愛不釋手fondle admiringly
愛財如命skin a flea for its hide
愛屋及烏love me,love my dog
安居樂業live and work in peace and contentment
按部就班 Learn to walk before you run.
B
白手起家build up from nothing
百裏挑壹one in hundred
百聞不如壹見 Seeing is believing.
百折不撓be indomitable
半途而廢give up halfway leave sth. Unfinished
包羅萬象all-embracing all-inclusive
飽經風霜weather-beaten
飽食終日無所事事 to eat the bread of idleness
卑躬屈膝bow and scrape cringe
笨鳥先飛 A slow sparrow should make an early start.
悲歡離合vicissitudes of life
背道而馳run counter to run in the opposite direction
笨鳥先飛A slow sparrow should make an early start. the slow need to start early
本末倒置put the cart before the horse
必由之路the only way
比上不足比下有余 worse off than some, better off than many; to fall short of the best, but be better than the worst。?
C
才疏學淺have little talent and learning
慘絕人寰extremely cruel
滄海桑田time brings a great change to the worlds
滄海壹粟/九牛壹毛a drop in the bucket
草木皆兵a state of extreme nervousness
層出不窮emerge in endlessly
層巒叠嶂peaks over peaks
垂頭喪氣，無精打采 down in the mouth lose one's spirits with the tail between the legs
垂頭喪氣的blue about the gills crestfallen downhearted
D
大開眼界open one"s eyes; broaden one"s horizon; be an eye-opener
打草驚蛇to wake a sleeping dog
大惑不解be extremely puzzled
大驚小怪a storm in a teacup foofaraw fuss like a hen with one chicken
大快人心affording general satisfaction
大同小異largely identical but with minor differences
大顯身手 大顯神通strut one's stuff
大智若愚Still waters run deep. An empty vessel makes the most sound Still water runs deep
呆若木雞dumbstruck transfixed
待人接物the ways one gets along with others
喋喋不休blat cackle chackle harp harp on jaw-jaw rattle twitter wag
頂天立地of indomitable spirit
東施效顰blind imitation with ludicrous effection
東山再起bob up like a cork
獨具匠心show originality
獨樹壹幟develop a school of one's own
E
阿諛奉承 趨炎附勢greasiness
惡事傳千裏 Bad news travels quickly.
惡有惡報 He that does evil shall find evil.
恩將仇報 以怨報德 忘恩負義 bite the hand that feeds one
恩威並濟 alternate weakness with severity
爾虞我詐each trying to cheat the other
F
發人深省set people thinking
發揚光大carry forward
翻山越嶺tramp over hill and dale
翻天覆地world-shaking
繁榮昌盛thriving and prosperous
泛濫成災overrun
鋒芒畢露make a showy display of one's abilities
逢場作戲join in the fun on occasion
釜底抽薪take a drastic measure to deal with a situation
赴湯蹈火 出生入死go through fire and water
覆水難收spilt water cannot be gathered up again It is no use crying over spilt milk
富貴在天 Riches and honors come from heaven.
G
蓋棺論定 Judge none blessed before his death.
隔墻有耳 Pitchers have ears; walls have ears.
功夫不負有心人Everything comes to him who waits.
孤註壹擲 to put all one's egg in one basket
過猶不及beyond is as wrong as falling short; too much is as bad as too little
H
害群之馬 black sheep
海底撈針 to look for a needle in a bundle of hay
海底撈月 to fish in the air
緩兵之計 a fabian policy
渾水摸魚 to fish in the troubled water
火上加油 to pour oil on the flame
活到老，學到老 One is never too old to learn.
禍不單行 Misfortunes never come single.
J
機不可失 Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
積少成多 Every little makes a mickle.
饑不擇食 A good appetite is a good sauce.
既往不咎let bygones be bygones
集思廣義 Two heads are better than one.
疾風知勁草 Adversity reveals genius.
金玉其外敗絮其中 All that glitters is not gold.
精神旺盛to be full of beans
舊調重談 to harp on the same string
鞠躬盡瘁 to give the last measure of devotion
君子之交淡如水 the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal; a hedge between keeps friendship green
K
慷他人之慨 to be free with other's money
空中樓閣 castle in the air
膾炙人口 in everyone's mouth
L
老生常談，陳詞濫調cut and dried
樂極生悲 After joy comes sadness.
禮多必詐 full of courtesy, full of craft
禮尚往來Courtesy calls for reciprocity.
量入為出 to cut one's coat according to one's cloth/ make both ends meet
流芳百世 a niche in the temple of fame
落井下石 to hit a person when he's down
M
馬到成功achieve immediate victory; win instant success
名利雙收gain in both fame and wealth
毛遂自薦 to volunteer one’s service
莫在太歲頭上動土 Let sleeping dogs lie.
