorative in meaning. Near Synonyms: [㢅໽䜦ഄ] (hua tian jij dì 㢅໽䜦ഄ) ‘flowers in the sky and wine on the ground – lead a frivolous life,’ [㒌䝝䞥䗋] (zhh zuì jcn mí ㋭䝝䞥䗋) ‘intoxicated by paper and mesmerized by gold – indulge in wanton and luxurious living.’ Antonym: [‫( ]ׁܟࢸܟ‬kè qín kè jifn ‫‘ )۝ܟࢸܟ‬hardworking and thrifty.’

Entries 474 – 475: 乊໽ゟഄ and ᳝䡈Ѣℸ

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474. Ğࢻᄖೂ࢐ğ(ᱻ፞ᐉᑊ) dhng tian lì dì The literal meaning is ‘with one’s head reaching the sky and one’s feet on the ground.’ A freer translation is ‘having a heroic or indomitable spirit.’ Example 1: ҪᰃϔϾདϜ໿ˈ᮶㛑೼໪䴶༟᭫ˈজᕜ✻乒ྏᄤ੠ᄽᄤˈᰃϾࢻᄖೂ࢐ ⱘ⬋ᄤ∝DŽ Ta shì yí ge hfo zhàngfu, jì néng zài wàimiàn fèndòu, yòu hgn zhàogù qczi hé háizi, shì ge dhngtian-lìdì de nánzhhàn. ‘He is a good husband, both able to struggle on the outside and taking good care of his wife and children – a “real man” of indomitable spirit.’ Example 2: 䖭М໻ⱘ೑ᆊᔧ✊䳔㽕ࢻᄖೂ࢐ⱘҎᴹ乚ᇐDŽ Zhème dà de guójia dangrán xeyào dhngtian-lìdì de rén lái lhngdfo. ‘So large a country of course needs a person of heroic spirit to lead it.’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Antonym: [थ䒀ሜ㝱] (bbi gdng qe xc थ䒀ሜ㝱) ‘bow low and humiliate oneself, submissive or deferential.’ 475. Ğᎌୂ᎖ࠥğ(ᑺ❽ᚑᒀ) yiu jiàn yú ch 䡈 here means ‘experience,’ Ѣ means ‘from,’ and ℸ means ‘this.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘having the experience obtained from this.’ Freer translations are ‘taking this into consideration, in view of this.’ Example 1: ҎӀⱘᇓੑᯢᰒ๲䭓њˈᎌୂ᎖ࠥˈᬓᑰᑨ䆹ࡴᖿᅠ୘⼒Ӯ‫ݏ‬㗕ֱ䱰ԧ㋏DŽ Rénmen de shòumìng míngxifn zbngzhfngle, yiujiàn-yúch, zhèngfj ycnggai jiakuài wánshàn shèhuì yfnglfo bfozhàng thxì. ‘People’s life spans have clearly increased; in view of this, the government should accelerate the perfection of a system for social retirement safeguards.’ Example 2: 㣅䇁⛁݈䍋њˈܼ⇥䛑೼ᄺ㣅䇁ˈᎌୂ᎖ࠥˈ⬉㾚ৄǃߎ⠜⼒㒋㒋᥼ߎ䎳 㣅䇁᳝݇ⱘ㡖Ⳃ੠к㈡DŽ Ycngyj rè xcngqhle, quánmín ddu zài xué Ycngyj, yiujiàn-yúch, diànshìtái, chebfnshè f bnf bn tucche gbn Ycngyj yiuguan de jiémù hé shejí. ‘An “English fad” has started up, with everyone learning English; in view of this, television stations and publishers are one after another putting out programs and books related to English.’ Usage: Functions mainly as independent element.

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Entries 476 – 477: Нᛸ฿㞎 and ϡৃਞҎ

Note: Written style. Antonym: [঺ᔧ߿䆎] (lìng dang bié lùn ঺⭊߹䂪) ‘regarded as another matter entirely.’ 476. Ğፃ॓ᄘᤝğ(ὤ⇰Ẉ⓬) yì fèn tián ycng Н means ‘righteousness,’ ᛸ means ‘indignation,’ ฿ means ‘fill,’ and 㞎 means ‘breast, chest.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘righteous indignation fills the breast,’ with a freer translation being ‘filled with righteous indignation.’ Example 1: ᮹ᴀে㗐ߚᄤℾ᳆㄀Ѡ⃵Ϫ⬠໻៬ⱘग़৆ˈ䖭ҸЁ೑Ҏ⇥ፃ॓ᄘᤝDŽ Rìbgn yòuyì fènzh waiqe Dì’èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn de lìshh, zhè lìng Zhdngguó rénmín yìfèn-tiánycng. ‘Japanese right-wingers distort the history of World War II; this fills the Chinese people with righteous indignation.’ Example 2: Ҫፃ॓ᄘᤝഄ䇈ˈĀԴ䖭ḋ‫خ‬Ӯᕫࠄ᡹ᑨⱘDŽā Ta yìfèn-tiánycng de shud, “Nh zhèyàng zuò huì dédào bàoyìng de.” ‘Filled with righteous indignation, he said, “Your doing this will receive retribution.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⒵㜨Нᛸ] (mfn qiang yì fèn ⓓ㜨㕽᝸) ‘filled with righteous indignation,’ [໽ᗦҎᗼ] (tian nù rén yuàn ໽ᗦҎᗼ) ‘the wrath of God and enmity of man – seething discontent.’ Antonyms: [᮴ࡼѢ㹋] (wú dòng yú zhdng ⛵ࢩᮐ㹋) ‘unmoved, unconcerned,’ [咏᳼ ϡҕ] (má mù bù rén 咏᳼ϡҕ) ‘numb, apathetic.’ 477. Ğ‫ݙ‬భসཽğ(ጰᎵᓯዷ) bù kg gào rén ਞ means ‘tell, inform.’ The whole idiom means ‘secretive, confidential, cannot bear the light of day.’ Example 1: ҪӀϸϾᘏᰃ㚠ⴔ߿Ҏًًഄ䇈䆱ˈད‫ڣ‬᳝‫ݙ‬భসཽⱘⳂⱘDŽ Tamen lifng ge zingshì bèizhe biérén tdutdu de shudhuà, hfoxiàng yiu bùkggàorén de mùdì. ‘The two of them always talk in secret with their backs turned to others; it seems they have some secret purpose.’ Example 2: བᵰԴ≵᳝‫ݙ‬భসཽⱘџᚙˈЎҔМϡᔧⴔ໻ᆊⱘ䴶䆆ߎᴹ˛ Rúgui nh méiyiu bùkg-gàorén de shìqing, wèishénme bù dangzhe dàjia de miàn jifng chelái?

Entries 478 – 479: ᣛ᠟⬏㛮 and ㅔᯢᡐ㽕

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‘If you don’t have anything confidential, why don’t you just say it to everyone’s face?’ Usage: Functions as attributive. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [߿᳝⫼ᖗ] (bié yiu yòng xcn ߹᳝⫼ᖗ) ‘harbor ulterior motives.’ Antonym: [‫ܝ‬ᯢℷ໻] (guang míng zhèng dà ‫ܝ‬ᯢℷ໻) ‘frank and upright.’ 478. Ğᒎ၄ઙ୭ğ(។፯ᶁὰ) zhh shiu huà jifo ᣛ means ‘point,’ ⬏ means ‘draw,’ and 㛮 means ‘foot.’ A literal translation is ‘point with the hands and draw with the feet.’ The meaning is ‘gesticulate’ or, by extension, ‘make indiscrete remarks, interfere in the affairs of others, criticize.’ Example 1: Ё೑ডᇍӏԩ೑ᆊ೼Ҏᴗ䯂乬ϞᇍЁ೑ᒎ၄ઙ୭DŽ Zhdngguó ffnduì rènhé guójia zài rénquán wèntí shàng duì Zhdngguó zhhshiuhuàjifo. ‘China is opposed to any country’s criticism of China in the area of human rights issues.’ Example 2: Ҫᒎ၄ઙ୭ഄ䇈ˈĀԴӀⳟⳟˈ៥ᔧ߱ᗢМ䇈ᴹⴔ˛བᵰԴӀᔧ߱਀њ៥ ⱘᖴਞˈ⦄೼ህϡӮ䖭Мᚼњ৻˛” Ta zhhshiu-huàjifo de shud, “Nhmen kànkan, wi dangche zgnme shud láizhe? Rúgui nhmen dangche tcngle wi de zhdnggào, xiànzài jiù bú huì zhème cfnle ba?” ‘Gesticulating with his hands he said, “See, what did I say at the outset? If you had listened to my advice at the outset, then I suppose you wouldn’t be in such a terrible situation now?”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ક༈䆎䎇] (phn tóu lùn zú ક丁䂪䎇) ‘overly critical of small details, nitpick,’ [໮ㅵ䯆џ] (dud gufn xián shì ໮ㅵ䭥џ) ‘mind other people’s business.’ 479. Ğ଼ීउገğ(▥ᚘᕇᢢ) jifn míng è yào ᡐ means ‘grasp’ and 㽕 means ‘main points.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘brief and to the point, clear and concise.’ Example 1: 䄺ᆳሔ䭓଼ීउገഄಲㄨњ䆄㗙ᦤߎⱘ䯂乬DŽ Jhngchájúzhfng jifnmíng-èyào de huídále jìzhg tíche de wèntí. ‘The police station chief briefly and concisely answered the questions raised by the reporters.’

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Entry 480: 㶇㵖ᤩ㴝ˈ咘䲔೼ৢ

Example 2: 䖭㆛᭛ゴᴵ⧚⏙᱄ˈ଼ීउገˈ䗮֫ᯧពDŽ Zhè pian wénzhang tiáolh qcngxc, jifnmíng-èyào, tdngsú-yìding. ‘This essay is well-ordered and clear, brief and to the point, and easy to understand.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [ⷁᇣ㊒ᙡ] (dufn xifo jcng hàn ⷁᇣ㊒ᙡ) ‘short of stature but energetic and brave.’ Antonym: [䭓㆛㌃⠡] (cháng pian lgi dú 䭋㆛㌃⠬) ‘long essay.’ 480. ĞἧἉ‫ޓݔ‬LjલཪᏴઁğ(┄⊚ᥦ◀Ljṗᱶᑋឹ) táng láng bj chán, huáng què zài hòu 㶇㵖 means ‘mantis,’ ᤩ means ‘catch,’ 㴝 means ‘cicada,’ and 咘䲔 is a type of finch. A literal translation of this idiom is ‘mantis catches cicada, finch is behind,’ with a freer translation being ‘when a mantis catches a cicada, a finch is right behind.’ By metaphor this refers to people who single-mindedly plot against someone else, unaware that another person is also plotting against them. Example 1: Ҫϔ䕜ᄤㅫ䅵߿Ҏˈ≵ᛇࠄἧἉ‫ޓݔ‬LjલཪᏴઁˈ᳔ৢҪ㞾Ꮕ㹿Ҫⱘ⾬к ㅫ䅵њDŽ Ta yíbèizi suànjì biérén, méi xifngdào tángláng-bjchán, huángquè-zàihòu, zuìhòu ta zìjh bèi ta de mìshe suànjìle. ‘His whole life long he schemed against others, never thinking that “when a mantis catches a cicada, the finch is right behind”; in the end, he himself was plotted against by his secretary.’ Example 2: Ҫᕫᛣഄ䇈˖ĀᛇϡࠄἧἉ‫ޓݔ‬LjલཪᏴઁ৻˛៥ⳃⴔԴᏆ㒣དЙњDŽā Ta déyì de shud: “Xifngbúdào tángláng-bjchán, huángquè-zàihòu ba? Wi dcngzhe nh yhjcng hfojij le.” ‘He said with satisfaction: “I guess you didn’t think that ‘when a mantis catches a cicada, the finch is never far behind,’ or did you? I’ve been keeping a close watch on you for a long time now.” ’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; also used independently. Allusion: During the Spring and Autumn Period, the king of the state of Wu was determined to fight the state of Chu and said to his ministers of state that if anyone tried to dissuade him, they would have to die. The king of Wu had a young retainer who wanted to dissuade him, but the retainer didn’t dare to dissuade the king too directly. And so, early one morning, he took his slingshot and walked in the garden, the dew making all his clothes wet. He did this for three consecutive days. The king of Wu was curious and asked him why he did this. The retainer answered:

Entry 481: ϔВϸᕫ

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“In the garden there was a tree, and on the tree there was a cicada. The cicada only knew to sing on the tree, not realizing that there was a mantis behind it that was getting ready to catch it. The mantis with one heart and one mind was preparing to catch the cicada, but it didn’t realize that there was a finch next to it preparing to eat the mantis. The finch stretched its neck, preparing to eat the mantis, but it didn’t realize that I was in back, preparing to shoot it with a slingshot. The mantis, the finch, and I all wished to obtain that which we wanted, but we all forgot that we ourselves were in danger.” The king of Wu felt that the retainer’s words made a lot of sense, so he gave up his plan to fight the state of Chu. (from “Zhengjian,” Book 9, in Shuoyuan) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [ᆇҎབᆇᏅ] (hài rén rú hài jh ᆇҎབᆇᏅ) ‘harming other people is like harming oneself.’ Antonym: [ᱎ㗙ग㰥, ᖙ᳝ϔ༅] (zhì zhg qian lq, bì yiu yì shc ᱎ㗙गᝂ, ᖙ᳝ϔ༅) ‘wise people have a thousand concerns, there is sure to be a mistake.’ 481. Ğጙ௟ೝࡻğ(ዯ⓴ᗣᬗ) yì jj lifng dé В means ‘action’ and ᕫ means ‘obtain.’ A literal translation of this idiom is ‘one action two acquisitions,’ with a freer translation being ‘kill two birds with one stone.’ Example 1: ໣ᄷࠄЁ೑এᄺЁ᭛ˈ䖬㛑খ㾖ᮙ␌ˈৃ䇧ጙ௟ೝࡻDŽ Xiàjì dào Zhdngguó qù xué Zhdngwén, hái néng canguan lryóu, kg wèi yìjjlifngdé. ‘Going to China in the summer to study Chinese, and in addition being able to see the sites and tour, this can be called “killing two birds with one stone.”’ Example 2: ᡞᎹॖᓎࠄ‫ݰ‬ᴥˈ᮶䰡Ԣњ៤ᴀˈজ㾷‫އ‬њᔧഄⱘህϮˈⳳᰃጙ௟ೝࡻⱘ དࡲ⊩DŽ Bf gdngchfng jiàndào nóngcen, jì jiàngdcle chéngbgn, yòu jigjuéle dangdì de jiùyè, zhbn shì yìjj-lifngdé de hfo bànff. ‘Constructing the factory in the countryside has both reduced costs and solved local employment; it’s really a good approach that “kills two birds with one stone.”’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ϔ⷇Ѡ右] (yì shí èr nifo ϔ⷇Ѡ効) ‘one stone two birds,’ [ϔㆁঠ䲩] ( yí jiàn shuang diao ϔㆁ䲭䲩) ‘one arrow pair hawks – kill two birds with one stone,’ [џञࡳ‫( ]ס‬shì bàn gdng bèi џञࡳ‫‘ )ס‬twice the results with half the effort,’ [ϸܼ݊㕢] (lifng quán qí mgi ܼܽ݊㕢) ‘satisfy both sides.’

