一反常态
yī fǎn cháng tài
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1 complete change from the normal state (idiom); quite uncharacteristic
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2 entirely outside the norm
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3 out of character
一清如水
yī qīng rú shuǐ
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1 lit. as clear as water (idiom)
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2 fig. (of officials etc) honest and incorruptible
一碗水端平
yī wǎn shuǐ duān píng
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1 lit. to hold a bowl of water level (idiom)
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2 fig. to be impartial
一言为重
yī yán wéi zhòng
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1 each word carries weight
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2 a promise must be kept (idiom)
一点水一个泡
yī diǎn shuǐ yī gè pào
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1 honest and trustworthy (idiom)
三个和尚没水喝
sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē
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1 lit. three monks have no water to drink (idiom)
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2 fig. everybody's business is nobody's business
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3 (If there is one monk, he will fetch water for himself. If there are two, they will fetch water together. But if there are three or more, none will take it upon himself to fetch water.)
不知轻重
bù zhī qīng zhòng
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1 lit. not knowing what's important (idiom); no appreciation of the gravity of things
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2 naive
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3 doesn't know who's who
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4 no sense of priorities
不显山不露水
bù xiǎn shān bù lù shuǐ
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1 lit. to not show the mountain and to not reveal the water (idiom); fig. to hide the key facts
人不可貌相,海水不可斗量
rén bù kě mào xiàng , hǎi shuǐ bù kě dǒu liáng
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1 you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)
人往高处走,水往低处流
rén wǎng gāo chù zǒu , shuǐ wǎng dī chù liú
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1 man seeks his way up just as water seeks its way down (idiom)
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2 one should constantly strive to make progress
兵来将挡,水来土掩
bīng lái jiàng dǎng , shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn
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1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
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2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
兵来将敌,水来土堰
bīng lái jiàng dí , shuǐ lái tǔ yàn
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1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
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2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
出水芙蓉
chū shuǐ fú róng
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1 as a lotus flower breaking the surface (idiom); surpassingly beautiful (of young lady's face or old gentleman's calligraphy)
出尔反尔
chū ěr fǎn ěr
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1 old: to reap the consequences of one's words (idiom, from Mencius); modern: to go back on one's word
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2 to blow hot and cold
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3 to contradict oneself
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4 inconsistent
功高望重
gōng gāo wàng zhòng
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1 high merit and worthy prospects (idiom)
十指不沾阳春水
shí zhǐ bù zhān yáng chūn shuǐ
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1 to have no need to fend for oneself (idiom)
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2 to lead a pampered life
千里送鹅毛,礼轻人意重
qiān lǐ sòng é máo , lǐ qīng rén yì zhòng
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1 goose feather sent from afar, a slight present but weighty meaning (idiom); It's not the present the counts, it's the thought behind it.
千里送鹅毛,礼轻情意重
qiān lǐ sòng é máo , lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng
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1 goose feather sent from afar, a trifling present with a weighty thought behind it (idiom); It's not the gift that counts, but the thought behind it.
半瓶水响叮当
bàn píng shuǐ xiǎng dīng dāng
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1 lit. if you tap a half-empty bottle it makes a sound (idiom)
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2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
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3 one who has a little knowledge likes to show off, but one who is truly knowledgeable is modest