to come first in triennial palace examinations (idiom, refers to the carved stone turtle head in front of the imperial palace, next to which the most successful candidate in the imperial examinations was entitled to stand) / to be the champion / to be the very best in any field
不痛不痒
bù tòng bù yǎng
lit. doesn't hurt, doesn't tickle (idiom) / sth is wrong, but not quite sure what / fig. not getting to any matter of substance / scratching the surface / superficial / perfunctory
空载
kōng zài
(of a ship, train etc) not carrying any load (i.e. no passengers or freight etc) / (electricity) no-load (used to describe the condition of a transformer when there is no load connected to its secondary coil)
韵母
yùn mǔ
the final of a Chinese syllable (the component of a syllable remaining after removal of the initial consonant, if any, and the tone, e.g. the final of "niáng" is "iang")
black atractylodes rhizome (dried rhizome of any of several atractylodes species) (TCM)
水滴石穿
shuǐ dī shí chuān
dripping water penetrates the stone (idiom) / constant perseverance yields success / You can achieve your aim if you try hard without giving up. / Persistent effort overcomes any difficulty.
dripping water penetrates the stone (idiom) / constant perseverance yields success / You can achieve your aim if you try hard without giving up. / Persistent effort overcomes any difficulty.
有口无心
yǒu kǒu wú xīn
to speak harshly but without any bad intent (idiom)
饱食终日
bǎo shí zhōng rì
to spend the whole day eating (i.e. not doing any work)
powder / cosmetic face powder / food prepared from starch / noodles or pasta made from any kind of flour / whitewash / white / pink / fan (suffix) (abbr. for 粉絲|粉丝[fen3 si1]) / to be a fan of
to guard against the unexpected (idiom) / just in case / prepared for any eventualities
无情无义
wú qíng wú yì
completely lacking any feeling or sense of justice (idiom) / cold and ruthless
六亲不认
liù qīn bù rèn
not recognizing one's family (idiom) / self-centered and not making any allowances for the needs of one's relatives
天有不测风云
tiān yǒu bù cè fēng yún
fortune as unpredictable as the weather (idiom) / sth unexpected may happen at any moment
非亲非故
fēi qīn fēi gù
lit. neither a relative nor a friend (idiom) / fig. unrelated to one another in any way
拍案而起
pāi àn ér qǐ
lit. to slap the table and stand up (idiom) / fig. at the end of one's tether / unable to take it any more
病急乱投医
bìng jí luàn tóu yī
lit. to turn to any doctor one can find when critically ill (idiom) / fig. to try anyone or anything in a crisis
不知者不罪
bù zhī zhě bù zuì
One who does not know is not guilty / If one does not know any better, one cannot be held responsible
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.
塞翁失马
sài wēng shī mǎ
lit. the old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best (idiom) / fig. a blessing in disguise / it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
塞翁失马安知非福
sài wēng shī mǎ ān zhī fēi fú
the old man lost his mare, but it all turned out for the best (idiom) / fig. a blessing in disguise / it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good / also written 塞翁失馬焉知非福|塞翁失马焉知非福
handling any occasion smoothly (idiom) / equal to any situation
摸不着头脑
mō bu zháo tóu nǎo
to be unable to make any sense of the matter / to be at a loss
羊触藩篱
yáng chù fān lí
lit. billy goat's horns caught in the fence (idiom from Book of Changes 易經|易经) / impossible to advance or to retreat / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation
羝羊触藩
dī yáng chù fān
lit. billy goat's horns caught in the fence (idiom from Book of Changes 易經|易经) / impossible to advance or to retreat / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation
行行出状元
háng háng chū zhuàng yuán
lit. in every trade, a master appears (idiom) / fig. You can produce outstanding achievements in any task, provided you put it enough love and diligence
进退为难
jìn tuì wéi nán
no room to advance or to retreat (idiom) / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation
长袖善舞
cháng xiù shàn wǔ
long sleeves help one dance beautifully (idiom) / money and power will help you in any occupation
雁过拔毛
yàn guò bá máo
lit. to grab feathers from a flying goose / fig. to seize any opportunity / pragmatic
塞翁失马焉知非福
sài wēng shī mǎ yān zhī fēi fú
the old man lost his mare, but it all turned out for the best (idiom) / fig. a blessing in disguise / it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
无所畏忌
wú suǒ wèi jì
without any fear of consequences / totally devoid of scruples
北叟失马
běi sǒu shī mǎ
lit. the old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best (idiom) / fig. a blessing in disguise / it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
随叫随到
suí jiào suí dào
to be available at any time / to be on call
事无巨细
shì wú jù xì
lit. things are not separated according to their size (idiom) / fig. to deal with any matter, regardless of its importance
shèn