得寸进尺
Give an inch and take a yard
A breakdown of the characters in 得寸进尺(dé cùn jìn chǐ):
得 (dé): to get, acquire (得到 - dé dào)
寸 (cùn): a Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to 3 cm
进 (jìn): to advance (前进 - qián jìn)
尺 (chǐ): a Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to 1/3 of a meter
There are tough negotiators.
And then there are people you can’t give any concessions to. Give them an inch and they’ll take a yard.
Or as the Chinese would say, they would 得寸进尺 (dé cùn jìn chǐ).
得寸进尺 describes someone who’s so greedy that if you give them a little bit, they’ll come right back and ask for much more. It’s more or less similar to “give an inch and take a yard,” except the units of measurement are Chinese (see below). It indicates insatiable greediness, and is not a term to be tossed around lightly.
“越南、菲律宾等国家得寸进尺，一再 冲击中国的底线 “
“yuènán, fēilǜbīn děng guójiā décùnjìnchǐ, yízài chōngjí zhōngguó de dǐxiàn”
“Vietnam, the Philippines, and other such countries will get an inch and take a yard, repeatedly attacking China’s Southern border line.”
“老板们又能不能不为了一些细枝末节 得寸进尺，早点跟球员达成协议呢?”
“lǎobǎn men yòu néngbùnéng bú wèile yìxiē xìzhīmòjié décùnjìnchǐ, zǎo diǎn gēn qiúyuán dáchéng xiéyì ne?”
“Can the owners try not to be so greedy over such minor details, and instead, try to reach an agreement with the players a little earlier?”
“在我们做过这么多让步之后，他们现 在居然还要得寸进尺 “
“zài wǒmen zuò ɡuò zhème duō ràngbù zhīhòu, tāmen xiànzài jūrán háiyào décùnjìnchǐ “
“After we’ve made so many concessions, they are still seeking more”
“不单是进化论，他有点得寸进尺地 说...”
“bùdānshì jìnhuà lùn, tā yǒudiǎn décùnjìnchǐ de shuō...”
“He didn’t just stop at the theory of evolution, but further went on to say (negatively) that...”