一不做,二不休
yī bù zuò , èr bù xiū
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1 don't do it, or don't rest (idiom); either give up, or go through to the end
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2 Since we started, we must carry it through whatever happens.
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3 in for a penny, in for a pound
一干二净
yī gān èr jìng
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1 thoroughly (idiom)
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2 completely
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3 one and all
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4 very clean
一人得道,鸡犬升天
yī rén dé dào , jī quǎn shēng tiān
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1 lit. when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven (idiom)
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2 fig. to ride on sb else's success
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3 Once one man gets a government position, all his cronies get in too
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4 Once sb has cracked the problem, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do it
一个天南,一个地北
yī ge tiān nán , yī ge dì běi
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1 to live miles apart (idiom)
一传十,十传百
yī chuán shí , shí chuán bǎi
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1 news pass quickly from mouth to mouth (idiom)
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2 an infectious disease spreads quickly (old meaning)
一分为二
yī fēn wéi èr
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1 one divides into two
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2 to be two-sided
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3 there are two sides to everything
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4 to see both sb's good points and shortcomings (idiom)
一则以喜,一则以忧
yī zé yǐ xǐ , yī zé yǐ yōu
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1 happy on the one hand, but worried on the other (idiom)
一哭二闹三上吊
yī kū èr nào sān shàng diào
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1 to make a terrible scene (idiom)
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2 to throw a tantrum
一唱一和
yī chàng yī hè
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1 to echo one another (idiom)
一问三不知
yī wèn sān bù zhī
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1 lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)
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2 fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on
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3 complete ignorance
一回生二回熟
yī huí shēng èr huí shú
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1 unfamiliar at first, but well accustomed soon enough (idiom)
一团和气
yī tuán hé qì
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1 to keep on the right side of everyone (idiom)
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2 warm and affable
一尘不染
yī chén bù rǎn
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1 untainted by even a speck of dust (idiom); selfless and incorruptible
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2 spotless
一夫当关,万夫莫开
yī fū dāng guān , wàn fū mò kāi
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1 one man can hold the pass against ten thousand enemies (idiom)
一字不提
yī zì bù tí
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1 to not mention a single word (about sth) (idiom)
一寸光阴一寸金,寸金难买寸光阴
yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn , cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn
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1 lit. An interval of time is worth an ounce of gold, money cannot buy you time. (idiom)
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2 fig. Time is precious and must be treasured.
一山不容二虎
yī shān bù róng èr hǔ
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1 lit. the mountain can't have two tigers (idiom)
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2 fig. this town ain't big enough for the two of us
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3 (of two rivals) to be fiercely competitive
一心二用
yī xīn èr yòng
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1 to do two things at once (idiom)
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2 to multitask
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3 to divide one's attention
一成不变
yī chéng bù biàn
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1 nothing much changes (idiom); always the same
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2 stuck in a rut
一手交钱,一手交货
yī shǒu jiāo qián , yī shǒu jiāo huò
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1 lit. one hand exchanges the cash, the other the goods (idiom)
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2 fig. to pay for what you want in cash
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3 simple and direct transaction