interest (desire to know about sth) / interest (thing in which one is interested) / hobby / CL:個|个[ge4]
江湖
Jiāng hú
rivers and lakes / all corners of the country / remote areas to which hermits retreat / section of society operating independently of mainstream society, out of reach of the law / the milieu in which wuxia tales play out (cf. 武俠|武侠[wu3 xia2]) / (in late imperial times) world of traveling merchants, itinerant doctors, fortune tellers etc / demimonde / (in modern times) triads / secret gangster societies / underworld
the day after tomorrow / life after birth (the period in which one develops through experiences, contrasted with 先天[xian1 tian1]) / acquired (not innate or congenital) / a posteriori
寄托
jì tuō
to entrust (to sb) / to place (one's hope, energy etc) in / a thing in which you invest (your hope, energy etc)
小康社会
xiǎo kāng shè huì
society in which the material needs of most citizens are adequately met
字典
zì diǎn
Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a 詞典|词典[ci2 dian3], which has entries for words of one or more characters) / (coll.) dictionary / CL:本[ben3]
挂钩
guà gōu
hook (on which to hang sth) / to couple / to link together / to establish contact with / hook / coupling links (e.g. between two railway coaches)
助攻
zhù gōng
(military) to mount a secondary attack / (fig.) to assist in tackling a problem / (sports) to participate in a play in which a teammate scores (i.e. perform an assist)
连连看
lián lián kàn
pattern matching (puzzle game) / matching (type of test question in which presented items are to be paired up)
拜拜
bài bai
to pay one's respects by bowing with hands in front of one's chest clasping joss sticks, or with palms pressed together / (Tw) religious ceremony in which offerings are made to a deity
擂台
lèi tái
elevated stage on which martial competitions or duels were held / arena / ring
毕业证书
bì yè zhèng shū
(PRC) (since 1985) graduation certificate, which certifies that the student has graduated, but not necessarily met all requirements to be awarded a degree certificate 學位證書|学位证书[xue2 wei4 zheng4 shu1] / (1981-1985) graduation certificate, which certified that the student graduated, and, if it included a final sentence indicating a degree type, also certified that the student met all the requirements for a degree
偶像剧
ǒu xiàng jù
idol drama / drama series in which the actors are chosen for their preexisting popularity with young viewers
特别行政区
tè bié xíng zhèng qū
special administrative region (SAR), of which there are two in the PRC: Hong Kong 香港 / and Macau 澳門|澳门 / refers to many different areas during late Qing, foreign occupation, warlord period and Nationalist government / refers to special zones in North Korea and Indonesia
丁丁
dīng dīng
(neologism) (slang) penis (丁丁 / resembles "JJ", which is short for 雞雞|鸡鸡[ji1 ji1])
无所适从
wú suǒ shì cóng
not knowing which course to follow (idiom) / at a loss what to do
档期
dàng qī
slot within a schedule / timeslot (for a TV program, a session with a photographer etc) / range of dates in which an event is to be held (film screening, exhibition etc)
鸿沟
hóng gōu
(fig.) gulf / chasm / wide gap / (originally) the Hong Canal in Henan, which in ancient times formed the border between enemies Chu 楚 / and Han 漢|汉
拐点
guǎi diǎn
turning point / breaking point / inflexion point (math., a point of a curve at which the curvature changes sign)
钓鱼台
Diào yú tái
Diaoyu Islands, located between Taiwan and Okinawa, controlled by Japan &ndash / which calls them the Senkaku Islands &ndash / but claimed by China as part of its territory
自由软件
zì yóu ruǎn jiàn
free software (i.e. software for which sharing, modification etc is permitted)
大跃进
Dà yuè jìn
Great Leap Forward (1958-1960), Mao's attempt to modernize China's economy, which resulted in economic devastation, and millions of deaths from famine caused by misguided policies
蓝本
lán běn
blueprint / source material on which later works (books, movies etc) are based
辛亥革命
Xīn hài Gé mìng
Xinhai Revolution (1911), which ended the Qing Dynasty
解放战争
Jiě fàng Zhàn zhēng
War of Liberation (1945-49), after which the Communists 共產黨武裝|共产党武装 / under Mao Zedong 毛澤東|毛泽东 / took over from the Nationalists 國民政府|国民政府 / under Chiang Kai-shek 蔣介石|蒋介石
