三缄其口
sān jiān qí kǒu
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1 (idiom) reluctant to speak about it
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2 tight-lipped
上下其手
shàng xià qí shǒu
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1 to raise and lower one's hand (idiom); to signal as conspiratorial hint
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2 fig. conspiring to defraud
不胜其苦
bù shèng qí kǔ
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1 unable to bear the pain (idiom)
不厌其烦
bù yàn qí fán
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1 not to mind taking all the trouble (idiom)
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2 to take great pains
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3 to be very patient
不安其室
bù ān qí shì
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1 to be discontented with one's home
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2 to have adulterous relations after marriage (of women) (idiom)
不计其数
bù jì qí shù
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1 lit. their number cannot be counted (idiom); fig. countless
-
2 innumerable
以其人之道,还治其人之身
yǐ qí rén zhī dào , huán zhì qí rén zhī shēn
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1 to use an opponent's own methods to obtain retribution (idiom, from Song dynasty neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi 朱熹); to get revenge by playing sb back at his own game
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2 to give sb a taste of his own medicine
以貌取人
yǐ mào qǔ rén
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1 to judge sb by appearances (idiom)
任其自然
rèn qí zì rán
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1 to let things take their course (idiom)
-
2 to leave it to nature
-
3 laissez-faire
兄弟阋于墙,外御其侮
xiōng dì xì yú qiáng , wài yù qí wǔ
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1 internal disunity dissolves at the threat of an invasion from outside (idiom)
两全其美
liǎng quán qí měi
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1 to satisfy rival demands (idiom)
-
2 to get the best of both worlds
-
3 to have it both ways
-
4 to have one's cake and eat it too
兵精粮足
bīng jīng liáng zú
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1 elite soldiers, ample provisions (idiom); well-prepared forces
-
2 preparations for war are in an advanced state
其貌不扬
qí mào bù yáng
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1 (idiom) nothing special to look at
-
2 unprepossessing
出其不意
chū qí bù yì
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1 to do sth when least expected (idiom); to catch sb off guard
出其不意,攻其不备
chū qí bù yì , gōng qí bù bèi
-
1 to catch an enemy off guard with a surprise attack (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法[Sūn zǐ Bīng fǎ])
勉为其难
miǎn wéi qí nán
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1 to tackle a difficult job (idiom)
-
2 to do sth reluctantly
博而不精
bó ér bù jīng
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1 extensive but not refined (idiom); to know something about everything
-
2 jack-of-all-trades, master of none
取长补短
qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn
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1 lit. use others' strengths to make up for one's weak points (idiom from Mencius)
-
2 to use this in place of that
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3 what you lose on the swings, you win on the roundabouts
只知其一,不知其二
zhǐ zhī qí yī , bù zhī qí èr
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1 to know the first, but not know the second (idiom); only partial information
各取所需
gè qǔ suǒ xū
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1 each takes what he needs (idiom)