Chinese sec 2 成语 (from wang lao shi)

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1. 爱屋及乌 (ài wū jí wū)

• If you love a person, you naturally start caring about the people or things connected to them.

2. 按部就班 (àn bù jiù bān)

Step-by-step.Doing things strictly according to established rules, plans, or proper procedures without skipping any steps.

3. 百年树人 (bǎi nián shù rén)

It takes a hundred years to cultivate a person.

4. 百折不挠 (bǎi zhé bù náo)

Never give up despite repeated setbacks.

5. 班门弄斧 (bān mén nòng fǔ)

To show off one's slight skills before an expert.

6. 半途而废 (bàn tú ér fèi)

To quit halfway. / Give up midway. / Drop out.

7. 杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng)

Being paranoid. / Creating imaginary fears. / Jump at shadows.

8. 杯水车薪 (bēi shuǐ chē xīn)

A drop in the bucket. / Completely inadequate solution.

9. 悲天悯人 (bēi tiān mǐn rén)

Compassionate. / To feel deeply for the suffering of humanity.

10. 闭门造车 (bì mén zào chē)

Detached from reality. / Working in a vacuum. / Unrealistic planning.

11. 兵不厌诈 (bīng bù yàn zhà)

In war, use illusions to deceive the enemy to win. The sports field is like a battlefield; as the saying goes, "all is fair in war," some players will use fake moves to trick their opponents.

12. 不耻下问 (bù chǐ xià wèn)

Not feeling it is shameful to ask for advice from people with lower status or less knowledge.

Although Teacher Lin is incredibly knowledgeable, he is humble enough to learn from anyone, often asking his own students about new technology issues.

13. 不二法门 (bù èr fǎ mén)

唯一的方法 (The only method).

14. 不可救药 (bù kě jiù yào)

An illness so severe it cannot be cured with medicine. Metaphor for a person or situation that is too far gone to save. Jiaming is addicted to online games and won't listen to anyone; he has already become a hopeless case.

15. 不劳而获 (bù láo ér huò)

• Possessing the fruits of someone else's labor without working yourself. Some young people have a freeloading mindset, thinking they can just ask their parents for allowance without needing to work hard.

16. 不胜枚举 (bú shèng méi jǔ)

很多 (A lot / Countless).

17. 不务正业 (bú wù zhèng yè)

Not doing proper/lawful things; also refers to abandoning your main job to do other random stuff. Some "NEETs" (people living off their parents) are young but have no ambition, loafing around all day and ignoring their proper duties.

18. 不翼而飞 (bú yì ér fēi)

Metaphor for items suddenly going missing.

19. 不知所措 (bù zhī suǒ cuò)

Not knowing what to do.

20. 不自量力 (bù zì liàng lì)

Overestimating your own strength or capabilities.

21. 沧海桑田 (cāng hǎi sāng tián)

Massive, profound transformations over time.Used when talking about how much a place, society, or life has completely changed over many years (e.g., looking at old photos of Singapore vs. today).

22. 长年累月 (cháng nián lěi yuè)

Doing something consistently for years, usually leading to a significant build-up of skills, knowledge, or even physical wear and tear.

23. 长袖善舞 (cháng xiù shàn wǔ)

Socially adept. / Good at networking and using connections to succeed.

24. 草木皆兵 (cǎo mù jiē bīng)

Extreme paranoia. / Being plagued by imaginary fears. / Jumping at shadows.

25. 城门失火，殃及池鱼 (chéng mén shī huǒ, yāng jí chí yú)

When two parties are having a massive conflict, and a completely unrelated, innocent third party ends up suffering because of it.

26. 痴人说梦 (chī rén shuō mèng)

Foolish talk. / Absolute pipe dream. / Utterly unrealistic nonsense.

27. 持之以恒 (chí zhī yǐ héng)

Pursue something with perseverance.

28. 出尔反尔 (chū ěr fǎn ěr)

Keep your promise.说话算话。 (that person doesnt keep their promises)

29. 出类拔萃 (chū lèi bá cuì)

比别人优秀 (More outstanding than others).

30. 出人头地 (chū rén tóu dì)

Rising above other people. Achieving immense success to stand out at the top.

31. 吹毛求疵 (chuī máo qiú cī)

Someone who deliberately goes out of their way to find the tiniest, most irrelevant flaws in someone else's work just to complain.

32. 垂涎三尺 (chuí xián sān chǐ)

Salivating over something. / Mouth watering. / Coveting something intensely.

33. 唇亡齿寒 (chún wáng chǐ hán)

Interdependent. / Closely related interests. / Share a common fate.

34. 粗制滥造 (cū zhì làn zào)

Quantity over quality. / Sloppy work. / Shoddy manufacturing.

35. 打草惊蛇 (dǎ cǎo jīng shé)

Giving the game away Tipping someone off Barking up the wrong tree (metaphorically waking up the threat)

36. 大公无私 (dà gōng wú sī)

Just and fair. / Unbiased.

37. 大言不惭 (dà yán bù cán)

Bragging shamelessly. / Boasting without a blush.

38. 当机立断 (dāng jī lì duàn)

• Having the ability to make a crucial, lightning-fast decision during an emergency or an important moment without hesitating.

39. 当仁不让 (dāng rén bú ràng)

Taking the initiative.

40. 德高望重 (dé gāo wàng zhòng)

Highly esteemed and respected. / A person of high standing and integrity.

41. 得过且过 (dé guò qiě guò)

Just getting by. / Slacking off without ambition.

42. 得意忘形 (dé yì wàng xíng)

Becoming so incredibly ecstatic and blinded by a victory or good fortune that you start acting dizzy, reckless, or completely lose your manners.

43. 雕虫小技 (diāo chóng xiǎo jì)

Used to describe a small, insignificant skill. People often use this self-deprecatingly to stay humble when others praise their talents

44. 掉以轻心 (diào yǐ qīng xīn)

Lower your guard. / Treat something too lightly. / Careless.

45. 东窗事发 (dōng chuāng shì fā)

• When a secret crime, conspiracy, or bad deed that someone committed in private finally gets found out and exposed to the public.

46. 东山再起 (dōng shān zài qǐ)

Stage a comeback. / Rise from the ashes. / Make a successful return.

47. 独善其身 (dú shàn qí shēn)

Mind your own business. / Look out only for oneself.

48. 对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín)

Trying to explain deep, complex, or sophisticated ideas to someone who completely lacks the ability, interest, or appreciation to understand it.

49. 对症下药 (duì zhèng xià yào)

Finding the actual root cause of a specific problem first, and then choosing the perfect, targeted solution to fix it directly.

50. 多多益善 (duō duō yì shàn)

The more the merrier. / The more, the better.