AP chinese idioms

脚踏实地

jiǎo tà shí dì

literally means "to step on solid ground."

To focus on the fundamentals, and proceed in a steady and stable fashion.

九牛一毛

jiǔ niú yì máo- "9 cows and 1 strand of cow hair." It indicates something that's so small that it's like one strand of cow hair among 9 cows.

一无所有

yìwúsuǒyǒu - to have absolutely nothing at all. It's basically being penniless.

一见钟情

yí jiàn zhōng qíng - "love at first sight." It's generally used for people, but you can also use it for other physical objects.

自由自在

zì yóu zì zài - means that something is free and easy. It can be used to describe someone's personality, how someone behaves, or how a place makes people feel.

莫名其妙

mò míng qí miào - literally means that it's hard to articulate the profoundness or mystery or something. It basically means that something is baffling.

半途而废

bàn tú ér fèi -means to start doing something, only to give up halfway.

抛砖引玉

pāo zhuān yǐn yù - basically means you're "just tossing an idea out there." Humble way to introduce a topic to a conversation

豁然开朗

huò rán kāi lǎng- The first meaning is the refreshing and liberating feeling you get when you see a beautiful, open area. Second, it's also used for the feeling you get when you achieve an "aha" or "eureka!" moment.

津津有味

jīn jīn yǒu wèi - means to eat something deliciously.

理所当然

lǐ suǒ dāng rán- sounds like "to go without saying" or "as a matter of course," but literally means that "according to reason, it should be the case."

全力以赴

quán lì yǐ fù- basically means to give it your all (literally "exert all your strength") for a goal. It has a positive tone, and is somewhat formal but can still be used in everyday speech.

心血来潮

xīn xuè lái cháo -basically means "spur of the moment" or "on a whim." Literally, it evokes the image of blood rushing to your heart

乱七八糟

luàn qī bā zāo - means that something is a total mess.

不可思议

bù kě sī yì - means that something is noteworthy or amazing in an unexpected way.v