中纪委
Zhōng jì wěi
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), organization within the CCP which investigates corruption and other wrongdoing among Party cadres / abbr. for 中共中央紀律檢查委員會|中共中央纪律检查委员会
歇后语
xiē hòu yǔ
anapodoton (a saying in which the second part, uttered after a pause or totally left out, is the intended meaning of the allegory presented in the first part)
转移支付
zhuǎn yí zhī fù
transfer payment (payment from government or private sector for which no good or service is required in return)
春联
chūn lián
Spring Festival couplet (the first line of which is pasted on the right side of a doorway at New Year, and the second on the left side)
简谱
jiǎn pǔ
music notation in which the notes Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Si are represented by numerals 1 to 7
actually / place / classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc / that which / particle introducing a relative clause or passive / CL:個|个[ge4]
(in literature and opera) a place to which a monarch banishes a wife or concubine who falls from favor / (fig.) the doghouse / a state of disfavor
独占鳌头
dú zhàn áo tóu
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
虚火
xū huǒ
excess of internal heat due to poor general condition (TCM) / the prestige of another person, which one borrows for oneself
法家
Fǎ jiā
Legalist School of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) founded by Han Fei 韓非|韩非[Han2 Fei1] and Li Si 李斯[Li3 Si1], which influenced Shang Yang 商鞅[Shang1 Yang1], whose reforms strengthened the Qin state 秦國|秦国[Qin2 guo2], eventually enabling it to conquer rival states and unify China under the Qin dynasty 秦朝[Qin2 chao2]
罡风
gāng fēng
in Daoism, astral wind on which immortals may ride / strong wind
触景生情
chù jǐng shēng qíng
scene which recalls past memories (idiom) / evocative of the past / reminiscent / to arouse deep feelings
拨乱反正
bō luàn fǎn zhèng
bring order out of chaos / set to rights things which have been thrown into disorder
茶叶蛋
chá yè dàn
tea egg (egg boiled with flavorings which may include black tea)
双簧
shuāng huáng
a form of theatrical double act in which one performer speaks or sings while the other, in front, pretends to be doing the speaking or singing / double reed (as in an oboe or bassoon)
不平等条约
bù píng děng tiáo yuē
(term coined c. 1920s) unequal treaty &ndash / a treaty between China and one or more aggressor nations (including Russia, Japan and various Western powers) which imposed humiliating conditions on China (in the 19th and early 20th centuries)
river crab / Internet censorship (pun on "harmonious" 和諧|和谐[he2 xie2], which is blocked by the great firewall of China)
八音
bā yīn
ancient classification system for musical instruments, based on the material of which the instrument is made (metal 金, stone 石, clay 土, leather 革, silk 絲|丝, wood 木, gourd 匏, bamboo 竹) / the eight kinds of sound produced by instruments in these categories / music
类书
lèi shū
reference book consisting of material quoted from many sources, arranged by category (about 600 of which were compiled between the 3rd and 18th centuries in China)
茭白
jiāo bái
Manchurian wild rice 菰[gu1], aka water bamboo, or its edible stem, which resembles a bamboo shoot
三顾茅庐
sān gù máo lú
lit. three humble visits to a thatched cottage / cf famous episode in the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义 / in which Liu Bei 劉備|刘备 / recruits Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮 / (the Hidden Dragon 臥龍|卧龙) to his cause by visiting him three times
碟仙
dié xiān
form of divination similar to the Ouija board, in which participants use their forefingers to push a small saucer over a sheet of paper inscribed with numerous Chinese characters
mountain / hill / anything that resembles a mountain / CL:座[zuo4] / bundled straw in which silkworms spin cocoons / gable
词牌
cí pái
names of the tunes to which 詞|词[ci2] poems are composed
棒喝
bàng hè
practice in which a novice monk is shouted at or hit with a stick with the purpose of bringing about instant awakening (Buddhism) / to rebuke sternly
三伏
sān fú
the three annual periods of hot weather, namely 初伏[chu1 fu2], 中伏[zhong1 fu2] and 末伏[mo4 fu2], which run consecutively over a period from mid-July to late August
