一言九鼎
yī yán jiǔ dǐng
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1 one word worth nine sacred tripods (idiom); words of enormous weight
三旬九食
sān xún jiǔ shí
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1 lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom)
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2 fig. (of a family) on the brink of starvation
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3 in dire straits
九天揽月
jiǔ tiān lǎn yuè
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1 to reach for the stars (idiom)
九死一生
jiǔ sǐ yī shēng
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1 nine deaths and still alive (idiom); a narrow escape
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2 new lease of life
九牛一毛
jiǔ niú yī máo
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1 lit. one hair from nine oxen (idiom)
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2 fig. a drop in the ocean
九牛二虎之力
jiǔ niú èr hǔ zhī lì
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1 tremendous strength (idiom)
九霄云外
jiǔ xiāo yún wài
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1 beyond the topmost clouds (idiom)
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2 unimaginably far away
人在江湖,身不由己
rén zài jiāng hú , shēn bù yóu jǐ
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1 you can't always do as you like
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2 one has to compromise in this world (idiom)
偶语弃市
ǒu yǔ qì shì
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1 chance remarks can lead to public execution (idiom)
大江南北
Dà jiāng nán běi
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1 north and south sides of the Yangtze River (idiom)
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2 (fig.) all over China
招摇过市
zhāo yáo guò shì
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1 to parade oneself ostentatiously about town (idiom)
指点江山
zhǐ diǎn jiāng shān
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1 to talk idly about important matters (idiom)
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2 to set the world to rights
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3 to pass judgment on everything
文江学海
wén jiāng xué hǎi
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1 river of literacy, sea of learning (idiom); ars longa, vita brevis
春江水暖鸭先知
chūn jiāng shuǐ nuǎn yā xiān zhī
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1 lit. the duck is the first to know if the spring water is warm (idiom)
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2 fig. an expert in the field knows which way the wind blows
江山易改,本性难移
jiāng shān yì gǎi , běn xìng nán yí
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1 it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom)
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2 you can't change who you are
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3 Can the leopard change his spots?
江河日下
jiāng hé rì xià
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1 rivers pour away by the day (idiom); going from bad to worse
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2 deteriorating day by day
江郎才尽
Jiāng láng cái jìn
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1 Jiang Yan has exhausted his talent (idiom)
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2 fig. to have used up one's creative powers
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3 to have writer's block
无颜见江东父老
wú yán jiàn Jiāng dōng fù lǎo
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1 (idiom) to be unable to return to one's hometown due to the shame of failure (originally referred to Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiàng Yǔ], who chose not to retreat to Jiangdong after his humiliating defeat)
绑赴市曹
bǎng fù shì cáo
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1 to bind up and take to the market (idiom); to take a prisoner to the town center for execution
翻江倒海
fān jiāng dǎo hǎi
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1 lit. overturning seas and rivers (idiom)
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2 fig. overwhelming
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3 earth-shattering
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4 in a spectacular mess