一清如水
yī qīng rú shuǐ
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1 lit. as clear as water (idiom)
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2 fig. (of officials etc) honest and incorruptible
一碗水端平
yī wǎn shuǐ duān píng
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1 lit. to hold a bowl of water level (idiom)
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2 fig. to be impartial
一点水一个泡
yī diǎn shuǐ yī gè pào
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1 honest and trustworthy (idiom)
三个和尚没水喝
sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē
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1 lit. three monks have no water to drink (idiom)
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2 fig. everybody's business is nobody's business
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3 (If there is one monk, he will fetch water for himself. If there are two, they will fetch water together. But if there are three or more, none will take it upon himself to fetch water.)
不显山不露水
bù xiǎn shān bù lù shuǐ
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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
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1 you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)
人往高处走，水往低处流
rén wǎng gāo chù zǒu , shuǐ wǎng dī chù liú
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1 man seeks his way up just as water seeks its way down (idiom)
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2 one should constantly strive to make progress
兵来将挡，水来土掩
bīng lái jiàng dǎng , shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn
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1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
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2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
兵来将敌，水来土堰
bīng lái jiàng dí , shuǐ lái tǔ yàn
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1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
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2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
出水芙蓉
chū shuǐ fú róng
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1 as a lotus flower breaking the surface (idiom); surpassingly beautiful (of young lady's face or old gentleman's calligraphy)
刀不磨要生锈，人不学要落后
dāo bù mó yào shēng xiù , rén bù xué yào luò hòu
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1 a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study (idiom)
切磋琢磨
qiē cuō zhuó mó
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1 lit. cutting and polishing (idiom)
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2 fig. to learn by exchanging ideas or experiences
十指不沾阳春水
shí zhǐ bù zhān yáng chūn shuǐ
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1 to have no need to fend for oneself (idiom)
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2 to lead a pampered life
半瓶水响叮当
bàn píng shuǐ xiǎng dīng dāng
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1 lit. if you tap a half-empty bottle it makes a sound (idiom)
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2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
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3 one who has a little knowledge likes to show off, but one who is truly knowledgeable is modest
卸磨杀驴
xiè mò shā lu:2
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1 lit. to kill the donkey when the grinding is done (idiom)
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2 to get rid of sb once he has ceased to be useful
只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针
zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn , tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn
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1 If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.
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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
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3 to study diligently
吃水不忘掘井人
chī shuǐ bù wàng jué jǐng rén
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1 Drinking the water of a well, one should never forget who dug it. (idiom)
君子之交淡如水
jūn zǐ zhī jiāo dàn rú shuǐ
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1 a gentleman's friendship, insipid as water (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuāng zǐ])
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