the not-very-distant past / modern times, excluding recent decades / (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919) / capitalist times (pre-1949)
可言
kě yán
it may be said
五四
wǔ sì
fourth of May, cf 五四運動|五四运动, national renewal movement that started with 4th May 1919 protest against the Treaty of Versailles
检察官
jiǎn chá guān
public prosecutor / public procurator (judicial officer whose job may involve both criminal investigation and public prosecution)
不失为
bù shī wéi
can still be considered (to be...) / may after all be accepted as
费心
fèi xīn
to take a lot of trouble (over sb or sth) / may I trouble you (to do sth)
辫子
biàn zi
plait / braid / pigtail / a mistake or shortcoming that may be exploited by an opponent / handle / CL:根[gen1],條|条[tiao2]
万事如意
wàn shì rú yì
to have all one's wishes (idiom) / best wishes / all the best / may all your hopes be fulfilled
奉劝
fèng quàn
may I offer a bit of advice
海选
hǎi xuǎn
(in elections for village committees in the PRC since the 1990s) unrestricted nomination, a type of election where 1. everyone in the community is eligible to nominate somebody 2. voting is done by writing the name of one's nominee on the ballot, and 3. one's nominee can be anyone in the community (Nominees who receive the highest number of votes may be thereby elected or, more often, presented as the candidates in a further round of voting.) / (in other contexts) selection of the best contender in a process open to all comers / (in the entertainment industry) open audition
音译
yīn yì
transliteration (rendering phonetic value, e.g. of English words in Chinese characters) / characters giving phonetic value of Chinese word or name (when the correct characters may be unknown) / transcription (linguistics) / to transcribe phonetic symbols
sentence-final particle that conveys informality, warmth, friendliness or intimacy / may also indicate that one is stating a fact that the other person is not aware of
bamboos placed across wooden frames on which grain may be stored in damp climates
不打不成相识
bù dǎ bù chéng xiāng shí
don't fight, won't make friends (idiom) / an exchange of blows may lead to friendship
千虑一得
qiān lu:4 yī dé
a thousand tries leads to one success (idiom, humble expr.) / Even without any notable ability on my part, I may still get it right sometimes by good luck.
坐不垂堂
zuò bù chuí táng
lit. don't sit under the eaves (where tiles may fall from the roof) (idiom) / fig. keep out of danger
寿比南山
shòu bǐ Nán Shān
Live as long as the Zhongnan Mountains! (idiom) / Long may you live!
多难兴邦
duō nàn xīng bāng
much hardships may awaken a nation (idiom) / calamity that prompts renewal
大勇若怯
dà yǒng ruò qiè
a great hero may appear timid (idiom) / the really brave person remains level-headed
大智如愚
dà zhì rú yú
the wise may appear stupid (idiom) / a genius not appreciated in his own time
大智若愚
dà zhì ruò yú
great intelligence may appear to be stupidity (idiom)
瓜田不纳履
guā tián bù nà lu:3
lit. don't tie your shoe-laces in a melon-patch / fig. don't do anything that might arouse suspicion / innocent acts may be misconstrued
秤砣虽小压千斤
chèng tuó suī xiǎo yā qiān jīn
although small, a steelyard weight may tip a hundred pounds (idiom) / apparently insignificant details can have a large impact / for want of a nail the battle was lost
积非成是
jī fēi chéng shì
a wrong repeated becomes right (idiom) / a lie or an error passed on for a long time may be taken for the truth
藕断丝连
ǒu duàn sī lián
lit. lotus roots may break, but the fiber remains joined (idiom) / lovers part, but still long for one another
知人知面不知心
zhī rén zhī miàn bù zhī xīn
one may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature (idiom)
恭喜发财
gōng xǐ fā cái
May you have a prosperous New Year! (New Year's greeting)
老骥伏枥志在千里
lǎo jì fú lì zhì zài qiān lǐ
(lit.) an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1000 li / (fig.) old people may still cherish high aspirations
乐经
Yuè jīng
