一眼看穿
yī yǎn kàn chuān
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1 to see through something at first glance (idiom)
不看僧面看佛面
bù kàn sēng miàn kàn fó miàn
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1 lit. not for the monk's sake but for the Buddha's sake (idiom)
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2 fig. (to do sth for sb) out of deference to sb else
不要在一棵树上吊死
bù yào zài yī kē shù shàng diào sǐ
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1 don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom)
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2 there's more than one way to skin a cat
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)
切中要害
qiè zhòng yào hài
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1 to hit the target and do real damage (idiom)
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2 fig. to hit where it hurts
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3 fig. to hit home
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4 an argument that hits the nail on the head
又要马儿跑,又要马儿不吃草
yòu yào mǎ r5 pǎo , yòu yào mǎ r5 bù chī cǎo
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1 lit. you can't expect the horse to run fast but not let it graze (idiom)
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2 fig. you can't have your cake and eat it, too
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
吃着碗里,看着锅里
chī zhe wǎn lǐ , kàn zhe guō lǐ
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1 lit. eyeing what's in the pot as one eats from one's bowl (idiom)
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2 not content with what one already has
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3 (of men, typically) to have the wandering eye
天要落雨,娘要嫁人
tiān yào luò yǔ , niáng yào jià rén
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1 the rain will fall, the womenfolk will marry (idiom)
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2 fig. the natural order of things
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3 something you can't go against
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
正中要害
zhèng zhòng yào hài
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1 to hit the nail on the head (idiom)
死要面子活受罪
sǐ yào miàn zi huó shòu zuì
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1 to go through hell for the sake of keeping up appearances (idiom)
看人下菜碟儿
kàn rén xià cài dié r5
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1 (dialect) to treat sb according to their social status, relationship with them etc (idiom)
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2 not to treat everyone equally favorably
看人行事
kàn rén xíng shì
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1 to treat people according to their rank and one's relationship with them (idiom)
看破红尘
kān pò hóng chén
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1 to see through the world of mortals (idiom, of Buddhist monk)
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2 disillusioned with human society
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3 to reject the world for a monastic life
看菜吃饭
kān cài chī fàn
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1 to eat depending on the dish (idiom); fig. to act according to actual circumstances
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2 to live within one's means
看菜吃饭,量体裁衣
kān cài chī fàn , liáng tǐ cái yī
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1 eat depending on the dish, cut cloth according to the body (idiom); to fit the appetite to the dishes and the dress to the figure
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2 to act according to actual circumstances
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3 to live within one's means
简明扼要
jiǎn míng è yào
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1 brief and to the point (idiom)
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2 succinct
紧要关头
jǐn yào guān tóu
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1 urgent and important moment (idiom); critical juncture
若要人不知,除非己莫为
ruò yào rén bù zhī , chú fēi jǐ mò wéi
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1 If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it (idiom). fig. If you do something bad, people will inevitably hear about it.