不到黄河心不死
bù dào Huáng Hé xīn bù sǐ
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1 lit. not to stop until one reaches the Yellow River (idiom)
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2 fig. to persevere until one reaches one's goal
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3 to keep going while some hope is left
不是鱼死就是网破
bù shì yú sǐ jiù shì wǎng pò
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1 lit. either the fish dies or the net gets torn (idiom)
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2 fig. it's a life-and-death struggle
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3 it's either him or me
不知死活
bù zhī sǐ huó
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1 to act recklessly (idiom)
不要在一棵树上吊死
bù yào zài yī kē shù shàng diào sǐ
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1 don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom)
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2 there's more than one way to skin a cat
之乎者也
zhī hū zhě yě
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1 lit. 之[zhī], 乎[hū], 者[zhě] and 也[yě] (four grammatical particles of Classical Chinese) (idiom); fig. archaic expressions
九死一生
jiǔ sǐ yī shēng
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1 nine deaths and still alive (idiom); a narrow escape
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2 new lease of life
人为财死，鸟为食亡
rén wèi cái sǐ , niǎo wèi shí wáng
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1 lit. human beings will die for riches, just as birds will for food (idiom)
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2 fig. man will do anything in his means to become rich
仁者见仁，智者见智
rén zhě jiàn rén , zhì zhě jiàn zhì
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1 The benevolent sees benevolence, the wise sees wisdom.
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2 Different views are admissible. (idiom)
你死我活
nǐ sǐ wǒ huó
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1 lit. you die, I live (idiom); irreconcilable adversaries
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2 two parties cannot coexist
来者不善，善者不来
lái zhě bù shàn , shàn zhě bù lái
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1 He who comes is surely ill-intentioned, no-one well-meaning will come (idiom).
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2 Be careful not to trust foreigners.
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3 Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!
来者不拒
lái zhě bù jù
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1 to refuse nobody (idiom)
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2 all comers welcome
兔死狐悲
tù sǐ hú bēi
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1 lit. if the rabbit dies, the fox grieves (idiom); fig. to have sympathy with a like-minded person in distress
兔死狗烹
tù sǐ gǒu pēng
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1 lit. to boil the hound once it caught the rabbit (idiom)
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2 fig. to get rid of sb once he has served his purpose
出生入死
chū shēng rù sǐ
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1 from the cradle to the grave (idiom); to go through fire and water
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2 brave
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3 willing to risk life and limb
前不见古人，后不见来者
qián bù jiàn gǔ rén , hòu bù jiàn lái zhě
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1 unique
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2 unprecedented (idiom)
胜者王侯败者寇
shèng zhě wáng hóu bài zhě kòu
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1 the winners become princes and marquises; the losers are vilified as bandits (idiom)
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2 history is written by the victors
厚死薄生
hòu sǐ bó shēng
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1 lit. to praise the dead and revile the living
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2 fig. to live in the past (idiom)
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
垂死挣扎
chuí sǐ zhēng zhá
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1 deathbed struggle
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2 final struggle (idiom)
太公钓鱼，愿者上钩
tài gōng diào yú , yuàn zhě shàng gōu
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1 Jiang Ziya is fishing, if you want take the hook (idiom, refers to early sage 姜子牙 fishing with no bait and the hook above the water); to put one's head in the noose