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
一倡三叹
yī chàng sān tàn
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1 (of literature, music) deeply moving (idiom)
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)
一哭二闹三上吊
yī kū èr nào sān shàng diào
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1 to make a terrible scene (idiom)
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2 to throw a tantrum
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
一日三秋
yī rì sān qiū
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1 a single day apart seems like three seasons (idiom)
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)
一板三眼
yī bǎn sān yǎn
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1 lit. one strong beat and three weak beats in a measure of music (four beats in the bar) (idiom); fig. scrupulous attention to detail
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
一目十行
yī mù shí háng
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1 ten lines at a glance (idiom)
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2 to read very rapidly
三七二十一
sān qī èr shí yī
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1 three sevens are twenty-one (idiom)
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2 the facts of the matter
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3 the actual situation
三下两下
sān xià liǎng xià
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1 quickly and effortlessly (idiom)
三五成群
sān wǔ chéng qún
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1 in groups of three or four (idiom)
三人成虎
sān rén chéng hǔ
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1 three men talking makes a tiger (idiom); repeated rumor becomes a fact
三人行，必有我师
sān rén xíng , bì yǒu wǒ shī
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1 lit. if three walk together, one can be my teacher (idiom, from the Analects of Confucius)
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2 you have sth to learn from everyone
三令五申
sān lìng wǔ shēn
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1 to order again and again (idiom)