HSK 6 Chinese Idioms (Chengyu)

To love something so much that one is unwilling to let it go; to be very fond of.

Pulling seedlings to help them grow — ruining things by trying to rush.

Grow old together — until your heads are both white with age.

Unbent by a hundred setbacks — undaunted by repeated failure.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other; much the same.

Showing off with an axe at Lu Ban's gate — flaunting your skill in front of the true master.

To give up halfway; to leave something unfinished.

To have experienced the vicissitudes of life; to have gone through many changes.

A bow reflected in a cup, mistaken for a snake — imagining a threat that isn't there.

A drop in the bucket; an utterly inadequate remedy.

In war, deception is never wrong — all is fair in tactics.

Broad and profound; vast and deep.

Broadly learned and multi-talented.

Not too proud to ask people of lower rank for help.

Inconceivable; unimaginable; incredible.

About the same; equally matched; neck and neck.

To not think something worth looking at; to disdain.

It goes without saying; self-evident; obvious.

To spare no effort; to do one's utmost.

To use any means to achieve one's goal; unscrupulous.

Not at all surprising; nothing to be surprised about.

Where blue seas were, now mulberry fields — vast change over time.

Borrowing arrows with straw boats — using the enemy's resources against them through cunning.

To emerge in an endless stream; to keep appearing one after another.

Perfectly satisfactory; everything one could wish.

Words leave the mouth as finished essays — eloquent on the spot.

Stand out from the crowd — exceptional among peers.

To flow in an endless stream; a constant flow.

To alert the enemy by a rash act; to beat the grass and startle the snake.

Great vessels are slow to complete — major talents take time to ripen.

The most pressing matter of the moment; the top priority.

The gain does not make up for the loss; more trouble than it's worth.

Give him an inch and he'll take a mile; never satisfied.

To muddle along; to drift along; taking each day as it comes.

Uniquely blessed by nature; endowed with exceptional advantages.

Forgetful; scatterbrained; always forgetting things.

To look around; to glance this way and that.

To be influenced by what one frequently hears and sees; to be influenced unconsciously.

Prevent trouble before it happens — head problems off in advance.

To forget to eat and sleep; to be completely engrossed in one's work.

Birds and beasts; all kinds of animals.

To dash on bravely; to disregard one's safety; to act heroically.

local conditions and customs

To do something carelessly or perfunctorily; to skimp on the job.

To undergo a complete transformation; to change one's appearance or behavior completely.

Liver and gall shining at each other — bound by total trust and honesty.

Everyone airs their own views; each expresses their opinion.

Deep-rooted; firmly established; ingrained.

Supply falls short of demand; demand exceeds supply.

Achievement made, name established — success and recognition both arrived.

Of antique style and flavor; quaint and antique.

Time passes like an arrow — fast and irreversible.

In the final analysis; ultimately; in the last analysis.

To look for a needle in a haystack; to search for something that is nearly impossible to find.

As wide as the sea and sky; boundless; fig. to talk at random; to let one's imagination run wild.

Learning to walk in Handan — imitating clumsily and forgetting what you already knew.

Hold the bitter and swallow the suffering — endure hardship (especially for one's children).

Fears of trouble in the rear; worries about what might happen in the future.

Tiger's head, snake's tail — strong start, anticlimactic finish.

Drawing a flatbread to satisfy hunger — empty consolation that doesn't actually fix the problem.

Sweet words and clever phrases; honeyed words; deceptive language.

Friends made in hard times — friends who stood by you in adversity.

To suddenly realize; to wake up to the truth.

Eager for quick success and instant benefits; shortsighted.

Even chickens and dogs aren't at peace — total disturbance.

Anxious for quick results; eager to achieve success immediately.

Widely known; known to every family and household.

Experienced and knowledgeable; well-informed.

To act bravely for a just cause; to stand up for what is right.

To spare no effort; to do one's utmost.

To discuss something with great relish; to talk about something with gusto.

With great interest; with keen pleasure; to do something with relish.

Adding flowers to brocade — making something already beautiful even better.

To calculate minutely; to be careful in planning and budgeting.

Cautious and conscientious; scrupulous.

In perfect order; neat and tidy; methodical.

To strive for perfection; constantly improving.

In peace, think of danger — stay alert even when things are going well.

To concentrate one's attention; to focus one's energies.

Attracting worldwide attention; world-renowned.

To carry considerable weight; to play a critical role.

To come straight to the point; to be direct and straightforward.

To speak with composure and confidence; to speak frankly and fluently.

Demands immediate action; admit of no delay; extremely urgent.

Carving a mark on the boat to find a dropped sword — clinging to outdated methods after the situation has changed.

Unprecedented and unrepeatable; the first and the last; unparalleled.

Castle in the air; an impractical or unrealistic scheme.

Saying one thing but meaning another; duplicity.

After suffering comes happiness; sweet comes after bitterness.

To fill a position just to make up the numbers; to pass oneself off as competent when one is not.

To wolf down; to devour ravenously; to eat like a wolf.

An old horse knows the way; experienced people know the ropes.

A cliché; a commonplace remark; a truism.

Courtesy demands reciprocity; to return politeness for politeness.

As a matter of course; inevitable and right; taken for granted.

Within one's power; as far as one's capabilities extend.

