一夫当关，万夫莫开
yī fū dāng guān , wàn fū mò kāi
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1 one man can hold the pass against ten thousand enemies (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
人生如朝露
rén shēng rú zhāo lù
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1 human life as the morning dew (idiom); fig. ephemeral and precarious nature of human existence
人生朝露
rén shēng zhāo lù
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1 human life as the morning dew (idiom); fig. ephemeral and precarious nature of human existence
凶相毕露
xiōng xiàng bì lù
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1 show one's ferocious appearance (idiom); the atrocious features revealed
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2 with fangs bared
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
出水芙蓉
chū shuǐ fú róng
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1 as a lotus flower breaking the surface (idiom); surpassingly beautiful (of young lady's face or old gentleman's calligraphy)
初露头角
chū lù tóu jiǎo
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1 lit. to first show one's horns (idiom); fig. a first show of emerging talent
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2 first sign of emerging talent
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3 budding genius
十指不沾阳春水
shí zhǐ bù zhān yáng chūn shuǐ
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1 to have no need to fend for oneself (idiom)
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2 to lead a pampered life
半瓶水响叮当
bàn píng shuǐ xiǎng dīng dāng
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1 lit. if you tap a half-empty bottle it makes a sound (idiom)
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2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
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3 one who has a little knowledge likes to show off, but one who is truly knowledgeable is modest
危如朝露
wēi rú zhāo lù
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1 precarious as the morning dew (idiom); fig. ephemeral and precarious nature of human existence
危若朝露
wēi ruò zhāo lù
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1 precarious as morning dew (idiom); unlikely to last out the day