胜者王侯败者寇
shèng zhě wáng hóu bài zhě kòu
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1 the winners become princes and marquises; the losers are vilified as bandits (idiom)
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2 history is written by the victors
大水冲了龙王庙
dà shuǐ chōng le Lóng Wáng miào
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1 lit. surging waters flooded the Dragon King temple (idiom)
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2 fig. to fail to recognize a familiar person
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3 a dispute between close people who fail to recognize each other
张三李四
Zhāng sān Lǐ sì
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1 Zhang the Third and Li the Fourth (idiom)
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2 Tom, Dick and Harry
张冠李戴
Zhāng guān Lǐ dài
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1 lit. to put Zhang's hat on Li's head
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2 to attribute sth to the wrong person (idiom)
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3 to confuse one thing with another
张家长,李家短
Zhāng jiā cháng , Lǐ jiā duǎn
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1 lit. the Zhangs are better off than the Lis (idiom); to gossip about the neighbors
成则为王,败则为寇
chéng zé wéi wáng , bài zé wéi kòu
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1 lit. called a king if successful, called a bandit if defeated (idiom)
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2 fig. losers are always in the wrong
投桃报李
tóu táo bào lǐ
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1 toss a peach, get back a plum (idiom); to return a favor
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2 to exchange gifts
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3 Scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.
擒贼擒王
qín zéi qín wáng
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1 to defeat the enemy by capturing their chief (idiom)
混世魔王
hùn shì mó wáng
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1 devil incarnate (idiom)
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2 fiend in human form
王婆卖瓜,自卖自夸
wáng pó mài guā , zì mài zì kuā
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1 every potter praises his own pot (idiom)
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2 all one's geese are swans
王顾左右而言他
wáng gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā
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1 the king looked left and right and then talked of other things
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2 to digress from the topic of discussion (idiom)
瓜田不纳履,李下不整冠
guā tián bù nà lu:3 , lǐ xià bù zhěng guān
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1 lit. don't tie your shoelaces in a melon patch, and don't adjust your hat under a plum tree (idiom)
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2 fig. don't do anything that might arouse suspicion
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3 innocent acts may be misconstrued
神女有心,襄王无梦
shén nu:3 yǒu xīn , Xiāng Wáng wú mèng
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1 lit. the fairy is willing, but King Xiang doesn't dream (idiom)
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2 (said of a woman's unrequited love)
老王卖瓜,自卖自夸
Lǎo Wáng mài guā , zì mài zì kuā
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1 every potter praises his own pot (idiom)
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2 all one's geese are swans
阎王好见,小鬼难当
Yán wáng hǎo jiàn , xiǎo guǐ nán dāng
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1 lit. standing in front of the King of Hell is easy, but smaller devils are difficult to deal with (idiom)
霸王硬上弓
bà wáng yìng shàng gōng
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1 to force oneself upon sb (idiom)
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2 to rape