1 lit. the old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best (idiom)
2 fig. a blessing in disguise
3 it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
南征北伐
nán zhēng běi fá
1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南征北战
nán zhēng běi zhàn
1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南征北讨
nán zhēng běi tǎo
1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南箕北斗
nán jī běi dǒu
1 the Winnowing Basket in the southern sky, and the Big Dipper in the north (idiom); sth which, despite its name, is of no practical use
南辕北辙
nán yuán běi zhé
1 to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
喝西北风
hē xī běi fēng
1 lit. drink the northwest wind (idiom); cold and hungry
大江南北
Dà jiāng nán běi
1 north and south sides of the Yangtze River (idiom)
2 (fig.) all over China
拳打脚踢
quán dǎ jiǎo tī
1 lit. to punch and kick (idiom); to beat up
2 fig. determined to sort out a problem
摩拳擦掌
mó quán cā zhǎng
1 fig. to rub one's fists and wipe one's palms (idiom)
2 to roll up one's sleeves for battle
3 eager to get into action or start on a task
泰山北斗
Tài shān Běi dǒu
1 as weighty as Mt Tai, as brilliant as the Big Dipper (idiom); a giant among men
花拳绣腿
huā quán xiù tuǐ
1 flowery of fist with fancy footwork (idiom)
2 highly embellished and ineffectual
3 fancy but impractical skills
4 all show and no go
5 pugilistic wankery
螳臂当车
táng bì dāng chē
1 a mantis trying to stop a chariot (idiom)
2 to overrate oneself and attempt sth impossible
3 also written 螳臂擋車|螳臂挡车[táng bì dǎng chē]
螳螂捕蝉
táng láng bǔ chán
1 the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger
螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后
táng láng bǔ chán , huáng què zài hòu
1 the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger
赤手空拳
chì shǒu kōng quán
1 empty hand, empty fist (idiom); having nothing to rely on