Chinese Idioms

Browse hundreds of Chinese idioms (Chengyu) by date, category, and difficulty. Every entry links to its full story and examples.

Showing 12 of 120 featured Chengyu

自相矛盾

zì xiāng máo dùn

Self-contradictory; logically inconsistent.

Wisdom Mistakes

卧薪尝胆

wò xīn cháng dǎn

To endure hardship and humiliation to achieve a long-term goal.

Perseverance Hard Work

纸上谈兵

zhǐ shàng tán bīng

Armchair theorizing; empty talk without real experience.

Failure Business

胸有成竹

xiōng yǒu chéng zhú

To have a well-thought-out plan before acting.

Confidence Work

开门见山

kāi mén jiàn shān

To get straight to the point.

Work Business

举一反三

jǔ yī fǎn sān

To learn by analogy; infer three from one example.

Education Wisdom

半途而废

bàn tú ér fèi

To give up halfway; leave something unfinished.

Perseverance Education

雪上加霜

xuě shàng jiā shuāng

To make a bad situation even worse.

Failure Emotions

井底之蛙

jǐng dǐ zhī wā

Someone with a narrow, limited view of the world.

Wisdom Education

对牛弹琴

duì niú tán qín

To cast pearls before swine; explain something to the wrong audience.

Education Wisdom

水滴石穿

shuǐ dī shí chuān

Persistence wears down obstacles over time.

Perseverance Hard Work

一鸣惊人

yī míng jīng rén

To amaze everyone with a sudden impressive achievement.

Success Confidence

Learn Chinese in 3 months with ease

Start Learning

Chinese Idioms

Chinese Idioms

自相矛盾

卧薪尝胆

纸上谈兵

胸有成竹

开门见山

举一反三

半途而废

雪上加霜

井底之蛙

对牛弹琴

水滴石穿

一鸣惊人

Learn Chinese in 3 months with ease

Product

Tools

Legal & Trust

News & Update