一清如水
yī qīng rú shuǐ
-
1 lit. as clear as water (idiom)
-
2 fig. (of officials etc) honest and incorruptible
一无所有
yī wú suǒ yǒu
-
1 not having anything at all (idiom); utterly lacking
-
2 without two sticks to rub together
一碗水端平
yī wǎn shuǐ duān píng
-
1 lit. to hold a bowl of water level (idiom)
-
2 fig. to be impartial
一点水一个泡
yī diǎn shuǐ yī gè pào
-
1 honest and trustworthy (idiom)
三人行,必有我师
sān rén xíng , bì yǒu wǒ shī
-
1 lit. if three walk together, one can be my teacher (idiom, from the Analects of Confucius)
-
2 you have sth to learn from everyone
三个和尚没水喝
sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē
-
1 lit. three monks have no water to drink (idiom)
-
2 fig. everybody's business is nobody's business
-
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.)
三生有幸
sān shēng yǒu xìng
-
1 the blessing of three lifetimes (idiom)
-
2 (courteous language) it's my good fortune...
上有天堂,下有苏杭
shàng yǒu tiān táng , xià yǒu Sū Háng
-
1 lit. there is heaven above, and there is 蘇杭|苏杭[Sū Háng] below (idiom)
-
2 fig. the beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou is comparable with heaven
上有政策,下有对策
shàng yǒu zhèng cè , xià yǒu duì cè
-
1 The higher ups have policies while the lower downs have their own ways of getting around them. (idiom)
上有老下有小
shàng yǒu lǎo xià yǒu xiǎo
-
1 lit. above are the elderly, below are the young (idiom)
-
2 fig. to have to take care of both one's aging parents and one's children
-
3 sandwich generation
不求有功,但求无过
bù qiú yǒu gōng , dàn qiú wú guò
-
1 lit. not aiming to achieve the best possible result, but rather trying to avoid making mistakes (idiom)
-
2 fig. to take a risk-averse approach
不显山不露水
bù xiǎn shān bù lù shuǐ
-
1 lit. to not show the mountain and to not reveal the water (idiom); fig. to hide the key facts
世上无难事,只怕有心人
shì shàng wú nán shì , zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén
-
1 there is nothing the determined person can't accomplish (idiom)
-
2 persistence will overcome
二虎相斗,必有一伤
èr hǔ xiāng dòu , bì yǒu yī shāng
-
1 lit. when two tigers fight, one is sure to be wounded (idiom)
-
2 fig. if it comes to a fight, someone will get hurt
互通有无
hù tōng yǒu wú
-
1 mutual exchange of assistance (idiom)
-
2 to benefit from each other's strengths and make up each other's shortfalls
-
3 to reciprocate with material assistance
-
4 scratch each other's back
井井有条
jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo
-
1 everything clear and orderly (idiom); neat and tidy
井然有序
jǐng rán yǒu xù
-
1 everything clear and in good order (idiom); neat and tidy
人不可貌相,海水不可斗量
rén bù kě mào xiàng , hǎi shuǐ bù kě dǒu liáng
-
1 you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)
人外有人,天外有天
rén wài yǒu rén , tiān wài yǒu tiān
-
1 in the wider world there are people more talented than oneself (idiom)
人往高处走,水往低处流
rén wǎng gāo chù zǒu , shuǐ wǎng dī chù liú
-
1 man seeks his way up just as water seeks its way down (idiom)
-
2 one should constantly strive to make progress