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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 筋疲力尽筋疲力盡 | body weary, strength exhausted (idiom) / extremely tired / spent | ||
| 水落石出 | as the water recedes, the rocks appear (idiom) / the truth comes to light | syn | |
| 参差不齐參差不齊 | (idiom) variable / uneven / irregular | syn | |
| 历历在目歷歷在目 | vivid in one's mind (idiom) | ||
| 迎刃而解 | lit. (bamboo) splits when it meets the knife's edge (idiom) / fig. easily solved | syn | |
| 兢兢业业兢兢業業 | (idiom) conscientious / assiduous | syn | |
| 司空见惯司空見慣 | a common occurrence (idiom) | syn | |
| 光天化日 | the full light of day (idiom) / fig. peace and prosperity / in broad daylight | syn | |
| 粉身碎骨 | lit. torn body and crushed bones (idiom) / fig. to die horribly / to sacrifice one's life | syn | |
| 炙手可热炙手可熱 | lit. burn your hand, feel the heat (idiom) / fig. arrogance of the powerful / a mighty figure no-one dares approach / hot (exciting or in favor) | ||
| 推陈出新推陳出新 | to push out the old and bring in the new (idiom) / to innovate | syn | |
| 想入非非 | to indulge in fantasy (idiom) / to let one's imagination run wild | syn | |
| 功不可没功不可沒 | one's contributions cannot go unnoticed (idiom) | ||
| 愁眉苦脸愁眉苦臉 | to look anxious (idiom) / to look miserable | syn | |
| 推波助澜推波助瀾 | to push the wave and add to the billows (idiom) / to add momentum / to encourage sth to get bigger / to add fuel to the fire | syn | |
| 千言万语千言萬語 | thousands of words (idiom) / having a lot of things to say / talking nonstop | ||
| 金碧辉煌金碧輝煌 | gold and jade in glorious splendor (idiom) / fig. a dazzling sight (e.g. royal palace) | syn | |
| 安居乐业安居樂業 | to live in peace and work happily (idiom) | syn | |
| 开门见山開門見山 | lit. to open the door and see the mountain / fig. to get right to the point (idiom) | syn | |
| 失魂落魄 | (idiom) dazed / beside oneself | syn | |
| 你死我活 | lit. you die, I live (idiom) / irreconcilable adversaries / two parties cannot coexist | syn | |
| 天壤之别天壤之別 | lit. the difference between heaven and earth (idiom) / fig. night and day difference / a world of difference / a far cry (from) | syn | |
| 心惊肉跳心驚肉跳 | lit. heart alarmed, body leaping (idiom) / fear and trepidation in the face of disaster | syn | |
| 出谋划策出謀劃策 | to put forward plans and ideas (also derogatory) / to give advice (idiom) | syn | |
| 起死回生 | to rise from the dead (idiom) / fig. an unexpected recovery | syn | |
| 合情合理 | reasonable and fair (idiom) | syn | |
| 先发制人先發制人 | (idiom) to gain the initiative by striking first / to preempt | syn | |
| 鸦雀无声鴉雀無聲 | lit. crow and peacock make no sound / absolute silence (idiom) / not a single voice can be heard / absolute silence | syn | |
| 翻天覆地 | sky and the earth turning upside down (idiom) / fig. complete confusion / everything turned on its head | syn | |
| 热火朝天熱火朝天 | in full swing (idiom) / (in a) frenzy / buzzing with activity | syn | |
| 平易近人 | amiable and approachable (idiom) / easygoing / modest and unassuming / (of writing) plain and simple / easy to understand | syn | |
| 微乎其微 | a tiny bit / very little / next to nothing (idiom) | syn | |
| 屡见不鲜屢見不鮮 | a common occurrence (idiom) | syn | |
| 字里行间字裡行間 | between the words and the lines (idiom) / implied meaning / connotations | syn | |
| 哑口无言啞口無言 | dumbstruck and unable to reply (idiom) / left speechless / at a loss for words | syn | |
| 一举两得一舉兩得 | one move, two gains (idiom) / two birds with one stone | syn | |
| 美不胜收美不勝收 | nothing more beautiful can be imagined (idiom) | syn | |
| 寥寥无几寥寥無幾 | just a very few (idiom) / tiny number / not many at all / You count them on your fingers. | syn | |
| 以身作则以身作則 | to set an example (idiom) / to serve as a model | syn | |
| 无理取闹無理取鬧 | to make trouble without reason (idiom) / to be deliberately provocative | syn | |
| 大起大落 | (of market prices etc) to rapidly fluctuate (idiom) / volatile / significant ups and downs / roller coaster | syn | |
| 美中不足 | everything is fine except for one small defect (idiom) / the fly in the ointment | ||
| 谈何容易談何容易 | easier said than done (idiom) | syn | |
| 事与愿违事與願違 | things turn out contrary to the way one wishes (idiom) | syn | |
| 死里逃生死裡逃生 | mortal danger, escape alive (idiom) / a narrow escape / to survive by the skin of one's teeth | syn | |
| 机不可失機不可失 | No time to lose! (idiom) | ||
| 屈指可数屈指可數 | can be counted on one's fingers (idiom) / very few | syn | |
| 按部就班 | to follow the prescribed order / to keep to the working routine (idiom) | syn | |
| 天翻地覆 | sky and the earth turning upside down (idiom) / fig. complete confusion / everything turned on its head | syn | |
| 行云流水行雲流水 | lit. moving clouds and flowing water (idiom) / fig. very natural and flowing style of calligraphy, writing, etc / natural and unforced | syn | |
| 一朝一夕 | lit. one morning and one evening (idiom) / fig. in a short period of time / overnight | syn | |
