Chinese Chengyu Dictionary
A dictionary of chengyu, the four-character Chinese idioms. Search by expression, character or pinyin.
| Chengyu | Pinyin | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 醉翁之意不在酒 | zuì wēng zhī yì bù zài jiǔ | wine-lover's heart is not in the cup (idiom); a drinker not really interested in alcohol; having an ulterior motive; to have other things in mind; with an ax to grind; accomplishing something besides what one set out to do |
| 罪不可逭 | zuì bù kě huàn | Translation not yet available |
| 罪不容诛 | zuì bù róng zhū | Translation not yet available |
| 罪大恶极 | zuì dà è jí | guilty of terrible crimes (idiom); reprehensible |
| 罪恶滔天 | zuì è tāo tiān | Translation not yet available |
| 罪恶昭彰 | zuì è zhāo zhāng | Translation not yet available |
| 罪恶昭著 | zuì è zhāo zhù | Translation not yet available |
| 罪该万死 | zuì gāi wàn sǐ | Translation not yet available |
| 罪加一等 | zuì jiā yī děng | Translation not yet available |
| 罪魁祸首 | zuì kuí huò shǒu | criminal ringleader, main offender (idiom); main culprit; fig. main cause of a disaster |
| 罪孽深重 | zuì niè shēn zhòng | Translation not yet available |
| 罪有应得 | zuì yǒu yīng dé | guilty and deserves to be punished (idiom); entirely appropriate chastisement; the punishment fits the crime |
| 尊古卑今 | zūn gǔ bēi jīn | Translation not yet available |
| 尊师重道 | zūn shī zhòng dào | Translation not yet available |
| 遵时养晦 | zūn shí yǎng huì | Translation not yet available |
| 遵养时晦 | zūn yǎng shí huì | Translation not yet available |
| 左道旁门 | zuǒ dào páng mén | Translation not yet available |
| 左辅右弼 | zuǒ fǔ yòu bì | Translation not yet available |
| 左顾右盼 | zuǒ gù yòu pàn | glancing to left and right (idiom); to look all around |
| 左思右想 | zuǒ sī yòu xiǎng | to turn over in one's mind (idiom); to think through from different angles; to ponder |
| 左提右挈 | zuǒ tí yòu qiè | Translation not yet available |
| 左图右史 | zuǒ tú yòu shǐ | Translation not yet available |
| 左宜右有 | zuǒ yí yòu fú | Translation not yet available |
| 左萦右拂 | zuǒ yíng yòu fú | Translation not yet available |
| 左拥右抱 | zuǒ yōng yòu bào | Translation not yet available |
| 左右采获 | zuǒ yòu cǎi huò | Translation not yet available |
| 左右逢源 | zuǒ yòu féng yuán | Translation not yet available |
| 左右开弓 | zuǒ yòu kāi gōng | Translation not yet available |
| 左右两难 | zuǒ yòu liǎng nán | (idiom) between a rock and a hard place; in a dilemma |
| 左右为难 | zuǒ yòu wéi nán | (idiom) between a rock and a hard place; in a dilemma |
| 左支右绌 | zuǒ zhī yòu chù | to be in straitened circumstances |
| 佐雍得尝 | zuǒ yōng dé cháng | Translation not yet available |
| 坐不安席 | zuò bù ān xí | Translation not yet available |
| 坐不重席 | zuò bù chóng xí | Translation not yet available |
| 坐不垂堂 | zuò bù chuí táng | Translation not yet available |
| 坐不窥堂 | zùo bù kuī táng | Translation not yet available |
| 坐吃山崩 | zuò chī shān bēng | Translation not yet available |
| 坐吃山空 | zuò chī shān kōng | Translation not yet available |
| 坐筹帷幄 | zùo chóu wéi wò | Translation not yet available |
| 坐地分赃 | zuò dì fēn zāng | Translation not yet available |
Search by Chinese expression, character or pinyin.
The most frequent idioms are also on a separate dictionary page.
12,999 chengyu listed.
What a chengyu is, and what it is not
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 looking one up is a different job from looking up a word.
This tool searches the table of idioms by expression, character or pinyin. If you already have the four characters in front of you, that is the way in. If you do not, and you want to see which idioms are common enough to be worth knowing first, the browseable list is the other half of the same subject.