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Entries 482 – 483: 㕂Пᑺ໪ and ∌ൖϡᴑ

Antonyms: [џ‫ࡳס‬ञ] (shì bèi gdng bàn џ‫ࡳס‬ञ) ‘twice the work with half the result,’ [ᕫϡٓ༅] (dé bù cháng shc ᕫϡ۳༅) ‘the gain does not make up for the loss.’ 482. Ğᒙᒄࣞᅪğ(ὠጴឯᏊ) zhì zhc dù wài 㕂 means ‘put,’ П means ‘it,’ and ᑺ means ‘consider.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘put it outside of one’s consideration,’ with a freer translation being ‘disregard, give no thought to.’ Example 1: 䙷ԡ䄺ᆳᡞ⫳⅏ᒙᒄࣞᅪˈ࢛ᬶഄ䎳⅍ᕦ᧣᭫DŽ Nà wèi jhngchá bf shbngsh zhìzhc-dùwài, yinggfn de gbn dfitú bódòu. ‘That policeman disregarded life and death, bravely fighting with the evildoer.’ Example 2: 䖭എ⧗䌯ˈཌྷᡞ㚰䋳ᒙᒄࣞᅪˈ಴ℸᠧᕫकߚᬒᵒDŽ Zhè chfng qiúsài, ta bf shèngfù zhìzhc-dùwài, ycnch dfde shíf bn fàngsdng. ‘In this match, she gave no thought to victory or defeat; therefore, she played in a very relaxed manner.’ Usage: Functions as predicate, often preceded by constructions involving ᡞ (bf) or ᇚ ( jiang ᇛ), and frequently with the objects ⫳⅏ (shbngsh) ‘life and death,’ ᅝॅ (anwbi) ‘safety and danger,’ ᕫ༅ (déshc) ‘gain and loss,’ 㤷䖅 (róngrj ᾂ䖅) ‘honor and dishonor,’ 㚰䋳 (shèngfù ࢱ䉴) ‘victory or defeat,’ ߽Ⲟ (lìyì) ‘benefit,’ and ⫳ੑ (shbngmìng) ‘life.’ Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᗉᗉϡᖬ] (niàn niàn bú wàng ᗉᗉϡᖬ) ‘never forget,’ [㘓㘓Ѣᗔ] (ggng ggng yú huái 㘓㘓ᮐ់) ‘take to heart, brood over.’ 483. Ğ፼ࠓ‫ݙ‬ኂğ(Ꮽឃጰᑻ) ying chuí bù xij ∌ means ‘forever,’ ൖ here means ‘hand down,’ and ᴑ means ‘decay.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘forever hand down and not decay.’ Freer translations include ‘immortal, live in one’s heart forever.’ Example 1: 䳋䫟㊒⼲፼ࠓ‫ݙ‬ኂʽ Léi Fbng jcngshen yingchuí-bùxij! ‘The spirit of Lei Feng will live forever!’ (Note: Lei Feng, 1940–1962, was a model soldier in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.) Example 2: Ҫⱘ㣅ᯢ੠џϮᇚ፼ࠓ‫ݙ‬ኂDŽ Ta de ycngmíng hé shìyè jiang yingchuí-bùxij. ‘His brilliance and his causes will be immortal.’

Entry 484: 㕢Ёϡ䎇

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Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; used on solemn occasions, especially in texts and speeches about the deceased. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ৡൖ䴦৆] (míng chuí qcng shh ৡൖ䴦৆) ‘go down in history,’ [⌕㢇 गস] (liú fang qian gj ⌕㢇गস) ‘leave a good name through the ages.’ Antonym: [䘫㟁ϛᑈ] ( yí chòu wàn nián 䙎㟁㨀ᑈ) ‘leave behind a stink for ten thousand years – have one’s name live in everlasting infamy.’ 484. Ğගᒦ‫ݙ‬ᔗğ(ᡱጱጰᖭ) mgi zhdng bù zú 㕢 means ‘good,’ Ё means ‘within,’ and ϡ䎇 means ‘insufficient.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘the insufficiency within the goodness.’ In other words, something is overall quite good but there are still areas where improvement is needed. Freer English translations include ‘a minor flaw in something otherwise perfect,’ ‘a small defect,’ and ‘what’s missing is. . . .’ Example 1: ҪӀ໿ྏ੠ⴺˈ‫ܓ‬ᄤгᕜৃ⠅DŽԚᰃගᒦ‫ݙ‬ᔗⱘᰃা᳝ϔϾᄽᄤˈབᵰ‫ݡ‬ ᳝ϔϾཇ‫ܓ‬ህᅠ㕢њDŽ Tamen f eqc hémù, érzi yg hgn kg’ài. Dànshì mgizhdng-bùzú de shì zhh yiu yí ge háizi, rúgui zài yiu yí ge nr’ér jiù wánmgi le. ‘Husband and wife get along harmoniously, and their son is cute. But the one thing that’s missing is they have only one child; if in addition they had a daughter, then it would be perfect.’ Example 2: 䖭䚼⬉ᕅᢡᕫᕜ៤ࡳˈϡ䖛ගᒦ‫ݙ‬ᔗⱘᰃ㒧ሔ᳝ѯᚆᚼˈ䅽㾖ӫᖗ䞠ᤎ≝ 䞡ⱘDŽ Zhè bù diànyhng paide hgn chénggdng, búguò mgizhdng-bùzú de shì jiéjú yiu xib bbicfn, ràng guanzhòng xcn lh thng chénzhòng de. ‘This movie was made very successfully; however, the one minor flaw is that the ending is a little too tragic; it makes the audience have a very serious and heavy feeling in their hearts.’ Usage: Functions mainly as subject in the structure 㕢Ёϡ䎇ⱘᰃ (mgi zhdng bù zú de shì) ‘what’s missing is. . . .’ Also functions as attribute in 㕢Ёϡ䎇ⱘഄᮍ (mgi zhdng bù zú de dìfang) and 㕢Ёϡ䎇П໘ (mgi zhdng bù zú zhc chù 㕢Ёϡ 䎇П㰩), both ‘a minor flaw in something otherwise perfect.’ Near Synonyms: [ⱑ⩻ᖂ⨩] (bái bì wbi xiá ⱑ⩻ᖂ⨩) ‘white jade tiny flaw – a flaw or defect in somebody or something otherwise perfect,’ [⨩ϡ᥽⨰] (xiá bù yfn yú ⨩ϡ᥽⨰) ‘flaw does not hide luster – the weakness does not detract from the virtues.’ Antonyms: [कܼक㕢] (shí quán shí mgi कܼक㕢) ‘perfect,’ [ሑ୘ሑ㕢] ( jìn shàn jìn mgi ⲵ୘ⲵ㕢) ‘completely perfect.’

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Entries 485 – 486: Ҏໄ哢⊌ and ໽ⳳ⚖⓿

485. Ğཽဉࢼॄğ(ዷⓦ‗ᛊ) rén shbng dhng fèi Ҏໄ means ‘human voices,’ a 哢 is a kind of ancient pot, and ⊌ means ‘boil.’ 哢⊌ means ‘water is boiling in a big pot, bubbling like in a cauldron.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘noisy voices, a hubbub or confusion of voices.’ Example 1: ⊩ᒁ䞠ᇍৠᗻᘟီ࿏䕽䆎ᕫᕜ▔⚜ˈ⊩ᒁ໪ᬃᣕ㗙੠ডᇍ㗙䛑ᕜ໮ˈཽဉ ࢼॄDŽ Fftíng lh duì tóngxìngliàn henycn biànlùn de hgn jcliè, fftíng wài zhcchízhg hé ffnduìzhg ddu hgn dud, rénshbng-dhngfèi. ‘Inside the courtroom, gay marriage was being debated intensely; outside the courtroom, there were many supporters and many opponents, their voices creating a loud hubbub.’ Example 2: Ҫ୰⃶೼ཽဉࢼॄⱘ䯍Ꮦऎ䗯㸫DŽ Ta xhhuan zài rénshbng-dhngf èi de nàoshìqe guàngjib. ‘He likes to go strolling through the noisy downtown area.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Antonym: [叺䲔᮴ໄ] (ya què wú shbng 勝䲔⛵㙆) ‘crow sparrow no sound – complete silence.’ 486. Ğᄖᑞಅർğ(፞᧣✗₴) tian zhbn làn màn ໽ⳳ means ‘innocent, naive’ and ⚖⓿ means ‘unaffected, innocent.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘lively and cute, naive and unaffected, pure and natural.’ Example 1: ϔ㕸ᄖᑞಅർⱘᄽᄤ೼݀ು䞠⥽㗡ˈ䴲ᐌৃ⠅DŽ Yì qún tianzhbn-lànmàn de háizi zài gdngyuán lh wánshuf, f bicháng kg’ài. ‘A group of innocent and unaffected children were playing in the park; they were very cute.’ Example 2: ཌྷ໮ᛇಲࠄᄖᑞಅർⱘスᑈଞʽ Ta dud xifng huídào tianzhbn-lànmàn de tóngnián a! ‘How much she wishes she could go back to the naive and innocent years of childhood!’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [໽ⳳ᮴䙾] (tian zhbn wú xié ໽ⳳ⛵䙾) ‘innocent and free of evil intention,’ [⌏⋐ৃ⠅] (huó pd kg ài ⌏┥ৃᛯ) ‘lively and cute.’ Antonyms: [ᇥᑈ㗕៤] (shào nián lfo chéng ᇥᑈ㗕៤) ‘young but experienced,’ [㗕៤ᣕ䞡] (lfo chéng chí zhòng 㗕៤ᣕ䞡) ‘experienced and discreet.’

Entries 487 – 488: ህџ䆎џ and ໻᠟໻㛮

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487. Ğ௓ူ൙ူğ(᳍ᗇ⊹ᗇ) jiù shì lùn shì ህ means ‘concerning, regarding, according to.’ The meaning of the whole idiom is ‘consider the matter in and of itself.’ Example 1: ៥ⱘ䆱ϡᰃ䩜ᇍᶤϾҎˈ㗠ᰃ௓ူ൙ူDŽ Wi de huà bú shì zhbnduì miu ge rén, érshì jiùshì-lùnshì. ‘My words are not directed at any individual, but are considering the matter in and of itself.’ Example 2: ៥Ӏϡᑨ䆹‫⬭ذ‬೼௓ူ൙ူⱘ䰊↉ˈ㗠ᑨ䆹Ң໻ሔᴹⳟᕙ䖭ӊџᚙDŽ Wimen bù ycnggai tíngliú zài jiùshì-lùnshì de jibduàn, ér ycnggai cóng dàjú lái kàndài zhè jiàn shìqing. ‘We shouldn’t stop at the stage where you consider a matter in and of itself, but should treat this matter as seen from the overall situation.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive and adverbial. Note: In order to give the person concerned face, Chinese people usually say that the comments they make are about a matter itself (ህџ䆎џ), and are not directed at any individual. Near Synonyms: [ᇍোܹᑻ] (duì hào rù zuò ᇡ㰳ܹᑻ) ‘according to the ticket number take one’s seat,’ [ҹ‫أ‬ὖܼ] (yh pian gài quán ҹ‫أ‬ὖܼ) ‘take a part for the whole.’ 488. Ğࡍ၄ࡍ୭ğ(ጙ፯ጙὰ) dà shiu dà jifo A literal translation of this idiom is ‘big hands big feet.’ The meaning is ‘extravagant, wasteful.’ Example 1: Ҫ㢅䪅ࡍ၄ࡍ୭ⱘˈ໾⌾䌍њDŽ Ta huaqián dàshiu-dàjifo de, tài làngfèi le. ‘He’s extravagant in the way he spends money – just too wasteful!’ Example 2: 㒧ီৢˈཌྷᬍবњࡍ၄ࡍ୭фϰ㽓ⱘ↯⮙DŽ Jiéhen hòu, ta gfibiànle dàshiu-dàjifo mfi ddngxi de máobìng. ‘After she married, she changed her bad habit of making extravagant purchases.’ Usage: Functions mainly as adverbial. Modifies verbs related to spending money or consuming resources. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [᣹䞥བೳ] (huc jcn rú tj ᧂ䞥བೳ) ‘throw money around like dirt.’ Antonyms: [ⳕৗׁ⫼] (shgng chc jifn yòng ⳕৗ‫‘ )⫼۝‬economical in everyday necessities,’ [‫( ]ׁܟࢸܟ‬kè qín kè jifn ‫‘ )۝ܟࢸܟ‬hardworking and thrifty.’

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Entries 489 – 490: ⓿ቅ䘡䞢 and ࠏ㟳∖ࠥ

489. Ğർ࿍‫ܩ‬ጎğ(₴ጢ῝ᱥ) màn shan biàn yg ⓿ means ‘all over, everywhere,’ 䘡 also means ‘all over, everywhere,’ and 䞢 means ‘wilderness.’ The literal meaning is ‘all over the mountains and all over the wilderness,’ with a freer translation being ‘all over, in great numbers.’ Example 1: ᮄ㣅Ḑ݄ⱘ⾟໽ˈർ࿍‫ܩ‬ጎ䛑ᰃ㑶৊ˈ䴲ᐌⓖ҂DŽ Xcn Ycnggélán de qietian, mànshan-biànyg ddu shì hóng yè, fbicháng piàoliàng. ‘At the time of fall in New England, there are red leaves all over, it’s very beautiful.’ Example 2: ਀䇈䙷ᑻቅϞ᳝गᑈⱘҎখˈҎӀ䖲໰䍊ࠄ䙷䞠এᣪˈർ࿍‫ܩ‬ጎ䛑ᰃҎDŽ Tcngshud nà zuò shan shàng yiu qian nián de rénshbn, rénmen liányè gfndào nàlh qù wa, mànshan-biànyg ddu shì rén. ‘When they heard that on that mountain there was 1,000-year-old ginseng, people rushed there to dig straight through the night; there were people everywhere.’ Usage: Functions as subject, attributive, predicate, and adverbial. Near Synonym: [‫׃‬ᣒⱚᰃ] (fj shí jib shì ‫׃‬ᣒⱚᰃ) ‘so many you can bend down and pick them up easily.’ Antonym: [ᆹ㢹᰼᯳] (liáo ruò chén xcng ᆹ㢹᰼᯳) ‘few as the morning stars – very few.’

