一人得道，鸡犬升天
yī rén dé dào , jī quǎn shēng tiān
-
1 lit. when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven (idiom)
-
2 fig. to ride on sb else's success
-
3 Once one man gets a government position, all his cronies get in too
-
4 Once sb has cracked the problem, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do it
一倡三叹
yī chàng sān tàn
-
1 (of literature, music) deeply moving (idiom)
一哭二闹三上吊
yī kū èr nào sān shàng diào
-
1 to make a terrible scene (idiom)
-
2 to throw a tantrum
一问三不知
yī wèn sān bù zhī
-
1 lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)
-
2 fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on
-
3 complete ignorance
一日三秋
yī rì sān qiū
-
1 a single day apart seems like three seasons (idiom)
一日不见，如隔三秋
yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū
-
1 one day apart seems like three years (idiom)
一本万利
yī běn wàn lì
-
1 small capital, huge profit (idiom); to put in a little and get a lot out
一板三眼
yī bǎn sān yǎn
-
1 lit. one strong beat and three weak beats in a measure of music (four beats in the bar) (idiom); fig. scrupulous attention to detail
一举两得
yī jǔ liǎng dé
-
1 one move, two gains (idiom); two birds with one stone
一蹴而得
yī cù ér dé
-
1 to get there in one step (idiom); easily done
-
2 success at a stroke
-
3 to get results overnight
三七二十一
sān qī èr shí yī
-
1 three sevens are twenty-one (idiom)
-
2 the facts of the matter
-
3 the actual situation
三下两下
sān xià liǎng xià
-
1 quickly and effortlessly (idiom)
三五成群
sān wǔ chéng qún
-
1 in groups of three or four (idiom)
三人成虎
sān rén chéng hǔ
-
1 three men talking makes a tiger (idiom); repeated rumor becomes a fact
三人行，必有我师
sān rén xíng , bì yǒu wǒ shī
-
1 lit. if three walk together, one can be my teacher (idiom, from the Analects of Confucius)
-
2 you have sth to learn from everyone
三令五申
sān lìng wǔ shēn
-
1 to order again and again (idiom)
三个和尚没水喝
sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē
-
1 lit. three monks have no water to drink (idiom)
-
2 fig. everybody's business is nobody's business
-
3 (If there is one monk, he will fetch water for himself. If there are two, they will fetch water together. But if there are three or more, none will take it upon himself to fetch water.)
三个女人一台戏
sān ge nu:3 rén yī tái xì
-
1 three women are enough for a drama (idiom)
三个臭皮匠，合成一个诸葛亮
sān gè chòu pí jiang , hé chéng yī gè Zhū gě Liàng
-
1 lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom
三个臭皮匠，赛过一个诸葛亮
sān gè chòu pí jiang , sài guò yī gè Zhū gě Liàng
-
1 lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom
-
2 wisdom of the masses exceeds that of any individual