一纸空文
yī zhǐ kōng wén
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1 a worthless piece of paper (idiom)
不打不成器
bù dǎ bù chéng qì
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1 spare the rod and spoil the child (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
以貌取人
yǐ mào qǔ rén
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1 to judge sb by appearances (idiom)
两手空空
liǎng shǒu kōng kōng
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1 empty-handed (idiom); fig. not receiving anything
劈空扳害
pī kōng bān hài
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1 damaged by groundless slander (idiom)
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
司空见惯
sī kōng jiàn guàn
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1 a common occurrence (idiom)
各取所需
gè qǔ suǒ xū
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1 each takes what he needs (idiom)
咎由自取
jiù yóu zì qǔ
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1 to have only oneself to blame (idiom)
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2 to bring trouble through one's own actions
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
囊中取物
náng zhōng qǔ wù
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1 as easy as reaching for it from a bag (idiom)
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2 in the bag
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3 (as good as) in one's possession
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
大器晚成
dà qì wǎn chéng
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1 lit. it takes a long time to make a big pot (idiom); fig. a great talent matures slowly
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2 in the fullness of time a major figure will develop into a pillar of the state
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3 Rome wasn't built in a day
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
工欲善其事,必先利其器
gōng yù shàn qí shì , bì xiān lì qí qì
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1 To do a good job, an artisan needs the best tools (idiom). Good tools are prerequisite to the successful execution of a job
凭空捏造
píng kōng niē zào
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1 fabrication relying on nothing (idiom); frame-up
战无不胜,攻无不取
zhàn wú bù shèng , gōng wú bù qǔ
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1 to triumph in every battle and win every fight (idiom); all-conquering
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2 ever victorious
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3 nothing they can't do