1 to not mention a single word (about sth) (idiom)
一字千金
yī zì qiān jīn
1 one word worth a thousand in gold (idiom)
2 (in praise of a piece of writing or calligraphy) each character is perfect
3 each word is highly valued
一字褒贬
yī zì bāo biǎn
1 dispensing praise or blame with a single word (idiom)
2 concise and powerful style
不分伯仲
bù fēn bó zhòng
1 lit. unable to distinguish eldest brother from second brother (idiom); they are all equally excellent
2 nothing to choose between them
八字没一撇
bā zì méi yī piě
1 lit. there is not even the first stroke of the character 八 (idiom)
2 fig. things have not even begun to take shape
3 no sign of success yet
八字还没一撇
bā zì hái méi yī piě
1 lit. there is not even the first stroke of the character 八 (idiom)
2 fig. things have not even begun to take shape
3 no sign of success yet
八字还没一撇儿
bā zì hái méi yī piě r5
1 lit. there is not even the first stroke of the character 八 (idiom)
2 fig. things have not even begun to take shape
3 no sign of success yet
千里马常有，而伯乐不常有
qiān lǐ mǎ cháng yǒu , ér Bó Lè bù cháng yǒu
1 lit. there are many swift horses, but very few who can spot them (idiom)
2 fig. many have talent, but few can recognize talent when they see it
吴下阿蒙
Wú xià ā Méng
1 General Lü Meng 呂蒙|吕蒙 of the southern state of Wu (idiom); model of self-improvement by diligent study (from unlettered soldier to top strategist of Wu)
咬文嚼字
yǎo wén jiáo zì
1 to bite words and chew characters (idiom); punctilious about minutiae of wording
字字珠玉
zì zì zhū yù
1 every word a gem (idiom); magnificent writing
字里行间
zì lǐ háng jiān
1 between the words and the lines (idiom); implied meaning
2 connotations
拉大旗作虎皮
lā dà qí zuò hǔ pí
1 lit. to wave a banner as if it were a tiger skin (idiom)
2 fig. to borrow sb's prestige
3 to take the name of a great cause as a shield
拉家带口
lā jiā dài kǒu
1 to bear the burden of a household (idiom); encumbered by a family
2 tied down by family obligations
东拉西扯
dōng lā xī chě
1 to talk about this and that (idiom); to ramble incoherently
生拉活扯
shēng lā huó chě
1 to wildly exaggerate the meaning of sth (idiom)
老鼠拉龟，无从下手
lǎo shǔ lā guī , wú cóng xià shǒu
1 like mice trying to pull a turtle, nowhere to get a hand grip (idiom)