Allegories

Lesson 12 More >>
sān ge chòu pí jiang – dĭng ge zhū gĕ liàng
三个臭皮匠 – 顶个诸葛亮
Three cobblers with their wits combined equal the mastermind Zhuge Liang – Collective wisdom often proves superior; two heads are better than one.
zhōu yú dă huáng gài – yī ge yuàn dă yī ge yuàn ái
周瑜打黄盖 – 一个愿打，一个愿挨
Zhou Yu (a famous military strategist for the State of Wu during the period of the Three Kingdoms) beats Huang Gai (a military general for the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms) – The punishment is appropriately given by one and willingly accepted by the other.
Lesson 11 More >>
yă ba chī jiăo zi – xīn lĭ yŏu shù
哑巴吃饺子 – 心里有数
A dumb person eats dumplings. – (literally) He knows the number in his mind, although he cannot say it. Figuratively, it means somebody has a clear idea of the situation.
máng rén qí xiā mă – luàn chuăng luàn pèng
盲人骑瞎马 – 乱闯乱碰
A blind man on a blind horse – rushing headlong into disaster

Lesson 10 More >>
dà hăi lāo zhēn – wú chù xún
大海捞针 – 无处寻
Fish for a needle in the ocean – one can find it nowhere; be next to impossible
shā jī yòng niú dāo – xiăo tí dà zuò
杀鸡用牛刀 – 小题大做
Use a butcher's knife or cleaver to kill a chicken – break a butterfly on the wheel; use a hammer to swat a fly
Lesson 9 More >>
dāng yī tiān hé shang zhuàng yī tiān zhōng – dé guò qiĕ guò
当一天和尚撞一天钟 – 得过且过
Go on tolling the bell as long as one is a monk – drift or muddle along; do the least that is expected of one; take a passive attitude towards one's work.
ài kè sī guāng zhào rén – kàn tòu le
爱克斯光照人 – 看透了
X-ray somebody –see through him/her.

Lesson 8 More >>
jĭng dĭ de há ma – jiàn shi shăo
井底的蛤蟆 – 见识少
Frog in a well – A person with a very limited outlook
kŏng fū zĭ de kŏu dài – shū dāi (dài) zi
孔夫子的口袋 – 书呆（袋）子
Confucius' bag is full of books. (Confucius is the Chinese philosopher, educator and founder of Confucianism in late Spring and Autumn Period.) – Somebody is a pedant or bookworm.
Lesson 7 More >>
shí wŭ ge diào tŏng dă shuǐ – qī shàng bā xià
十五个吊桶打水 – 七上八下
Have one's heart clang like fifteen buckets in one well, seven going up and eight going down – have one's heart pound with uncertainty, fear or turmoil
niú tóu bù duì mă zuĭ – hú lā luàn chĕ
牛头不对马嘴 – 胡拉乱扯
Horses' jaws don't match cows' heads – incongruous; irrelevant

Lesson 6 More >>
tū tóu shàng de shī zi – míng băi zhe
秃头上的虱子 – 明摆着
Like a flea on a bald head – perfectly clear
kŏng fū zǐ bān jiā – jìn shì shū (shū)
孔夫子搬家 – 尽是书（输）
When Confucius moves (houses), there is nothing but books (because he is a philosopher). – Figuratively, it means you always lose (书 is a homophone for 输)
Lesson 5 More >>
fēng chuī qiáng tóu căo – liăng biān dăo
风吹墙头草 – 两边倒
The grass on top of a wall blows either way with the wind – someone who sits on the fence will end up going along with the crowd; to sit on the fence
dă zhǒng liăn chōng pàng zi – sĭ yào miàn zi
打肿脸充胖子 – 死要面子
Try to look fat by slapping one's face till it's swollen – to try to look impressive; be keen on face-saving

Lesson 4 More >>
lăo shŭ guò jiē – rén rén hăn dă
老鼠过街 – 人人喊打
A rat runs across the street. – Everybody shouts, "Kill it!"; to be extremely unpopular
duì niú tán qín – bù qĭ zuò yòng
对牛弹琴 – 不起作用
Play the lute to a cow – address the wrong audience; to act to little effect
Lesson 3 More >>
xiā zi diǎn dēng – bái fèi là
瞎子点灯 – 白费蜡
Lighting a candle for a blind man– a waste of effort or time
lóng zi de ĕr duo – băi shè
聋子的耳朵 – 摆设
A deaf man's ears - they are merely ornamental; something done just for show

Lesson 2 More >>
qí lǘ kàn chàng běn – zǒu zhe qiáo
骑驴看唱本 – 走着瞧
Reading a play while riding a donkey – wait and see
qiān lǐ sòng é máo – lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng
千里送鹅毛 -- 礼轻情意重
Goose feather sent from 500 kilometers away – a small gift sent from afar conveys deep feelin
Lesson 1 More >>
gǒu ná hào zi – duō guǎn xián shì
狗拿耗子 – 多管闲事
Dog trying to catch mice – meddling in other people's business
xiǎo cōng bàn dòu fu – yī qīng èr bái
小葱拌豆腐 – 一清二白
White bean curd and green scallions – as clear as daylight

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