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
一清如水
yī qīng rú shuǐ
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1 lit. as clear as water (idiom)
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2 fig. (of officials etc) honest and incorruptible
一碗水端平
yī wǎn shuǐ duān píng
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1 lit. to hold a bowl of water level (idiom)
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2 fig. to be impartial
一见高低
yī jiàn gāo dī
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1 lit. to fight it out with sb to see who is best (idiom)
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2 fig. to cross swords with
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3 to lock horns
一点水一个泡
yī diǎn shuǐ yī gè pào
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1 honest and trustworthy (idiom)
三个和尚没水喝
sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē
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1 lit. three monks have no water to drink (idiom)
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2 fig. everybody's business is nobody's business
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3 (If there is one monk, he will fetch water for himself. If there are two, they will fetch water together. But if there are three or more, none will take it upon himself to fetch water.)
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
不识高低
bù shí gāo dī
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1 can't recognize tall or short (idiom); doesn't know what's what
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
事不关己，高高挂起
shì bù guān jǐ , gāo gāo guà qǐ
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1 to feel unconcerned and let matters rest (idiom)
人不可貌相，海水不可斗量
rén bù kě mào xiàng , hǎi shuǐ bù kě dǒu liáng
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1 you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)
人往高处走，水往低处流
rén wǎng gāo chù zǒu , shuǐ wǎng dī chù liú
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1 man seeks his way up just as water seeks its way down (idiom)
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2 one should constantly strive to make progress
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
债台高筑
zhài tái gāo zhù
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1 lit. build a high desk of debt (idiom); heavily in debt
兵来将挡，水来土掩
bīng lái jiàng dǎng , shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn
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1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
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2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
兵来将敌，水来土堰
bīng lái jiàng dí , shuǐ lái tǔ yàn
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1 counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir (idiom); different situations call for different action
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2 to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
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
出水芙蓉
chū shuǐ fú róng
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1 as a lotus flower breaking the surface (idiom); surpassingly beautiful (of young lady's face or old gentleman's calligraphy)
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)