汉语习语英译(成语、谚语、典故、歇后语)



常用汉语成语：（Common Chinese Idioms）



按图索骥 Looking for a steed with the aid of its picture



百发百中 A hundred shots, a hundred bull’s-eyes



班门弄斧 Showing off one’s proficiency with the axe before Lu Ban the master carpenter



杯弓蛇影 Mistaking the reflection of a bow for a snake



闭门造车 Building a cart behind closed doors



病入膏肓 The disease has attacked the vitals



草木皆兵 every bush and tree looks like an enemy



吹毛求疵 Blow apart the hairs upon a fur to discover any defect



打草惊蛇 Beating the grass and flushing out the snake



调虎离山 Luring the tiger out of the mountains



东施效颦 Aping the Beauty’s frown



对牛弹琴 Playing the lute to a cow



负荆请罪 Bringingthe birch and asking for flogging



功亏一篑 Running an enterprise for the lack of one basketful



故步自封 Content with staying where one is



含沙射影 spitting sand on a shadow-attacking by insinuation



狐假虎威 Basking in reflected glory



囫囵吞枣 Gulping down a whole date



画饼充饥 Allaying hunger with pictures of cakes



画龙点睛 Putting the finishing touch to the picture of a dragon



画蛇添足 Drawing a snake and adding feet



惊弓之鸟 Birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring



精卫填海 Jingwei fills up the sea



井底之蛙 A frog in a well



刻舟求剑 Notching the boat to find the sword



空中楼阁 A castle in the air



滥竽充数 Passing oneself off as a member of the orchestra



狼狈为奸 A wolf working hand in glove with a jackal



老马识途 An old horse knows the way



梁上君子 A gentleman on the beam



临渴掘井 Not digging a well until one is thirsty



满城风雨 A storm enveloping the city



盲人摸象 Blind men touching an elephant



毛遂自荐 Mao Sui recommending himself



门庭若市 A courtyard as crowded as a marketplace



名落孙山 Failing to pass an examination



南辕北辙 Going south by driving the chariot north



怒发冲冠 So angry that one’s hair lifts up one’s hat



披荆斩棘 Breaking open a way through brambles and thorns



蚍蜉撼树 An ant trying to shake a big tree



破釜沉舟 Smashing the cauldrons and sinking the boats



破镜重圆 A broken mirror made whole again



骑虎难下 When one rides a tiger, it is hard to dismount



杞人忧天 The man of Qi who worried that the sky would fall



黔驴技穷 The Guizhou donkey has exhausted its tricks



日暮途穷 The day is waning and the road is ending



如火如荼 Like a raging fire



如鱼得水 To feel just like a fish in water



入木三分 To enter three-tenths of an inch into the timber



塞翁失马 The old man of frontier lost his horse



三顾茅庐 paying three visits to the cottage



三人成虎 repeat a lie enough times and it will be believed



丧家之犬 A homeless dog



杀鸡吓猴 Killing the chicken to frighten the monkeys



甚嚣尘上 Making a great clamor



势如破竹 Like splitting bamboo



世外桃源 A heaven of peace and happiness



手不释卷 Always with a book in hand



守株待兔 Sitting by a stump, waiting for a careless hare



蜀犬吠日 A Sichuan dog barks at the sun.



