Common Chinese Chengyu
Four-character Chinese idioms, ranked by how often they appear in the dictionary, with pinyin and English translation.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Translation | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 斩草除根斬草除根 | to cut weeds and eliminate the roots (idiom) / to destroy root and branch / to eliminate completely | syn | |
| 从天而降從天而降 | (idiom) to fall from the sky / (idiom) (fig.) to appear unexpectedly / to drop into one's lap | syn | |
| 坚持不懈堅持不懈 | to persevere unremittingly (idiom) / to keep going until the end | syn | |
| 善解人意 | to be good at understanding others (idiom) | ||
| 蠢蠢欲动蠢蠢欲動 | to begin to stir (idiom) / to get restless / to become threatening | syn | |
| 不屑一顾不屑一顧 | to disdain as beneath contempt (idiom) | syn | |
| 息息相关息息相關 | closely bound up (idiom) / intimately related | syn | |
| 赏心悦目賞心悅目 | warms the heart and delights the eye (idiom) / pleasing / delightful | syn | |
| 此起彼伏 | up here, down there (idiom) / to rise and fall in succession / no sooner one subsides, the next arises / repeating continuously / occurring again and again (of applause, fires, waves, protests, conflicts, uprisings etc) | syn | |
| 家喻户晓家喻戶曉 | understood by everyone (idiom) / well known / a household name | syn | |
| 目不转睛目不轉睛 | unable to take one's eyes off (idiom) / to gaze steadily / to stare | syn | |
| 力不从心力不從心 | less capable than desirable (idiom) / not as strong as one would wish / the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak | syn | |
| 精益求精 | (idiom) to constantly seek to improve / to keep perfecting | syn | |
| 脚踏实地腳踏實地 | to have one's feet firmly planted on the ground (idiom) / realistic without flights of fancy / steady and serious character | syn | |
| 滔滔不绝滔滔不絕 | (idiom) to produce a torrent of words / to talk on and on | ||
| 再接再厉再接再厲 | to continue the struggle (idiom) / to persist / unremitting efforts | syn | |
| 罪魁祸首罪魁禍首 | criminal ringleader, main offender (idiom) / main culprit / fig. main cause of a disaster | syn | |
| 因地制宜 | (idiom) to use methods in line with local circumstances | syn | |
| 惨不忍睹慘不忍睹 | lit. so horrible that one cannot bear to look (idiom) / fig. miserable / horrendous / atrocious | syn | |
| 无缘无故無緣無故 | no cause, no reason (idiom) / completely uncalled for | syn | |
| 默默无闻默默無聞 | obscure and unknown (idiom) / an outsider without any reputation / a nobody / an unknown quantity | syn | |
| 一丝不挂一絲不掛 | not wearing one thread (idiom) / absolutely naked / without a stitch of clothing / in one's birthday suit | syn | |
| 我行我素 | to continue in one's own way (idiom) | syn | |
| 自始至终自始至終 | from start to finish (idiom) | syn | |
| 告一段落 | to come to the end of a phase (idiom) | syn | |
| 束手无策束手無策 | lit. to have one's hands bound and be unable to do anything about it (idiom) / fig. helpless in the face of a crisis | syn | |
| 身不由己 | (idiom) (of one's circumstances) beyond one's control / unable to do anything about it / (of one's actions) not subject to conscious control (i.e. done in spite of oneself) | syn | |
| 应运而生應運而生 | to emerge to meet a historic destiny (idiom) / to arise at an opportune time / able to take advantage of an opportunity / to rise to the occasion | syn | |
| 津津有味 | with keen interest (idiom) / with great pleasure / with gusto / eagerly | syn | |
| 幸灾乐祸幸災樂禍 | lit. to take joy in calamity and delight in disaster (idiom) / fig. to rejoice in other people's misfortune / Schadenfreude | syn | |
| 念念不忘 | to keep in mind constantly (idiom) | syn | |
| 手足无措手足無措 | at a loss to know what to do (idiom) / bewildered | syn | |
| 出类拔萃出類拔萃 | to excel the common (idiom) / surpassing / preeminent / outstanding | syn | |