四不像
sì bù xiàng
common name for 麋鹿[mi2 lu4], Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), which is said to resemble an amalgam of animals such as a cow, deer, donkey and horse / an odd mixture of disparate elements / hodgepodge / farrago
中伏
zhōng fú
the second of the three annual periods of hot weather (三伏[san1 fu2]), which begins in late July and lasts either 10 or 20 days, depending on the Chinese calendar in that year
同乐会
tóng lè huì
social gathering at which those attending take it in turns to perform for the whole group (music, dancing or comedy etc)
虚岁
xū suì
one's age, according to the traditional Chinese method of reckoning (i.e. the number of Chinese calendar years in which one has lived) &ndash / In this system, a person's age at birth is one, and increases by one at the beginning of the first solar term 立春[Li4 chun1] each year, rather than on one's birthday. / contrasted with 實歲|实岁[shi2 sui4]
书经
Shū jīng
the Book of History, one of the Five Classics of Confucianism 五經|五经[Wu3 jing1], a compendium of documents which make up the oldest extant texts of Chinese history, from legendary times down to the time of Confucius, also known as 尚書經|尚书经[Shang4 shu1 jing1], 尚書|尚书[Shang4 shu1], 書|书[Shu1]
毽子
jiàn zi
a kind of shuttlecock used to play games in which it is kept in the air without using the hands, primarily by kicking / game played with such a shuttlecock
人心所向
rén xīn suǒ xiàng
that which is yearned for by the public
弹幕
dàn mù
barrage (military) / "bullet screen", function which allows viewers to post on-screen comments in videos, movies etc in real time / danmaku (video game subgenre)
纸型
zhǐ xíng
paper matrix in which type is set
冥婚
míng hūn
posthumous or ghost marriage (in which at least one of the bride and groom is dead)
tiger bench (torture method in which the victim sits with legs extended horizontally along a bench, upper legs held down with straps while bricks are inserted under the feet, forcing the knee joint to bend in reverse)
编次
biān cì
to arrange things in sequence / sequence in which things are arranged
抓周
zhuā zhōu
custom of placing a variety of articles (writing brush, abacus etc) before an infant on its first birthday to see which one he or she picks up (The article chosen is supposed to be an indication of the child's inclinations, future career etc.)
Manchurian wild rice (Zizania latifolia), now rare in the wild, formerly harvested for its grain, now mainly cultivated for its edible stem known as 茭白筍|茭白笋[jiao1 bai2 sun3], which is swollen by a smut fungus / (variant of 菇[gu1]) mushroom
a traditional pastry of Taiwan and Fujian which is fried, then coated with maltose and rolled in sesame seeds or chopped peanuts etc / Taiwan pr. [lao3]
空城计
kōng chéng jì
the empty city stratagem (in which Zhuge Liang presents himself as unperturbed while making it evident that his city is undefended, hoping his adversary will suspect an ambush) / double bluff
迷魂汤
mí hún tāng
potion given to souls before they are reincarnated, which makes them forget their previous life (aka 孟婆汤[meng4 po2 tang1]) / magic potion / (fig.) bewitching words or actions
bamboos placed across wooden frames on which grain may be stored in damp climates
武昌起义
Wǔ chāng Qǐ yì
Wuchang Uprising of October 10th, 1911, which led to Sun Yat-sen's Xinhai Revolution and the fall of the Qing dynasty
拣佛烧香
jiǎn fó shāo xiāng
to choose which Buddha to burn incense to (idiom) / fig. to curry favor from the right person
郢书燕说
Yǐng shū Yān shuō
lit. Ying writes a letter and Yan reads it / fig. to misinterpret the original meaning / to pile up errors / refers to the letter from capital 郢[Ying3] of 楚[Chu3] in which the inadvertent words "hold up the candle" are mistaken by the minister of 燕[Yan1] as "promote the wise"
南箕北斗
nán jī běi dǒu
lit. the Winnowing Basket in the southern sky, and the Big Dipper in the north (idiom) / fig. sth which, despite its name, is of no practical use
一笔不苟
yī bǐ bù gǒu
lit. not even one stroke is negligent (idiom) / fig. to write characters (calligraphy) in which every stroke is placed perfectly
水牢
shuǐ láo
prison cell containing water, in which prisoners are forced to be partly immersed
nǎ