束之高阁 Putting it on a high shelf



水落石出 when the water ebbs, stones will appear



四面楚歌 songs of Chu on all sides



谈虎色变 Turn pale at the mention of a tiger



昙花一现 A flower that vanishes as soon as it appears



螳臂当车 A mantis trying to halt a chariot



天花乱坠 As if it were raining flowers



天涯海角 The end of sky and the corner of the sea



同舟共济 Crossing a river in the same boat



偷天换日 Stealing the sky and changing the sun



天衣无缝 Divine garments without seams



图穷匕见 When the map is unrolled the dagger is revealed



完璧归赵 Returning the jade intact to Zhao



亡羊补牢 Mending the fold after the sheep have been stolen



望梅止渴 looking at plums to quench the thirst



望洋兴叹 Gazing at the ocean and sighing



为虎作伥 helping the tiger to Pounce upon its victims



卧薪尝胆 Sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall



笑里藏刀 Hiding a dagger behind a smile



胸有成竹 Having a ready-formed plan



削足适履 Cutting one’s feet to fit one’s shoes



揠苗助长 Pulling up seedlings to help them grow



掩耳盗铃 Plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell



偃旗息鼓 To lower the banners and silence the drums



叶公好龙 Lord She loves dragons



夜郎自大 the conceited King of Yelang



一鼓作气 Rousing the spirits with the first drum roll



一箭双雕 Killing two bids with one stone



一鸣惊人 Amazing the world with a single feat



一丘之貉 Jackals of the same lair



愚公移山 The foolish old man who removed the mountains



鱼目混珠 Passing off fish eyes as pearls



余音绕梁 The tune lingers in the house



与虎谋皮 Borrowing the skin from a tiger



鹬蚌相争 A snipe and a clam locked in combat



朝三暮四 Three in the morning and four in the evening



趾高气扬 Stepping high and haughtily



指鹿为马 Calling a stag a horse



纸上谈兵 Discussing stratagems on paper



自相矛盾 Contradicting oneself







常用汉语谚语：（Common Chinese Proverbs）



八字衙门朝南开，有理无钱莫进来 Theyamengate is wide open, yet with only right on your side but no money, don’t go inside.



兵马未动，粮草先行 Provisions should be arranged before an army is mobilized.



不经一事，不长一智 Wisdom comes from experience.



不入虎穴，焉得虎子 How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger’s lair?



差之毫厘，失之千里 A little error may lead to a large discrepancy.



长江后浪催前浪，世上新人赶旧人 Just as the waves of the Yangtze River behind drive on those ahead, so does each new generation replace the old one.



常将有日思无日，莫待无时想有时 When rich, think of poverty, but don’t think of riches when you are poor.



吃一堑，长一智 A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.



打蛇不死，后患无穷 Unless you beat a snake to death, it will cause endless



大处着眼，小处着手 Keep the general goal in sight while tackling daily tasks.



单丝不成线，独木不成林 A single thread can’t make a cord, nor a single tree a forest.



当局者迷，旁观者清 The spectators see more of the game than the players.



刀不磨要生锈，水不流要发臭 A knife will rust if not sharpened regularly, and water will stagnate if it is not allowed to flow.



道高一尺，魔高一丈 The law is strong, but the outlaws are ten times stronger.



灯不拨不亮，理不辩不明 An oil lamp becomes brighter after trimming, a truth becomes clearer after being discussed.



读书需用意，一字值千金 When reading, don’t let a single word escape your attention / one word may be worth a thousand pieces of gold.



读万卷书，行万里路 Read ten thousand books and walk ten thousand miles.



儿不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫 A son never thinks his mother ugly, and a dog never shuns its owner’s home however shabby it is.



儿孙自有儿孙福，莫为儿孙做牛马 The children can take care of themselves when they grow up, so the parents don’t have to work too hard for the future of their offspring.



耳听为虚，眼见为实 What you hear about may be false, but what you see is true.



凡人不可貌相，海水不可斗量 As a man cannot be known by his looks, neither can the sea be fathomed by a gourd.



放下屠刀，立地成佛 The butcher who lays down his knife, at once becomes a Buddha.



风无常顺，兵无常胜 A boat can’t always sail with the wind; an army can’t always win battles.



逢人只说三分话，未可全抛一片心 Talking to a stranger, it is wise to be somewhat reserved.



瓜无滚圆，人无十全 No melon is completely round, and no person is perfect.



害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无 One shouldn’t have the heart to harm others, but must be vigilant so as not to be harmed.



花有重开日，人无再少年 Flowers may bloom again, but a person never has the chance to be young again.



画虎画皮难画骨，知人知面不知心 In drawing a tiger, you show its skin, but not its bones; in knowing a man, you may know his face, but not his heart.



火要空心，人要虚心 A fire must have space at its center to burn vigorously; a man must be modest to make progress.



见怪不怪，其怪自败 Face odd things fearlessly and their fearsomeness will disappear.



江山易改，本性难移 Rivers and mountains may be changed, but it is hard to alter even a single person’s nature.



近水楼台先得月，向阳花木早逢春 A waterfront pavilion gets the moonlight first; spring comes early to plants exposed to the sun.



近水知鱼性，近山识鸟音 Near to rivers, we recognize fish; near to mountains, we recognize the songs of birds.



近朱者赤，近墨者黑 Near vermilion, one gets stained pink; near ink, one gets stained black.



酒逢知己千杯少，话不投机半句多 If you drink with a bosom friend, a thousand cups are not enough; if you argue with someone, half a sentence is too much.



老当益壮，穷当益坚 Old but vigorous, poor but ambitious.



良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行 It takes bitter medicine to cure a disease properly, and it takes blunt advice to put us on the right track.



两虎相斗，必有一伤 When two tigers fight, one is sure to lose.



留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 As long as the green hills remain, there’ll be no shortage of firewood.

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