一纸空文
yī zhǐ kōng wén
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1 a worthless piece of paper (idiom)
不由自主
bù yóu zì zhǔ
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1 can't help; involuntarily (idiom)
人去楼空
rén qù lóu kōng
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1 the people are gone and the place is empty (idiom)
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2 the sight of a deserted place brings old friends to mind
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3 the place is deserted
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4 the birds have flown
两手空空
liǎng shǒu kōng kōng
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1 empty-handed (idiom); fig. not receiving anything
六神无主
liù shén wú zhǔ
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1 out of one's wits (idiom)
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2 distracted
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3 stunned
冤有头,债有主
yuān yǒu tóu , zhài yǒu zhǔ
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1 for every grievance someone is responsible, for every debt there is a debtor (idiom)
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2 when settling disputes one should not involve third parties
冥思苦想
míng sī kǔ xiǎng
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1 to consider from all angles (idiom); to think hard
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2 to rack one's brains
劈空扳害
pī kōng bān hài
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1 damaged by groundless slander (idiom)
又想当婊子又想立牌坊
yòu xiǎng dāng biǎo zi yòu xiǎng lì pái fāng
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1 lit. to lead the life of a whore but still want a monument put up to one's chastity (idiom)
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2 fig. to have bad intentions but still want a good reputation
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3 to want to have one's cake and eat it too
反客为主
fǎn kè wéi zhǔ
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1 lit. the guest acts as host (idiom); fig. to turn from passive to active behavior
司空见惯
sī kōng jiàn guàn
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1 a common occurrence (idiom)
名花有主
míng huā yǒu zhǔ
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1 the girl is already taken (idiom)
唱空城计
chàng kōng chéng jì
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1 lit. to sing “The Empty City Stratagem” (idiom)
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2 fig. to put up a bluff to conceal one's weakness
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3 (jocularly) (of a place etc) to be empty
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4 (of one's stomach) to be rumbling
喧宾夺主
xuān bīn duó zhǔ
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1 lit. the voice of the guest overwhelms that of the host (idiom)
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2 fig. a minor player upstages the main attraction
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3 minor details obscure the main point
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4 the sauce is better than the fish
四大皆空
sì dà jiē kōng
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1 lit. the four elements are vanity (idiom)
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2 this world is an illusion
坐吃山空
zuò chī shān kōng
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1 lit. just sitting and eating, one can deplete even a mountain of wealth (idiom)
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2 fig. to spend one's money without generating any income
天低吴楚,眼空无物
tiān dī Wú Chǔ , yǎn kōng wú wù
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1 the sky hangs low over the Yangtze, empty as far as the eye can see (idiom); nothing to see to the broad horizon
天马行空
tiān mǎ xíng kōng
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1 like a heavenly steed, soaring across the skies (idiom)
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2 (of writing, calligraphy etc) bold and imaginative
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3 unconstrained in style
左思右想
zuǒ sī yòu xiǎng
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1 to turn over in one's mind (idiom); to think through from different angles
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2 to ponder
思前想后
sī qián xiǎng hòu
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1 to consider past cause and future effect (idiom); to think over the past and future
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2 to ponder over reasons and connection