一盞茶工夫

ㄧ ㄓㄢˇ ㄔㄚˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄈㄨ

ㄧ ㄓㄢˇ ㄔㄚˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄈㄨ

yīzhǎn chá gōngfu [Phonetic:yìzhǎn chá gōngfu]

ичжань ча гунфу

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰä³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu²/

yīzhǎn chá gōngfū [Phonetic:yìzhǎn chá gōngfū]

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰä³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡saːn³⁵ t͡sʰaː²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰä³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu²/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰä³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡saːn³⁵ t͡sʰaː²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː⁵⁵/


人高馬大

the person is as tall as a horse is large

ㄖㄣˊ ㄍㄠ ㄇㄚˇ ㄉㄚˋ

/ʐən³⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹/

/jɐn²¹ kou̯⁵⁵ maː¹³ taːi̯²²/

/ʐən³⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹/

/jɐn²¹ kou̯⁵⁵ maː¹³ taːi̯²²/


人間天上

ㄖㄣˊ ㄐㄧㄢ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄕㄤˋ

жэньцзянь тяньшан

/ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

/jɐn²¹ kaːn⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ sœːŋ²²/

/ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

/jɐn²¹ kaːn⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ sœːŋ²²/

describes two people who are separated by a great distance


人面桃花

ㄖㄣˊ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄠˊ ㄏㄨㄚ

жэньмяньтаохуа

/ʐən³⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ tʰɑʊ̯³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/

/jɐn²¹ miːn²² tʰou̯²¹ faː⁵⁵/

/ʐən³⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ tʰɑʊ̯³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/

/jɐn²¹ miːn²² tʰou̯²¹ faː⁵⁵/

One year ago, behind this door,
There was a girl whose face was as beautiful as the peach blossoms beside her.

Qùnián jīnrì cǐ mén zhōng, rénmiàntáohuā xiàngyìng hóng.

去年今日此門中，人面桃花相映紅。

去年今日此门中，人面桃花相映红。

a man's nostalgic memory of an old sweetheart


一日三秋

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² saːm⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵/

/it̚⁵⁻²⁴ lit̚²⁴⁻² sam³³ t͡sʰiu³³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ lit̚⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ lit̚⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁵⁴ lit̚⁵⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ lit̚⁴³⁻²¹ sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚²⁻⁵ d͡zit̚⁵⁻² sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ d͡zit̚⁴⁻¹ sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ zit̚⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ d͡zit̚⁴³⁻²¹ sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁵ d͡zit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² saːm⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵/

/it̚⁵⁻²⁴ lit̚²⁴⁻² sam³³ t͡sʰiu³³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ lit̚⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ lit̚⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁵⁴ lit̚⁵⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ lit̚⁴³⁻²¹ sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚²⁻⁵ d͡zit̚⁵⁻² sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ d͡zit̚⁴⁻¹ sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ zit̚⁴⁻³² sam⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ d͡zit̚⁴³⁻²¹ sam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

Short for 一日不見，如隔三秋／一日不见，如隔三秋 (yīrìbùjiàn, rúgésānqiū).

zh-etym-short

A single day apart seems like three years.


一陣青一陣白

ㄧ ㄓㄣˋ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄧ ㄓㄣˋ ㄅㄞˊ

yīzhèn qīng yīzhèn bái [Phonetic:yízhèn qīng yízhèn bái]

ичжэнь цин ичжэнь бай

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

Literally: one minute blue, and the next minute white

describes the change someone's facial expression when they become surprised or angry


八千里路雲和月

ㄅㄚ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ ㄌㄨˋ ㄩㄣˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄩㄝˋ

бацянь ли лу юнь хэ юэ

/pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu⁵¹ yn³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹/

/paːt̚³ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³ lou̯²² wɐn²¹ wɔː²¹ jyːt̚²/

Yue Fei (1103-1142), Man Jiang Hong (《滿江紅》)

Sānshí gōngmíng chén yǔ tǔ, bāqiān lǐ lù yún hé yuè.

三十功名塵與土，八千里路雲和月。

三十功名尘与土，八千里路云和月。

eight thousand li of clouds and the moon

Describes the great distances involved in a military campaign or a long journey.


