1 small capital, huge profit (idiom); to put in a little and get a lot out
三句话不离本行
sān jù huà bù lí běn háng
1 to talk shop all the time (idiom)
以其人之道，还治其人之身
yǐ qí rén zhī dào , huán zhì qí rén zhī shēn
1 to use an opponent's own methods to obtain retribution (idiom, from Song dynasty neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi 朱熹); to get revenge by playing sb back at his own game
2 to give sb a taste of his own medicine
勤俭为服务之本
qín jiǎn wéi fú wù zhī běn
1 hardwork and thriftiness are the foundations of service (idiom)
报本反始
bào běn fǎn shǐ
1 ensure that you pay debts of gratitude (idiom)
家家有本难念的经
jiā jiā yǒu běn nán niàn de jīng
1 Every family goes through its problems. (idiom)
慈悲为本
cí bēi wéi běn
1 mercy as the guiding principle (idiom); the Buddhist teaching that nothing is valid except compassion
舍本逐末
shě běn zhú mò
1 to neglect the root and pursue the tip (idiom)
2 to neglect fundamentals and concentrate on details
文治武功
wén zhì wǔ gōng
1 political and military achievements (idiom)
本性难移
běn xìng nán yí
1 It is hard to change one's essential nature (idiom). You can't change who you are.
2 Can the leopard change his spots? (Jeremiah 13:23)
本末倒置
běn mò dào zhì
1 lit. to invert root and branch (idiom); fig. confusing cause and effect
2 to stress the incidental over the fundamental
3 to put the cart before the horse
江山易改，本性难移
jiāng shān yì gǎi , běn xìng nán yí
1 it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom)
2 you can't change who you are
3 Can the leopard change his spots?
治丧从俭
zhì sàng cóng jiǎn
1 to be frugal in attending to funeral rites (idiom)
治大国若烹小鲜
zhì dà guó ruò pēng xiǎo xiān
1 ruling a large nation is like cooking a small delicacy (idiom)
2 effective government requires minimal intervention
臻于郅治
zhēn yú zhì zhì
1 to attain a state of perfect governance (idiom)
血本无归
xuè běn wú guī
1 to lose everything one invested (idiom)
2 to lose one's shirt
变本加厉
biàn běn jiā lì
1 lit. change to more severe (idiom); to become more intense (esp. of shortcoming)
2 to aggravate
3 to intensify
齐家治国
qí jiā zhì guó
1 to regulate the family and rule the state (idiom)