一瓶子不响,半瓶子晃荡
yī píng zi bù xiǎng , bàn píng zi huàng dang
-
1 lit. a full bottle makes no sound; a half-filled bottle sloshes (idiom)
-
2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
一知半解
yī zhī bàn jiě
-
1 lit. to know one and understand half (idiom); a smattering of knowledge
-
2 dilettante
-
3 amateur
一鳞半爪
yī lín bàn zhuǎ
-
1 lit. one scale and half a claw (idiom); only odd bits and pieces
事半功倍
shì bàn gōng bèi
-
1 half the work, twice the effect (idiom); the right approach saves effort and leads to better results
-
2 a stitch in time saves nine
半推半就
bàn tuī bàn jiù
-
1 half willing and half unwilling (idiom); to yield after making a show of resistance
半瓶水响叮当
bàn píng shuǐ xiǎng dīng dāng
-
1 lit. if you tap a half-empty bottle it makes a sound (idiom)
-
2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
-
3 one who has a little knowledge likes to show off, but one who is truly knowledgeable is modest
半真半假
bàn zhēn bàn jiǎ
-
1 (idiom) half true and half false
半途而废
bàn tú ér fèi
-
1 to give up halfway (idiom); leave sth unfinished
半通不通
bàn tōng bù tōng
-
1 to not fully understand (idiom)
少女露笑脸,婚事半成全
shào nu:3 lù xiào liǎn , hūn shì bàn chéng quán
-
1 When the girl smiles, the matchmaker's job is half done. (idiom)
拉大旗作虎皮
lā dà qí zuò hǔ pí
-
1 lit. to wave a banner as if it were a tiger skin (idiom)
-
2 fig. to borrow sb's prestige
-
3 to take the name of a great cause as a shield
拉家带口
lā jiā dài kǒu
-
1 to bear the burden of a household (idiom); encumbered by a family
-
2 tied down by family obligations
东拉西扯
dōng lā xī chě
-
1 to talk about this and that (idiom); to ramble incoherently
深更半夜
shēn gēng bàn yè
-
1 in the dead of night (idiom)
生拉活扯
shēng lā huó chě
-
1 to wildly exaggerate the meaning of sth (idiom)
老鼠拉龟,无从下手
lǎo shǔ lā guī , wú cóng xià shǒu
-
1 like mice trying to pull a turtle, nowhere to get a hand grip (idiom)
-
2 no clue where to start
行百里者半九十
xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí
-
1 lit. ninety li is merely a half of a hundred li journey (idiom)
-
2 fig. the closer one is to completing a task, the tougher it gets
-
3 a task is not done until it's done
话不投机半句多
huà bù tóu jī bàn jù duō
-
1 when views are irreconcilable, it's a waste of breath to continue discussion (idiom)
连拖带拉
lián tuō dài lā
-
1 pushing and pulling (idiom)
鸟不拉屎,鸡不生蛋
niǎo bù lā shǐ , jī bù shēng dàn
-
1 lit. (a place where) birds don't defecate and hens don't lay eggs (idiom)
-
2 fig. god-forsaken
-
3 remote and desolate