一本万利
yī běn wàn lì
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1 small capital, huge profit (idiom); to put in a little and get a lot out
三句话不离本行
sān jù huà bù lí běn háng
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1 to talk shop all the time (idiom)
不修边幅
bù xiū biān fú
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1 not care about one's appearance (idiom)
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2 slovenly in dress and manner
修心养性
xiū xīn yǎng xìng
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1 to cultivate the heart and nurture the character (idiom); to improve oneself by meditation
净心修身
jìng xīn xiū shēn
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1 to have an untroubled heart and behave morally (idiom)
勤俭为服务之本
qín jiǎn wéi fú wù zhī běn
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1 hardwork and thriftiness are the foundations of service (idiom)
报本反始
bào běn fǎn shǐ
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1 ensure that you pay debts of gratitude (idiom)
家家有本难念的经
jiā jiā yǒu běn nán niàn de jīng
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1 Every family goes through its problems. (idiom)
年久失修
nián jiǔ shī xiū
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1 old and in a state of disrepair (idiom)
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2 dilapidated
慈悲为本
cí bēi wéi běn
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1 mercy as the guiding principle (idiom); the Buddhist teaching that nothing is valid except compassion
舍本逐末
shě běn zhú mò
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1 to neglect the root and pursue the tip (idiom)
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2 to neglect fundamentals and concentrate on details
明修栈道,暗渡陈仓
míng xiū zhàn dào , àn dù Chén cāng
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1 lit. repair the plank road by day while secretly crossing the Wei River 渭河[Wèi Hé] at Chencang (idiom, refers to a stratagem used by Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liú Bāng] in 206 BC against Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiàng Yǔ] of Chu)
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2 fig. to feign one thing while doing another
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3 to cheat under cover of a diversion
本性难移
běn xìng nán yí
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1 It is hard to change one's essential nature (idiom). You can't change who you are.
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2 Can the leopard change his spots? (Jeremiah 13:23)
本末倒置
běn mò dào zhì
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1 lit. to invert root and branch (idiom); fig. confusing cause and effect
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2 to stress the incidental over the fundamental
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3 to put the cart before the horse
江山易改,本性难移
jiāng shān yì gǎi , běn xìng nán yí
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1 it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom)
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2 you can't change who you are
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3 Can the leopard change his spots?
血本无归
xuè běn wú guī
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1 to lose everything one invested (idiom)
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2 to lose one's shirt
变本加厉
biàn běn jiā lì
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1 lit. change to more severe (idiom); to become more intense (esp. of shortcoming)
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2 to aggravate
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3 to intensify