一是一,二是二
yī shì yī , èr shì èr
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1 lit. one is one, two is two (idiom)
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2 fig. things are (or ought to be) perfectly clear-cut
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3 unequivocal
一身是胆
yī shēn shì dǎn
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1 devoid of fear (idiom)
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2 intrepid
不是一家人不进一家门
bù shì yī jiā rén bù jìn yī jiā mén
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1 people who don't belong together, don't get to live together (idiom)
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2 marriages are predestined
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3 people marry because they share common traits
不是冤家不聚头
bù shì yuān jiā bù jù tóu
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1 destiny will make enemies meet (idiom)
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2 (often said about lovers who have a disagreement)
不是鱼死就是网破
bù shì yú sǐ jiù shì wǎng pò
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1 lit. either the fish dies or the net gets torn (idiom)
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2 fig. it's a life-and-death struggle
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3 it's either him or me
不求有功,但求无过
bù qiú yǒu gōng , dàn qiú wú guò
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1 lit. not aiming to achieve the best possible result, but rather trying to avoid making mistakes (idiom)
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2 fig. to take a risk-averse approach
不求甚解
bù qiú shèn jiě
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1 lit. not requiring a detailed understanding (idiom); only looking for an overview
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2 not bothered with the details
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3 superficial
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4 content with shallow understanding
五百年前是一家
wǔ bǎi nián qián shì yī jiā
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1 five hundred years ago we were the same family (idiom) (said of persons with the same surname)
人是铁饭是钢
rén shì tiě fàn shì gāng
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1 one can't function properly on an empty stomach (idiom)
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2 an empty sack cannot stand upright
似是而非
sì shì ér fēi
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1 apparently right but actually wrong; specious (idiom)
俯拾皆是
fǔ shí jiē shì
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1 lit. so numerous that one could just bend down and pick them up (idiom)
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2 fig. extremely common
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3 easily available
刻舟求剑
kè zhōu qiú jiàn
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1 lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); fig. an action made pointless by changed circumstances
千军易得,一将难求
qiān jūn yì dé , yī jiàng nán qiú
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1 Easy to raise an army of one thousand, but hard to find a good general. (idiom)
口是心非
kǒu shì xīn fēi
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1 duplicity
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2 hypocrisy (idiom)
可遇不可求
kě yù bù kě qiú
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1 can be discovered but not sought (idiom)
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2 one can only come across such things serendipitously
各行其是
gè xíng qí shì
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1 each one does what he thinks is right (idiom)
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2 each goes his own way
吹毛求疵
chuī máo qiú cī
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1 lit. to blow apart the hairs upon a fur to discover any defect (idiom); fig. to be fastidious
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2 nitpick
唯利是图
wéi lì shì tú
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1 to seek nothing but profit (idiom); personal profit before everything
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2 self-seeking
梦寐以求
mèng mèi yǐ qiú
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1 to yearn for sth even in one's dreams (idiom)
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2 to long for sth day and night
女子无才便是德
nu:3 zǐ wú cái biàn shì dé
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1 a woman's virtue is to have no talent (idiom)