一问三不知
yī wèn sān bù zhī
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1 lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)
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2 fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on
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3 complete ignorance
一年之计在于春
yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn
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1 the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom)
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2 early planning is the key to success
一望而知
yī wàng ér zhī
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1 to be evident at a glance (idiom)
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
一无所知
yī wú suǒ zhī
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1 not knowing anything at all (idiom); completely ignorant
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2 without an inkling
一知半解
yī zhī bàn jiě
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1 lit. to know one and understand half (idiom); a smattering of knowledge
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2 dilettante
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3 amateur
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
一叶知秋
yī yè zhī qiū
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1 lit. the falling of one leaf heralds the coming of autumn (idiom)
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2 fig. a small sign can indicate a great trend
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3 a straw in the wind
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.)
不当家不知柴米贵
bù dāng jiā bù zhī chái mǐ guì
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1 a person who doesn't manage a household would not be aware how expensive it is (idiom)
不知丁董
bù zhī Dīng Dǒng
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1 forgetting the fate of Ding and Dong (idiom)
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2 unheeding the lessons of the past
不知好歹
bù zhī hǎo dǎi
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1 unable to differentiate good from bad (idiom)
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2 not to know what's good for one
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3 unable to recognize others' good intentions
不知所措
bù zhī suǒ cuò
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1 not knowing what to do (idiom); at one's wits' end
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2 embarrassed and at a complete loss
不知死活
bù zhī sǐ huó
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1 to act recklessly (idiom)
不知轻重
bù zhī qīng zhòng
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1 lit. not knowing what's important (idiom); no appreciation of the gravity of things
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2 naive
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3 doesn't know who's who
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4 no sense of priorities
不知进退
bù zhī jìn tuì
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1 not knowing when to come or leave (idiom); with no sense of propriety
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)
人在江湖,身不由己
rén zài jiāng hú , shēn bù yóu jǐ
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1 you can't always do as you like
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2 one has to compromise in this world (idiom)