一山不容二虎
yī shān bù róng èr hǔ
-
1 lit. the mountain can't have two tigers (idiom)
-
2 fig. this town ain't big enough for the two of us
-
3 (of two rivals) to be fiercely competitive
一文不值
yī wén bù zhí
-
1 worthless (idiom)
-
2 no use whatsoever
一纸空文
yī zhǐ kōng wén
-
1 a worthless piece of paper (idiom)
不值一文
bù zhí yī wén
-
1 worthless (idiom)
-
2 no use whatsoever
不识泰山
bù shí Tài Shān
-
1 can't recognize Mt Taishan (idiom); fig. not to recognize a famous person
不显山不露水
bù xiǎn shān bù lù shuǐ
-
1 lit. to not show the mountain and to not reveal the water (idiom); fig. to hide the key facts
人不可貌相,海水不可斗量
rén bù kě mào xiàng , hǎi shuǐ bù kě dǒu liáng
-
1 you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)
他山之石可以攻玉
tā shān zhī shí kě yǐ gōng yù
-
1 lit. the other mountain's stone can polish jade (idiom); to improve oneself by accepting criticism from outside
-
2 to borrow talent from abroad to develop the nation effectively
侯门似海
hóu mén sì hǎi
-
1 lit. the gate of a noble house is like the sea
-
2 there is a wide gap between the nobility and the common people (idiom)
八仙过海,各显神通
Bā xiān guò hǎi , gè xiǎn shén tōng
-
1 lit. the Eight Immortals cross the sea, each showing his own special talent (idiom)
-
2 fig. (of each individual in a group) to give full play to one's unique capabilities
兵败如山倒
bīng bài rú shān dǎo
-
1 troops in defeat like a landslide (idiom); a beaten army in total collapse
刀山火海
dāo shān huǒ hǎi
-
1 lit. mountains of daggers and seas of flames
-
2 fig. extreme danger (idiom)
博文约礼
bó wén yuē lǐ
-
1 vigorously pursuing knowledge, while scrupulously abiding by the rules of decorum (idiom)
名扬四海
míng yáng sì hǎi
-
1 to become known far and wide (idiom)
-
2 famous
名落孙山
míng luò Sūn Shān
-
1 lit. to fall behind Sun Shan 孫山|孙山[Sūn Shān] (who came last in the imperial examination) (idiom)
-
2 fig. to fail an exam
-
3 to fall behind (in a competition)
咬文嚼字
yǎo wén jiáo zì
-
1 to bite words and chew characters (idiom); punctilious about minutiae of wording
四海升平
sì hǎi shēng píng
-
1 lit. all four oceans are peaceful
-
2 worldwide peace (idiom)
四海为家
sì hǎi wéi jiā
-
1 to regard the four corners of the world all as home (idiom)
-
2 to feel at home anywhere
-
3 to roam about unconstrained
-
4 to consider the entire country, or world, to be one's own
四海皆准
sì hǎi jiē zhǔn
-
1 appropriate to any place and any time (idiom); universally applicable
-
2 a panacea
四海飘零
sì hǎi piāo líng
-
1 drifting aimlessly all over the place (idiom)