| 一帆风顺一帆風順 | propitious wind throughout the journey (idiom) / plain sailing / to go smoothly / have a nice trip! | syn | |
| 鲜为人知鮮為人知 | rarely known to anyone (idiom) / almost unknown / secret to all but a few | syn | |
| 风云人物風雲人物 | the man (or woman) of the moment (idiom) / influential figure | syn | |
| 志同道合 | (idiom) to be devoted to a common cause / to be like-minded | syn | |
| 吃喝玩乐吃喝玩樂 | to eat, drink and be merry (idiom) / to abandon oneself to a life of pleasure | syn | |
| 近在咫尺 | (idiom) very close / almost within reach / close at hand | syn | |
| 一丝不苟一絲不苟 | not one thread loose (idiom) / strictly according to the rules / meticulous / not one hair out of place | syn | |
| 日新月异日新月異 | daily renewal, monthly change (idiom) / every day sees new developments / rapid progress | ||
| 东山再起東山再起 | lit. to return to office after living as a hermit on Mount Dongshan (idiom) / fig. to make a comeback | syn | |
| 错综复杂錯綜複雜 | tangled and complicated (idiom) | syn | |
| 惊慌失措驚慌失措 | to lose one's head out of fear (idiom) | syn | |
| 跃跃欲试躍躍欲試 | to be eager to give sth a try (idiom) | syn | |
| 拭目以待 | lit. to wipe one's eyes and wait (idiom) / to wait and see | syn | |
| 白手起家 | (idiom) to build up from nothing / to start from scratch | syn | |
| 弄虚作假弄虛作假 | to practice fraud (idiom) / by trickery | syn | |
| 衣食住行 | clothing, food, housing and transport (idiom) / people's basic needs | syn | |
| 风起云涌風起雲湧 | to surge like a gathering storm (idiom) / to grow by leaps and bounds | syn | |
| 当之无愧當之無愧 | fully deserving, without any reservations (idiom) / entirely worthy (of a title, honor etc) | syn | |
| 全神贯注全神貫注 | to concentrate one's attention completely (idiom) / with rapt attention | syn | |
| 竭尽全力竭盡全力 | to spare no effort (idiom) / to do one's utmost | syn | |
| 权宜之计權宜之計 | plan of convenience (idiom) / stop-gap measure / makeshift stratagem / interim step | ||
| 不遗余力不遺餘力 | to spare no pains or effort (idiom) / to do one's utmost | syn | |
| 垂头丧气垂頭喪氣 | hanging one's head dispiritedly (idiom) / dejected / crestfallen | syn | |
| 恼羞成怒惱羞成怒 | to fly into a rage out of humiliation / to be ashamed into anger (idiom) | syn | |
| 天马行空天馬行空 | like a heavenly steed, soaring across the skies (idiom) / (of writing, calligraphy etc) bold and imaginative / unconstrained in style | syn | |
| 胡言乱语胡言亂語 | babbling nonsense (idiom) / crazy and unfounded ravings / double Dutch | syn | |
| 叹为观止嘆為觀止 | (idiom) to gasp in amazement / to acclaim as the peak of perfection | syn | |
| 呼之欲出 | lit. ready to appear at the call (idiom) / fig. on the verge of coming out into the open / (of a person's choice etc) on the point of being disclosed / (of an artistic depiction) vividly portrayed | syn | |
| 有目共睹 | anyone with eyes can see it (idiom) / obvious to all / sth speaks for itself / is there for all to see | syn | |
| 深不可测深不可測 | deep and unmeasurable (idiom) / unfathomable depths / incomprehensible / enigmatic and impossible to predict | syn | |
| 夜深人静夜深人靜 | in the dead of night (idiom) | syn | |
| 在所难免在所難免 | to be unavoidable (idiom) | syn | |
| 忧心忡忡憂心忡忡 | deeply worried and sick at heart (idiom) | syn | |
| 万事如意萬事如意 | to have all one's wishes (idiom) / best wishes / all the best / may all your hopes be fulfilled | syn | |
| 一成不变一成不變 | nothing much changes (idiom) / always the same / stuck in a rut | syn | |
| 接二连三接二連三 | one after another (idiom) / in quick succession | syn | |
| 络绎不绝絡繹不絕 | (idiom) continuously / in an endless stream | syn | |
| 无所适从無所適從 | not knowing which course to follow (idiom) / at a loss what to do | syn | |
| 心旷神怡心曠神怡 | lit. heart untroubled, spirit pleased (idiom) / carefree and relaxed | syn | |
| 有条不紊有條不紊 | regular and thorough (idiom) / methodically arranged | syn | |
| 支离破碎支離破碎 | scattered and smashed (idiom) | syn | |
