| 成语 | chéng yǔ | Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical quotation / idiom / proverb / saying / adage / CL:條|条[tiao2],本[ben3],句[ju4] |  |
| 习语 | xí yǔ | common saying / idiom | |
| 惯用语 | guàn yòng yǔ | commonly used phrase / idiom / colloquial usage | |
| 熟语 | shú yǔ | idiom | |
| 习惯用语 | xí guàn yòng yǔ | idiom / idiomatic expression / habitual form of speech (grammar) | |
| 习惯用法 | xí guàn yòng fǎ | idiom | |
| 口碑 | kǒu bēi | public praise / public reputation / commonly held opinions / current idiom |  |
| 点水 | diǎn shuǐ | to skim / lightly touching the water (as the dragonfly in the idiom 蜻蜓點水|蜻蜓点水) / skin-deep | |
| 成语接龙 | chéng yǔ jiē lóng | game where the last word of one idiom 成語|成语[cheng2 yu3] is the first of the next | |
| 博士买驴 | bó shì mǎi lu:2 | lit. the scholar buys a donkey (idiom) / fig. long-winded verbiage that never gets to the point / idiom mocking scholastic pomposity | |
| 置之死地 | zhì zhī sǐ dì | to place sb on field of death / to confront with mortal danger / to give sb no way out / with one's back to the wall / looking death in the eye / part of idiom 置之死地而後生|置之死地而后生 | |
| 旧瓶装新酒 | jiù píng zhuāng xīn jiǔ | lit. new wine in old bottles / fig. new concepts in an old framework / (loan idiom from Matthew 9:17, but fig. meaning is opposite) | |
| 只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针 | zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn , tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn | If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle. / cf idiom 磨杵成針|磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom) / fig. to persevere in a difficult task / to study diligently | |
| 外来成语 | wài lái chéng yǔ | loan idiom | |
| 患难之交才是真正的朋友 | huàn nàn zhī jiāo cái shì zhēn zhèng de péng you | a friend in need is a friend indeed (English proverb) / cf idiom 患難之交|患难之交, a friend in need | |
| 招财 | zhāo cái | lit. inviting wealth / We wish you success and riches (cf idiom 招財進寶|招财进宝[zhao1 cai2 jin4 bao3]) | |
| 每一个人都有美中不足的地方 | měi yī gè rén dōu yǒu měi zhōng bù zú de dì fang | However excellent, everyone has his defects. / There is always a fly in the ointment. / cf idiom 美中不足[mei3 zhong1 bu4 zu2], everything is fine except for one small defect | |
| 衡酌 | héng zhuó | to weigh and consider / to deliberate / short form of idiom 衡情酌理 | |
| 钻牛角 | zuān niú jiǎo | lit. honing a bull's horn / fig. to waste time on an insoluble or insignificant problem / to bash one's head against a brick wall / a wild goose chase / a blind alley / to split hairs / same as idiom 鑽牛角尖|钻牛角尖 | |
| 齐眉 | qí méi | mutual respect in marriage / abbr. of idiom 舉案齊眉|举案齐眉[ju3 an4 qi2 mei2] | |
