一年之计在于春
yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn
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1 the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom)
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2 early planning is the key to success
一日之计在于晨
yī rì zhī jì zài yú chén
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1 make your day's plan early in the morning (idiom)
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2 early morning is the golden time of the day
不以规矩,不能成方圆
bù yǐ guī ju , bù néng chéng fāng yuán
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1 without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules
不计其数
bù jì qí shù
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1 lit. their number cannot be counted (idiom); fig. countless
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2 innumerable
千方百计
qiān fāng bǎi jì
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1 lit. thousand ways, a hundred plans (idiom); by every possible means
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
墨守成规
mò shǒu chéng guī
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1 hidebound by convention (idiom)
天造地设
tiān zào dì shè
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1 lit. made by Heaven and arranged by Earth(idiom)
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2 ideal
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3 perfect
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4 (of a match) made in heaven
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5 to be made for one another
将计就计
jiāng jì jiù jì
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1 to beat sb at their own game (idiom)
形同虚设
xíng tóng xū shè
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1 to exist in name only
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2 empty shell
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3 useless (idiom)
从长计议
cóng cháng jì yì
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1 to take one's time making a decision (idiom)
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2 to consider at length
循规蹈矩
xún guī dǎo jǔ
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1 to follow the compass and go with the set square (idiom); to follow the rules inflexibly
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2 to act according to convention
想方设法
xiǎng fāng shè fǎ
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1 to think up every possible method (idiom); to devise ways and means
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2 to try this, that and the other
权宜之计
quán yí zhī jì
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1 plan of convenience (idiom); stop-gap measure
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2 makeshift stratagem
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3 interim step
没有规矩,不成方圆
méi yǒu guī ju , bù chéng fāng yuán
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1 without rules, nothing can be done (idiom); one must follow some rules
没有规矩,何以成方圆
méi yǒu guī ju , hé yǐ chéng fāng yuán
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1 without rules, how can anything be done (idiom); one must follow some rules
无计可施
wú jì kě shī
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1 no strategy left to try (idiom); at one's wit's end
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2 at the end of one's tether
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3 powerless
百计千方
bǎi jì qiān fāng
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1 to exhaust every means to achieve sth (idiom)
萧规曹随
Xiāo guī Cáo suí
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1 lit. Xiao's 蕭何|萧何[Xiāo Hé] governance followed by Cao 曹參|曹参[Cáo Cān] (idiom)
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2 fig. to strictly adhere to the policies of the predecessor
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3 to follow precedent
规矩准绳
guī ju zhǔn shéng
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1 compasses, set square, spirit level and plumbline (idiom); fig. established standard
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2 norms
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3 criteria