Chinese Chengyu Dictionary
A dictionary of chengyu, the four-character Chinese idioms. Search by expression, character or pinyin.
| Chengyu | Pinyin | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 坐而论道 | zuò ér lùn dào | to sit and pontificate; to find answers through theory and not through practice (idiom) |
| 坐观成败 | zuò guān chéng bài | Translation not yet available |
| 坐怀不乱 | zuò huái bù luàn | Translation not yet available |
| 坐井观天 | zuò jǐng guān tiān | Translation not yet available |
| 坐冷板凳 | zuò lěng bǎn dèng | to hold an inconsequential job; to receive a cold reception; to be kept waiting for an assignment or audience; to be out in the cold; to be sidelined; to warm the bench; to cool one's heels |
| 坐立不安 | zuò lì bù ān | lit. agitated sitting or standing (idiom); restless; fidgety |
| 坐山观虎斗 | zuò shān guān hǔ dòu | lit. sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight (idiom); fig. watch in safety whilst others fight then reap the rewards when both sides are exhausted |
| 坐失良机 | zuò shī liáng jī | to sit and waste a good opportunity (idiom); to lose the chance |
| 坐视不救 | zuò shī bù jiù | Translation not yet available |
| 坐收渔利 | zuò shōu yú lì | Translation not yet available |
| 坐卧不安 | zuò wò bù ān | Translation not yet available |
| 坐享其成 | zuò xiǎng qí chéng | to reap where one has not sown (idiom) |
| 坐薪悬胆 | zuò xīn xuán dǎn | Translation not yet available |
| 坐言起行 | zuò yán qǐ xíng | Translation not yet available |
| 坐以待毙 | zuò yǐ dài bì | to sit and wait for death (idiom); resigned to one's fate |
| 坐以待旦 | zuò yǐ dài dàn | Translation not yet available |
| 坐拥百城 | zuò yōng bǎi chéng | Translation not yet available |
| 坐于涂炭 | zuò yú tú tàn | Translation not yet available |
| 座无虚席 | zuò wú xū xí | lit. a banquet with no empty seats; full house; capacity crowd; standing room only |
| 作壁上观 | zuò bì shàng guān | Translation not yet available |
| 作恶多端 | zuò è duō duān | Translation not yet available |
| 作法自毙 | zuò fǎ zì bì | Translation not yet available |
| 作好作歹 | zuò hǎo zuò dǎi | Translation not yet available |
| 作嫁衣裳 | zuò jià yī shāng | Translation not yet available |
| 作奸犯科 | zuò jiān fàn kē | Translation not yet available |
| 作茧自缚 | zuò jiǎn zì fù | Translation not yet available |
| 作金石声 | zuò jīn shí shēng | Translation not yet available |
| 作如是观 | zuò rú shì guān | Translation not yet available |
| 作善降祥 | zuò shàn jiàng xiáng | Translation not yet available |
| 作舍道边 | zuò shě dào biān | Translation not yet available |
| 作威作福 | zuò wēi zuò fú | Translation not yet available |
| 作育人材 | zuò yù rén cái | Translation not yet available |
| 作贼心虚 | zuò zéi xīn xū | Translation not yet available |
| 作作有芒 | zuò zuò yǒu máng | Translation not yet available |
| 做小伏低 | zuò xiǎo fú dī | Translation not yet available |
| 做一日和尚撞一天钟 | zuò yī rì hé shàng zhuàng yī tiān zhōng | Translation not yet available |
| 做贼心虚 | zuò zéi xīn xū | Translation not yet available |
| 做张做势 | zuò zhāng zuò shì | Translation not yet available |
| 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.