不听老人言，吃亏在眼前
bù tīng lǎo rén yán , chī kuī zài yǎn qián
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1 (idiom) ignore your elders at your peril
不要在一棵树上吊死
bù yào zài yī kē shù shàng diào sǐ
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1 don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom)
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2 there's more than one way to skin a cat
兔子不吃窝边草
tù zi bù chī wō biān cǎo
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1 A rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow (idiom); One shouldn't do anything to harm one's neighbors.
刀不磨要生锈，人不学要落后
dāo bù mó yào shēng xiù , rén bù xué yào luò hòu
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1 a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study (idiom)
切中要害
qiè zhòng yào hài
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1 to hit the target and do real damage (idiom)
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2 fig. to hit where it hurts
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3 fig. to hit home
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4 an argument that hits the nail on the head
又要马儿跑，又要马儿不吃草
yòu yào mǎ r5 pǎo , yòu yào mǎ r5 bù chī cǎo
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1 lit. you can't expect the horse to run fast but not let it graze (idiom)
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2 fig. you can't have your cake and eat it, too
只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针
zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn , tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn
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1 If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.
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2 cf idiom 磨杵成針|磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task
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3 to study diligently
吃一堑，长一智
chī yī qiàn , zhǎng yī zhì
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1 Fall into the moat and you'll be wiser next time (idiom); One only learns from one's mistakes.
吃不了兜着走
chī bu liǎo dōu zhe zǒu
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1 lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom)
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2 fig. you'll have to take the consequences
吃人家的嘴软，拿人家的手短
chī rén jiā de zuǐ ruǎn , ná rén jiā de shǒu duǎn
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1 lit. the mouth that has been fed by others is soft, the hand that has received doesn't reach (idiom)
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2 fig. one is partial to those from whom presents have been accepted
吃人血馒头
chī rén xuè mán tou
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1 to take advantage of others' misfortune (idiom)
吃力不讨好
chī lì bù tǎo hǎo
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1 arduous and thankless task (idiom); strenuous and unrewarding
吃喝玩乐
chī hē wán lè
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1 to eat, drink and be merry (idiom)
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2 to abandon oneself to a life of pleasure
吃大锅饭
chī dà guō fàn
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1 lit. to eat from the common pot (idiom)
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2 fig. to be rewarded the same, regardless of performance
吃水不忘掘井人
chī shuǐ bù wàng jué jǐng rén
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1 Drinking the water of a well, one should never forget who dug it. (idiom)
吃熊心豹子胆
chī xióng xīn bào zi dǎn
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1 to eat bear heart and leopard gall (idiom)
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2 to pluck up some courage
吃粮不管事
chī liáng bù guǎn shì
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1 to eat without working (idiom)
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2 to take one's pay and not care about the rest
吃苦耐劳
chī kǔ nài láo
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1 hardworking and enduring hardships (idiom)
吃着碗里，看着锅里
chī zhe wǎn lǐ , kàn zhe guō lǐ
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1 lit. eyeing what's in the pot as one eats from one's bowl (idiom)
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2 not content with what one already has
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3 (of men, typically) to have the wandering eye
吃软不吃硬
chī ruǎn bù chī yìng
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1 lit. eats soft food, but refuses hard food (idiom)
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2 amenable to coaxing but not coercion