鱼鳞 - fish scales - yú lín | Definition

一鳞半爪

yī lín bàn zhuǎ

1 lit. one scale and half a claw (idiom); only odd bits and pieces

不是鱼死就是网破

bù shì yú sǐ jiù shì wǎng pò

1 lit. either the fish dies or the net gets torn (idiom)
2 fig. it's a life-and-death struggle
3 it's either him or me

人为刀俎，我为鱼肉

rén wéi dāo zǔ , wǒ wéi yú ròu

1 lit. to be the meat on sb's chopping block (idiom)
2 fig. to be at sb's mercy

任凭风浪起，稳坐钓鱼台

rèn píng fēng làng qǐ , wěn zuò diào yú tái

1 lit. sitting at ease in a fishing boat despite wind and storm (idiom); to stay calm during tense situation
2 a cool head in a crisis

城门失火，殃及池鱼

chéng mén shī huǒ , yāng jí chí yú

1 a fire in the city gates is also a calamity for the fish in the moat (idiom); the bystander will also suffer
2 fig. you can't escape responsibility for your actions
3 ask not for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee

太公钓鱼，愿者上钩

tài gōng diào yú , yuàn zhě shàng gōu

1 Jiang Ziya is fishing, if you want take the hook (idiom, refers to early sage 姜子牙 fishing with no bait and the hook above the water); to put one's head in the noose

如鱼得水

rú yú dé shuǐ

1 like a fish back in water (idiom); glad to be back in one's proper surroundings

姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩

Jiāng tài gōng diào yú , yuàn zhě shàng gōu

1 Jiang Ziya is fishing, if you want it, take the hook (idiom, refers to early sage 姜子牙 fishing with no bait and the hook above the water); to put one's head in the noose

守株待兔，缘木求鱼

shǒu zhū dài tù , yuán mù qiú yú

1 to guard a tree-stump, waiting for rabbits, and climb a tree to catch fish (idiom); without any practical course of action

得鱼忘筌

dé yú wàng quán

1 lit. catch fish then forget the trap (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); fig. to take help for granted

授之以鱼不如授之以渔

shòu zhī yǐ yú bù rú shòu zhī yǐ yú

1 give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime (idiom)

放长线钓大鱼

fàng cháng xiàn diào dà yú

1 use a long line to catch a big fish (idiom); a long-term plan for major returns

东鳞西爪

dōng lín xī zhǎo

1 lit. a dragon's scale from the east and a dragon's claw from the west
2 odds and ends (idiom)

水清无鱼

shuǐ qīng wú yú

1 lit. water that is too clean holds no fish (idiom)
2 fig. one who is too severe has no friends

水至清则无鱼，人至察则无徒

shuǐ zhì qīng zé wú yú , rén zhì chá zé wú tú

1 water that is too clear has no fish, and one who is too severe has no friends (idiom)

沉鱼落雁

chén yú luò yàn

1 lit. fish sink, goose alights (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); fig. female beauty captivating even the birds and beasts

混水摸鱼

hún shuǐ mō yú

1 to fish in troubled water (idiom); to take advantage of a crisis for personal gain
2 also written 渾水摸魚|浑水摸鱼

浑水摸鱼

hún shuǐ mō yú

1 to fish in troubled water (idiom); to take advantage of a crisis for personal gain

漏网之鱼

lòu wǎng zhī yú

1 a fish that escaped the net (idiom)
2 (fig.) sb or sth that slips through the net

濯锦以鱼

zhuó jǐn yǐ yú

1 to make the ugly beautiful (idiom)

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