俯首帖耳
fǔ shǒu tiē ěr
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1 bowed head and ears glued (idiom); docile and obedient
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2 at sb's beck and call
充耳不闻
chōng ěr bù wén
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1 to block one's ears and not listen (idiom); to turn a deaf ear
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)
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2 to use this in place of that
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3 what you lose on the swings, you win on the roundabouts
吃人家的嘴软,拿人家的手短
chī rén jiā de zuǐ ruǎn , ná rén jiā de shǒu duǎn
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1 lit. the mouth that has been fed by others is soft, the hand that has received doesn't reach (idiom)
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2 fig. one is partial to those from whom presents have been accepted
如雷贯耳
rú léi guàn ěr
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1 lit. like thunder piercing the ear
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2 a well-known reputation (idiom)
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
忠言逆耳
zhōng yán nì ěr
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1 loyal advice jars on the ears (idiom)
截长补短
jié cháng bǔ duǎn
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1 take from the long to supplement the short (idiom)
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2 to offset each other's deficiencies
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3 to complement each other
抓耳挠腮
zhuā ěr náo sāi
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1 to tweak one's ears and scratch one's cheeks (as an expression of anxiety, delight, frustration etc) (idiom)
掩人耳目
yǎn rén ěr mù
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1 to fool people (idiom)
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2 to pull the wool over people's eyes
掩耳盗铃
yǎn ěr dào líng
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1 lit. to cover one's ears whilst stealing a bell
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2 to deceive oneself
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3 to bury one's head in the sand (idiom)
扬长避短
yáng cháng bì duǎn
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1 to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses (idiom)
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2 to play to one's strengths
昼短夜长
zhòu duǎn yè cháng
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1 the winter days are short and the nights long (idiom)
东家长西家短
dōng jiā cháng xī jiā duǎn
残年短景
cán nián duǎn jǐng
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1 at the end of the year (idiom)
火中取栗
huǒ zhōng qǔ lì
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1 lit. to pull chestnuts out of the fire (idiom)
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2 fig. to be sb's cat's-paw
争长论短
zhēng cháng lùn duǎn
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1 lit. to argue who is right and wrong (idiom); to quibble
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2 a storm in a teacup
眼瞎耳聋
yǎn xiā ěr lóng
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1 to be deaf and blind (idiom)
眼见为实,耳听为虚
yǎn jiàn wéi shí , ěr tīng wéi xū
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1 to believe what one sees, not what one hears (idiom). Don't believe what people tell you until you see if for yourself.
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2 It ain't necessarily so.
眼观六路耳听八方
yǎn guān liù lù ěr tīng bā fāng
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1 lit. the eyes watch six roads and the ears listen in all directions
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2 to be observant and alert (idiom)