| 不依不饶不依不饒 | not to overlook, nor spare (idiom) / unwilling to forgive / to treat severely without listening to excuses | ||
| 千钧一发千鈞一髮 | a thousand pounds hangs by a thread (idiom) / imminent peril / a matter of life or death | syn | |
| 狼吞虎咽狼吞虎嚥 | to wolf down one's food (idiom) / to devour ravenously / to gorge oneself | syn | |
| 装模作样裝模作樣 | to put on an act (idiom) / to show affectation / to indulge in histrionics | syn | |
| 玩世不恭 | to trifle without respect (idiom) / to despise worldly conventions / frivolous | syn | |
| 异军突起異軍突起 | to emerge as a new force to be reckoned with (idiom) | syn | |
| 身体力行身體力行 | to practice what one preaches (idiom) | syn | |
| 大相径庭大相徑庭 | as different as can be (idiom) / poles apart | syn | |
| 逃之夭夭 | to escape without trace (idiom) / to make one's getaway (from the scene of a crime) / to show a clean pair of heels | syn | |
| 无法无天無法無天 | regardless of the law and of natural morality (idiom) / maverick / undisciplined and out of control | syn | |
| 价廉物美價廉物美 | inexpensive and of good quality (idiom) | syn | |
| 绰绰有余綽綽有餘 | enough and to spare (idiom) | syn | |
| 沉默寡言 | habitually silent (idiom) / reticent / uncommunicative | syn | |
| 销声匿迹銷聲匿跡 | to vanish without trace (idiom) / to lie low | syn | |
| 无地自容無地自容 | (idiom) ashamed and unable to show one's face | syn | |
| 风土人情風土人情 | local conditions and customs (idiom) | syn | |
| 置之不理 | to pay no heed to (idiom) / to ignore / to brush aside | syn | |
| 一窍不通一竅不通 | lit. doesn't (even) enter a single aperture (of one's head) / I don't understand a word (idiom) / it's all Greek to me | syn | |
| 指日可待 | imminent / just around the corner (idiom) | syn | |
| 富丽堂皇富麗堂皇 | (idiom) (of houses etc) sumptuous | syn | |
| 进退两难進退兩難 | no room to advance or to retreat (idiom) / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation | syn | |
| 异曲同工異曲同工 | different tunes played with equal skill (idiom) / different methods leading to the same result / different approach but equally satisfactory outcome | syn | |
| 水到渠成 | lit. where water flows, a canal is formed (idiom) / fig. when conditions are right, success will follow naturally | syn | |
| 无计可施無計可施 | no strategy left to try (idiom) / at one's wit's end / at the end of one's tether / powerless | syn | |
| 众说纷纭眾說紛紜 | opinions differ (idiom) | ||
| 有生之年 | (idiom) during one's lifetime / while one is on this earth / in one's remaining years | syn | |
| 驾轻就熟駕輕就熟 | lit. an easy drive on a familiar path (idiom) / fig. experience makes progress easy / a task that is so familiar one can do it with one's hand tied behind one's back | syn | |
| 一无是处一無是處 | (idiom) not one good point / everything about it is wrong | syn | |
| 对症下药對症下藥 | lit. to prescribe the right medicine for an illness (idiom) / fig. to study a problem to find the right way to solve it / to take appropriate steps | ||
| 排忧解难排憂解難 | to resolve a difficult situation and leave worries behind (idiom) | syn | |
| 望而却步望而卻步 | lit. to shrink back at the sight of (sth daunting) (idiom) / fig. to be deterred | syn | |
| 焦头烂额焦頭爛額 | lit. badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom) / fig. hard-pressed / under pressure (from a heavy workload, creditors etc) | syn | |
| 千姿百态千姿百態 | (idiom) to come in many different shapes / to display a great variety of forms | syn | |
| 袖手旁观袖手旁觀 | to watch with folded arms (idiom) / to look on without lifting a finger | syn | |
| 昏昏欲睡 | drowsy / sleepy (idiom) | ||
| 源远流长源遠流長 | lit. source is distant and the flow is long (idiom) / fig. sth goes back to the dim and distant past / a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then | syn | |
| 不明不白 | (idiom) obscure / dubious / shady | syn | |
| 坐立不安 | lit. agitated sitting or standing (idiom) / restless / fidgety | syn | |
| 眉开眼笑眉開眼笑 | brows raised in delight, eyes laughing (idiom) / beaming with joy / all smiles | syn | |
| 当机立断當機立斷 | to make prompt decisions (idiom) | syn | |
| 如日中天 | lit. like the sun at noon (idiom) / fig. to be at the peak of one's power, career etc | syn | |
| 一鸣惊人一鳴驚人 | to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat (idiom) / an overnight celebrity | syn | |
| 一丝一毫一絲一毫 | one thread, one hair (idiom) / a tiny bit / an iota | syn | |
| 如痴如醉 | (idiom) enthralled / mesmerized / enraptured | syn | |
| 背道而驰背道而馳 | to run in the opposite direction (idiom) / to run counter to | syn | |
| 心花怒放 | to burst with joy (idiom) / to be over the moon / to be elated | syn | |
| 呼风唤雨呼風喚雨 | to call the wind and summon the rain (idiom) / to exercise magical powers / fig. to stir up troubles | ||
| 见多识广見多識廣 | experienced and knowledgeable (idiom) | syn | |
| 忠心耿耿 | loyal and devoted (idiom) / faithful and true | 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.