The Chinese Language Institute | 22 Common Chinese Idioms

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1		22 Common Chinese Idioms The Chinese Language Institute
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4	汉字	Pinyin	English
5	绘声绘色	huìshēng-huìsè	vivid and colorful, true to life
6	未雨绸缪	wèiyǔ-chóumóu	lit. before it rains, bind around with silk; fig. to prepare for a rainy day
7	呕心沥血	ǒuxīn-lìxuè	lit. to spit out one's heart and spill blood; fig. to work one's heart out
8	想入非非	xiǎngrùfēifēi	to indulge in fantasy
9	人声鼎沸	rénshēng-dǐngfèi	lit. a boiling cauldron of voices; a noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something
10	祸不单行	huòbùdānxíng	misfortune does not come singly; when it rains it pours
11	息息相关	xīxī-xiāngguān	closely bound up
12	灯红酒绿	dēnghóng-jiǔlǜ	lit. lanterns red, wine green; fig. feasting and pleasure seeking
13	一暴十寒	yīpù-shíhán	lit. have one day's sun and 10 days' cold; fig. sporadic effort; to work for a day then skimp
14	出神入化	chūshén-rùhuà	to reach perfection
15	面面相觑	miànmiàn-xiàngqù	to look at each other in dismay
16	小心翼翼	xiǎoxīn-yìyì	cautious and solemn
17	敝帚自珍	bìzhǒuzìzhēn	lit. value the broom as one's own; fig. to attached value to something that is your own
18	天壤之别	tiānrǎngzhībié	lit. as different as sky and earth; fig. worlds apart
19	振聋发聩	zhènlóng-fākuì	lit. so loud that even the deaf can hear; fig. rousing even the apathetic
20	津津有味	jīnjīn-yǒuwèi	with great interest
21	琳琅满目	línláng-mǎnmù	lit. glittering jewels to delight the eyes; fig. a dazzling line-up
22	聚精会神	jùjīng-huìshén	to concentrate one's attention
23	蔚然成风	wèirán-chéngfēng	to become a general trend
24	目不斜视	mùbùxiéshì	lit. not look sideways; fig. to be fully concentrated
25	如法炮制	rúfǎ-páozhì	lit. to prepare the herbal medicine by the prescribed method; fig. to follow a set pattern
26	老马识途	lǎomǎ-shítú	lit. an old horse knows the way; fig. an experienced worker knows what to do
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31	Chinese Idioms		www.studycli.org
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