490. Ğరᒱཇୋğ(ᗩᒧᕧ↪) kè zhdu qiú jiàn ࠏ means ‘carve,’ 㟳 means ‘boat,’ ∖ means ‘seek,’ and ࠥ means ‘sword.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘carve marks on a boat (to serve as a reminder of where to) seek the sword (that fell overboard).’ This is a metaphor for ‘not know how to adapt to changed conditions,’ ‘act foolishly without regard to changed circumstances,’ or ‘incorrect or inappropriate method for solving a problem.’ Example 1: Դ䖭ḋ‫خ‬ህᰃరᒱཇୋˈकᑈҹৢᚙ‫މ‬ϡϔᅮব࣪៤ହḋਸ਼DŽ Nh zhèyàng zuò jiùshì kèzhdu-qiújiàn, shí nián yhhòu qíngkuàng bù yídìng biànhuà chéng sháyàng ne. ‘Your doing it this way is just like the man who made a notch on a boat to mark where a sword had fallen overboard – you don’t know what the situation will be like in ten years.’ Example 2: ⳟџᚙⱘᯊ‫׭‬ᕫ⫼থሩⱘⴐ‫ܝ‬এⳟˈ৺߭ህᰃరᒱཇୋњDŽ Kàn shìqing de shíhou dgi yòng fazhfn de yfnguang qù kàn, fiuzé jiùshì kèzhduqiújiàn le.

Entry 491: ⫳啭⌏㰢

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‘When looking at things you must look at them from a progressive perspective; otherwise, you’ll be like the man who made a notch on a boat to mark where a sword had fallen overboard – that is, you won’t know how to adapt to changed conditions.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate and adverbial. Allusion: In ancient times there was a man who was crossing the Yangtze River. Because he didn’t pay attention, the treasured sword he was carrying fell into the water. Very calmly, he made a mark on the boat, saying: “This is the place where my sword fell into the water.” When the boat reached the river bank, he jumped into the water to look for his sword at the place where he had made the mark, but of course he couldn’t find it. (from “Cha Jin” in Mr. Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [ᅜ᷾ᕙ‫( ]ܨ‬shiu zhe dài tù ᅜ᷾ᕙ‫‘ )ܨ‬keep watch over a tree stump waiting for hares – hope to attain something without working for it,’ [๼ᅜ៤㾘] (mò shiu chéng guc ๼ᅜ៤㽣) ‘stick to conventions or outmoded practices.’ Antonyms: [㾕ᴎ㸠џ] ( jiàn jc xíng shì 㽟″㸠џ) ‘look for a good opportunity to take some action, play by ear,’ [ܿ䴶⦆⦥] (ba miàn líng lóng ܿ䴶⦆⪣) ‘smooth and slick, get along well with everyone.’ 491. Ğညച૚઎ğ(᏷⑎᠖ᜥ) shbng lóng huó hj 啭 means ‘dragon’ and 㰢 means ‘tiger.’ A literal translation is ‘live dragon live tiger.’ The extended meaning is ‘lively and vigorous, bursting with energy.’ Example 1: ೼⧗എϞˈᇣӭᄤӀϔϾϾညച૚઎ˈᣐᕫᕜߊDŽ Zài qiúchfng shàng, xifohuizimen yc ge ge shbnglóng-huóhj, pcnde hgn xidng. ‘On the ball field, each and every one of the kids was brimming with energy, giving it their utmost.’ Example 2: ॳᴹညച૚઎ⱘϔϾҎˈᗢМ⮙њ޴໽Пৢˈህ䖭М≵᳝㊒⼲˛ Yuánlái shbnglóng-huóhj de yí ge rén, zgnme bìngle jh tian zhchòu, jiù zhème méiyiu jcngshen? ‘A person who formerly was bursting with energy, how come that after being sick for a couple of days, he is this lacking in energy?’ Usage: Functions mainly as attributive and predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [⫳⇨ࢗࢗ] (shbng qì bó bó ⫳⇷ࢗࢗ) ‘full of vitality,’ [啭㝒㰢䎗] (lóng téng hj yuè 啡倄㰢䑡) ‘dragon soars tiger leaps – bustle of activity.’ Antonyms: [⅏⇨≝≝] (sh qì chén chén ⅏⇷≝≝) ‘lifeless,’ [㗕⇨῾⾟] (lfo qì héng qie 㗕⇷‿⾟) ‘lacking vitality.’

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Entries 492 – 493: ϡ⫬⼎ᔅ and ᕾᕾ୘䇅

492. Ğ‫ݙ‬জာྦྷğ(ጰ᏶ᐆ᥋) bù gan shì ruò ϡ⫬ means ‘not resigned to, not reconciled to, unwilling to,’ ⼎ means ‘show,’ and ᔅ means ‘weak.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘unwilling to show weakness (in comparison with others),’ with a freer translation being ‘unwilling to be outdone.’ Example 1: 㑶ǃⱑϸ䯳䖯㸠ଅ℠↨䌯ˈⱑ䯳䌶ᕫњܼഎᥠໄˈ㑶䯳‫ݙ‬জာྦྷˈଅ䍋њ ཌྷӀ᳔ᣓ᠟ⱘ℠DŽ Hóng, bái lifng duì jìnxíng chànggb bhsài, bái duì yíngdéle quán chfng zhfngshbng, hóng duì bùgan-shìruò, chàngqhle tamen zuì náshiu de gb. ‘The two teams – red and white – held a singing contest, with the white team winning the applause of the entire audience; the red team, unwilling to be outdone, began singing their signature song.’ Example 2: 㕢೑ᅷᏗᇍ⃻ⲳᶤ乍ଚકᅲ㸠ࠊ㺕ˈ⃻ⲳ‫ݙ‬জာྦྷˈ偀ϞᅷᏗᇍ㕢೑ᶤ䞡 㽕ߎষѻક䖯㸠ডؒ䫔䇗ᶹDŽ Mgiguó xuanbù duì numéng miu xiàng shangphn shíxíng zhìcái, numéng bùganshìruò, mfshàng xuanbù duì Mgiguó miu zhòngyào chekiu chfnphn jìnxíng ffn qcngxiao diàochá. ‘When the U.S. announced that it was implementing sanctions against a certain European Union commodity, the European Union, unwilling to be outdone, immediately announced that it was implementing an anti-dumping investigation of a certain important U.S. export product.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Near Synonyms: [ϡ⫬Ҏৢ] (bù gan rén hòu ϡ⫬Ҏᕠ) ‘not reconciled to being behind someone else,’ [࡯ѝϞ␌] (lì zhbng shàng yóu ࡯⠁Ϟ␌) ‘strive to go upstream – strive to be best.’ Antonyms: [⫬ᢰϟ亢] (gan bài xià fbng ⫬ᢰϟ乼) ‘candidly admit defeat,’ [ᖗ᳡ষ᳡] (xcn fú kiu fú ᖗ᳡ষ᳡) ‘sincerely convinced in one’s mind about something and say so sincerely.’ 493. Ğክክ࿖᎑ğ(᳟᳟ᶷ⅌) xún xún shàn yòu ᕾᕾ means ‘in proper order,’ ୘ means ‘well,’ and 䇅 means ‘guide.’ A literal translation is ‘in proper order good at guiding others.’ This idiom is often translated as ‘good at guiding others, teach in a systematic and patient manner.’ Example 1: ⥟ᬭᥜ䆆䇒ⱘᯊ‫׭‬ϡᰃᶃ➹ഄ䆆㾷ˈ㗠ᰃ㒭ߎᕜ໮՟ᄤˈክክ࿖᎑DŽ Wáng jiàoshòu jifngkè de shíhou bú shì kezào de jifngjig, ér shì ggi che hgn dud lìzi, xúnxún-shànyòu.

Entries 494 – 495: ϛᆊ♃☿ and ᠻ䗋ϡᙳ

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‘When Professor Wang teaches, she doesn’t dryly lecture, but gives lots of examples; she is good at guiding others.’ Example 2: Ҫᰃϔԡክክ࿖᎑ⱘ⬉㾚䆓䇜㡖ⳂЏᣕҎDŽ Ta shì yí wèi xúnxún-shànyòu de diànshì ffngtán jiémù zhjchírén. ‘He is a television talk show host who is good at guiding others.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive and adverbial. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonym: [䇚䇚ᬭᇐ] (zhen zhen jiào dfo 䂘䂘ᬭᇢ) ‘instruct earnestly.’ 494. Ğᅺଜࡾ૜ğ(Ὀᤲ⎍ᎂ) wàn jia dbng hui ϛᆊ means ‘ten thousand families’ or ‘very many families,’ while ♃☿ means ‘lights.’ A literal translation is ‘ten thousand families’ lamps.’ This often refers to a city that is ablaze with lights. Example 1: 㱑✊Ꮖ㒣⏅໰䞠ˈϞ⍋ձ✊ᅺଜࡾ૜ˈ䖭ᰃϔϾϡ⳴ⱘජᏖDŽ Sucrán yhjcng shbn yèlh, Shànghfi ycrán wànjia-dbnghui, zhè shì yí ge bù mián de chéngshì. ‘Though it was already late at night, Shanghai was still ablaze with lights; this was a city that did not sleep.’ Example 2: ཌྷキ೼ὐ乊ˈ⃷䌣ⴔᅺଜࡾ૜ⱘ㕢᱃DŽ Ta zhàn zài lóudhng, xcnshfngzhe wànjia-dbnghui de mgijhng. ‘She stood on the roof, enjoying the beautiful sights of a city ablaze with lights.’ Usage: Functions mainly as object and attributive. Near Synonym: [♃☿䗮ᯢ] (dbng hui tdng míng ➜☿䗮ᯢ) ‘brightly lit.’ Antonym: [♃☿䯥⦞] (dbng hui lán shan ➜☿䮠⦞) ‘with lights dimming.’ 495. Ğᒊධ‫ݙ‬ᇘğ(᫞ᩲጰᥘ) zhí mí bú wù ᠻ means ‘persist,’ 䗋 means ‘confused,’ and ᙳ means ‘realize, understand.’ A literal translation is ‘persist in being confused and not realize it.’ A freer translation is ‘persist in one’s errors and refuse to come to one’s senses.’ Example 1: Դ㽕ⳟ⏙ᔶ࢓ˈϡ㽕ᒊධ‫ݙ‬ᇘDŽ Nh yào kànqcng xíngshì, bú yào zhímí-búwù. ‘You should see the situation clearly; don’t persist in your errors and refuse to come to your senses.’

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Entries 496 – 497: ग⮂ⱒᄨ and  ዪࢦ偀

Example 2: ⾥ᄺ੠ग़৆ᮽᏆ䆕ᯢϪϞ≵᳝ҔМ䭓⫳ϡ㗕ⱘ㥃ˈৃᰃ䖬᳝ѯᒊධ‫ݙ‬ᇘⱘ Ҏࡾ࡯ᇏᡒDŽ Kbxué hé lìshh zfoyh zhèngmíng shìshàng méiyiu shénme cháng shbng bù lfo de yào, kgshì hái yiu xib zhímí-búwù de rén njlì xúnzhfo. ‘Science and history have long ago proven that there is no medicine in the world that can let you live forever, but there are still some people who refuse to come to their senses who try hard to find it.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate; can also serve as attributive. Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonyms: [‫ݹ‬乑ϡ࣪] (míng wán bú huà ‫䷥ݹ‬ϡ࣪) ‘stubbornly not change,’ [ϔᛣᄸ㸠] (yí yì ge xíng ϔᛣᄸ㸠) ‘cling obstinately to a reckless course.’ Antonyms: [䗋䗨ⶹ䖨] (mí tú zhc ffn 䗋䗨ⶹ䖨) ‘lose one’s way but know how to get back – realize and rectify one’s errors,’ [ⶹ䫭ህᬍ] (zhc cuò jiù gfi ⶹ䤃ህᬍ) ‘as soon as you realize a mistake, correct it.’ 496. Ğ໻ࠉ‫఻ڻ‬ğ(ጓ≌ᒑ።) qian chuang bfi king ⮂ means ‘wound’ and ᄨ means ‘hole.’ The literal meaning is ‘a thousand wounds and a hundred holes,’ with a freer translation being ‘riddled with gaping wounds, afflicted with any disorder imaginable.’ This idiom is also used metaphorically to mean ‘full of flaws or shortcomings.’ Example 1: ៬ৢⱘජᏖ໻ࠉ‫ⳟˈ఻ڻ‬䍋ᴹ䴲ᐌᚆᚼDŽ Zhànhòu de chéngshì qianchuang-bfiking, kànqhlai f bicháng bbicfn. ‘The post-war city was riddled with gaping wounds, looking extremely tragic.’ Example 2: བԩᤑᬥϔᆊ໻ࠉ‫ⱘ఻ڻ‬ѣᤳⱘӕϮˈ䅽ᮄᴹⱘ乚ᇐ䴲ᐌথᛕDŽ Rúhé wfnjiù yìjia qianchuang-bfiking de kucsjn de qhyè, ràng xcn lái de lhngdfo f bicháng f achóu. ‘How to rescue a business that was riddled with flaws and that was losing money made the recently arrived leader very worried.’ Usage: Functions as predicate and attributive. Note: Somewhat derogatory in meaning. Antonym: [⛩✊ϔᮄ] (huàn rán yì xcn ✹✊ϔᮄ) ‘look brand-new, change beyond recognition.’ 497. Ğኞዂಗ൫ğ(⚰᫾᪰᪑) xuán yá lè mf   means ‘hang,’ ዪ means ‘precipice,’  ዪ means ‘sheer cliff,’ and ࢦ means ‘rein in.’ A literal translation is ‘rein in a horse at the edge of a precipice,’ with the

