三人行,必有我师
sān rén xíng , bì yǒu wǒ shī
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1 lit. if three walk together, one can be my teacher (idiom, from the Analects of Confucius)
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2 you have sth to learn from everyone
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
二虎相斗,必有一伤
èr hǔ xiāng dòu , bì yǒu yī shāng
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1 lit. when two tigers fight, one is sure to be wounded (idiom)
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2 fig. if it comes to a fight, someone will get hurt
人无远虑,必有近忧
rén wú yuǎn lu:4 , bì yǒu jìn yōu
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1 He who gives no thought to far-flung problems soon finds suffering nearby (idiom, from Analects).
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2 Smug concentration on the here and now will lead to future sorrow.
今非昔比
jīn fēi xī bǐ
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1 things are very different now (idiom)
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2 times have changed
似是而非
sì shì ér fēi
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1 apparently right but actually wrong; specious (idiom)
似笑非笑
sì xiào fēi xiào
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1 like a smile yet not a smile (idiom)
两虎相争,必有一伤
liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng , bì yǒu yī shāng
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1 if two tigers fight, one will get injured (idiom)
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2 if you start a war, someone is bound to get hurt
两虎相斗,必有一伤
liǎng hǔ xiāng dòu , bì yǒu yī shāng
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1 when two tigers fight, one will get injured (idiom)
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2 if it comes to a fight, someone will get hurt.
冰冻三尺,非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ , fēi yī rì zhī hán
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1 three feet of ice does not form in a single day (idiom); Rome wasn't built in a day
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)
分久必合,合久必分
fēn jiǔ bì hé , hé jiǔ bì fēn
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1 lit. that which is long divided must unify, and that which is long unified must divide (idiom, from 三國演義|三国演义[Sān guó Yǎn yì])
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2 fig. things are constantly changing
分秒必争
fēn miǎo bì zhēng
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1 seize every minute and second (idiom); not a minute to lose
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2 every moment counts
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
势在必得
shì zài bì dé
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1 to be determined to win (idiom)
势在必行
shì zài bì xíng
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1 circumstances require action (idiom); absolutely necessary
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2 imperative
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
口是心非
kǒu shì xīn fēi
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1 duplicity
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2 hypocrisy (idiom)
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
哀兵必胜
āi bīng bì shèng
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1 an army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win (idiom)