一朵鮮花插在牛糞上

ㄧ ㄉㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄔㄚ ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄈㄣˋ ㄕㄤˋ

jat¹ do² sin¹ faa¹ caap³ zoi⁶ ngau⁴ fan³ soeng⁶

jat¹ doe² sin¹ faa¹ caap³ zoi⁶ ngau⁴ fan³ soeng⁶

yī duǒ xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng [Phonetic:yì duǒ xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng]

i¹ to³ hsien¹-hua¹ chʻa¹ tsai⁴ niu²-fên⁴ shang⁴

и до сяньхуа ча цзай нюфэнь шан

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰä⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ fən⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

yāt dó sīn fā chaap joih ngàuh fan seuhng

yāt déu sīn fā chaap joih ngàuh fan seuhng

jat⁷ do² sin¹ faa¹ tsaap⁸ dzoi⁶ ngau⁴ fan³ soeng⁶

jat⁷ doe² sin¹ faa¹ tsaap⁸ dzoi⁶ ngau⁴ fan³ soeng⁶

yed¹ do² xin¹ fa¹ cab³ zoi⁶ ngeo⁴ fen³ sêng⁶

yed¹ dê² xin¹ fa¹ cab³ zoi⁶ ngeo⁴ fen³ sêng⁶

/jɐt̚⁵ tɔː³⁵ siːn⁵⁵ faː⁵⁵ t͡sʰaːp̚³ t͡sɔːi̯²² ŋɐu̯²¹ fɐn³³ sœːŋ²²/

/jɐt̚⁵ tœː³⁵ siːn⁵⁵ faː⁵⁵ t͡sʰaːp̚³ t͡sɔːi̯²² ŋɐu̯²¹ fɐn³³ sœːŋ²²/

[Phonetic: yì duǒ xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng]

If the pure and lovely Shiting Zhang shows interest in him, then it is really going to be a fresh flower stuck into cow dung.

2005, 君心蕾, 《有愛來襲，閃閃閃》, page 13

Rúguǒ chúnqíng guāiqiǎo de Zhāng Shītíng yào duì tā dòngxīn nà kě zhēnshì yī duǒ xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng.

如果純情乖巧的張詩婷要對他動心那可真是一朵鮮花插在牛糞上。

2005, 君心蕾, 《有愛來襲，閃閃閃》, page 13

如果纯情乖巧的张诗婷要对他动心那可真是一朵鲜花插在牛粪上。

"So you think you can decide your marriage yourself?" Donghai Wu gave her a look of doubts, "Don't you fear others may say you're a fresh flower stuck into cow dung?"

“Hūnyīn dàshì nǐ néng zuòzhǔ?” Wú Dōnghǎi yòng yíwèn de mùguāng kàn zhe tā, “Nǐ bùpà biérén shuō nǐ yī duǒ xiān huā chā zài le niúfèn shàng?”

「婚姻大事你能作主？」吳東海用疑問的目光看著她，「你不怕別人說你一朵鮮花插在了牛糞上？」

「婚姻大事你能作主？」吴东海用疑问的目光看着她，「你不怕别人说你一朵鲜花插在了牛粪上？」

(figurative) a beautiful or talented woman married to an ugly or untalented husband


十萬八千里

ㄕˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄚ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ

ши вань ба цянь ли

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ wän⁵¹ pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐp̚² maːn²² paːt̚³ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³/

/sɐp̚² maːn²² paːt̚³ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³/

tā cóng shíwànbāqiānlǐ de dìfāng huílái le

他從十萬八千里的地方回來了

他从十万八千里的地方回来了

What one imagines can truly be miles apart from the facts!

Xiǎngxiàng zhēn de huì lí shìshí shíwànbāqiānlǐ de!

想像真的會離事實十萬八千里的！

想像真的会离事实十万八千里的！

describes a huge difference between two things; miles apart


八九不離十

ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˊ ㄕˊ

ба цзю бу ли ши

/pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ li³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/paːt̚³ kɐu̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ lei̯²¹ sɐp̚²/

/pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ li³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/paːt̚³ kɐu̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ lei̯²¹ sɐp̚²/

Literally: eight and nine are not separated from ten

At present, there are already people who have almost guessed it!!

Mùqián yǐ yǒu rén cāi de bājiǔbùlíshí le!!

目前已有人猜得八九不離十了！！

目前已有人猜得八九不离十了！！


又好笑，又好氣

ㄧㄡˋ ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄠˋ

/joʊ̯⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ joʊ̯⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/


人不像人，鬼不像鬼

(A place or circumstance where) people do not resemble people, and ghosts do not resemble ghosts

ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄍㄨㄟˇ

guǐ bù xiàng guǐ [Phonetic:rén bú xiàng rén

jên² pu⁴ hsiang⁴ jên², kuei³ pu⁴ hsiang⁴ kuei³

жэнь бу сян жэнь

гуй бу сян гуй

/ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

For four years, I lived a life of pure misery.