Entry 498: ञ᭸ܿϸ

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extended meaning being ‘realize and escape from danger just in the nick of time.’ Example 1: ⦄೼Դⱘᚙ‫މ‬䴲ᐌॅ䰽ˈབᵰ‫ݡ‬ϡኞዂಗ൫ˈ㚃ᅮӮߎ໻џⱘDŽ Xiànzài nh de qíngkuàng fbicháng wbixifn, rúgui zài bù xuányá-lèmf, kgndìng huì che dà shì de. ‘Now your situation is very dangerous; if you still don’t escape from danger just in the nick of time, you will definitely have a big accident.’ Example 2: Ё೑䄺ਞᇍᮍኞዂಗ൫ˈ৺߭ৢᵰ㞾䋳DŽ Zhdngguó jhnggào duìfang xuányá-lèmf, f iuzé hòugui zìfù. ‘China warned the other side to escape from danger in the nick of time, otherwise they themselves must take responsibility for the consequences.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Antonym: [ᠻ䗋ϡᙳ] (zhí mí bú wù ෋䗋ϡᙳ) ‘persist in one’s errors and refuse to come to one’s senses.’ 498. Ğ‫ۍ‬஗‫ڭ‬ೝğ(Ꭾ፴ዺᗣ) bàn jcn ba lifng ञ means ‘half,’ ᭸ is a unit of weight often translated as ‘catty,’ and ϸ is another unit of weight often translated as ‘ounce.’ The literal translation of this idiom is ‘half a catty (is the equivalent of ) eight ounces,’ with freer translations being ‘six of one and half a dozen of the other, tweedledum and tweedledee, the same.’ Example 1: ϔϾҎ偖ᇍᮍˈ঺ϔϾҎᠧᇍᮍˈϸϾҎ‫ۍ‬஗‫ڭ‬ೝˈ䛑᳝䫭‫ܓ‬DŽ Yí ge rén mà duìfang, lìng yí ge rén df duìfang, lifng ge rén bànjcn-balifng, ddu yiu cuòr. ‘One person scolded the other party, and the other party hit the first person; it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other – they were both wrong.’ Example 2: 䖭⾡‫⊩خ‬䎳䙷⾡‫ۍ⊩خ‬஗‫ڭ‬ೝˈ䛑ϡⳕ࡯DŽ Zhè zhing zuòf f gbn nà zhing zuòff bànjcn-balifng, ddu bù shgnglì. ‘This method is about the same as that method; neither saves labor.’ Explanation: In the traditional Chinese weight system, one jin (᭸) equals sixteen liang (ϸ), so half a jin equals eight liang. Currently in the P.R.C., one jin equals ten liang, but in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the traditional system is often still used. Usage: Functions mainly as predicate at the end of a sentence. Note: This is colloquial-style usage. It has a somewhat negative connotation. Near Synonyms: [ϡⳌϞϟ] (bù xiang shàng xià ϡⳌϞϟ) ‘equally matched, without much difference,’ [᮫哧Ⳍᔧ] (qí gj xiang dang ᮫哧Ⳍ⭊) ‘(two armies) of the same number of banners and drums – well-matched (in strength).’

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Entries 499 – 500: ݅㼘ⲯВ and Ѩकℹュⱒℹ

Antonyms: [໻Ⳍᕘᒁ] (dà xiang jìng tíng ໻Ⳍᕥᒁ) ‘as different as path and yard – poles apart,’ [໽Ꮒഄ䖰] (tian cha dì yufn ໽Ꮒഄ䘴) ‘poles apart.’ 499. Ğৢሩတ௟ğ(ᐩ┎ᯔ⓴) gòng xiang shèng jj ݅ means ‘together,’ 㼘 means ‘help,’ ⲯ means ‘great,’ and В means ‘undertaking.’ A literal translation is ‘together help each other in great undertakings,’ with a freer translation being ‘join together to accomplish a great task.’ Example 1: ៥ӀЁ೑ҷ㸼ಶಶ䭓䇈˖Ā៥Ӏ㹋ᖗഄᏠᳯ⍋‫ݙ‬໪Ёढ‫ܓ‬ཇৢሩတ௟ˈᅠ ៤⼪೑㒳ϔ໻ϮDŽ” Wimen Zhdngguó dàibifotuán tuánzhfng shud: “Wimen zhdngxcn de xcwàng hfinèiwài Zhdnghuá érnr gòngxiang-shèngjj, wánchéng zjguó tingyc dàyè.” ‘The head of our Chinese delegation said: “We hope with all our hearts that the sons and daughters of China all over the world will join together to accomplish a great task, and complete the unification of the motherland.”’ Example 2: থ⫳њ໻ഄ䳛ˈ໻䰚ঞ␃ǃ▇ǃৄϝഄ㡎ҎЎњᬥ♒ৢሩတ௟ˈВࡲњ໮എ ⓨଅӮDŽ Fashbngle dà dìzhèn, dàlù jí Gfng, Ào, Tái san dì yìrén wèile jiùzai gòngxiangshèngjj, jjbànle dud chfng yfnchànghuì. ‘When the major earthquake occurred, entertainers from the mainland and the three areas of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan joined together to accomplish the great task of providing disaster relief, holding numerous performances.’ Usage: Functions as predicate. Note: Complimentary in meaning. Near Synonyms: [唤ᖗण࡯] (qí xcn xié lì 唞ᖗन࡯) ‘work as one,’ [Ϣ᳝㤷⛝] (yj yiu róng yan 㟛᳝ᾂ⛝) ‘take pride in someone’ (written style). Antonym: [৘㞾Ўᬓ] (gè zì wéi zhèng ৘㞾⚎ᬓ) ‘each does things in her or his own way.’ 500. Ğᇋလ‫ݛ‬ቈ‫ݛڻ‬ğ(ጺጀᕥᨆᒑᕥ) wj shí bù xiào bfi bù ℹ means ‘pace, step’ and ュ means ‘laugh at.’ A literal translation of the whole idiom is ‘(a man who retreated only) fifty paces laughed at (another man who retreated) a hundred paces.’ This means ‘disparage someone else for essentially the same thing you yourself have done.’ Example 1: Ҫҹࠡ㗕ュ䆱߿Ҏ᳝㓃䯏ˈ⦄೼㞾Ꮕ᳝њˈⳳᰃᇋလ‫ݛ‬ቈ‫ݛڻ‬DŽ Ta yhqián lfo xiàohuà biérén yiu fbiwén, xiànzài zìjh yiu le, zhbnshì wjshíbùxiàobfibù.

Entry 500: Ѩकℹュⱒℹ

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‘He used to always laugh at others for having affairs; now he himself is involved in one; it really is a situation of his having disparaged others for the same thing he himself is doing.’ Example 2: ϸϾҎৠᯊফᅵˈ೼ᅵ߸ⱘ䖛⿟ЁˈϸϾҎৠᯊᧁথᇍᮍ䋾∵ফ䌓ˈᑊᣛ 䋷ᇍᮍҎકԢࡷˈ䖭ϡ䖛ᰃᇋလ‫ݛ‬ቈ‫ݛڻ‬㔶њDŽ Lifng ge rén tóngshí shòushgn, zài shgnpàn de guòchéng zhdng, lifng ge rén tóngshí jibfa duìfang tanwe shòuhuì, bìng zhhzé duìfang rénphn dcliè, zhè búguò shì wjshíbù-xiàobfibù bàle. ‘The two of them stood trial simultaneously; during the course of the trial, the two of them simultaneously exposed each other as being corrupt and having taken bribes, and moreover they found fault with each other for being of bad moral character; this is merely disparaging someone else for essentially the same thing you yourself have done.’ Usage: Functions mainly as predicate. Allusion: During the Warring States Period, King Hui of Liang was fond of waging war. Mencius went to exhort him. King Hui of Liang said, “As far as my country is concerned, I think I can be considered to have done my best. Wherever there is a natural disaster, I will send people to provide relief. Based on my observation, the kings of other countries are not as conscientious as I am. But the population of the neighboring countries has not decreased, and the population in my own country has not increased. Why is this?” Mencius replied: “King, you are fond of war. Let me offer you an example from war. The battle drums are beating and the armies from the two sides are fighting at close quarters. Unavoidably, there will be some soldiers who flee to the rear. There is one soldier who doesn’t stop running until he has run a hundred paces, and there is another who stops after he has run fifty paces. The soldier who ran fifty paces makes fun of the one who ran a hundred paces. Do you think this is right?” King Hui of Liang said: “No, he merely didn’t run a hundred paces; he still ran, just like the other soldier.” Mencius replied: “Great King, since you understand this reasoning, do not in the future expect that the population of your country will be greater than that of your neighboring countries.” (from “King Hui of Liang,” Book One, in The Mencius) Note: Derogatory in meaning. Near Synonym: [໽ϟР叺ϔ㠀咥] (tian xià we ya yì ban hbi ໽ϟ⚣勝ϔ㠀咥) ‘in the whole world crows are the same black – bad people are bad everywhere, things are the same the world over.’

Appendix one: common structural patterns of Chinese idioms The following twenty-one structural patterns that are frequently encountered in Chinese idioms are especially productive, well over a thousand Chinese idioms being patterned on them. Learners of Chinese who are familiar with these patterns and who pay careful attention to the context will be able to make educated guesses about the meanings of many unfamiliar idioms. Note that in the list below, an asterisk (*) represents a Chinese character. 1.

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*໽*ഄ˖Because ໽ (໽ tian) ‘heaven’ and ഄ (ഄ dì) ‘earth’ are extreme contrasts, this pattern generally describes extreme degrees of something. Examples: ⃶໽୰ഄ (ℵ໽ ୰ഄ huan tian xh dì) ‘overjoyed,’ ᚞໽ࡼഄ (倮໽ࢩഄ jcng tian dòng dì) ‘earthshaking,’ 㢅໽䜦ഄ (㢅໽䜦ഄ hua tian jij dì) ‘flowers in the sky and wine on the ground – lead a frivolous life,’ 䇶໽䇶ഄ (䃱໽䃱ഄ xiè tian xiè dì) ‘very thankful.’ ϰ*㽓*˖Sinceϰ (ᵅ ddng) means ‘east’ and 㽓 (㽓 xc) means ‘west,’ the literal translation of this pattern is ‘do something from east to west,’ in other words, over a wide range or scope. This pattern is often derogatory in meaning. Examples: ϰᓴ㽓ᳯ (ᵅᔉ㽓ᳯ ddng zhang xc wàng) ‘look around in all directions,’ ϰ༨㽓䍄 (ᵅ༨㽓䍄 ddng bbn xc ziu) ‘rush about all over the place,’ ϰᢝ㽓ᡃ (ᵅᢝ㽓ᡃ ddng la xc chg) ‘pull a large number of different things randomly into one’s speech, talk incoherently with many irrelevant details.’ ϡ*ϡ*˖This pattern means ‘neither . . . nor. . . .’ Examples: ϡϝϡಯ (ϡϝϡಯ bù san bú sì) ‘neither fish nor fowl,’ ϡᜠϡᖭ (ϡᜠϡᖭ bù huang bù máng) ‘neither panicky nor in a rush,’ ϡሜϡᣴ (ϡሜϡᩧ bù qe bù náo) ‘refuse to submit.’ ϔ*ϔ*˖This pattern often expresses the meanings ‘each, every, all.’ Examples: ϔ㿔 ϔ㸠 (ϔ㿔ϔ㸠 yì yán yì xíng) ‘every word and every deed,’ ϔ㤝ϔ᳼ (ϔ㤝ϔ᳼ yì cfo yí mù) ‘every blade of grass and every tree,’ ϔᖗϔᛣ (ϔᖗϔᛣ yì xcn yí yì) ‘with one heart and one mind, wholeheartedly.’ ग*ϛ*˖Since, especially in ancient China, ‘thousand’ and ‘ten thousand’ were large numbers, this pattern typically means ‘large number of, many.’ Examples: ग䕯ϛ㢺 (ग䕯㨀㢺 qian xcn wàn kj) ‘many sufferings and hardships,’ गবϛ࣪ (ग䅞㨀࣪ qian biàn wàn huà) ‘a great number of changes, ever changing,’ ग‫ݯ‬ϛ偀 (ग䒡㨀侀 qian jen wàn mf) ‘a large number of infantry and cavalry.’ ᮴*᮴*˖ ‘Have no . . . at all’ and ‘not even a little . . .’ are common translations of this idiom. Examples: ᮴ᖻ᮴㰥 (⛵᝖⛵ᝂ wú ydu wú lq) ‘have no worries or anxieties at all,’ ᮴か᮴ሑ (⛵も⛵ⲵ wú qióng wú jìn) ‘have no limits whatsoever,’ ᮴ໄ᮴ᙃ (⛵㙆 ⛵ᙃ wú shbng wú xc) ‘no sound no breath – silent,’ ᮴ᯊ᮴ࠏ (⛵ᰖ⛵ࠏ wú shí wú kè) ‘constantly, incessantly, all the time.’ ϗ*ܿ*˖This pattern often denotes confusion or disorder, especially in speech. Examples: ϗఈܿ㟠 (ϗఈܿ㟠 qc zuh ba shé) ‘seven mouths eight tongues – everyone talking at

