上贼船
shàng zéi chuán
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1 lit. to board a pirate ship (idiom)
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2 fig. to associate with criminals
不由自主
bù yóu zì zhǔ
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1 can't help; involuntarily (idiom)
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
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
名花有主
míng huā yǒu zhǔ
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1 the girl is already taken (idiom)
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
打狗还得看主人
dǎ gǒu hái děi kàn zhǔ rén
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1 lit. when one beats a dog, one must answer to its master (idiom)
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2 fig. before punishing sb, one should consider how that would affect others associated with him
水涨船高
shuǐ zhǎng chuán gāo
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1 the tide rises, the boat floats (idiom); fig. to change with the overall trend
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2 to develop according to the situation
物各有主
wù gè yǒu zhǔ
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1 everything has a rightful owner (idiom)
独立自主
dú lì zì zhǔ
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1 independent and autonomous (idiom); self-determination
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2 to act independently
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3 to maintain control over one's own affairs
当家作主
dāng jiā zuò zhǔ
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1 to be in charge in one's own house (idiom)
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2 to be the master of one's own affairs
脚踏两条船
jiǎo tà liǎng tiáo chuán
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1 lit. to stand with each foot in a different boat (idiom)
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2 fig. to have it both ways
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3 to run after two hares
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4 (especially) to have two lovers at the same time
自作主张
zì zuò zhǔ zhāng
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1 to think for oneself and act accordingly (idiom); to act on one's own initiative
船到桥门自会直
chuán dào qiáo mén zì huì zhí
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1 lit. when the ship arrives at the bridge we can deal with the problem
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2 no point in worrying about sth until it actually happens (idiom)
船到江心，补漏迟
chuán dào jiāng xīn , bǔ lòu chí
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1 It's too late to plug the leak once ship is in the middle of the river. (idiom)
船到码头，车到站
chuán dào mǎ tóu , chē dào zhàn
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1 The ship has docked, the carriage has reached the station.
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2 The job is over, it's time to relax. (idiom)
草船借箭
cǎo chuán jiè jiàn
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1 lit. using straw boats to borrow arrows (idiom, from 三國演義|三国演义[Sān guó Yǎn yì])
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2 fig. to use others' manpower and resources for one's own ends
车到山前必有路，船到桥头自然直
chē dào shān qián bì yǒu lù , chuán dào qiáo tóu zì rán zhí
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1 lit. When we get to the mountain, there'll be a way through and when the boat gets to the pier-head, it will go straight with the current. (idiom)
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2 fig. Everything will turn out for the best.
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3 Let's worry about it when it happens.
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4 It will be all right on the night.
阴沟里翻船
yīn gōu lǐ fān chuán
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1 to meet with unexpected failure (idiom)
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2 to fail miserably (where failure was not expected)