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)
一落千丈
yī luò qiān zhàng
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1 lit. to drop a thousand zhang in one fall (idiom)
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2 fig. (of business, popularity etc) to suffer a sudden, devastating decline
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3 to take a dive
丈二和尚,摸不着头脑
zhàng èr hé shang , mō bu zháo tóu nǎo
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1 lit. like a three-meter high monk, you can't rub his head (idiom)
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2 fig. at a total loss
不以规矩,不能成方圆
bù yǐ guī ju , bù néng chéng fāng yuán
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1 without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules
不识大体
bù shí dà tǐ
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1 to fail to see the larger issue (idiom)
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2 to fail to grasp the big picture
久仰大名
jiǔ yǎng dà míng
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1 I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time (idiom)
以小挤大
yǐ xiǎo jǐ dà
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1 minor projects eclipse major ones (idiom)
任贤使能
rèn xián shǐ néng
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1 to appoint the virtuous and use the able (idiom); appointment on the basis of ability and integrity
伸手不见五指
shēn shǒu bù jiàn wǔ zhǐ
倘能如此
tǎng néng rú cǐ
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1 if it is possible (idiom)
元恶大憝
yuán è dà duì
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1 arch-criminal and archenemy (idiom)
冒大不韪
mào dà bù wěi
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1 to face opprobrium (idiom)
力所能及
lì suǒ néng jí
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1 as far as one's capabilities extend (idiom); to the best of one's ability
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2 within one's powers
卑躬屈膝
bēi gōng qū xī
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1 to bow and bend the knee (idiom); fawning
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2 bending and scraping to curry favor
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
吃饭皇帝大
chī fàn huáng dì dà
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1 eating comes first, then comes everything else (idiom) (Tw)
各尽所能
gè jìn suǒ néng
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1 each does his utmost (idiom)
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2 from each according to his means
哀莫大于心死
āi mò dà yú xīn sǐ
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1 nothing sadder than a withered heart (idiom attributed to Confucius by Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuāng zǐ])
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2 no greater sorrow than a heart that never rejoices
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3 the worst sorrow is not as bad as an uncaring heart
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4 nothing is more wretched than apathy
哄堂大笑
hōng táng dà xiào
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1 the whole room roaring with laughter (idiom)