Appendix one: common structural patterns of Chinese idioms

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the same time and expressing completely different opinions,’ ϗ᠟ܿ㛮 (ϗ᠟ܿ㝇 qc shiu ba jifo) ‘seven hands eight feet – hands and feet flying every which way – very confused,’ ϗϞܿϟ (ϗϞܿϟ qc shàng ba xià) ‘seven up and eight down – flustered, perturbed, upset.’ *༈*㛥˖This pattern, which is common in spoken Chinese, describes a person’s ༈㛥 (tóunfo) ‘head, brains.’ Except for 㰢༈㰢㛥 (㰢丁㰢㜺 hj tóu hj nfo) ‘robust and good-natured,’ which is complimentary in meaning, the other idioms containing this pattern are generally derogatory. More examples: ਚ༈ਚ㛥 (ਚ丁ਚ㜺 dai tóu dai nfo) ‘dull and slow-witted,’ ᛷ༈ᛷ㛥 (ᛷ丁ᛷ㜺 lèng tóu lèng nfo) ‘rash, reckless,’ ᨛ༈ᰗ 㛥 (᧪丁ᰗ㜺 yáo tóu huàng nfo) ‘absent-minded, in a daze.’ ໽*ഄ*˖Since there is a great contrast between໽ (໽ tian) ‘heaven’ and ഄ (ഄ dì) ‘earth,’ this pattern describes a very high degree of something. Examples: ໽䭓ഄЙ (໽䭋ഄЙ tian cháng dì jij) ‘as eternal as the universe,’ ໽㒣ഄН (໽㍧ഄ㕽 tian jcng dì yì) ‘unalterable principle, entirely justified,’ ໽ᯣഄᱫ (໽ᯣഄᱫ tian hen dì àn) ‘very dark,’ ໽ዽഄ㺖 (໽ዽഄ㺖tian bbng dì liè) ‘earth-shattering.’ *ϝ*ಯ˖This pattern generally is derogatory in meaning. Examples: ᳱϝᲂಯ (ᳱϝ ᲂಯ zhao san mù sì) ‘three in the morning and four at night – fickle and inconstant,’ ϡϝϡಯ (ϡϝϡಯ bù san bú sì) ‘neither fish nor fowl,’ ϶ϝ㨑ಯ (϶ϝ㨑ಯ die san luò sì) ‘lose three drop four – forgetful, absent-minded,’ ᣥϝᢷಯ (ᣥϝᦔಯ tiao san jifn sì) ‘choosy.’ 啭*㰢*˖Since 啭 (啡 lóng) ‘dragons’ and 㰢 (㰢 hj) ‘tigers’ are both bold and fearless creatures, this pattern is complimentary or commendatory in meaning. Examples: 啭㝒㰢䎗 (啡倄㰢䑡 lóng téng hj yuè) ‘dragon soars tiger leaps – bustle of activity,’ 啭ѝ㰢᭫ (啡⠁㰢價 lóng zhbng hj dòu) ‘dragon fights tiger struggles – fierce fighting between formidable foes,’ 啭╁㰢え (啡╁㰢え lóng tán hj xué) ‘dragon pool tiger cave – dangerous place’ (the latter idiom being neutral in meaning). ϡৃ**˖This pattern means ‘unable to.’ Examples: ϡৃᗱ䆂 (ϡৃᗱ䅄 bù kg sc yì) ‘unable to imagine – inconceivable,’ ϡৃ໮ᕫ (ϡৃ໮ᕫ bù kg dud dé) ‘unable to obtain more – hard to come by,’ ϡৃ⧚ஏ (ϡৃ⧚ஏ bù kg lh yù) ‘unable to reason with – will not listen to reason.’ ϔ*ϡ*˖This pattern in general means ‘not even a little.’ Examples: ϔϱϡ㢳 (ϔ㍆ ϡ㢳 yì sc bù giu) ‘not the least bit negligent,’ ϔ↯ϡᢨ (ϔ↯ϡᢨ yì máo bù bá) ‘not willing to pull out even one hair – not lift a finger to help,’ ϔᇬϡᶧ (ϔ้ϡᶧ yì chén bù rfn) ‘not contaminated by even a single particle of dust – clean, spotless,’ ϔちϡ䗮 (ϔ゙ϡ䗮 yí qiào bù tdng) ‘one gate not opened – know nothing about something.’ ᳝*᮴*˖This pattern usually means ‘have . . . not have . . .’ with the first half of the pattern being emphasized. Examples: ᳝໛᮴ᙷ (᳝‫ ᙷ⛵٭‬yiu bèi wú huàn) ‘have preparation not have disaster – preparedness averts peril,’ ᳝ᘗ᮴ᘤ (᳝ᘗ⛵ᘤ yiu shì wú king) ‘have someone one can rely on and not have fear – feel secure because one has strong backing,’ ᳝⇨᮴࡯ (᳝⇷⛵࡯ yiu qì wú lì) ‘have spirit not have strength – listless,’ ᳝ৡ᮴ᅲ (᳝ৡ⛵ᆺ yiu míng wú shí) ‘have name not have reality – in name only.’ 䞥*⥝*˖Because 䞥 (䞥 jcn) ‘gold’ and ⥝ (⥝ yù) ‘jade’ are both valuable commodities of which the Chinese people in general have always been very fond, this pattern is highly complimentary and very positive in meaning. Examples: 䞥ス⥝ཇ (䞥ス⥝ཇ jcn tóng yù nr) ‘young boys and girls (who serve the immortals in Taoism),’ 䞥ᵱ⥝৊ (䞥ᵱ⥝㨝 jcn zhc yù yè) ‘person of upper class or noble birth,’ 䞥⾥⥝ᕟ (䞥⾥⥝ᕟ jcn kb yù lq) ‘golden rule.’ ϔ*ञ*˖Because ϔ (ϔ yc) ‘one’ and ञ (ञ bàn) ‘half ’ are both very small numerical amounts, this pattern describes small quantities of something or a low degree of

300

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Appendix one: common structural patterns of Chinese idioms something. Examples: ϔⶹञ㾷 (ϔⶹञ㾷 yì zhc bàn jig) ‘one know half understand – have only superficial knowledge of something,’ ϔᑈञ䕑 (ϔᑈञ䓝 yì nián bàn zfi) ‘one year half year – six months to a year,’ ϔ⬋ञཇ (ϔ⬋ञཇ yì nán bàn nr) ‘one male half female – one or two children,’ ϔᅬञ㘠 (ϔᅬञ㙋 yì guan bàn zhí) ‘one official half post – unimportant official post.’ ϡ*㗠*˖This pattern basically means ‘not/no . . . but. . . .’ Examples: ϡ㑺㗠ৠ (ϡ㋘㗠 ৠ bù yub ér tóng) ‘not agree (beforehand) but (end up being) the same – take the same action or have the same view without prior consultation,’ ϡ㿔㗠ஏ (ϡ㿔㗠ஏ bù yán ér yù) ‘it goes without saying, obvious,’ ϡ㗐㗠亲 (ϡ㗐㗠亯 bú yì ér fbi) ‘not winged but fly – vanish into thin air.’ ϝ*ϸ*˖This pattern, which is used most commonly in speech, is often somewhat negative in meaning. Examples: ϝ⬾ϸ⃵ (ϝ⬾ܽ⃵ san fan lifng cì) ‘three times two times – over and over again,’ ϝᣇϸ㛮 (ϝᣇܽ㝇 san quán lifng jifo) ‘three fists two feet – with just two or three blows or kicks, without great effort,’ ϝ㿔ϸ䇁 (ϝ㿔ܽ䁲 san yán lifng yj) ‘three words two words – in a few words,’ ϝ䭓ϸⷁ (ϝ䭋ܽⷁ san cháng lifng dufn) ‘three long two short – mishap, accident.’ ҹ*Ў*˖The verb ҹ (ҹ yh) means ‘take’ and the verb Ў (⚎ wéi) means ‘be.’ This pattern can often be translated as ‘use . . . as. . . .’ Examples: ҹ䗔Ў䖯 (ҹ䗔⚎䘆 yh tuì wéi jìn) ‘use retreating as a way to advance,’ ҹᅜЎᬏ (yh shiu wéi gdng) ‘use guarding something as a way to attack,’ ҹҎЎ䡈 (yh rén wéi jiàn) ‘use a person as a mirror – draw lessons from others.’ ໻*໻*˖Since ໻ (໻ dà) means ‘big, large, great,’ this pattern ordinarily describes a high degree of something. Examples: ໻亢໻⌾ (໻乼໻⌾ dà fbng dà làng) ‘big winds big waves – great storms, great social upheavals,’ ໻ᨛ໻ᨚ (໻᧪໻ᫎ dà yáo dà bfi) ‘big swing big sway – swagger, stagger,’ ໻䍋໻㨑 (໻䍋໻㨑 dà qh dà luò) ‘big rise big fall – major rises and falls.’ ϔ*ग*˖This structure often has the general meaning that the number involved is small but that the result may be very great. Examples: ϔ䇎ग䞥 (ϔ䃒ग䞥 yí nuò qian jcn) ‘one promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold,’ ϔᄫग䞥 (ϔᄫग䞥 yí zì qian jcn) ‘one character is worth a thousand pieces of gold – not one word may be changed.’

Appendix two: Pinyin index of 500 common Chinese idioms References are to entry numbers.

A an je lè yè àn tú sui jì

ᅝሙФϮ ᣝ೒㋶偹

62 180

ܿҭ䖛⍋ ᢨ㢫ࡽ䭓 ⱒ㢅唤ᬒ ⧁䮼ᓘ᭻ ञ᭸ܿϸ ᵃᓧ㲛ᕅ ᚆ⃶⾏ড় 㚠䘧㗠偄 ᴀᴹ䴶Ⳃ ↨↨ⱚᰃ বᴀࡴढ़ ߿ߎᖗ㺕 ߿‫݋‬ϔḐ ߿ᓔ⫳䴶 ߿᳝⫼ᖗ ᕀᕀ᳝⼐ ‫ބ‬໽䲾ഄ म໻㊒⏅ ϡᕫ㗠ⶹ ϡࡼໄ㡆 ϡ⫬⼎ᔅ ϡড়ᯊᅰ ϡ‫؛‬ᗱ㋶ ϡ㾕㒣Ӵ ϡ㾷П㓬 ϡ෾䆒ᛇ ϡৃ໮ᕫ ϡৃਞҎ ϡৃ៪㔎 ϡৃᗱ䆂

70 200 211 330 498 470 452 214 226 143 458 265 308 176 302 243 375 201 287 156 492 304 369 266 208 192 256 477 203 21

B ba xian guò hfi bá miáo zhù zhfng bfi hua qí f àng Ban mén nòng fj bàn jcn ba lifng bbi gdng shé yhng bbi huan lí hé bèi dào ér chí bgn lái miàn mù bh bh jib shì biàn bgn jia lì bié che xcn cái bié jù yì gé bié kai shbng miàn bié yiu yòng xcn bcn bcn yiu lh bcng tian xug dì bó dà jcng shbn bù dé ér zhc bú dòng shbng sè bù gan shì ruò bù hé shí yí bù jif sc sui bú jiàn jcng zhuàn bù jig zhc yuán bù kan shè xifng bù kg dud dé bù kg gào rén bù kg huò qub bù kg sc yì

lifo lifo zhc lún bú lèi qe bù náo róng zhì yí shèng méi jj tóng fán xifng xiang shàng xià xiè yí gù yán ér yù yàn qí fán yí yú lì yh wéi rán yì lè he yóu zì zhj yub ér tóng zé shiu duàn zhé bú kòu zhc sui cuò zú wéi qí

ϡњњП ϡӺϡ㉏ ϡሜϡᣴ ϡᆍ㕂⭥ ϡ㚰ᵮВ ϡৠ޵ડ ϡⳌϞϟ ϡሥϔ乒 ϡ㿔㗠ஏ ϡॠ݊⚺ ϡ䘫ԭ࡯ ϡҹЎ✊ ϡѺФТ ϡ⬅㞾Џ ϡ㑺㗠ৠ ϡᢽ᠟↉ ϡᡬϡᠷ ϡⶹ᠔᥾ ϡ䎇Ў༛

445 455 136 405 323 379 371 319 128 264 206 45 383 52 47 251 103 66 336

cái gao ba diu cfo mù jib bcng céng che bù qióng céng jh hé shí cháng zhì jij an chb shuh mf lóng chéng qian shàng wàn chéng qián qh hòu chéng xcn chéng yì chí zhc yh héng chdng fbng xiàn zhèn chóu chú mfn zhì chù mù jcng xcn chuan liú bù xc chuí tóu sàng qì

ᠡ催ܿ᭫ 㤝᳼ⱚ݉ ሖߎϡか ᳒޴ԩᯊ 䭓⊏Йᅝ 䔺∈偀啭 ៤गϞϛ ᡓࠡਃৢ 䆮ᖗ䆮ᛣ ᣕПҹᘦ ‫ކ‬䫟䱋䰉 䏠䑛⒵ᖫ 㾺Ⳃ᚞ᖗ Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ ൖ༈ϻ⇨

440 310 73 426 61 294 11 384 346 233 465 416 147 332 349

bù bù bù bù bú bù bù bú bù bú bù bù bú bù bù bù bù bù bù

C

302

Appendix two: Pinyin index of 500 common Chinese idioms

chún wáng chh hán ch qh bh fú cóng tian ér jiàng

૛ѵ啓ᆦ ℸ䍋ᕐӣ Ң໽㗠䰡

420 189 435

໻ߔ䯨᭻ ໻㸫ᇣᏋ ໻᚞ᇣᗾ ໻ৡ哢哢 ໻गϪ⬠ ໻࢓᠔䍟 ໻᠟໻㛮 ໻ৠᇣᓖ ໻᳝ৃЎ ໻᳝Ҏ೼ ໻᳝԰Ў ໻ᓴ᮫哧 Ⅾ㊒チ㰥 ᔧࡵПᗹ ᔧП᮴᛻ 㤵✊᮴ᄬ ᕫϡٓ༅ ᖋᠡ‫ݐ‬໛ ᖋ催ᳯ䞡 ᕫ໽⣀८ ♃㑶䜦㓓 ᥝҹ䕏ᖗ 乊໽ゟഄ ϰにџথ ϰᮑᬜ乺 ⣀ゟ㞾Џ ⣀ᷥϔᏰ ⣀ϔ᮴Ѡ ᇍ⠯ᔍ⨈ ᇍ⮛ϟ㥃 ੘੘䘐Ҏ

205 51 268 325 443 186 488 381 152 362 284 242 433 13 216 339 446 83 262 43 473 188 474 240 270 14 238 101 320 334 217

㘇Ⳃϔᮄ 㘇䯏Ⳃⵍ

123 387

D dà dao kuò fj dà jib xifo xiàng dà jcng xifo guài dà míng dhng dhng dà qian shì jiè dà shì sui qe dà shiu dà jifo dà tóng xifo yì dà yiu kg wéi dà yiu rén zài dà yiu zuò wéi dà zhang qí gj dan jcng jié lq dang wù zhc jí dang zhc wú kuì dàng rán wú cún dé bù cháng shc dé cái jian bèi dé gao wàng zhòng dé tian dú hòu dbng hóng jij lq diào yh qcng xcn dhng tian lì dì ddng chuang shì fa Ddng Shc xiào pín dú lì zì zhj dú shù yí zhì dú yc wú èr duì niú tán qín duì zhèng xià yào dud dud bc rén

E gr mù yì xcn gr wén mù dj

F fa hào shc lìng fa yáng guang dà fan lái fù qù fán róng chang shèng fang xcng wèi ài fèi fèi yáng yáng

থোᮑҸ থᡀ‫ܝ‬໻ 㗏ᴹ㽚এ 㐕㤷ᯠⲯ ᮍ݈᳾㡒 ⊌⊌ᡀᡀ

412 68 407 93 141 257

fèn bú gù shbn fbng chén pú pú fbng fbng yj yj fbng gdng wgi jì fbng píng làng jìng fbng yún biàn huàn fù lì táng huáng

༟ϡ乒䑿 亢ᇬҚҚ 亢亢䲼䲼 Єࡳӳ㒽 亢ᑇ⌾䴭 亢ѥবᑏ ᆠБූⱛ

291 259 98 155 471 131 305

催催೼Ϟ 催ሟᓎ⫈ 催ⶏ䖰⵽ ḐḐϡܹ ḍ⏅㩖೎ կϡᑨ∖ ݅㼘ⲯВ স㡆স佭 সᕔҞᴹ 乒ܼ໻ሔ ࠂⳂⳌⳟ ‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑

