40 chinese idioms (Meaning + Examples + Other Ways to say)

I write 40 chinese idiomatic phrases with Meaning, Examples and other ways to say. Short or long i Coverd idiomatic expressions examples for you and give at the end chinese and korean idioms.

List Of 40 Chines Idioms

* 画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng)
* 对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín)
* 亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo)
* 井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā)
* 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù)
* 掩耳盗铃 (yǎn ěr dào líng)
* 刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn)
* 纸上谈兵 (zhǐ shàng tán bīng)
* 破釜沉舟 (pò fǔ chén zhōu)
* 一箭双雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo)
* 见义勇为 (jiàn yì yǒng wéi)
* 三思而行 (sān sī ér xíng)
* 百闻不如一见 (bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn)
* 滴水穿石 (dī shuǐ chuān shí)
* 积少成多 (jī shǎo chéng duō)
* 自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn)
* 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú)
* 杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng)
* 事半功倍 (shì bàn gōng bèi)
* 温故知新 (wēn gù zhī xīn)
* 入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú)
* 画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī)
* 一诺千金 (yī nuò qiān jīn)
* 塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ)
* 四海为家 (sì hǎi wéi jiā)
* 一见钟情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng)
* 轻而易举 (qīng ér yì jǔ)
* 迫不及待 (pò bù jí dài)
* 立竿见影 (lì gān jiàn yǐng)
* 举一反三 (jǔ yī fǎn sān)
* 不入虎穴焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ)
* 路遥知马力日久见人心 (lù yáo zhī mǎ lì rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn)
* 人无远虑必有近忧 (rén wú yuǎn lǜ bì yǒu jìn yōu)
* 己所不欲勿施于人 (jǐ suǒ bù yù wù shī yú rén)
* 前事不忘后事之师 (qián shì bù wàng hòu shì zhī shī)
* 自業自得 (zì yè zì dé / Korean: 자업자득)
* 以卵擊石 (yǐ luǎn jī shí / Korean: 이란격석)
* 東奔西走 (dōng bēn xī zǒu / Korean: 동분서주)
* 一石二鳥 (yī shí èr niǎo / Korean: 일석이조)
* 口蜜腹劍 (kǒu mì fù jiàn / Korean: 구밀복검)

What are the chinese idioms ?

The chinese idioms are 画龙点睛, 对牛弹琴, 亡羊补牢, 井底之蛙, 守株待兔, 掩耳盗铃, 刻舟求剑, 纸上谈兵, 破釜沉舟, 一箭双雕, 见义勇为, 三思而行, 百闻不如一见, 滴水穿石, 积少成多, 自相矛盾, 画蛇添足, 杯弓蛇影, 事半功倍, 温故知新.
Chinese idioms are set phrases that pack a lesson into a small space, so speech stays sharp and memorable.

画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng)

meaning: Add one key detail that makes the whole thing work.
example: The speech felt plain until Zhang added one story, then the point landed.
other ways to say: finishing touch, final detail, last stroke, audience

对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín)

meaning: Speak to the wrong listener and get blank stares back.
example: Chen explained stock charts to a toddler and got a yawn, 对牛弹琴.
other ways to say: talk past someone, waste words, preach to a wall, repair

亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo)

meaning: Fix the problem after loss, so the next loss stops.
example: After the data mistake, Lin set a review rule, 亡羊补牢.
other ways to say: better late than never, fix the fence, patch the gap, narrow

井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā)

meaning: A small view of the world that mistakes a corner for the whole sky.
example: Guo mocked new ideas without reading, like 井底之蛙.
other ways to say: small minded, closed view, tunnel vision, luck

守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù)

meaning: Wait for a lucky break instead of doing real work.
example: Wei refreshed the inbox all day instead of calling clients, 守株待兔.
other ways to say: wait for a miracle, rely on chance, idle hope, denial

掩耳盗铃 (yǎn ěr dào líng)

meaning: Hide truth from the self and pretend the lie works.
example: Han ignored every warning sign and said “nothing is wrong”, 掩耳盗铃.
other ways to say: self deception, ignore reality, fool the self, marker

刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn)

meaning: Use an old method in a changed situation and miss the target.
example: Qian used last year’s plan for a new market and failed, 刻舟求剑.
other ways to say: cling to old ways, wrong method, stale logic, theory

