1 lit. count by fives and tens (idiom); to narrate systematically and in full detail
三五成群
sān wǔ chéng qún
1 in groups of three or four (idiom)
三令五申
sān lìng wǔ shēn
1 to order again and again (idiom)
三番五次
sān fān wǔ cì
1 over and over again (idiom)
三纲五常
sān gāng wǔ cháng
1 three principles and five virtues (idiom)
2 the three rules (ruler guides subject, father guides son and husband guides wife) and five constant virtues of Confucianism (benevolence 仁, righteousness 義|义, propriety 禮|礼, wisdom 智 and fidelity 信)
不以规矩，不能成方圆
bù yǐ guī ju , bù néng chéng fāng yuán
1 without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules
五十步笑百步
wǔ shí bù xiào bǎi bù
1 the one who has retreated 50 steps laughs at the one who has retreated 100 steps (idiom)
2 the pot calls the kettle black
五味俱全
wǔ wèi jù quán
1 a complete gamut of all five flavors (idiom); every flavor under the sun
五味杂陈
wǔ wèi zá chén
1 with complex feelings (idiom)
五彩缤纷
wǔ cǎi bīn fēn
1 all the colors in profusion (idiom); a garish display
五百年前是一家
wǔ bǎi nián qián shì yī jiā
1 five hundred years ago we were the same family (idiom) (said of persons with the same surname)
五色缤纷
wǔ sè bīn fēn
1 all the colors in profusion (idiom); a garish display
五体投地
wǔ tǐ tóu dì
1 to prostrate oneself in admiration (idiom); to adulate sb
五鬼闹判
wǔ guǐ nào pàn
1 Five ghosts mock the judge, or Five ghosts resist judgment (title of folk opera, idiom); important personage mobbed by a crowd of ne'er-do-wells
任贤使能
rèn xián shǐ néng
1 to appoint the virtuous and use the able (idiom); appointment on the basis of ability and integrity
伸手不见五指
shēn shǒu bù jiàn wǔ zhǐ
1 pitch-dark (idiom)
倘能如此
tǎng néng rú cǐ
1 if it is possible (idiom)
全民皆兵
quán mín jiē bīng
1 to bring the entire nation to arms (idiom)
全神贯注
quán shén guàn zhù
1 to concentrate one's attention completely (idiom)
2 with rapt attention
全军覆没
quán jūn fù mò
1 total defeat of an army (idiom); fig. a complete wipeout