N
弄巧成拙be too smart by half; Cunning outwits itself.
拿手好戲masterpiece
逆來順受 to make the best of a bad bargain
P
旁觀者清，當局者迷 Lookers-on see most of the game.
拋磚引玉 a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale
跑了和尚跑不了廟 The monk may run away, but the temple can't run with him.
賠了夫人又折兵throw good money after bad
破釜沈舟 cut off all means of retreat； burn one‘s own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end
Q
搶得先機take the preemptive opportunities
強強聯手win-win co-operation
搶得先機 take the preemptive opportunities
巧婦難為無米之炊 If you have no hand you can't make a fist./ One can't make bricks without straw.
千裏之行始於足下a thousand-li journey begins with the first step--the highest eminence is to be gained step by step
前事不忘,後事之師 Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.
情人眼裏出西施 Love is blind.
窮寇莫追 A cornered animal is a dangerous foe.
R
瑞雪兆豐年A timely snow promises a good harvest.
人之初,性本善Man"s nature at birth is good.
人逢喜事精神爽Joy puts heart into a man.
人海戰術huge-crowd strategy
如履薄冰 to be on the thin ice
若要人不知除非己莫為 If you would not be known to do anything, never do it.
S
塞翁失馬，焉知非福Misfortune may be an actual blessing.
三顧茅廬make three calls at the thatched cottage\ repeatedly request someone to take up a responsible post.
殺雞用牛刀break a butterfly on the wheel
殺身成仁 to sacrifice one's life to preserve one's virtue complete
山不在高，有仙則名 "No matter how high the mountain is, its name will spread far and wide if there is a fairy; "
實話實說speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is
實踐是檢驗真理的唯壹標準Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.
勢不兩立be mutually exclusive
守口如瓶 as dumb as an oyster; as silent as the graves;
壽終正寢 to die a natural death (to die in one's bed)
死而後已until my heart stops beating
四十不惑Life begins at forty.
四面楚歌hear the sounds of the Chu all around\be besieged on all sides/be utterly isolated/be in desperate straits
歲歲平安Peace all year round "
歲月不饒人 Time and tide wait for no man.
損人利己 to enrich oneself at others expense
T
貪小失大 penny-wise and poundfoolish
糖衣炮彈sugar-coated bullets
螳臂擋車 to kick against the pricks
韜光養晦 hide one's capacities and bide one's time
天有不測風雲Anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue
鐵石心腸 a heart of steel
聽天由命 to be guided by destiny
W
歪風邪氣unhealthy practices and evil phenomena
物以類聚，人以群分Birds of a feather flock together.
望子成龍hold high hopes for one"s child
屋漏又逢連陰雨Misfortunes never come singly. When it rains it pours.
文韜武略military expertise; military strategy
唯利是圖draw water to one"s mill
為虎作倀 to act as guide to a tiger
X
新官上任三把火a new broom sweeps clean
蓄勢而發accumulate strength for a take-off
洗心革面 to turn over a new leaf
心想事成May all your wish come true
喜憂參半mingled hope and fear
習慣成自然 once a use forever a custom
星星之火可以燎原 A single spark can start a prairie fire.
笑裏藏刀 a smile to hide one's hate
雪中送炭 to help a lame dog over a stile
血流如註 to bleed like a pig
雪中送炭真君子/患難見真情 A friend in need is a friend indeed.
小菜壹碟 a piece of cake
Y
眼不見為凈 Out of sight, out of mind.
嚴以律己,寬以待人 be strict with oneself and lenient towards others
掩耳盜鈴Hide the ears and stole the bell
揚眉吐氣 to feel proud and elated
陽奉陰違 ostensible obedience
壹言既出，駟馬難追A real man never goes back on his words.
異曲同工different tunes sung with equal skill/different approaches but equally satisfactory results.
姻緣天註定 Marriages are made in heaven.
英雄所見略同Great minds think alike。?
勇者不懼 A brave man will not shrink from dangers.
有情人終成眷屬 "Jack shall have Jill, all shall be well."
與時俱進 advance with times
欲速則不達Haste does not bring success.
遠親不如近鄰 Distant kinsmen mean less than close neighbors. / A near neighbor is better than a distant cousin.
緣木求魚 to get water from a flint
z
招財進寶Money and treasures will be plentiful
債臺高築become debt-ridden
致命要害Achilles" heel
眾矢之的target of public criticism
紙上談兵be an armchair strategist
紙包不住火Truth will come to light sooner or later
知己知彼,百戰不殆 Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.
置之死地而後生 Put the troops in death ground and they will live.
左右為難 between the devil and the deep blue sea; between the rock and the hard place