To be in the right and confident; to have justice on one's side.

To satisfy both sides; to the benefit of all parties.

In an endless stream; continuously; an unceasing flow.

Instant success; to achieve immediate victory.

To be suddenly enlightened; to have a sudden flash of understanding.

Worthy of the name; a true reflection of the name; the name matches the reality.

Baffling; inexplicable; odd; without rhyme or reason.

Rare and commendable; estimable; praiseworthy.

To act in a way that defeats one's purpose; to go south by driving the chariot north; to run in the opposite direction.

too impatient to wait; itching to get on with it

Imminent; impending; a matter of great urgency.

up until now; so far

To worry about unfounded or imaginary fears; to be overly concerned.

to work together with one heart; to be of one mind

How can this be reasonable?; preposterous!

just right; perfect

by every possible means; by hook or by crook

Following the same pattern; stereotyped; cut from the same cloth.

to influence secretly; to be gradually affected

Childhood sweethearts; a couple who grew up together.

Feelings match, minds agree — a perfect rapport.

To concentrate one's attention; to be absorbed in.

eyes brimming with tears; moved to tears

To make the best use of people's talents; everyone gives full play to their abilities.

Heavy responsibility, long road — a big task with no quick finish.

changing with each passing day; rapid progress

Master a subject thoroughly — the parts melt into a connected whole.

Like a fish in water; in one's element; feeling perfectly at home.

As if nothing had happened; to act unconcerned.

The old man of the frontier loses his horse — bad luck may be good in disguise, and vice versa.

Three visits to the thatched hut — going to great lengths to recruit talent.

Think three times before acting.

Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys — make a public example to deter others.

deep affection and profound friendship

Make noise east, strike west — feint to distract, attack elsewhere.

To achieve twice the result with half the effort; to get great results with little effort.

Twice the effort, half the result; inefficient.

Time passes, circumstances shift — what was true once may not be now.

to seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic

When the water flows, the channel forms — things work out when conditions are right.

unscrupulous and unrestrained; to act with absolutely no constraint

To drift with the tide; to go with the flow; to follow the crowd without one's own opinion.

to pour out words in a flood; talking non-stop

The joy of family bonds.

to plan as a whole and take all factors into consideration

Push your heart into another's belly — speak with complete openness, trust held back nothing.

to hem and haw; to speak haltingly

Return the jade intact to Zhao — return something safely and in full.

Everything is ready; all is in order.

Hoping one's son becomes a dragon — parents' high hopes for their child.

negligible; insignificant; not worth mentioning

Bind and tie before it rains — prepare ahead of time.

Rising to practise sword at the cock's crow — relentless self-discipline.

To grasp ten things from being told one — quick on the uptake.

Sleep on firewood, taste gall — endure self-imposed hardship to remember and avenge a defeat.

unmoved; indifferent; untouched

listless; in low spirits; crestfallen

to make trouble without reason; to be deliberately provocative

high quality and low price; a bargain

powerless; helpless; unable to do anything about it

endless; inexhaustible

in every possible way; meticulous

carefree; without worries

a delight to see (and hear); warmly welcomed

To try every possible way; to do everything possible.

To complement each other; to supplement and complement.

Treat each other like honoured guests — mutual respect in marriage.

Careful and cautious; with great care.

Metabolism; the new replaces the old.

Be perfectly happy to; be completely willing.

Flourishing and prosperous; thriving.

Hearts imprinted on each other — in perfect mutual understanding.

In high spirits; elated.

Full of zest; in high spirits; bubbling with enthusiasm.

Studying without reflecting on what you study leaves you confused.

To add frost to snow; one disaster after another; to make things worse in a bad situation.

Sending charcoal in the snow — help that arrives exactly when needed.

To proceed step by step; to advance gradually in due order.

As quiet as crows and sparrows; absolute silence; complete stillness.

Covering your own ears while stealing a bell — pretending an obvious truth doesn't exist.

Brief in words, complete in meaning — concise.

To profess love for something one actually fears or dislikes; to be a fair-weather fan.

Feel like old friends at first meeting — instant rapport.

Love at first sight.

One act and you're famous — overnight success.

Kill two birds with one stone; achieve two things at once.

A single cry that astonishes everyone — unexpected breakthrough after a quiet period.

Clear at a glance; obvious.

A single promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold — a word given is a word kept.

As before; just as in the past.

Meticulous; scrupulous; not the least bit negligent.

Survival of the fittest; the superior wins and the inferior is eliminated.

Methodical; in an orderly way; neat and tidy.

To increase steadily; to grow with each passing day.

To continue to put in more effort; to keep up the good work; to go on to greater heights.

Boring a hole in the wall to steal lamplight — studying despite poverty.

Resolute and decisive; to chop nails and slice iron (with ease).

Full of youthful spirit; vigorous and thriving.

Three in the morning, four in the evening — capricious, fickle, changing one's mind.

Striving to be first and fearing to be last; rushing headlong.

Know yourself and your opponent.

Same ambitions, same path — like-minded companions.

A true kindred spirit is hard to find.

Contentment brings happiness; happy is he who is content.

As everyone knows; it is common knowledge.

Regenerate through one's own effort; self-reliance.

Strive ceaselessly to better oneself.

In short; in a word; in conclusion.