一山不容二虎
yī shān bù róng èr hǔ
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1 lit. the mountain can't have two tigers (idiom)
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2 fig. this town ain't big enough for the two of us
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3 (of two rivals) to be fiercely competitive
一木难支
yī mù nán zhī
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1 lit. a single post cannot prop up a falling house (idiom)
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2 fig. one is helpless alone
不识泰山
bù shí Tài Shān
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1 can't recognize Mt Taishan (idiom); fig. not to recognize a famous person
不显山不露水
bù xiǎn shān bù lù shuǐ
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1 lit. to not show the mountain and to not reveal the water (idiom); fig. to hide the key facts
人生一世,草木一春
rén shēng yī shì , cǎo mù yī chūn
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1 Man has but one life, grass but one spring (idiom). fig. the brevity of human existence
他山之石可以攻玉
tā shān zhī shí kě yǐ gōng yù
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1 lit. the other mountain's stone can polish jade (idiom); to improve oneself by accepting criticism from outside
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2 to borrow talent from abroad to develop the nation effectively
你走你的阳关道,我过我的独木桥
nǐ zǒu nǐ de Yáng guān Dào , wǒ guò wǒ de dú mù qiáo
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1 lit. you hit the high road, I'll cross the log bridge (idiom)
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2 fig. you go your way, I'll go mine
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3 you do it your way, I'll do it mine
兵败如山倒
bīng bài rú shān dǎo
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1 troops in defeat like a landslide (idiom); a beaten army in total collapse
刀山火海
dāo shān huǒ hǎi
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1 lit. mountains of daggers and seas of flames
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2 fig. extreme danger (idiom)
刚毅木讷
gāng yì mù nè
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1 resolute and taciturn (idiom)
十年树木,百年树人
shí nián shù mù , bǎi nián shù rén
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1 It takes ten years to nurture a tree, but a hundred years to train a man (idiom). A good education program takes a long time to develop.
名落孙山
míng luò Sūn Shān
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1 lit. to fall behind Sun Shan 孫山|孙山[Sūn Shān] (who came last in the imperial examination) (idiom)
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2 fig. to fail an exam
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3 to fall behind (in a competition)
呆若木鸡
dāi ruò mù jī
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1 lit. dumb as a wooden chicken (idiom); fig. dumbstruck
单丝不成线,独木不成林
dān sī bù chéng xiàn , dú mù bù chéng lín
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1 one strand does not make a thread, one tree does not make a forest (idiom)
土木形骸
tǔ mù xíng hái
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1 earth and wood framework (idiom); plain and undecorated body
土牛木马
tǔ niú mù mǎ
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1 clay ox, wooden horse (idiom); shape without substance
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2 worthless object
地动山摇
dì dòng shān yáo
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1 the earth quaked, the mountains shook (idiom); a tremendous battle
坐吃山空
zuò chī shān kōng
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1 lit. just sitting and eating, one can deplete even a mountain of wealth (idiom)
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2 fig. to spend one's money without generating any income
坐山观虎斗
zuò shān guān hǔ dòu
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1 sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight
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2 watch in safety whilst others fight then reap the rewards when both sides are exhausted (idiom)
执法如山
zhí fǎ rú shān
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1 to maintain the law as firm as a mountain (idiom); to enforce the law strictly