427 448 144 273 158 23 499 328 283 69 97 331

৿䕯㤍㢺 ⌽⌽㤵㤵 ԩএԩҢ 䕄䕄⚜⚜ ৢ乒Пᖻ ⢤‫؛‬㰢࿕ ಿ೉৲ᵷ 㢅ಶ䫺㇛ ⬏啭⚍⴯ ⬏㲛⏏䎇 ⃶໽୰ഄ ⛩✊ϔᮄ ᘡ✊໻ᙳ 䈕✊ᓔᳫ 䋻ⳳӋᅲ

463 165 468 74 82 300 280 451 90 230 432 194 173 423 289

叵⢀छ໽ ᗹࡳ䖥߽ 䲚ᗱᑓⲞ 㒻ᕔᓔᴹ ᆊᐌ֓佁 ᆊஏ᠋ᰧ മᣕϡវ മᅮϡ⿏

290 161 285 122 456 56 22 7

G gao gao zài shàng gao we jiàn líng gao zhan yufn zhj gé gé bú rù gbn shbn dì gù gdng bù yìng qiú gòng xiang shèng jj gj sè gj xiang gj wfng jcn lái gù quán dà jú gua mù xiang kàn guang míng lgi luò

H hán xcn rú kj hào hào dàng dàng hé qù hé cóng hdng hdng liè liè hòu gù zhc ydu hú jif hj wbi hú lún ten zfo hua tuán jhn cù huà lóng difn jcng huà shé tian zú huan tian xh dì huàn rán yì xcn hufng rán dà wù huò rán kai lfng huò zhbn jià shí

J jc qufn shbng tian jí gdng jìn lì jí sc gufng yì jì wfng kai lái jia cháng biàn fàn jia yù hù xifo jian chí bú xiè jian dìng bù yí

Appendix two: Pinyin index of 500 common Chinese idioms jian kj fèn dòu jifn míng è yào jiàn yì ying wéi Jiang láng cái jìn jifo jìn nfo zhc jifo tà shí dì jib dà huan xh jib èr lián san jib tóu xiàng wgi jié rán bù tóng jcn fbi xc bh jcn bì huc huáng jcn jcn lè dào jcn jcn yiu wèi jìn zài zhh chh jcng df xì suàn jcng gdng zhc nifo jcng jcng yè yè jcng shén diu siu jcng tian dòng dì jcng xcn dòng pò jcng yì qiú jcng jhng dh zhc wa jhng jhng yiu tiáo jij ér jij zhc jiù shì lùn shì je an sc wbi je gao lín xià jj shì zhj mù jj yc ffn san jj zú qcng zhòng jù jcng huì shén jufn tj chóng lái

㡄㢺༟᭫ ㅔᯢᡐ㽕 㾕Н࢛Ў ∳䚢ᠡሑ 㒲ሑ㛥∕ 㛮䏣ᅲഄ ⱚ໻⃶୰ ᥹Ѡ䖲ϝ 㸫༈Ꮛሒ ៾✊ϡৠ Ҟ䴲ᯨ↨ 䞥⹻䕝✠ ⋹⋹Ф䘧 ⋹⋹᳝ੇ 䖥೼੿ሎ ㊒ᠧ㒚ㅫ ᚞ᓧП右 ܶܶϮϮ ㊒⼲ᡪ᪲ ᚞໽ࡼഄ ᚞ᖗࡼ儘 ㊒Ⲟ∖㊒ ѩᑩП㲭 ѩѩ᳝ᴵ Й㗠ЙП ህџ䆎џ ሙᅝᗱॅ ሙ催Јϟ ВϪ⵽Ⳃ Вϔডϝ В䎇䕏䞡 㘮㊒Ӯ⼲ ोೳ䞡ᴹ

2 479 34 370 348 64 442 248 367 79 453 417 223 252 373 292 220 102 344 239 63 182 380 436 159 487 372 355 35 444 33 142 374

ᓔ䮼㾕ቅ ՗՗㗠䇜 ৃ℠ৃ⊷ ࠏϡᆍ㓧 ࠏ偼䫁ᖗ ࠏ㟳∖ࠥ ষষໄໄ ુュϡᕫ 㢺ষယᖗ 㛡♭Ҏষ

307 345 219 78 318 490 391 398 437 227

ᴹПϡᯧ Ⓓパ‫ܙ‬᭄

67 250

K kai mén jiàn shan kfn kfn ér tán kg gb kg qì kè bù róng hufn kè gj míng xcn kè zhdu qiú jiàn kiu kiu shbng shbng ke xiào bù dé kj kiu pó xcn kuài zhì rén kiu

L lái zhc bú yì làn yú chdng shù

lè bù sc Shj léi lì fbng xíng lh sui dang rán lh zhí qì zhuàng lì bù cóng xcn lì gan jiàn yhng liàn liàn bù shg liàng lì ér xíng lifo rú zhh zhfng lín láng mfn mù lín lí jìn zhì liú lián wàng ffn lij àn hua míng luò yì bù jué

303

Фϡᗱ㳔 䳋ढ़亢㸠 ⧚᠔ᔧ✊ ⧚Ⳉ⇨ໂ ࡯ϡҢᖗ ゟビ㾕ᕅ ᘟᘟϡ㟡 䞣࡯㗠㸠 њབᣛᥠ ⨇⧙⒵Ⳃ ⎟ⓧሑ㟈 ⌕䖲ᖬ䖨 ᷇ᱫ㢅ᯢ 㒰㒢ϡ㒱

360 414 27 87 212 464 449 164 301 91 132 406 421 46

偀ϡ‫ذ‬䐘 ⓿ቅ䘡䞢 ↯䘖㞾㤤 㕢Ёϡ䎇 ৡࡃ݊ᅲ ৡ߫ࠡ㣙 ৡ㨑ᄭቅ ᯢⳂᓴ㚚 ৡℷ㿔乎 㥿ৡ݊཭ 咬咬᮴䯏 Ⳃϡ䕀⴯

306 489 140 484 41 55 190 386 459 17 111 293

㗤Ҏᇏੇ 䲒㛑ৃ䌉 फ䕩࣫䕭 ᗉᗉϡᖬ ᓘ㰮԰‫؛‬

92 94 150 236 38

਩ᖗ≹㸔

139

ᥦᖻ㾷䲒 ᑲ✊໻⠽ ᑇᖗ㗠䆎 䖿ϡঞᕙ ⸈䞰≝㟳 䖿೼ⳝⴿ ᠥ᳨䗋⾏ 䫎໽Ⲫഄ

58 409 457 112 100 146 20 241

M mf bù tíng tí màn shan biàn yg Máo Suì zì jiàn mgi zhdng bù zú míng fù qí shí míng liè qián máo míng luò Sen Shan míng mù zhang dfn míng zhèng yán shùn mò míng qí miào mò mò wú wén mù bù zhufn jcng

N nài rén xún wèi nán néng kg guì nán yuán bgi zhé niàn niàn bú wàng nòng xe zuò jif

O iu xcn lì xuè

P pái ydu jig nàn páng rán dà wù píng xcn ér lùn pò bù jí dài pò fj chén zhdu pò zài méi jié pe shuò mí lí pe tian gài dì

304

Appendix two: Pinyin index of 500 common Chinese idioms

Q qí xcn xié lì qí zhì xian míng Qh rén ydu tian qì bù chéng shbng qì chufn xe xe qià dào hfo chù qian chuang bfi king qian fang bfi jì qian jia wàn hù qian jen wàn mf qian lh tiáo tiáo qian qian wàn wàn qian xcn wàn kj qian zfi nán féng Qián lp jì qióng qián sui wèi yiu qián yí mò huà qiè ér bù shg qcng ér yì jj qcng miáo dàn xig qíng bú zì jìn qiú tóng cún yì qj cháng bj dufn qj ér dài zhc quán lì yh fù quán shén guàn zhù quán xcn quán yì

唤ᖗण࡯ ᮫Ᏸ剰ᯢ ᴲҎᖻ໽ ⊷ϡ៤ໄ ⇨୬৕৕ ᙄࠄད໘ ग⮂ⱒᄨ गᮍⱒ䅵 गᆊϛ᠋ ग‫ݯ‬ϛ偀 ग䞠䖶䖶 गगϛϛ ग䕯ϛ㢺 ग䕑䲒䗶 咨偈ᡔか ࠡ᠔᳾᳝ ┰⿏咬࣪ 䬆㗠ϡ㟡 䕏㗠ᯧВ 䕏ᦣ⎵‫ݭ‬ ᚙϡ㞾⽕ ∖ৠᄬᓖ প䭓㸹ⷁ প㗠ҷП ܼ࡯ҹ䍈 ܼ⼲䌃⊼ ܼᖗܼᛣ

49 99 130 313 229 222 496 3 32 347 272 48 269 353 410 6 187 177 109 397 44 105 224 157 26 178 4

➗ⳝПᗹ ⛁☿ᳱ໽ ҎቅҎ⍋ Ҏໄ哢⊌ ӏ䞡䘧䖰 ᮹໡ϔ᮹ ᮹ᮄ᳜ᓖ བ☿བ㥐 བ᭄ᆊ⦡ ܹ᳼ϝߚ

263 335 438 485 118 351 42 274 326 120

R rán méi zhc jí rè hui cháo tian rén shan rén hfi rén shbng dhng fèi rèn zhòng dào yufn rì fù yí rì rì xcn yuè yì rú hui rú tú rú shj jia zhbn rù mù san fbn

S sài wbng shc mf san gù máo lú san lìng wj shbn san san lifng lifng shfng xcn yuè mù shè shbn chj dì

า㖕༅偀 ϝ乒㣙ᑤ ϝҸѨ⬇ ϝϝϸϸ 䌣ᖗᙺⳂ 䆒䑿໘ഄ

390 170 358 411 282 401

shbn rù qifn che shbn sc shú lq shbn th lì xíng shbn xian shì zú shbn wù tòng jué shgn shí duó shì shbng lóng huó hj shbng qì bó bó shc qíng huà yì shí shì qiú shì shí zì lù kiu shh wú qián lì shh zhdng bù yú shì bàn gdng bèi shì ér bú jiàn shì zài bì xíng shiu zhe dài tù shù shiu wú cè shuang gufn qí xià shuh dào qú chéng shuh luò shí che shuh xiè bù tdng shùn lh chéng zhang sc kdng jiàn guàn sh huc fù rán sì miàn ba fang sì miàn Chj gb sì tdng ba dá sì wú jì dàn sù bù xiang shí sù rán qh jìng suí xcn sui yù sui zuò sui wéi

⏅ܹ⌙ߎ ⏅ᗱ❳㰥 䑿ԧ࡯㸠 䑿‫ܜ‬຿द ⏅ᙊ⮯㒱 ᅵᯊᑺ࢓ ⫳啭⌏㰢 ⫳⇨ࢗࢗ 䆫ᚙ⬏ᛣ ᅲџ∖ᰃ कᄫ䏃ষ ৆᮴ࠡ՟ ྟ㒜ϡ⏱ џञࡳ‫ס‬ 㾚㗠ϡ㾕 ࢓೼ᖙ㸠 ᅜ᷾ᕙ‫ܨ‬ ᴳ᠟᮴ㄪ ঠㅵ唤ϟ ∈ࠄ⏴៤ ∈㨑⷇ߎ ∈⊘ϡ䗮 乎⧚៤ゴ ৌぎ㾕ᛃ ⅏♄໡➗ ಯ䴶ܿᮍ ಯ䴶Ἦ℠ ಯ䗮ܿ䖒 㙚᮴ᖠᛂ ㋴ϡⳌ䆚 㙗✊䍋ᭀ 䱣ᖗ᠔℆ ᠔԰᠔Ў

253 237 88 343 255 184 491 298 424 1 198 153 162 378 174 215 210 197 462 466 392 365 204 247 389 28 160 218 279 315 275 154 81

䇜ԩᆍᯧ 䇜ュ亢⫳ ্Ў㾖ℶ ූ㗠ⱛП ූූℷℷ 㶇㵖ᤩ㴝ˈ 咘䲔೼ৢ ⒨⒨ϡ㒱 䅼Ӌ䖬Ӌ ୐ュⱚ䴲 ᦤᖗ৞㚚 ໽㗏ഄ㽚 ໽ᮍ໰䈁 ໽㒣ഄН ໽⎃⍋㾦

185 382 361 316 312 480

T tán hé róng yì tán xiào fbng shbng tàn wéi guan zhh táng ér huáng zhc táng táng zhèng zhèng táng láng bj chán, huáng què zài hòu tao tao bù jué tfo jià huán jià tí xiào jib fbi tí xcn diào dfn tian fan dì fù Tian f ang yè tán tian jcng dì yì tian yá hfi jifo

126 85 388 288 127 402 299 396

Appendix two: Pinyin index of 500 common Chinese idioms tian zhbn làn màn thng shbn ér che tdng qíng dá lh tóng gan gòng kj tóng rì ér yj tóng xcn tóng dé tóng zhdu gòng jì tòng xcn jí shiu tdu gdng jifn liào te fbi mgng jìn te rú qí lái tuc bd zhù lán tud kiu ér che tud tai huàn gj tud yhng ér che

໽ⳳ⚖⓿ ᤎ䑿㗠ߎ 䗮ᚙ䖒⧚ ৠ⫬݅㢺 ৠ᮹㗠䇁 ৠᖗৠᖋ ৠ㟳݅⌢ ⮯ᖗ⮒佪 ًᎹ‫ޣ‬᭭ さ亲⣯䖯 さབ݊ᴹ ᥼⊶ࡽ╰ 㜅ষ㗠ߎ 㜅㚢ᤶ偼 㜅乪㗠ߎ

486 125 434 385 425 86 418 429 447 96 115 329 297 337 15

ѵ㕞㸹⠶ ϛᆊ♃☿ ϛ᮴ϔ༅ ᳯ㗠ैℹ ᳯṙℶ␈ ᖂϡ䎇䘧 ॅ㿔㘌਀ ೈ儣ᬥ䍉 㫮✊៤亢 ᳾䲼㓌㓾 ៥㸠៥㋴ ऻ㭾ᇱ㚚 ᮴ࡼѢ㹋 ᮴⌢Ѣџ ᮴ᆊৃᔦ ᮴ৃ༜ԩ ᮴䆎བԩ ᮴㛑Ў࡯ ᮴ᯊ᮴ࠏ ᮴᠔䗖Ң ᮴ᖂϡ㟇 ᮴ᕅ᮴䏾 ᮴ϢӺ↨ ᮴Ё⫳᳝ Ѩᔽ㓸㒋 Ѩ‫ܝ‬क㡆 Ѩ㢅ܿ䮼 Ѩकℹュⱒℹ Ѩ买݁㡆

