Chinese Idioms about Wisdom & Learning (Chengyu)

Learning has no end. There's no limit to how much you can keep learning.

Revisit the old to understand the new.

Studying without reflecting on what you study leaves you confused.

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

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

From one example, infer three more — generalise from a single case.

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

Broadly learned and multi-talented.

Learning enough to fill five carts of books.

Talent measuring eight pecks — exceptionally gifted (especially in writing).

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

Let a hundred flowers bloom; let diverse forms develop; let a hundred schools of thought contend.

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

To be half-believing, half-doubting; dubious.

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

To be all-embracing; to cover a wide range of things; encyclopedic.

Ubiquitous; can be found everywhere.

Absolutely necessary; indispensable.

To have an original and ingenious design; to show great originality.

To have a unique style; to be unconventional.

Refined and courteous; urbane.

Of noble character and integrity; pure as ice and jade.

Broad and profound; vast and deep.

Cannot be known; will never know.

Without thinking; without hesitation; off the top of one's head.

Inconceivable; unimaginable; incredible.

To agree without prior consultation; to coincide.

Too numerous to count; countless.

It goes without saying; self-evident; obvious.

Not to mind taking the trouble; to be patient.

To disappear without a trace; to vanish into thin air.

Extremely happy; inordinately joyful.

Not at all surprising; nothing to be surprised about.

Calm and unhurried; composed.

Completely impartial and selfless.

Similar in essentials but different in minor details; largely the same but with minor differences.

To make a prompt decision; to decide on the spur of the moment.

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

Sanctimonious; having an air of virtue but lacking true morality.

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

Having both integrity and ability; possessing both virtue and talent.

To develop a unique style; to stand out from the crowd.

To prescribe the right remedy for the illness; to suit the remedy to the case.

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

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

To take drastic measures to resolve a problem; to remove the fuel from under the pot.

To turn over a new leaf; to abandon evil and return to the right path.

To stand high and see far; to have a broad and long-term perspective; farsighted.

Everyone airs their own views; each expresses their opinion.

Deep-rooted; firmly established; ingrained.

Supply falls short of demand; demand exceeds supply.

Ignorant and ill-informed; having little knowledge.

To take the big picture into consideration; to put the overall interest first.

To treat someone with new respect; to look at someone with new eyes.

Open and aboveboard; perfectly honest; having nothing to hide.

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

To suddenly realize; to wake up to the truth.

To pool wisdom for mutual benefit; to draw on collective wisdom.

To hit upon an idea in desperation; to rise to an emergency.

Experienced and knowledgeable; well-informed.

Different people have different views; opinions differ.

Completely different; poles apart.

Inviolable rules; golden rule.

Invaluable advice; golden words.

Splendid and diverse; full of brilliant highlights.

To keep someone at a distance out of respect; to respect but avoid.

In perfect order; neat and tidy; methodical.

To heal the wounded and rescue the dying; to practice medicine.

To have only oneself to blame; to stew in one's own juice.

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

Unable to make up one's mind; hesitant.

As one can imagine; it is conceivable; predictably.

After suffering comes happiness; sweet comes after bitterness.

To advise earnestly and repeatedly; to give earnest and well-meaning advice.

Origin and development; cause and effect; the whole story.

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

A cliché; a commonplace remark; a truism.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak; not having the ability to do what one wants to do.

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.

A bright idea suddenly occurs to one; to have a flash of inspiration.

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.

To watch attentively without blinking; to stare fixedly.

Thought-provoking; worth pondering; intriguing.

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

To throw a brick to attract jade; to offer a humble opinion to elicit a valuable response; to offer a modest contribution as a stimulus for others to contribute more valuable ones.

just right; perfect

Appropriate; fitting; suitable.

to influence secretly; to be gradually affected

Seek common ground while reserving differences; agree to disagree.

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

Offensive to public morals; harmful to social customs; immoral.

Deeply impressed upon people's minds; to have a strong impact on people.

Twice the effort, half the result; inefficient.

to seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic

To benefit greatly; to learn a lot.

The truth will come out; the whole thing comes to light.

Logical; naturally follows; be logical and well reasoned.

Let nature take its course; let things be.

A common sight; nothing new; often seen.

To think over and over; to consider carefully.

Specious; appearing right but actually wrong.

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

Do as one pleases; follow one's inclinations.

To enlighten someone; to awaken someone to the truth.

Absolutely right and proper; principles of heaven and earth; a matter of course.

Flawless; perfect; seamless.

to plan as a whole and take all factors into consideration

To speak of on the same day; to mention in the same breath; to equate.

Clear and logical; well-arranged; methodical.

Too far behind to catch up; to be far inferior.

To feel powerless in the face of an overwhelming task; to sigh in despair at one's own inadequacy.

negligible; insignificant; not worth mentioning

Gentle, refined, and cultivated; possessing a mild and elegant demeanor.

Insignificant; unimportant; of no consequence.

Of all varieties; multifarious; a wide range of.

Of no help; to no avail; useless.

Priceless treasure; invaluable.

Not to be censured too strictly; understandable; excusable.

Have no alternative; have no choice; helpless.

Accomplish nothing; to have achieved nothing.

obvious; evident; clear

To complement each other; to supplement and complement.

to mention in the same breath; to place on a par

to feel at ease and justified; have a clear conscience

Clever and skillful; deft hands and a clever mind.

Of all shapes and colors; all kinds of.

Illiterate; uncultured; without learning.

To have a well-thought-out plan; to have something up one's sleeve.

To rein in the horse at the edge of a precipice; to come to a sudden realization before it's too late.

To practice graft; to bend the law for personal gain.

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

To spoil things by excessive enthusiasm; to try to help seedlings grow by pulling them up.

Clear at a glance; obvious.

To lead by example; to set an example with one's own conduct.

To know nothing at all; to be completely ignorant.

To have a wild fantasy; to indulge in the wildest fancies; to be impractical.

To hit the nail on the head; to get straight to the point.

To adapt to local conditions; to act according to circumstances.

To quote classics and cite authority; to support an argument with classical references.

To vary from person to person; to differ depending on the individual.

To attract attention; to be eye-catching.

To quench one's thirst with poison; to adopt a stopgap measure that brings about disastrous results.

To shoot an arrow at a target; to have a definite object in view; to be purposeful.

To be blind to talent or worth; not to know a good thing when one sees it.

The more one tries to conceal, the more obvious it becomes.

To keep up with the times; to advance with the times.

Different from the rest; unique; out of the ordinary.

Authentic; genuine; original flavor.

Established by common practice; conventional.

Unavoidable; inevitable.

To deliberately misrepresent something; to call a spade a spade.

Contentment brings happiness; happy is he who is content.

and so on; things of that sort

Resourceful and full of stratagems; wise and resourceful.