"Anything" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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什么 shén me what? / something / anything
无论何事 wú lùn hé shì anything / whatever
没办法 méi bàn fǎ there is nothing to be done / one can't do anything about it
没法 méi fǎ at a loss / unable to do anything about it / to have no choice
没有办法 méi yǒu bàn fǎ there is nothing to be done / one can't do anything about it
在那儿 zài na r (adverbial expression indicating that the attention of the subject of the verb is focused on what they are doing, not distracted by anything else) / just ...ing (and nothing else)
不妙 bù miào (of a turn of events) not too encouraging / far from good / anything but reassuring
首映 shǒu yìng to premiere (a movie or TV show) / premiere (of a movie) / first-run (movie) / to greet (the eye) before anything else (e.g. when entering a room)
有期徒刑 yǒu qī tú xíng limited term of imprisonment (i.e. anything less than life imprisonment)
一无所有 yī wú suǒ yǒu not having anything at all (idiom) / utterly lacking / without two sticks to rub together
一无所知 yī wú suǒ zhī not knowing anything at all (idiom) / completely ignorant / without an inkling
二话不说 èr huà bù shuō not saying anything further (idiom) / not raising any objection / without demur
束手无策 shù shǒu wú cè lit. to have one's hands bound and be unable to do anything about it (idiom) / fig. helpless in the face of a crisis
谈天说地 tán tiān shuō dì to talk endlessly / talking of anything under the sun
空空如也 kōng kōng rú yě as empty as anything (idiom) / completely bereft / to have nothing / vacuous / hollow / empty (argument, head etc)
算不了 suàn bù liǎo does not count for anything / of no account
不中用 bù zhōng yòng unfit for anything / no good / useless / (of a sick person) beyond hope
不中用 bù zhòng yòng unfit for anything / no good / useless / (of a sick person) beyond hope
不讳 bù huì without concealing anything / to pass away / to die
束手 shù shǒu to have one's hands tied / helpless / unable to do anything about it
无所不包 wú suǒ bù bāo not excluding anything / all-inclusive
吃不上 chī bu shàng unable to get anything to eat / to miss a meal
无所不为 wú suǒ bù wéi not stopping at anything / all manner of evil
山 shān mountain / hill / anything that resembles a mountain / CL:座[zuo4] / bundled straw in which silkworms spin cocoons / gable
生米煮成熟饭 shēng mǐ zhǔ chéng shú fàn the rice is cooked / what's done is done / it's too late to change anything now (idiom)
两手空空 liǎng shǒu kōng kōng empty-handed (idiom) / fig. not receiving anything
孤掌难鸣 gū zhǎng nán míng It's hard to clap with only one hand. / It takes two to tango / It's difficult to achieve anything without support.
事在人为 shì zài rén wéi the matter depends on the individual (idiom) / it is a matter for your own effort / With effort, one can achieve anything.
敢作敢为 gǎn zuò gǎn wéi to stop at nothing (idiom) / to dare to do anything
百无禁忌 bǎi wú jìn jì all taboos are off (idiom) / anything goes / nothing is taboo
胸无城府 xiōng wú chéng fǔ open and candid (idiom) / not hiding anything / ingenuous
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
动辄得咎 dòng zhé dé jiù faulted at every turn (idiom) / can't get anything right
有钱能使鬼推磨 yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuī mò lit. with money, you can get a devil to turn a millstone (idiom) / fig. with money, you can get anything done / money talks
无所用心 wú suǒ yòng xīn not paying attention to anything (idiom) / to idle time away
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
生米做成熟饭 shēng mǐ zuò chéng shú fàn lit. the raw rice is now cooked (idiom) / fig. it is done and can't be changed / It's too late to change anything now. / also written 生米煮成熟飯|生米煮成熟饭
胸无宿物 xiōng wú sù wù open and candid (idiom) / not hiding anything / ingenuous
襟怀坦白 jīn huái tǎn bái open and candid (idiom) / not hiding anything / ingenuous / openhearted / unselfish / magnanimous / broad-minded
跋前踬后 bá qián zhì hòu to trip forwards or stumble back (idiom, from Book of Songs) / can't get anything right
一个巴掌拍不响 yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng lit. one palm alone cannot clap (proverb) / fig. it takes two persons to start a dispute / it takes two to tango / it's difficult to achieve anything without support
钱可通神 qián kě tōng shén with money, you can do anything (idiom) / money talks
马齿徒增 mǎ chǐ tú zēng (self-deprecating) to have grown old without accomplishing anything (idiom)
细大不捐 xì dà bù juān not to discard anything, whether small or big (idiom) / all-embracing
百无一失 bǎi wú yī shī no danger of anything going wrong / no risk at all
无所不卖 wú suǒ bù mài to sell anything / to sell everything
兔子不吃窝边草 tù zi bù chī wō biān cǎo A rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow (idiom) / One shouldn't do anything to harm one's neighbors.