110 494 179 394 460 77 467 450 267 354 393 50 145 148 119 16 5 106 431 404 368 245 314 408 171 303 104 500 196

❭❭᫬᫬

244

W wáng yáng bj láo wàn jia dbng hui wàn wú yì shc wàng ér què bù wàng méi zhh kg wbi bù zú dào wbi yán sing tcng wéi Wèi jiù Zhào wèi rán chéng fbng wèi yj chóu móu wi xíng wi sù wò xcn cháng dfn wú dòng yú zhdng wú jì yú shì wú jia kg guc wú kg nài hé wú lùn rú hé wú néng wéi lì wú shí wú kè wú sui shì cóng wú wbi bú zhì wú yhng wú zdng wú yj lún bh wú zhdng shbng yiu wj cfi bcn fbn wj guang shí sè wj hua ba mén wj shí bù xiào bfi bù wj yán liù sè

X xc xc rfng rfng

xc xc xiang guan xh che wàng wài xh qì yáng yáng xh wén lè jiàn xiang dé yì zhang xiang fj xiang chéng xiang tí bìng lùn xiang yc wéi mìng xifng fang shè ff xiao yáo ff wài xifo xcn yì yì xcn an lh dé xcn kuàng shén yí xcn píng qì hé xcn xcn xiàng róng xíng xíng sè sè xíng zhc yiu xiào xìng gao cfi liè xìng zhì bó bó xidng yiu chéng zhú xiù shiu páng guan xj xj rú shbng xuán yá lè mf xug shàng jia shuang xug zhdng sòng tàn xún xù jiàn jìn xún xún shàn yòu xùn liàn yiu sù xùn sc wj bì

305

ᙃᙃⳌ݇ ୰ߎᳯ໪ ୰⇨⋟⋟ ୰䯏Ф㾕 ⳌᕫⲞᕄ Ⳍ䕙Ⳍ៤ Ⳍᦤᑊ䆎 ⳌձЎੑ ᛇᮍ䆒⊩ 䗡䘹⊩໪ ᇣᖗ㗐㗐 ᖗᅝ⧚ᕫ ᖗᯋ⼲ᗵ ᖗᑇ⇨੠ ⃷⃷৥㤷 ᔶᔶ㡆㡆 㸠П᳝ᬜ ݈催䞛⚜ ݈㟈ࢗࢗ 㛌᳝៤ネ 㹪᠟ᮕ㾖 ᷽᷽བ⫳  ዪࢦ偀 䲾Ϟࡴ䳰 䲾Ё䗕⚁ ᕾᑣ⏤䖯 ᕾᕾ୘䇅 䆁㒗᳝㋴ ᕛ⾕㟲ᓞ

75 225 202 117 235 84 254 366 31 472 36 356 413 261 169 54 24 57 29 278 422 138 497 258 363 124 493 317 65

䲙֫݅䌣 ᥽㘇ⲫ䪗 ⴐ㢅㔁х ༘༘ϔᙃ ᡀ䭓䙓ⷁ ᡀⳝ৤⇨ ৊݀ད啭 ໰ҹ㒻᮹ ϔᴀℷ㒣 ϔᇬϡᶧ ϔ៤ϡব ϔㅍ㥿ሩ ϔᏚ亢乎 ϔВϸᕫ ϔВϔࡼ ϔ㛝Ⳍᡓ ϔ号᚞Ҏ ϔ῵ϔḋ ϔⳂњ✊

403 350 135 352 276 338 340 232 172 377 296 364 183 481 167 341 30 95 163

Y yf sú gòng shfng yfn gr dào líng yfn hua liáo luàn yfn yfn yì xc yáng cháng bì dufn yáng méi tj qì Yè gdng hào lóng yè yh jì rì yì bgn zhèng jcng yì chén bù rfn yì chéng bú biàn yì chóu mò zhfn yì fan fbng shùn yì jj lifng dé yì jj yí dòng yí mài xiang chéng yì míng jcng rén yì mú yí yàng yí mù lifo rán

306

Appendix two: Pinyin index of 500 common Chinese idioms

yì rú jì wfng yc shí zhù xíng yí shì tóng rén yí shì wú chéng yì sc bù giu yì wfng qíng shbn yí wàng wú jì yì wú sui yiu yì wú sui zhc yì xí zhc dì yì xcn yí yì yc yc bù shg yí yì ge xíng yì ycng jù quán yì zhbn jiàn xig yh shbn zuò zé yì bù róng cí yì fèn tián ycng yì he xún cháng yì jen te qh yì kiu tóng shbng yì qì fbng fa yì wèi shbn cháng yì wú ffn gù ycn dì zhì yí ycn shì lì dfo yhn rén rù shèng yhn rén zhù mù ycng yiu jìn yiu yíng rèn ér jig yìng yùn ér shbng ying chuí bù xij ydu xcn chdng chdng yiu dì fàng shh yiu jiàn yú ch yiu mù gòng dj yiu qiú bì yìng yiu shbng yiu sè yiu tiáo bù wgn yiu xuè yiu ròu yiu zhao yí rì yú gdng yí shan yj rì jù zbng

ϔབ᮶ᕔ 㸷亳ԣ㸠 ϔ㾚ৠҕ ϔџ᮴៤ ϔϱϡ㢳 ϔᕔᚙ⏅ ϔᳯ᮴䰙 ϔ᮴᠔᳝ ϔ᮴᠔ⶹ ϔᐁПഄ ϔᖗϔᛣ ձձϡ㟡 ϔᛣᄸ㸠 ϔᑨ‫ܼׅ‬ ϔ䩜㾕㸔 ҹ䑿԰߭ Нϡᆍ䕲 Нᛸ฿㞎 ᓖТᇏᐌ ᓖ‫ݯ‬さ䍋 ᓖষৠໄ ᛣ⇨亢থ ᛣੇ⏅䭓 Н᮴ড乒 ಴ഄࠊᅰ ಴࢓߽ᇐ ᓩҎܹ㚰 ᓩҎ⊼Ⳃ ᑨ᳝ሑ᳝ 䖢ߗ㗠㾷 ᑨ䖤㗠⫳ ∌ൖϡᴑ ᖻᖗᖵᖵ ᳝ⱘᬒⶶ ᳝䡈Ѣℸ ᳝Ⳃ݅ⵍ ᳝∖ᖙᑨ ᳝ໄ᳝㡆 ᳝ᴵϡ㋞ ᳝㸔᳝㙝 ᳝ᳱϔ᮹ ᛮ݀⿏ቅ Ϣ᮹‫ׅ‬๲

19 322 195 454 76 428 295 209 107 108 114 359 357 286 309 72 89 476 281 116 213 461 121 193 9 271 191 8 149 333 53 483 133 376 475 168 469 113 175 395 151 80 199

yj hòu chen sjn yj zhòng xcn cháng yù bàng xiang zhbng, yú wbng dé lì yuán yufn liú cháng yuè yuè yù shì yùn chóu wéi wò

䲼ৢ᯹ミ 䇁䞡ᖗ䭓 呀㱠Ⳍѝˈ ⏨㖕ᕫ߽ ⑤䖰⌕䭓 䎗䎗℆䆩 䖤ㅍᐋᐘ

166 137 430

‫ݡ᥹ݡ‬ढ़ 䌲ϡ㒱ষ ⊒⊒㞾୰ ᭽䩝៾䪕 ᳱϝᲂಯ ᳱ໩Ⳍ໘ 䩜䫟Ⳍᇍ ⳳᖗᅲᛣ 㪌㪌᮹Ϟ Ⳉ៾њᔧ ᠻ䗋ϡᙳ ᣛ呓Ў偀 㒌Ϟ䇜݉ ᣛ᠟⬏㛮 㟇催᮴Ϟ ᖫৠ䘧ড় 㕂Пϡ⧚ 㕂Пᑺ໪ ӫ᠔਼ⶹ 䇌བℸ㉏ ࡽҎЎФ ϧᖗ㟈ᖫ ध᳝៤ᬜ 㞾ਞ༟࢛ ᄫ䞠㸠䯈 㞾࡯᳈⫳ 㞾ᔎϡᙃ 㞾✊㗠✊ 㞾Ⳍ⶯Ⳓ 㞾㿔㞾䇁 㞾⬅㞾೼ 䍄偀㾖㢅 ᑻ᮴㰮ᐁ

129 324 441 249 260 415 234 221 277 134 495 400 40 478 246 419 342 482 25 181 321 311 12 399 207 18 59 71 10 39 228 60 231

37 327 439

Z zài jib zài lì zàn bù jué kiu zhan zhan zì xh zhfn dcng jié tig zhao san mù sì zhao xc xiang chj zhbn fbng xiang duì zhbn xcn shí yì zhbng zhbng rì shàng zhí jié lifo dàng zhí mí bú wù zhh lù wéi mf zhh shàng tán bcng zhh shiu huà jifo zhì gao wú shàng zhì tóng dào hé zhì zhc bù lh zhì zhc dù wài zhòng sui zhdu zhc zhe rú ch lèi zhù rén wéi lè zhuan xcn zhì zhì zhuó yiu chéng xiào zì gào fèn ying zì lh háng jian zì lì gbng shbng zì qiáng bù xc zì rán ér rán zì xiang máo dùn zì yán zì yj zì yóu zì zài ziu mf guan hua zuò wú xe xí

Appendix three: stroke index of 500 common Chinese idioms References are to entry numbers.

One stroke ϔᖗϔᛣ ϔ᮴᠔᳝ ϔ᮴᠔ⶹ ϔϱϡ㢳 ϔᴀℷ㒣 ϔⳂњ✊ ϔབ᮶ᕔ ϔᇬϡᶧ ϔᏚ亢乎 ϔ៤ϡব ϔᑨ‫ܼׅ‬ ϔ䩜㾕㸔 ϔџ᮴៤ ϔᕔᚙ⏅ ϔ㾚ৠҕ ϔ号᚞Ҏ ϔВϔࡼ ϔВϸᕫ ϔ㛝Ⳍᡓ ϔᐁПഄ ϔᳯ᮴䰙 ϔᛣᄸ㸠 ϔㅍ㥿ሩ ϔ῵ϔḋ

114 209 107 76 172 163 19 377 183 296 286 309 454 428 195 30 167 481 341 108 295 357 364 95

Two strokes њབᣛᥠ ҎቅҎ⍋ Ҏໄ哢⊌ ܹ᳼ϝߚ ܿҭ䖛⍋ ࡯ϡҢᖗ कᄫ䏃ষ

301 438 485 120 70 212 198

Three strokes

Four strokes

ϛ᮴ϔ༅ ϛᆊ♃☿ ϝϝϸϸ ϝҸѨ⬇ ϝ乒㣙ᑤ Й㗠ЙП Нϡᆍ䕲 Н᮴ড乒 Нᛸ฿㞎 ѵ㕞㸹⠶ गगϛϛ गᮍⱒ䅵 ग‫ݯ‬ϛ偀 ग䕯ϛ㢺 ग䞠䖶䖶 ग⮂ⱒᄨ गᆊϛ᠋ ग䕑䲒䗶 ষষໄໄ ໻ߔ䯨᭻ ໻गϪ⬠ ໻᠟໻㛮 ໻ৠᇣᓖ ໻ৡ哢哢 ໻᳝Ҏ೼ ໻᳝ৃЎ ໻᳝԰Ў ໻ᓴ᮫哧 ໻࢓᠔䍟 ໻᚞ᇣᗾ ໻㸫ᇣᏋ ᇣᖗ㗐㗐 Ꮁ⌕ϡᙃ ᠡ催ܿ᭫ 偀ϡ‫ذ‬䐘

ϡњњП ϡ㾕㒣Ӵ ϡҹЎ✊ ϡৃ໮ᕫ ϡৃਞҎ ϡৃ៪㔎 ϡৃᗱ䆂 ϡ⫬⼎ᔅ ϡ⬅㞾Џ ϡѺФТ ϡӺϡ㉏ ϡࡼໄ㡆 ϡॠ݊⚺ ϡড়ᯊᅰ ϡৠ޵ડ ϡ㑺㗠ৠ ϡᡬϡᠷ ϡ㿔㗠ஏ ϡ䎇Ў༛ ϡሜϡᣴ ϡᢽ᠟↉ ϡⶹ᠔᥾ ϡⳌϞϟ ϡ㚰ᵮВ ϡᆍ㕂⭥ ϡሥϔ乒 ϡ‫؛‬ᗱ㋶ ϡᕫ㗠ⶹ ϡ෾䆒ᛇ ϡ䘫ԭ࡯ ϡ㾷П㓬 Ϣ᮹‫ׅ‬๲ ϧᖗ㟈ᖫ Єࡳӳ㒽 Ѩकℹュⱒℹ

179 494 411 358 170 159 89 193 476 110 48 3 347 269 272 496 32 353 391 205 443 488 381 325 362 152 284 242 186 268 51 36 332 440 306

445 266 45 256 477 203 21 492 52 383 455 156 264 304 379 47 103 128 336 136 251 66 371 323 405 319 369 287 192 206 208 199 311 155 500

Ѩ‫ܝ‬क㡆 Ѩ㢅ܿ䮼 Ѩᔽ㓸㒋 Ѩ买݁㡆 ѩѩ᳝ᴵ ѩᑩП㲭 Ҟ䴲ᯨ↨ Ң໽㗠䰡 ঠㅵ唤ϟ ໽ᮍ໰䈁 ໽㒣ഄН ໽ⳳ⚖⓿ ໽⎃⍋㾦 ໽㗏ഄ㽚 ᓔ䮼㾕ቅ ᓩҎܹ㚰 ᓩҎ⊼Ⳃ ᖗᑇ⇨੠ ᖗᅝ⧚ᕫ ᖗᯋ⼲ᗵ ᮍ݈᳾㡒 ᮴ϢӺ↨ ᮴Ё⫳᳝ ᮴ৃ༜ԩ ᮴ࡼѢ㹋 ᮴䆎བԩ ᮴ᯊ᮴ࠏ ᮴᠔䗖Ң ᮴⌢Ѣџ ᮴ᆊৃᔦ ᮴㛑Ў࡯ ᮴ᖂϡ㟇 ᮴ᕅ᮴䏾 ᮹໡ϔ᮹ ᮹ᮄ᳜ᓖ ↨↨ⱚᰃ ↯䘖㞾㤤

