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
先礼后兵
xiān lǐ hòu bīng
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1 peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence
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2 jaw-jaw is better than war-war
全民皆兵
quán mín jiē bīng
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1 to bring the entire nation to arms (idiom)
兵不血刃
bīng bù xuè rèn
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1 lit. no blood on the men's swords (idiom); fig. an effortless victory
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
兵家常事
bīng jiā cháng shì
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1 commonplace in military operations (idiom)
兵强马壮
bīng qiáng mǎ zhuàng
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1 lit. strong soldiers and sturdy horses (idiom)
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2 fig. a well-trained and powerful army
兵戈扰攘
bīng gē rǎo rǎng
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1 arms and confusion (idiom); turmoil of war
兵戎相见
bīng róng xiāng jiàn
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1 to meet on the battlefield (idiom)
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
兵精粮足
bīng jīng liáng zú
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1 elite soldiers, ample provisions (idiom); well-prepared forces
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2 preparations for war are in an advanced state
兵临城下
bīng lín chéng xià
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1 soldiers at the city walls (idiom); fig. at a critical juncture