人是铁饭是钢
rén shì tiě fàn shì gāng
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1 one can't function properly on an empty stomach (idiom)
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2 an empty sack cannot stand upright
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
天上不会掉馅饼
tiān shàng bù huì diào xiàn bǐng
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1 there is no such thing as a free lunch (idiom)
天上掉馅饼
tiān shàng diào xiàn bǐng
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1 a meat pie falls from the sky (idiom)
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2 to have something fall into your lap
恨铁不成钢
hèn tiě bù chéng gāng
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1 lit. to hate iron for not becoming steel
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2 to feel resentful towards sb for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement (idiom)
手无寸铁
shǒu wú cùn tiě
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1 lit. not an inch of steel (idiom); unarmed and defenseless
斩钉截铁
zhǎn dīng jié tiě
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1 lit. to chop the nail and slice the iron (idiom)
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2 fig. resolute and decisive
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3 unhesitating
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4 categorical
画饼充饥
huà bǐng chōng jī
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1 lit. to allay one's hunger using a picture of a cake
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2 to feed on illusions (idiom)
砸锅卖铁
zá guō mài tiě
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1 to be willing to sacrifice everything one has (idiom)
磨穿铁砚
mó chuān tiě yàn
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1 to grind one's way through an ink stone
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2 to persevere in a difficult task (idiom)
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3 to study diligently (idiom)
踏破铁鞋
tà pò tiě xié
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1 lit. to wear out one's iron shoes (idiom)
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2 fig. to search high and low
铜墙铁壁
tóng qiáng tiě bì
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1 copper wall, iron bastion (idiom); impenetrable defense
铮铮铁汉
zhēng zhēng tiě hàn
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1 a strong and determined man (idiom)
铁将军把门
tiě jiāng jūn bǎ mén
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1 lit. General Iron is guarding the door (idiom)
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2 fig. the door is padlocked — nobody inside
铁打的衙门，流水的官
tiě dǎ de yá men , liú shuǐ de guān
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1 lit. the yamen is strong as iron, the officials flow like water (idiom)
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2 fig. government officials come and go
铁树开花
tiě shù kāi huā
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1 lit. the iron tree blooms (idiom)
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2 a highly improbable or extremely rare occurrence
铁面无私
tiě miàn wú sī
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1 strictly impartial and incorruptible (idiom)
铁齿铜牙
tiě chǐ tóng yá
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1 clever and eloquent speaker (idiom)
点金成铁
diǎn jīn chéng tiě
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1 to transform gold into base metal (idiom); fig. to edit sb else's beautiful prose and ruin it
点铁成金
diǎn tiě chéng jīn
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1 to touch base matter and turn it to gold (idiom); fig. to turn crude writing into a literary gem