Book of Music, said to be one of the Six Classics lost after Qin's burning of the books in 212 BC, but may simply refer to Book of Songs 詩經|诗经
一不做，二不休
yī bù zuò , èr bù xiū
lit. either don't do it, or don't rest (idiom) / fig. if you do it at all, you may as well go the whole hog / in for a penny, in for a pound
不问好歹
bù wèn hǎo dǎi
no matter what may happen (idiom)
五七干校
wǔ qī gàn xiào
May 7 cadre school (farm where urban cadres had to undertake manual labor and study ideology during the Cultural Revolution) (abbr. for 五七幹部學校|五七干部学校[Wu3 Qi1 Gan4 bu4 Xue2 xiao4])
五七干部学校
wǔ qī gàn bù xué xiào
May 7 Cadre School (farm where urban cadres had to undertake manual labor and study ideology during the Cultural Revolution) (abbr. to 五七幹校|五七干校[Wu3 Qi1 Gan4 xiao4])
五卅运动
wǔ sà yùn dòng
anti-imperialist movement of 30th May 1925, involving general strike esp. in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong etc
五四爱国运动
wǔ sì ài guó yùn dòng
May Fourth Movement / Chinese national renewal movement that started with 4th May 1919 protest against the Treaty of Versailles
only the official is allowed to light the fire / Gods may do what cattle may not / quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi
喜则气缓
xǐ zé qì huǎn
joy depresses one's qi vital breath / an excess of joy may lead to sluggishness of vital energy (TCM)
大勇若怯，大智若愚
dà yǒng ruò qiè , dà zhì ruò yú
a great hero may appear timid, the wise may appear stupid (idiom) / the general public may not recognize great talent
天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福
tiān yǒu bù cè fēng yún , rén yǒu dàn xī huò fú
fortune as unpredictable as the weather, every day may bring fortune or calamity (idiom) / sth unexpected may happen at any moment
川震
Chuān zhèn
Sichuan great earthquake, the magnitude 8 earthquake of May 2008 at Wenchuan 汶川, Sichuan, that killed more than 80,000 people / same as 四川大地震[Si4 chuan1 Da4 di4 zhen4]
May you have peace year after year (New Year's greeting)
牡丹虽好，全仗绿叶扶
mǔ dan suī hǎo , quán zhàng lu:4 yè fú
Although the peony is beautiful, it depends entirely on help from the green leaves (idiom). However brilliant you may be, you can't do anything without support from others.
牡丹虽好，全凭绿叶扶持
mǔ dan suī hǎo , quán píng lu:4 yè fú chí
Although the peony is beautiful, it depends entirely on help from the green leaves (idiom). However brilliant you may be, you can't do anything without support from others.
犁靬
Lí jiān
Han dynasty name for countries in far West / may refer to Silk Road states or Alexandria or the Roman empire
病从口入，祸从口出
bìng cóng kǒu rù , huò cóng kǒu chū
Illness enters by the mouth, trouble comes out by the mouth (idiom). A loose tongue may cause a lot of trouble.
皇族内阁
Huáng zú nèi gé
Qing emergency cabinet set up in May 1911 to confront the Xinhai rebels
老骥伏枥，志在千里
lǎo jì fú lì , zhì zài qiān lǐ
lit. an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1000 miles (idiom) / fig. old people may still cherish high aspirations
与人方便，自己方便
yù rén fāng biàn , zì jǐ fāng biàn
Help others, and others may help you (idiom).
话虽如此
huà suī rú cǐ
be that as it may
麻雀虽小，五脏俱全
má què suī xiǎo , wǔ zàng jù quán
the sparrow may be small but all its vital organs are there (idiom) / small but complete in every detail
训读
xùn dú
a reading of a written Chinese word derived from a synonym (typically, a vernacular synonym) (e.g. in Mandarin, 投子[tou2 zi5] may be pronounced as its synonym 色子[shai3 zi5], and in Wu dialects, 二 / is pronounced as its synonym 兩|两 / "liahn") / to pronounce a word using such a reading / (Japanese linguistics) kun-reading, a pronunciation of a kanji derived from a native Japanese word that matches its meaning rather than from the pronunciation of the character in a Sinitic language at the time it was imported from China (Note: A kun-reading of a character is distinguished from its on-reading(s) 音讀|音读[yin1 du2]. For example, 山 / has a kun-reading "yama" and an on-reading "san".)
黄柳霜
huáng liǔ shuāng
Anna May Wong (1905-1961), Chinese American Hollywood actress
kě yǐ