Daily Chengyu每日成语Search 664 idiomsThe collection
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664 idioms
望梅止渴To quench thirst by imagining plums; to console oneself with false hopes.Explore 囫囵吞枣To swallow a date whole; to accept something without understanding it.Explore 杀鸡取卵To kill the chicken to get its eggs; to destroy a source for short-term gain.Explore 鹬蚌相争The snipe and clam fight; a third party benefits from others’ conflict.Explore 四面楚歌Surrounded by Chu songs; to be in a desperate, isolated situation.Explore 螳臂当车A mantis’s arm blocking a cart; to overestimate one’s strength against overwhelming odds.Explore 入木三分Penetrating wood by three-tenths; vivid or incisive work.Explore 闻鸡起舞To rise and train at the rooster’s crow; to be diligent and ambitious.Explore 退避三舍To retreat three camps; to yield out of respect or strategy.Explore 程门立雪To stand in snow at Cheng’s gate; to show utmost respect for a teacher.Explore 悬梁刺股To tie hair to a beam and prick thighs; to study diligently despite hardship.Explore 夜郎自大Yelang thinks itself great; to be arrogant from ignorance.Explore 买椟还珠To buy the box and return the pearl; to value the superficial over the essential.Explore 班门弄斧Wielding an axe at the gate of Lu Ban; showing off skills before an expert.Explore 草木皆兵Grass and trees all soldiers; paranoia sees threats everywhere.Explore 金蝉脱壳The golden cicada sheds its shell; to escape by leaving a decoy.Explore 破釜沉舟Break the cauldrons and sink the boats; to commit fully with no retreat.Explore 乐极生悲Extreme joy begets sorrow; happiness can lead to misfortune.Explore 同舟共济To cross a river in the same boat; to work together in adversity.Explore 风吹草动Grass moves when the wind blows; slight signs of trouble.Explore 黯然失色To pale in comparison; to lose luster beside something greater.Explore 一鼓作气To muster energy in one burst; to seize momentum.Explore 瓜田李下In a melon field or under a plum tree; to avoid suspicious situations.Explore 滥用职权To abuse authority; to misuse power.Explore 大器晚成A great vessel takes a long time to complete; late bloomers achieve greatness later in life.Explore 杳如黄鹤Gone like a yellow crane; to disappear without a trace.Explore 一鸣惊人A single cry amazes all; to suddenly achieve great success after a long period of silence.Explore 江郎才尽Jiang Lang’s talent is exhausted; to run out of creativity.Explore 焚琴煮鹤To burn a zither and cook a crane; to ruin refined things.Explore 邯郸匍匐To crawl like in Handan; to lose one’s way by copying others.Explore 削足适履To cut one's feet to fit the shoes; using impractical or harmful methods to force conformity.Explore 尸位素餐To occupy a post without work; to be idle in a position of duty.Explore 越俎代庖To cross the altar and replace the cook; to overstep one’s role.Explore 朝秦暮楚Morning Qin, evening Chu; to be fickle or disloyal.Explore 涸泽而渔To drain a lake to fish; to exhaust resources for short-term gain.Explore 三顾茅庐Three visits to the thatched hut; to earnestly recruit talent.Explore 门庭若市A courtyard like a marketplace; extremely busy and popular.Explore 狐死首丘A fox dies facing its hill; loyalty to one’s homeland.Explore 背水一战To fight with one’s back to the river; a desperate, all-or-nothing battle.Explore 以卵击石To strike a stone with an egg; to attempt the impossible.Explore 髀肉复生Thigh flesh grows back; to become idle and lose vigor.Explore 釜底抽薪To pull firewood from under the cauldron; to solve a problem at its root.Explore 风马牛不相及Wind, horse, and ox don’t connect; completely unrelated things.Explore 捉襟见肘To pull a collar and expose elbows; to be stretched thin or in poverty.Explore 管窥蠡测To peek through a tube or measure with a gourd; limited understanding.Explore 燕雀安知How can swallows and sparrows know; small minds can’t grasp grand plans.Explore 揠苗助长To pull seedlings to help them grow; to harm by forcing progress.Explore 按兵不动To hold troops still; to bide one’s time strategically.Explore
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