一不做,二不休
yī bù zuò , èr bù xiū
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1 don't do it, or don't rest (idiom); either give up, or go through to the end
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2 Since we started, we must carry it through whatever happens.
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3 in for a penny, in for a pound
一五一十
yī wǔ yī shí
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1 lit. count by fives and tens (idiom); to narrate systematically and in full detail
一传十,十传百
yī chuán shí , shí chuán bǎi
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1 news pass quickly from mouth to mouth (idiom)
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2 an infectious disease spreads quickly (old meaning)
一问三不知
yī wèn sān bù zhī
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1 lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)
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2 fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on
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3 complete ignorance
一尘不染
yī chén bù rǎn
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1 untainted by even a speck of dust (idiom); selfless and incorruptible
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2 spotless
一字不提
yī zì bù tí
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1 to not mention a single word (about sth) (idiom)
一山不容二虎
yī shān bù róng èr hǔ
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1 lit. the mountain can't have two tigers (idiom)
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2 fig. this town ain't big enough for the two of us
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3 (of two rivals) to be fiercely competitive
一年之计在于春
yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn
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1 the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom)
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2 early planning is the key to success
一年被蛇咬十年怕井绳
yī nián bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà jǐng shéng
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1 bitten by a snake in one year, fears the well rope for ten years (idiom); once bitten twice shy
一弹指顷
yī tán zhǐ qǐng
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1 a snap of the fingers (idiom); in a flash
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2 in the twinkling of an eye
一成不变
yī chéng bù biàn
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1 nothing much changes (idiom); always the same
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2 stuck in a rut
一文不值
yī wén bù zhí
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1 worthless (idiom)
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2 no use whatsoever
一日不见,如隔三秋
yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū
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1 one day apart seems like three years (idiom)
一暴十寒
yī pù shí hán
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1 one day's sun, ten days' frost (idiom, from Mencius); fig. to work for a bit then skimp
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2 sporadic effort
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3 short attention span
一曝十寒
yī pù shí hán
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1 one day's sun, ten days' frost (idiom, from Mencius); fig. to work for a bit then skimp
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2 sporadic effort
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3 lack of sticking power
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4 short attention span
一朝被蛇咬,十年怕井绳
yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo , shí nián pà jǐng shéng
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1 once bitten by a snake, ten years in fear of a well rope
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2 once bitten, twice shy (idiom)
一清如水
yī qīng rú shuǐ
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1 lit. as clear as water (idiom)
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2 fig. (of officials etc) honest and incorruptible
一瓶子不响,半瓶子晃荡
yī píng zi bù xiǎng , bàn píng zi huàng dang
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1 lit. a full bottle makes no sound; a half-filled bottle sloshes (idiom)
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2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
一病不起
yī bìng bù qǐ
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1 to fall gravely ill, never to recover (idiom)