纸上谈兵 (zhǐ shàng tán bīng)

meaning: Talk big in words while real action stays missing.
example: The manager wrote long memos and solved zero issues, 纸上谈兵.
other ways to say: armchair talk, empty strategy, paper plan, resolve

破釜沉舟 (pò fǔ chén zhōu)

meaning: Commit fully, leave no easy retreat.
example: Liu quit safe work to train full time, 破釜沉舟.
other ways to say: all in, burn the retreat path, full commitment, efficiency

一箭双雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo)

meaning: One move hits two goals.
example: Song learned Chinese for work and family talks, 一箭双雕.
other ways to say: two birds one stone, double win, one move two gains, justice

见义勇为 (jiàn yì yǒng wéi)

meaning: Step up when right and fair action needs courage.
example: Peng spoke up for a bullied coworker, 见义勇为.
other ways to say: stand up, defend the right, act bravely, caution

三思而行 (sān sī ér xíng)

meaning: Think carefully before action, so regret stays low.
example: Before signing, Zhao checked every clause, 三思而行.
other ways to say: think twice, plan first, measure words, proof

百闻不如一见 (bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn)

meaning: Seeing once beats hearing many times.
example: After one factory visit, Xu understood the delay, 百闻不如一见.
other ways to say: see to believe, first hand view, direct check, persistence

滴水穿石 (dī shuǐ chuān shí)

meaning: Small effort repeated breaks hard limits.
example: Ten minutes daily made Li fluent over months, 滴水穿石.
other ways to say: steady effort, patient grind, slow win, accumulation

积少成多 (jī shǎo chéng duō)

meaning: Small pieces add up into something big.
example: Wang saved coins each day and paid the fee, 积少成多.
other ways to say: little by little, add up, small sums grow, contradiction

自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn)

meaning: Words fight each other inside the same claim.
example: The ad said “limited forever”, that is 自相矛盾.
other ways to say: self conflict, inconsistent claim, double talk, extra

画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú)

meaning: Add a needless part and ruin the result.
example: The app worked until the team added five popups, 画蛇添足.
other ways to say: overdo it, spoil by adding, too much, shadow

杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng)

meaning: Fear from a false sign, like mistaking a reflection for danger.
example: After one rumor, Sun panicked without facts, 杯弓蛇影.
other ways to say: jump at shadows, baseless fear, false alarm, productivity

事半功倍 (shì bàn gōng bèi)

meaning: Use smart effort and get big results.
example: Gao built a checklist and cut errors fast, 事半功倍.
other ways to say: work smart, high return, double result, review

温故知新 (wēn gù zhī xīn)

meaning: Review old knowledge and find new understanding in it.
example: After rereading notes, He found a cleaner method, 温故知新.
other ways to say: revisit basics, relearn, study again, roots

What are the pure chinese idioms?

The pure chinese idioms are 入乡随俗, 画饼充饥, 一诺千金, 塞翁失马, 四海为家.
Roots show in these chengyu because modern Mandarin speech repeats them in school, media, and daily talk.

入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú)

meaning: Follow local customs when entering a new place.
example: At the village wedding, Tang followed the local greeting style, 入乡随俗.
other ways to say: when in Rome, adapt locally, follow customs, hunger

画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī)

meaning: Use empty talk as fake comfort, like drawings that feed nobody.
example: The boss promised “future bonuses” with no plan, 画饼充饥.
other ways to say: empty promise, wish talk, hollow comfort, promise

一诺千金 (yī nuò qiān jīn)

meaning: A promise has great value and must stay firm.
example: Luo returned the money on time because 一诺千金 mattered.
other ways to say: keep word, promise is bond, honor pledge, twist

塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ)

meaning: A loss may turn into gain later.
example: After the job rejection, Min found a better role, 塞翁失马.
other ways to say: blessing in disguise, turn of fate, hidden good, travel

四海为家 (sì hǎi wéi jiā)

meaning: Treat many places as home and live with a roaming heart.
example: The chef worked city to city for years, 四海为家.
other ways to say: live anywhere, roam widely, home everywhere, short

What are the Short chinese idioms ?