| 义无反顾義無反顧 | honor does not allow one to glance back (idiom) / duty-bound not to turn back / no surrender / to pursue justice with no second thoughts | syn | |
| 相依为命相依為命 | mutually dependent for life (idiom) / to rely upon one another for survival / interdependent | syn | |
| 面目全非 | nothing remains the same (idiom) / change beyond recognition | syn | |
| 欣喜若狂 | to be wild with joy (idiom) | syn | |
| 口口声声口口聲聲 | to keep on saying (idiom) / to repeat over and over again | ||
| 千辛万苦千辛萬苦 | to suffer untold hardships (idiom) / trials and tribulations / with difficulty / after some effort | syn | |
| 无济于事無濟於事 | (idiom) to no avail / of no use | syn | |
| 手下留情 | lit. start off leniently (idiom) / please do not be too strict with me / Do not judge me too harshly. / Look favorably on my humble efforts. | syn | |
| 心有余悸心有餘悸 | to have lingering fears / trepidation remaining after a trauma (idiom) | syn | |
| 卷土重来卷土重來 | lit. to return in a swirl of dust (idiom) / fig. to regroup and come back even stronger / to make a comeback | syn | |
| 持之以恒持之以恆 | to pursue unremittingly (idiom) / to persevere | syn | |
| 争先恐后爭先恐後 | striving to be first and fearing to be last (idiom) / outdoing one another | syn | |
| 死去活来死去活來 | to hover between life and death (idiom) / to suffer terribly / within an inch of one's life | syn | |
| 迫在眉睫 | pressing in on one's eyelashes (idiom) / imminent | syn | |
| 随波逐流隨波逐流 | to drift with the waves and go with the flow (idiom) / to follow the crowd blindly | syn | |
| 出其不意 | to do sth when least expected (idiom) / to catch sb off guard | syn | |
| 东张西望東張西望 | to look in all directions (idiom) / to glance around | syn | |
| 不寒而栗不寒而慄 | lit. not cold, yet shivering (idiom) / fig. to tremble with fear / to be terrified | syn | |
| 琳琅满目琳瑯滿目 | glittering jewels to delight the eye (idiom) / fig. a dazzling lineup | syn | |
| 势在必行勢在必行 | circumstances require action (idiom) / absolutely necessary / imperative | ||
| 为所欲为為所欲為 | (idiom) to do whatever one pleases | syn | |
| 全军覆没全軍覆沒 | total defeat of an army (idiom) / fig. a complete wipeout | syn | |
| 乐此不疲樂此不疲 | to enjoy sth and never tire of it (idiom) | syn | |
| 游刃有余遊刃有餘 | handling a butcher's cleaver with ease (idiom) / to do sth skillfully and easily | syn | |
| 千千万万千千萬萬 | lit. by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom) / untold numbers / innumerable / thousands upon thousands | syn | |
| 脱胎换骨脫胎換骨 | to shed one's mortal body and exchange one's bones (idiom) / born again Daoist / to turn over a new leaf / fig. to change wholly / to create from other material (story, artwork etc) | syn |
The four tones
What a chengyu actually is
A chengyu is almost always four characters long, and it is not a proverb. It is a compressed classical phrase that Chinese still uses in ordinary speech and writing: the characters keep an old order and an old meaning, and unpacking them word by word will not give you the sense. That is why a dictionary of chengyu is a separate tool from the main dictionary, which treats them as ordinary entries.
The list here is not an index of every idiom in the language. It is the most frequent four-character idioms that the English column of the dictionary marks as such, ranked by how often they appear. The ones a learner meets in news, fiction and conversation sit at the top; rarer literary forms sit further down, or not on this page at all.
Each line links through to its dictionary entry, where you will find the full definition and, when the corpus has one, an example sentence. The search tool on the other side of this page is for looking up an idiom you already have in front of you; this list is for discovering which ones are worth knowing first.