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Word Of The Day: 心里有数

力所能及

力所能及

力 lì 所 suǒ 能 néng 及 jí To the best of my ability A breakdown of the characters in 力所能及 (lì suǒ néng jí): 力 (lì): strength or force (体力 - tǐ lì ) 所 (suǒ): conjunction that functions grammatically to...

Jun 23, 2021

0 1759

Chinese Idioms

理所当然

理所当然

理 lǐ 所 suǒ 当 dāng 然 rán To go without saying A breakdown of the characters in 理所当然: 理 (lǐ):reason, logic (真理 - zhēn lǐ) 所 (suǒ):particle expressing emphasis 当 (dāng):proper or appropriate (应当 - y...

Jun 23, 2021

0 1823

Chinese Idioms

九牛一毛

九牛一毛

九 jiǔ 牛 niú 一 yì 毛 máo A drop in the bucket A breakdown of the characters in 九牛一毛(jiǔ niú yì máo): 九 (jiǔ): nine 牛 (niú): cow 一 (yì): one 毛 (máo): hair The Chinese also have an idiom for “ju...

Jun 22, 2021

0 2403

Chinese Idioms

举一反三

举一反三

举 jǔ 一 yī 反 fǎn 三 sān To learn by analogy A breakdown of the characters in 举一反三 (jǔ yī fǎn sān): 举 (jǔ): to list (列举 - liè jǔ) 一 (yī): one 反 (fǎn): usually means “opposite” but here means “to inf...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1938

Chinese Idioms

以假乱真

以假乱真

以 yǐ 假 jiǎ 乱 luàn 真 zhēn Pass off a fake as real Here’s a breakdown of the characters in 以假乱真(yǐ jiǎ luàn zhēn): 以(yǐ): formal way to say “to use” 假(jiǎ): fake 乱(luàn): to confuse or mix up ( 混乱...

Jun 22, 2021

0 2011

Chinese Idioms

不鸣则已，一鸣惊人

不鸣则已，一鸣惊人

不 bù 鸣 míng 则 zé 已 yǐ ，，一 yī 鸣 míng 惊 jīng 人 rén Amazing the World with a Single Feat; Should one desire to sing,one would amaze the world with his first song In the Warring States P...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1427

Chinese Idioms

名落孙山

名落孙山

名 míng 落 luò 孙 sūn 山 shān In the Song Dynasty(960-1279) there was a joker called Sun Shan. 宋 sòng 代 dài 有 yǒu 一 yí 个 gè 名 míng 叫 jiào 孙 sūn 山 shān 的 de 才 cái 子 zǐ ，，他 tā 为 wéi 人 rén 幽 yōu 默 ...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1444

Chinese Idioms

急于求成

急于求成

急 jí 于 yú 求 qiú 成 chéng Anxious for success A breakdown of the characters in 急于求成 (jí yú qiú chéng): 急 (jí): to hurry or be anxious (着急- zháojí) 于 (yú): with regard to or concerning 求 (qiú) : to st...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1862

Chinese Idioms

虎头蛇尾

虎头蛇尾

虎 hǔ 头 tóu 蛇 shé 尾 wěi Strong start, weak finish A breakdown of the characters in 虎头蛇尾(hǔ tóu shé wěi): 虎(hǔ): tiger 头(tóu): head 蛇(shé): snake 尾(wěi): tail We all know the tale of the rabbit, bu...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1738

Chinese Idioms

轰轰烈烈

轰轰烈烈

轰 hōng 轰 hōng 烈 liè 烈 liè On a grand scale A breakdown in the characters for 轰轰烈烈 (hōng hōng liè liè) 轰(hōng): a loud noise, boom! 烈 (liè): strong, intense (强烈 - qiáng liè) This chengyu can descr...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1590

Chinese Idioms

合情合理

合情合理

合 hé 情 qíng 合 hé 理 lǐ Fair and equitable A breakdown of the characters in 合情合理 (hé qíng hé lǐ): 合 (hé): to be in accord with (合乎 - hé hū) 情 (qíng): feelings and emotion (感情 - gǎn qíng) 理 (lǐ): re...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1555

Chinese Idioms

浩浩荡荡

浩浩荡荡

浩 hào 浩 hào 荡 dàng 荡 dàng A mighty scene A breakdown of the characters in 浩浩荡荡 (hào hào dàng dàng): 浩浩 (hàohào): a mighty flow of water 荡荡 (dàngdàng): vast Occupy Wall Street was one of the top s...

Jun 22, 2021

0 1975

Chinese Idioms

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