The short chinese idioms are 一见钟情, 轻而易举, 迫不及待, 立竿见影, 举一反三.
Short forms keep speech fast, so the meaning hits before the listener blinks.

一见钟情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng)

meaning: Fall in love at first sight.
example: At the tea shop, Jian smiled once and Mei froze, 一见钟情.
other ways to say: love at first sight, instant crush, sudden romance, easy

轻而易举 (qīng ér yì jǔ)

meaning: Do something with very little effort.
example: The puzzle looked hard, then Rui solved it in a minute, 轻而易举.
other ways to say: effortless, simple task, piece of cake, wait

迫不及待 (pò bù jí dài)

meaning: Feel so eager that waiting hurts.
example: After the exam, the class was 迫不及待 for results.
other ways to say: eager, itch to start, restless, quick

立竿见影 (lì gān jiàn yǐng)

meaning: Get a result right away.
example: After sleep rules, Hao’s focus improved fast, 立竿见影.
other ways to say: instant result, immediate effect, quick payoff, infer

举一反三 (jǔ yī fǎn sān)

meaning: Learn one case and infer many related cases.
example: After one grammar rule, Lin solved ten sentences, 举一反三.
other ways to say: generalize, infer more, extend learning, long

What are the long chinese idioms ?

The long chinese idioms are 不入虎穴焉得虎子, 路遥知马力日久见人心, 人无远虑必有近忧, 己所不欲勿施于人, 前事不忘后事之师.
Long chengyu carry full lessons, so each line feels like a small proverb.

不入虎穴焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ)

meaning: No risk, no real prize.
example: The team pitched the big client and won, 不入虎穴焉得虎子.
other ways to say: take the risk, venture for reward, brave the odds, distance

路遥知马力日久见人心 (lù yáo zhī mǎ lì rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn)

meaning: Time and trials reveal true strength and true character.
example: After a hard year, Kang proved reliable, 路遥知马力日久见人心.
other ways to say: time tells, true colors show, test of time, planning

人无远虑必有近忧 (rén wú yuǎn lǜ bì yǒu jìn yōu)

meaning: No long term thought leads to near term trouble.
example: The store skipped budgeting and faced debt, 人无远虑必有近忧.
other ways to say: plan ahead, think long term, prevent trouble, golden

己所不欲勿施于人 (jǐ suǒ bù yù wù shī yú rén)

meaning: Do not do to others what the self dislikes.
example: Du refused rude jokes at work, 己所不欲勿施于人.
other ways to say: golden rule, mutual respect, treat fairly, lesson

前事不忘后事之师 (qián shì bù wàng hòu shì zhī shī)

meaning: Past events teach future choices.
example: After one failed launch, the team kept the notes, 前事不忘后事之师.
other ways to say: learn from history, use past as teacher, keep the record, Korean

What are The chinese & korean idioms?

The chinese & korean idioms are 自業自得, 以卵擊石, 東奔西走, 一石二鳥, 口蜜腹劍.
Korean uses many Sino based set phrases, so these idioms match across both traditions with shared characters.

自業自得 (zì yè zì dé / Korean: 자업자득)

meaning: A person receives the result of personal actions.
example: After cheating once, Ning lost trust fast, 自業自得.
other ways to say: reap what you sow, self made outcome, own doing, egg

以卵擊石 (yǐ luǎn jī shí / Korean: 이란격석)

meaning: Fight a huge force with a tiny tool and fail.
example: A single intern argued with the whole legal team, 以卵擊石.
other ways to say: futile effort, hopeless fight, wasteful clash, rush

東奔西走 (dōng bēn xī zǒu / Korean: 동분서주)

meaning: Run around busy from place to place.
example: Before the wedding, Jia went 東奔西走 for errands all day.
other ways to say: run errands, hustle around, rush everywhere, two

一石二鳥 (yī shí èr niǎo / Korean: 일석이조)

meaning: One act gains two results.
example: Park took one course for work skills and a certificate, 一石二鳥.
other ways to say: double gain, two goals one move, two wins, honey

口蜜腹劍 (kǒu mì fù jiàn / Korean: 구밀복검)

meaning: Sweet words hide harm and bad intent.
example: The rival praised loudly, then undermined quietly, 口蜜腹劍.
other ways to say: sweet talk trap, hidden malice, two faced, tradition