三缄其口
sān jiān qí kǒu
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1 (idiom) reluctant to speak about it
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2 tight-lipped
上下其手
shàng xià qí shǒu
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1 to raise and lower one's hand (idiom); to signal as conspiratorial hint
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2 fig. conspiring to defraud
不胜其苦
bù shèng qí kǔ
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1 unable to bear the pain (idiom)
不厌其烦
bù yàn qí fán
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1 not to mind taking all the trouble (idiom)
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2 to take great pains
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3 to be very patient
不安其室
bù ān qí shì
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1 to be discontented with one's home
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2 to have adulterous relations after marriage (of women) (idiom)
不计其数
bù jì qí shù
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1 lit. their number cannot be counted (idiom); fig. countless
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2 innumerable
以其人之道,还治其人之身
yǐ qí rén zhī dào , huán zhì qí rén zhī shēn
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1 to use an opponent's own methods to obtain retribution (idiom, from Song dynasty neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi 朱熹); to get revenge by playing sb back at his own game
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2 to give sb a taste of his own medicine
任其自然
rèn qí zì rán
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1 to let things take their course (idiom)
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2 to leave it to nature
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3 laissez-faire
兄弟阋于墙,外御其侮
xiōng dì xì yú qiáng , wài yù qí wǔ
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1 internal disunity dissolves at the threat of an invasion from outside (idiom)
先下手为强
xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng
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1 strike first and gain the upper hand (idiom, martial arts term); Making the first move is an advantage.
先斩后奏
xiān zhǎn hòu zòu
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1 first decapitate then present your trophy (idiom); act first, report later
先发制人
xiān fā zhì rén
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1 to gain the initiative by striking first (idiom); to preempt
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2 to anticipate
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3 preemptive
先睹为快
xiān dǔ wéi kuài
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1 joy of first experience (idiom)
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2 the pleasure of reading sth for the first time
先礼后兵
xiān lǐ hòu bīng
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1 peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence
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2 jaw-jaw is better than war-war
两全其美
liǎng quán qí měi
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1 to satisfy rival demands (idiom)
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2 to get the best of both worlds
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3 to have it both ways
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4 to have one's cake and eat it too
兵马未动,粮草先行
bīng mǎ wèi dòng , liáng cǎo xiān xíng
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1 before the troops move, fodder and provisions go first (idiom); logistics comes before military maneuvers
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2 an army marches on its stomach
其貌不扬
qí mào bù yáng
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1 (idiom) nothing special to look at
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2 unprepossessing
出其不意
chū qí bù yì
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1 to do sth when least expected (idiom); to catch sb off guard
出其不意,攻其不备
chū qí bù yì , gōng qí bù bèi
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1 to catch an enemy off guard with a surprise attack (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法[Sūn zǐ Bīng fǎ])
勉为其难
miǎn wéi qí nán
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1 to tackle a difficult job (idiom)
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2 to do sth reluctantly