一本万利
yī běn wàn lì
-
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
-
1 to talk shop all the time (idiom)
不要在一棵树上吊死
bù yào zài yī kē shù shàng diào sǐ
-
1 don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom)
-
2 there's more than one way to skin a cat
刀不磨要生锈，人不学要落后
dāo bù mó yào shēng xiù , rén bù xué yào luò hòu
-
1 a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study (idiom)
切中要害
qiè zhòng yào hài
-
1 to hit the target and do real damage (idiom)
-
2 fig. to hit where it hurts
-
3 fig. to hit home
-
4 an argument that hits the nail on the head
勤俭为服务之本
qín jiǎn wéi fú wù zhī běn
-
1 hardwork and thriftiness are the foundations of service (idiom)
又要马儿跑，又要马儿不吃草
yòu yào mǎ r5 pǎo , yòu yào mǎ r5 bù chī cǎo
-
1 lit. you can't expect the horse to run fast but not let it graze (idiom)
-
2 fig. you can't have your cake and eat it, too
只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针
zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn , tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn
-
1 If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.
-
2 cf idiom 磨杵成針|磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task
-
3 to study diligently
各取所需
gè qǔ suǒ xū
-
1 each takes what he needs (idiom)
报本反始
bào běn fǎn shǐ
-
1 ensure that you pay debts of gratitude (idiom)
天要落雨，娘要嫁人
tiān yào luò yǔ , niáng yào jià rén
-
1 the rain will fall, the womenfolk will marry (idiom)
-
2 fig. the natural order of things
-
3 something you can't go against
家家有本难念的经
jiā jiā yǒu běn nán niàn de jīng
-
1 Every family goes through its problems. (idiom)
慈悲为本
cí bēi wéi běn
-
1 mercy as the guiding principle (idiom); the Buddhist teaching that nothing is valid except compassion
舍本逐末
shě běn zhú mò
-
1 to neglect the root and pursue the tip (idiom)
-
2 to neglect fundamentals and concentrate on details
本性难移
běn xìng nán yí
-
1 It is hard to change one's essential nature (idiom). You can't change who you are.
-
2 Can the leopard change his spots? (Jeremiah 13:23)
本末倒置
běn mò dào zhì
-
1 lit. to invert root and branch (idiom); fig. confusing cause and effect
-
2 to stress the incidental over the fundamental
-
3 to put the cart before the horse
正中要害
zhèng zhòng yào hài
-
1 to hit the nail on the head (idiom)
死要面子活受罪
sǐ yào miàn zi huó shòu zuì
-
1 to go through hell for the sake of keeping up appearances (idiom)
江山易改，本性难移
jiāng shān yì gǎi , běn xìng nán yí
-
1 it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom)
-
2 you can't change who you are
-
3 Can the leopard change his spots?
简明扼要
jiǎn míng è yào
-
1 brief and to the point (idiom)
-
2 succinct