| 掏腰包 | tāo yāo bāo | to dip into one's pocket / to pay out of pocket / to foot the bill |   |
| 伸懒腰 | shēn lǎn yāo | to stretch oneself (on waking or when tired etc) | |
| 裤腰带 | kù yāo dài | waistband | |
| 水蛇腰 | shuǐ shé yāo | slender and supple waist / lithe body / feminine pose | |
| 斑腰燕 | bān yāo yàn | (bird species of China) striated swallow (Cecropis striolata) | |
| 半中腰 | bàn zhōng yāo | middle / halfway | |
| 金腰燕 | jīn yāo yàn | (bird species of China) red-rumped swallow (Cecropis daurica) | |
| 蚂蚁腰 | mǎ yǐ yāo | (coll.) tiny waist | |
| 转腰子 | zhuàn yāo zi | (coll.) to pace around nervously / to speak indirectly / to beat about the bush | |
| 膀大腰圆 | bǎng dà yāo yuán | tall and strong / burly / beefy | |
| 点头哈腰 | diǎn tóu hā yāo | to nod one's head and bow (idiom) / bowing and scraping / unctuous fawning | |
| 虎背熊腰 | hǔ bèi xióng yāo | back of a tiger and waist of a bear / tough and stocky build | |
| 炸弹腰带 | | suicide belt / suicide vest | |
| 白腰滨鹬 | bái yāo bīn yù | (bird species of China) white-rumped sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) | |
| 白腰草鹬 | bái yāo cǎo yù | (bird species of China) green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) | |
| 白腰鹊鸲 | bái yāo què qú | (bird species of China) white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus) | |
| 白腰杓鹬 | bái yāo sháo yù | (bird species of China) Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata) | |
| 白腰文鸟 | bái yāo wén niǎo | (bird species of China) white-rumped munia (Lonchura striata) | |
| 白腰雪雀 | bái yāo xuě què | (bird species of China) white-rumped snowfinch (Onychostruthus taczanowskii) | |
| 白腰燕鸥 | bái yāo yàn ōu | (bird species of China) Aleutian tern (Onychoprion aleuticus) | |
| 黑腰滨鹬 | hēi yāo bīn yù | (bird species of China) Baird's sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) | |
| 红腰朱雀 | hóng yāo zhū què | (bird species of China) red-mantled rosefinch (Carpodacus rhodochlamys) | |
| 黄腰柳莺 | huáng yāo liǔ yīng | (bird species of China) Pallas's leaf warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus) | |
| 手枪腰带 | shǒu qiāng yāo dài | pistol belt | |
| 弯腰驼背 | wān yāo tuó bèi | slouch / stoop / poor posture | |
| 熊腰虎背 | xióng yāo hǔ bèi | waist of a bear and back of a tiger / tough and stocky build | |
| 自掏腰包 | zì tāo yāo bāo | to pay out of one's own pocket / to dig into one's pocket | |
| 等腰三角形 | děng yāo sān jiǎo xíng | isosceles triangle | |
| 白腰朱顶雀 | bái yāo zhū dǐng què | (bird species of China) common redpoll (Acanthis flammea) | |
| 淡黄腰柳莺 | dàn huáng yāo liǔ yīng | (bird species of China) lemon-rumped warbler (Phylloscopus chloronotus) | |
| 黄腰太阳鸟 | huáng yāo tài yáng niǎo | (bird species of China) crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) | |
| 黄腰响蜜䴕 | huáng yāo xiǎng mì liè | (bird species of China) yellow-rumped honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus) | |
| 小白腰雨燕 | xiǎo bái yāo yǔ yàn | (bird species of China) house swift (Apus nipalensis) | |
| 白腰叉尾海燕 | bái yāo chā wěi hǎi yàn | (bird species of China) Leach's storm petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) | |
| 蓝腰短尾鹦鹉 | lán yāo duǎn wěi yīng wǔ | (bird species of China) blue-rumped parrot (Psittinus cyanurus) | |
| 为五斗米折腰 | wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo | (allusion to Tao Qian 陶潛|陶潜[Tao2 Qian2], who used this phrase when he resigned from government service rather than show subservience to a visiting inspector) to bow and scrape for five pecks of rice (that being a part of his salary as a local magistrate) / (fig.) to compromise one's principles for the sake of a salary | |
| 拔根汗毛比腰粗 | bá gēn hàn máo bǐ yāo cū | lit. a hair plucked from (person A) would be thicker than (person B)'s waist (idiom) / fig. A is far richer (or more powerful) than B / (used in a pattern such as A拔根汗毛比B的腰粗[A ba2 gen1 han4 mao2 bi3 B de5 yao1 cu1]) | |
| 站着说话不腰疼 | zhàn zhe shuō huà bù yāo téng | it's all very well to talk, but getting things done is another matter (idiom) / to be an armchair expert / to blabber on | |
| 核生化高腰防护靴 | hé shēng huà gāo yāo fáng hù xuē | NBC overboots / NBC bootees | |
yāo