303 104 171 196 436 380 453 435 462 402 299 486 396 127 307 191 8 261 356 413 141 314 408 16 145 5 431 404 148 119 106 368 245 351 42 143 140

308

Appendix three: stroke index of 500 common Chinese idioms

⇨୬৕৕ ∈ࠄ⏴៤ ∈⊘ϡ䗮 ∈㨑⷇ߎ 㾕Н࢛Ў 䔺∈偀啭 䭓⊏Йᅝ 亢ѥবᑏ 亢亢䲼䲼 亢ᑇ⌾䴭 亢ᇬҚҚ

229 466 365 392 34 294 61 131 98 471 259

Five strokes ϰᮑᬜ乺 ϰにџথ Фϡᗱ㳔 ҹ䑿԰߭ ञ᭸ܿϸ থোᮑҸ থᡀ‫ܝ‬໻ স㡆স佭 সᕔҞᴹ ৃ℠ৃ⊷ ৆᮴ࠡ՟ ৊݀ད啭 ৌぎ㾕ᛃ ্Ў㾖ℶ ಯ䴶ܿᮍ ಯ䴶Ἦ℠ ಯ䗮ܿ䖒 ᇍ⠯ᔍ⨈ ᇍ⮛ϟ㥃 ᑇᖗ㗠䆎 ᠥ᳨䗋⾏ ᳾䲼㓌㓾 ᴀᴹ䴶Ⳃ ∌ൖϡᴑ ⫳⇨ࢗࢗ ⫳啭⌏㰢 Ⳃϡ䕀⴯ ゟビ㾕ᕅ 䅼Ӌ䖬Ӌ 䆁㒗᳝㋴

270 240 360 72 498 412 68 328 283 219 153 340 247 361 28 160 218 320 334 457 20 354 226 483 298 491 293 464 85 317

Six strokes ӏ䞡䘧䖰 ӫ᠔਼ⶹ ‫ܝ‬ᯢ⺞㨑 ܼ࡯ҹ䍈 ܼᖗܼᛣ

118 25 331 26 4

ܼ⼲䌃⊼ ݅㼘ⲯВ ݈㟈ࢗࢗ ݈催䞛⚜ ‫ݡ᥹ݡ‬ढ़ ‫ބ‬໽䲾ഄ ‫ކ‬䫟䱋䰉 ॅ㿔㘌਀ ৠᖗৠᖋ ৠ᮹㗠䇁 ৠ⫬݅㢺 ৠ㟳݅⌢ ৡℷ㿔乎 ৡ߫ࠡ㣙 ৡࡃ݊ᅲ ৡ㨑ᄭቅ ৢ乒Пᖻ ಴ഄࠊᅰ ಴࢓߽ᇐ བ☿བ㥐 བ᭄ᆊ⦡ ᄫ䞠㸠䯈 ᅜ᷾ᕙ‫ܨ‬ ᅝሙФϮ ᓖষৠໄ ᓖТᇏᐌ ᓖ‫ݯ‬さ䍋 ᔧП᮴᛻ ᔧࡵПᗹ ៤गϞϛ ᠻ䗋ϡᙳ ᡀ䭓䙓ⷁ ᡀⳝ৤⇨ ᳝Ⳃ݅ⵍ ᳝㸔᳝㙝 ᳝ໄ᳝㡆 ᳝ᴵϡ㋞ ᳝∖ᖙᑨ ᳝ⱘᬒⶶ ᳝ᳱϔ᮹ ᳝䡈Ѣℸ ⃶໽୰ഄ ℸ䍋ᕐӣ ⅏♄໡➗ ∳䚢ᠡሑ ♃㑶䜦㓓 ⱒ㢅唤ᬒ 㘇Ⳃϔᮄ 㘇䯏Ⳃⵍ 㞾࡯᳈⫳ 㞾⬅㞾೼

178 499 29 57 129 375 465 467 86 425 385 418 459 55 41 190 82 9 271 274 326 207 210 62 213 281 116 216 13 11 495 276 338 168 395 113 175 469 376 151 475 432 189 389 370 473 211 123 387 18 228

㞾ਞ༟࢛ 㞾㿔㞾䇁 㞾Ⳍ⶯Ⳓ 㞾ᔎϡᙃ 㞾✊㗠✊ 㟇催᮴Ϟ 㸠П᳝ᬜ 㸷亳ԣ㸠 䆒䑿໘ഄ 唤ᖗण࡯

399 39 10 59 71 246 24 322 401 49

Seven strokes ԩএԩҢ ߿ᓔ⫳䴶 ߿ߎᖗ㺕 ߿᳝⫼ᖗ ߿‫݋‬ϔḐ ࡽҎЎФ ৿䕯㤍㢺 ਩ᖗ≹㸔 ಿ೉৲ᵷ ೈ儣ᬥ䍉 മᅮϡ⿏ മᣕϡវ ሖߎϡか ᑨ᳝ሑ᳝ ᑨ䖤㗠⫳ ᓘ㰮԰‫؛‬ ᔶᔶ㡆㡆 ᖫৠ䘧ড় ᖻᖗᖵᖵ ៥㸠៥㋴ ᴲҎᖻ໽ ᴳ᠟᮴ㄪ ᴹПϡᯧ ∖ৠᄬᓖ 㒌Ϟ䇜݉ 㢅ಶ䫺㇛ 䍄偀㾖㢅 䑿‫ܜ‬຿द 䑿ԧ࡯㸠 䖢ߗ㗠㾷 䖤ㅍᐋᐘ 䖥೼੿ሎ 䩜䫟Ⳍᇍ 叵⢀छ໽

468 176 265 302 308 321 463 139 280 450 7 22 73 149 53 38 54 419 133 393 130 197 67 105 40 451 60 343 88 333 439 373 234 290

Eight strokes џञࡳ‫ס‬ ՗՗㗠䇜

378 345

կϡᑨ∖ ձձϡ㟡 ࠂⳂⳌⳟ ࠏϡᆍ㓧 ࠏ㟳∖ࠥ ࠏ偼䫁ᖗ ࢓೼ᖙ㸠 ध᳝៤ᬜ ऻ㭾ᇱ㚚 ोೳ䞡ᴹ প䭓㸹ⷁ প㗠ҷП ੘੘䘐Ҏ ൖ༈ϻ⇨ ໰ҹ㒻᮹ ༘༘ϔᙃ ༟ϡ乒䑿 ྟ㒜ϡ⏱ ᅲџ∖ᰃ ᅵᯊᑺ࢓ ሙᅝᗱॅ ሙ催Јϟ ᑲ✊໻⠽ ᗉᗉϡᖬ ᠔԰᠔Ў ᡓࠡਃৢ ᢨ㢫ࡽ䭓 ᭽䩝៾䪕 ᯢⳂᓴ㚚 ᵃᓧ㲛ᕅ ⃷⃷৥㤷 ⊌⊌ᡀᡀ ⊒⊒㞾୰ ⊷ϡ៤ໄ ⢤‫؛‬㰢࿕ ⬏啭⚍⴯ ⬏㲛⏏䎇 Ⳉ៾њᔧ 㙗✊䍋ᭀ 㡄㢺༟᭫ 㢺ষယᖗ 㾚㗠ϡ㾕 䆫ᚙ⬏ᛣ 䆮ᖗ䆮ᛣ 䋻ⳳӋᅲ 䕄䕄⚜⚜ 䖿ϡঞᕙ 䖿೼ⳝⴿ 䞥⹻䕝✠ 䲼ৢ᯹ミ 乊໽ゟഄ

23 359 97 78 490 318 215 12 50 374 224 157 217 349 232 352 291 162 1 184 372 355 409 236 81 384 200 249 386 470 169 257 441 313 300 90 230 134 275 2 437 174 424 346 289 74 112 146 417 166 474

Appendix three: stroke index of 500 common Chinese idioms

Nine strokes Вϔডϝ ВϪ⵽Ⳃ В䎇䕏䞡 ࠡ᠔᳾᳝ फ䕩࣫䕭 বᴀࡴढ़ ᕛ⾕㟲ᓞ ᗹࡳ䖥߽ ᘡ✊໻ᙳ ᙄࠄད໘ ᣕПҹᘦ ᣛ᠟⬏㛮 ᣛ呓Ў偀 ᣝ೒㋶偹 ᤎ䑿㗠ߎ ᷇ᱫ㢅ᯢ ⋹⋹Ф䘧 ⋹⋹᳝ੇ ⣀ϔ᮴Ѡ ⣀ゟ㞾Џ ⣀ᷥϔᏰ ⱚ໻⃶୰ ⳌձЎੑ ⳌᕫⲞᕄ Ⳍ䕙Ⳍ៤ Ⳍᦤᑊ䆎 さ亲⣯䖯 さབ݊ᴹ 㒰㒢ϡ㒱 㒲ሑ㛥∕ 㕢Ёϡ䎇 㗤Ҏᇏੇ 㚠䘧㗠偄 㤝᳼ⱚ݉ 㤵✊᮴ᄬ 䇁䞡ᖗ䭓 䕏㗠ᯧВ 䕏ᦣ⎵‫ݭ‬ 乎⧚៤ゴ

444 35 33 6 150 458 65 161 173 222 233 478 400 180 125 421 223 252 101 14 238 442 366 235 84 254 96 115 46 348 484 92 214 310 339 137 109 397 204

Ten strokes ુュϡᕫ ૛ѵ啓ᆦ ᆊᐌ֓佁 ᆊஏ᠋ᰧ ᑻ᮴㰮ᐁ ᘟᘟϡ㟡 ᙃᙃⳌ݇

398 420 456 56 231 449 75

᷽᷽བ⫳ ḍ⏅㩖೎ ḐḐϡܹ ⌕䖲ᖬ䖨 ⌽⌽㤵㤵 ⛁☿ᳱ໽ ⧁䮼ᓘ᭻ ⳳᖗᅲᛣ ⸈䞰≝㟳 ㋴ϡⳌ䆚 㒻ᕔᓔᴹ 㛌᳝៤ネ 㛡♭Ҏষ 㥿ৡ݊཭ 㹪᠟ᮕ㾖 䇌བℸ㉏ 䇜ԩᆍᯧ 䇜ュ亢⫳ 䗡䘹⊩໪ 䗮ᚙ䖒⧚ 䲒㛑ৃ䌉 乒ܼ໻ሔ 催ሟᓎ⫈ 催催೼Ϟ 催ⶏ䖰⵽

138 158 273 406 165 335 330 221 100 315 122 278 227 17 422 181 185 382 472 434 94 69 448 427 144

Eleven strokes ًᎹ‫ޣ‬᭭ ූ㗠ⱛП ූූℷℷ ᕀᕀ᳝⼐ ᕫϡٓ༅ ᕫ໽⣀८  ዪࢦ偀 ᚙϡ㞾⽕ ᚞ᓧП右 ᚞໽ࡼഄ ᚞ᖗࡼ儘 ᥝҹ䕏ᖗ ᥦᖻ㾷䲒 ᥹Ѡ䖲ϝ ᥼⊶ࡽ╰ ᥽㘇ⲫ䪗 ᳯ㗠ैℹ ᳯṙℶ␈ ⎟ⓧሑ㟈 ⏅ܹ⌙ߎ ⏅ᗱ❳㰥 ⏅ᙊ⮯㒱 ⛩✊ϔᮄ

447 316 312 243 446 43 497 44 220 239 63 188 58 248 329 350 394 460 132 253 237 255 194

⧚᠔ᔧ✊ ⧚Ⳉ⇨ໂ ⴐ㢅㔁х 㛮䏣ᅲഄ 㜅ষ㗠ߎ 㜅㚢ᤶ偼 㜅乪㗠ߎ 䎗䎗℆䆩 䱣ᖗ᠔℆ 䲾Ϟࡴ䳰 䲾Ё䗕⚁

27 87 135 64 297 337 15 327 154 258 363

Twelve strokes म໻㊒⏅ ୐ュⱚ䴲 ୰⇨⋟⋟ ୰ߎᳯ໪ ୰䯏Ф㾕 ᆠБූⱛ ህџ䆎џ ᕾᑣ⏤䖯 ᕾᕾ୘䇅 ᚆ⃶⾏ড় ᦤᖗ৞㚚 ᳒޴ԩᯊ ᳱϝᲂಯ ᳱ໩Ⳍ໘ Ⅾ㊒チ㰥 ⨇⧙⒵Ⳃ ⮯ᖗ⮒佪 㸫༈Ꮛሒ 䌣ᖗᙺⳂ 䞣࡯㗠㸠 䫎໽Ⲫഄ 䲙֫݅䌣 䲚ᗱᑓⲞ

201 388 202 225 117 305 487 124 493 452 288 426 260 415 433 91 429 367 282 164 241 403 285

Thirteen strokes า㖕༅偀 ᖂϡ䎇䘧 ᛇᮍ䆒⊩ ᛣ⇨亢থ ᛣੇ⏅䭓 ᛮ݀⿏ቅ ⑤䖰⌕䭓 ⒨⒨ϡ㒱 Ⓓパ‫ܙ‬᭄ ㅔᯢᡐ㽕

390 77 31 461 121 80 37 126 250 479

㕂Пϡ⧚ 㕂Пᑺ໪ 㙚᮴ᖠᛂ 㪌㪌᮹Ϟ 㾺Ⳃ᚞ᖗ 䳋ढ़亢㸠

309 342 482 279 277 147 414

Fourteen strokes ܶܶϮϮ ៾✊ϡৠ ᮫Ᏸ剰ᯢ ⓿ቅ䘡䞢 ❭❭᫬᫬ ㊒ᠧ㒚ㅫ ㊒⼲ᡪ᪲ ㊒Ⲟ∖㊒ 㘮㊒Ӯ⼲ 㫮✊៤亢 䏠䑛⒵ᖫ 䬆㗠ϡ㟡

102 79 99 489 244 292 344 182 142 267 416 177

Fifteen strokes ᖋᠡ‫ݐ‬໛ ᖋ催ᳯ䞡 ┰⿏咬࣪

83 262 187

Sixteen strokes ➗ⳝПᗹ 䌲ϡ㒱ষ 咨偈ᡔか 咬咬᮴䯏

263 324 410 111

Seventeen strokes 㐕㤷ᯠⲯ 㶇㵖ᤩ㴝ˈ 咘䲔೼ৢ 䈕✊ᓔᳫ 呀㱠Ⳍѝˈ ⏨㖕ᕫ߽

93 480 423 430

Eighteen strokes 㗏ᴹ㽚এ

407