别理 bié lǐ don't get involved / ignore it! / don't have anything to do with (him, her etc) / don't speak to
坐吃享福 zuò chī xiǎng fú vegetative existence / to consume passively without doing anything useful
德薄能鲜 dé bó néng xiǎn little virtue and meager abilities (idiom) / I'm a humble person and not much use at anything (Song writer Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修|欧阳修[Ou1 yang2 Xiu1])
敝帚千金 bì zhǒu qiān jīn lit. my worn-out broom, a thousand in gold (idiom) / fig. sentimental value / I wouldn't be parted with it for anything.
既来之，则安之 jì lái zhī , zé ān zhī Since they have come, we should make them comfortable (idiom). Since we're here, take it easy. / Since this is so, we should accept it. / Now we have come, let's stay and take the rough with the smooth. / If you can't do anything to prevent it, you might as well sit back and enjoy it.
没有法 méi yǒu fǎ at a loss / unable to do anything about it / to have no choice
没有规矩，何以成方圆 méi yǒu guī jǔ , hé yǐ chéng fāng yuán without rules, how can anything be done (idiom) / one must follow some rules
无保留 wú bǎo liú without reservation / not holding anything back / unconditional
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.
生米熟饭 shēng mǐ shú fàn abbr. for 生米煮成熟飯|生米煮成熟饭, lit. the raw rice is now cooked (idiom) / fig. it is done and can't be changed / It's too late to change anything now.
空手而归 kōng shǒu ér guī to return empty-handed / to fail to win anything
胸怀坦荡 xiōng huái tǎn dàng open and candid (idiom) / not hiding anything / ingenuous / openhearted / unselfish / magnanimous / broad-minded
金钱万能 jīn qián wàn néng money is omnipotent (idiom) / with money, you can do anything / money talks
闭口不谈 bì kǒu bù tán to refuse to say anything about (idiom) / to remain tight-lipped / to avoid mentioning
瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠 guā tián bù nà lu:3 , lǐ xià bù zhěng guān lit. don't tie your shoelaces in a melon patch, and don't adjust your hat under a plum tree (idiom) / fig. don't do anything that might arouse suspicion / innocent acts may be misconstrued
成事不足，败事有余 chéng shì bù zú , bài shì yǒu yú unable to accomplish anything but liable to spoil everything (idiom) / unable to do anything right / never make, but always mar
不事生产 bù shì shēng chǎn not to do anything productive / to idle away one's time
人为财死，鸟为食亡 rén wèi cái sǐ , niǎo wèi shí wáng lit. human beings will die for riches, just as birds will for food (idiom) / fig. man will do anything in his means to become rich
无话不谈 wú huà bù tán not to hold anything back (idiom) / (of close friends etc) to tell each other everything
牡丹虽好，全仗绿叶扶持 mǔ dan suī hǎo , quán zhàng 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.
牡丹虽好，终须绿叶扶持 mǔ dan suī hǎo , zhōng xū 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.
知无不言，言无不尽 zhī wú bù yán , yán wú bù jìn not hiding anything he knows, not stopping before he has said it through (idiom) / frank / outspoken
没有规矩，何以成方圆 méi yǒu guī ju , hé yǐ chéng fāng yuán without rules, how can anything be done (idiom) / one must follow some rules
吃瓜群众 chī guā qún zhòng peanut gallery (esp. in online forums) / onlookers who are interested in the spectacle but don't have anything knowledgeable to say about it / (neologism c. 2016)
游惰 yóu duò to laze about without doing anything productive
自顾不暇 zì gù bù xiá (idiom) to have one's hands full managing one's own affairs / too busy to spare time for anything extra
说东道西 shuō dōng dào xī to chat about this and that / to talk about anything and everything
伪命题 wěi mìng tí false proposition / fundamentally flawed notion / (in popular usage, can also refer to anything based on a flawed notion, such as a false dichotomy or a question that starts with a false premise)
Chinese Tones