HEYGOW
Four-character idioms 100
100
phrases
Learning
10
Doing a job properly
10
What someone is like
10
Between people
10
Time and change
10
Hard times
10
Ways of putting things
10
Judgement
10
Scale and degree
10
How it turns out
10
温故知新。
wēn gù zhī xīn.
— review the old to learn the new
循序渐进。
xún xù jiàn jìn.
— advance step by step
学无止境。
xué wú zhǐ jìng.
— learning has no limit
举一反三。
jǔ yī fǎn sān.
— learn one thing, infer three
触类旁通。
chù lèi páng tōng.
— grasp one, understand the rest
融会贯通。
róng huì guàn tōng.
— make it all hang together
勤能补拙。
qín néng bǔ zhuō.
— diligence makes up for talent
持之以恒。
chí zhī yǐ héng.
— keep at it steadily
事半功倍。
shì bàn gōng bèi.
— half the work, twice the result
博学多才。
bó xué duō cái.
— widely read and gifted
全力以赴。
quán lì yǐ fù.
— give it everything
一丝不苟。
yì sī bù gǒu.
— meticulous to the last detail
精益求精。
jīng yì qiú jīng.
— always striving for better
脚踏实地。
jiǎo tà shí dì.
— keep your feet on the ground
水到渠成。
shuǐ dào qú chéng.
— it happens when the time is right
事在人为。
shì zài rén wéi.
— it comes down to effort
立竿见影。
lì gān jiàn yǐng.
— instant results
名副其实。
míng fù qí shí.
— living up to the name
有条不紊。
yǒu tiáo bù wěn.
— orderly and unhurried
功亏一篑。
gōng kuī yí kuì.
— failing at the last step
平易近人。
píng yì jìn rén.
— approachable and unpretentious
光明磊落。
guāng míng lěi luò.
— open and above board
表里如一。
biǎo lǐ rú yī.
— the same inside and out
一意孤行。
yí yì gū xíng.
— insisting on his own way
自以为是。
zì yǐ wéi shì.
— convinced he's always right
不拘小节。
bù jū xiǎo jié.
— not one for petty details
谦虚谨慎。
qiān xū jǐn shèn.
— modest and careful
深藏不露。
shēn cáng bú lù.
— hiding his depth
锋芒毕露。
fēng máng bì lù.
— showing off every talent
恰如其分。
qià rú qí fèn.
— pitched exactly right
将心比心。
jiāng xīn bǐ xīn.
— put yourself in their place
推心置腹。
tuī xīn zhì fù.
— speaking heart to heart
同甘共苦。
tóng gān gòng kǔ.
— share the sweet and the bitter
不分彼此。
bù fēn bǐcǐ.
— no line between us
一见如故。
yí jiàn rú gù.
— old friends at first meeting
相辅相成。
xiāng fǔ xiāng chéng.
— each completing the other
各抒己见。
gè shū jǐ jiàn.
— everyone has their say
求同存异。
qiú tóng cún yì.
— agree where you can, allow the rest
以和为贵。
yǐ hé wéi guì.
— harmony above all
志同道合。
zhì tóng dào hé.
— of one mind and purpose
与时俱进。
yǔ shí jù jìn.
— moving with the times
日新月异。
rì xīn yuè yì.
— changing by the day
一如既往。
yì rú jì wǎng.
— just as before
昙花一现。
tán huā yí xiàn.
— a brief flowering
稍纵即逝。
shāo zòng jí shì.
— gone in an instant
分秒必争。
fēn miǎo bì zhēng.
— every second counts
争分夺秒。
zhēng fēn duó miǎo.
— racing against the clock
有朝一日。
yǒu zhāo yí rì.
— one of these days
时过境迁。
shí guò jìng qiān.
— times have moved on
恍如隔世。
huǎng rú gé shì.
— like another lifetime ago
举步维艰。
jǔ bù wéi jiān.
— every step is a struggle
走投无路。
zǒu tóu wú lù.
— nowhere left to turn
山穷水尽。
shān qióng shuǐ jìn.
— at the very end of your rope
柳暗花明。
liǔ àn huā míng.
— a way opens after all
迎刃而解。
yíng rèn ér jiě.
— it resolves itself easily
化险为夷。
huà xiǎn wéi yí.
— turn danger into safety
力不从心。
lì bù cóng xīn.
— willing but unable
骑虎难下。
qí hǔ nán xià.
— unable to back out now
进退两难。
jìn tuì liǎng nán.
— damned either way
苦尽甘来。
kǔ jìn gān lái.
— sweetness after the bitter
言简意赅。
yán jiǎn yì gāi.
— brief but complete
滔滔不绝。
tāo tāo bù jué.
— talking without pause
语重心长。
yǔ zhòng xīn cháng.
— earnest and heartfelt words
三言两语。
sān yán liǎng yǔ.
— in a few words
娓娓道来。
wěi wěi dào lái.
— telling it smoothly and well
一语中的。
yì yǔ zhòng dì.
— one sentence hits the target
含糊其辞。
hán hu qí cí.
— being deliberately vague
不言而喻。
bù yán ér yù.
— it goes without saying
词不达意。
cí bù dá yì.
— the words don't carry the meaning
名正言顺。
míng zhèng yán shùn.
— on perfectly proper grounds
实事求是。
shí shì qiú shì.
— go by the facts
因地制宜。
yīn dì zhì yí.
— adapt to local conditions
三思而行。
sān sī ér xíng.
— think thrice before acting
权衡利弊。
quán héng lì bì.
— weigh the pros and cons
当机立断。
dāng jī lì duàn.
— decide on the spot
顺其自然。
shùn qí zì rán.
— let it take its course
未雨绸缪。
wèi yǔ chóu móu.
— prepare before the storm
有备无患。
yǒu bèi wú huàn.
— preparation prevents trouble
得不偿失。
dé bù cháng shī.
— the gain doesn't cover the loss
因小失大。
yīn xiǎo shī dà.
— losing much for the sake of little
人山人海。
rén shān rén hǎi.
— a sea of people
络绎不绝。
luò yì bù jué.
— a steady stream of them
一目了然。
yí mù liǎo rán.
— clear at a glance
五花八门。
wǔ huā bā mén.
— all sorts of everything
层出不穷。
céng chū bù qióng.
— coming up endlessly
空前绝后。
kōng qián jué hòu.
— unmatched before or since
数不胜数。
shǔ bù shèng shǔ.
— too many to count
屈指可数。
qū zhǐ kě shǔ.
— few enough to count on one hand
恰到好处。
qià dào hǎo chù.
— exactly right
微不足道。
wēi bù zú dào.
— hardly worth mentioning
塞翁失马。
sài wēng shī mǎ.
— no telling if it's good or bad yet
水落石出。
shuǐ luò shí chū.
— the truth will surface
皆大欢喜。
jiē dà huān xǐ.
— everyone goes home happy
功成名就。
gōng chéng míng jiù.
— success and recognition
前功尽弃。
qián gōng jìn qì.
— all that work for nothing
自食其果。
zì shí qí guǒ.
— he brought it on himself
出乎意料。
chū hū yì liào.
— against all expectation
意料之中。
yì liào zhī zhōng.
— just as expected
万事如意。
wàn shì rú yì.
— may everything go your way
心想事成。
xīn xiǎng shì chéng.
— may your wishes come true