Wǒ guò le sì nián rénbùxiàngrén guǐbùxiàngguǐ de shēnghuó.

我過了四年人不像人鬼不像鬼的生活。

我过了四年人不像人鬼不像鬼的生活。

Don't support the new ghastly labor retirement system.

Bié zhīchí rénbùxiàngrén guǐbùxiàngguǐ de láotuìjīn xīnzhì.

別支持人不像人鬼不像鬼的勞退金新制。

别支持人不像人鬼不像鬼的劳退金新制。


三月不知肉味

ㄙㄢ ㄩㄝˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄖㄡˋ ㄨㄟˋ

сань юэ бучжи жоу вэй

/sän⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ weɪ̯⁵¹/

/saːm⁵⁵ jyːt̚² pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ jʊk̚² mei̯²²/

When the Master was in Qi, he heard the Shao, and for three months did not know the taste of flesh. He said, "I did not think that music could have been made so excellent as this."

The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐ zài Qí wén Sháo, sān yuè bùzhī ròu wèi. Yuē: “Bù tú wèi yuè zhī zhìyú sī yě!”

子在齊聞韶，三月不知肉味。曰：「不圖為樂之至於斯也！」

子在齐闻韶，三月不知肉味。曰：「不图为乐之至于斯也！」

There are some who believe that Bei Dao has not demonstrated a clarity of thought in this book; I will leave that to the reviewers and critics. However, for ordinary readers like me, this kind of writing was sufficient to keep me totally enraptured.

2005: 秋水 (Qiushui), 二00四文化年鉴评书：生活的美丽与哀愁 (Culture year 2004 literary criticism: the beauty and sadness of life)

Yǒurén rènwéi Běi Dǎo zài zhè běn shū zhōng méiyǒu biǎoxiàn chū sīxiǎng zhī měi, dàn nà shì pínglùnjiā de shì, duìyú wǒděng pǔtōng dúzhě lái shuō, zhèyàng de wénzì, yǐjīng zúyǐ sān yuè bùzhī ròu wèi le.

有人認為北島在這本書中沒有表現出思想之美，但那是評論家的事，對於我等普通讀者來說，這樣的文字，已經足以三月不知肉味了。

有人认为北岛在这本书中没有表现出思想之美，但那是评论家的事，对于我等普通读者来说，这样的文字，已经足以三月不知肉味了。

describes a situation in which one is totally captivated by whatever activity is taking place; totally enraptured


下筆如有神

ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕㄣˊ

сяби жу ю шэнь

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂən³⁵/

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂən³⁵/

讀書破萬卷，下筆如有神。

读书破万卷，下笔如有神。


三下五除二

ㄙㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄨˇ ㄔㄨˊ ㄦˋ

сань ся у чу эр

/sän⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹/

/saːm⁵⁵ haː²² ŋ̍¹³ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ jiː²²/

/sän⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹/

/saːm⁵⁵ haː²² ŋ̍¹³ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ jiː²²/

A mnemonic device to aid with adding 3 to 2, 3 and 4 in base 10 (also 7, 8 and 9 in base 16) on an abacus.
For example, to calculate 3+3:
# Start with three beads on the bottom (each lower bead is equal to 1).
# Move one of the top beads down (each top bead is equal to 5).
# Take away two of the beads from the bottom.
# This leaves you with one top bead (5) and one bottom bead (1), for a total of 6.

After a while, a little boy came in and expertly took hold of the snake. In the blink of an eye, he had cut off its head

2005: anon, 五步毒蛇与含笑半步颠

yīhuìr yīge xiǎo nánhái zǒu jìnlái, hěn xiánshú de niē qǐ shé sān xià wǔ chú èr jiù jiāng shé tóu kǎn diào le

一會兒一個小男孩走進來，很嫻熟地捏起蛇三下五除二就將蛇頭砍掉了

2005: anon, 五步毒蛇与含笑半步颠

一会儿一个小男孩走进来，很娴熟地捏起蛇三下五除二就将蛇头砍掉了

in the blink of an eye
in the blink of an eye

(figurative) (doing things) in an instant; in the blink of an eye; quickly and easily


上知天文，下知地理

know the astronomy above, and know the geography below

ㄕㄤˋ ㄓ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨㄣˊ

ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄓ ㄉㄧˋ ㄌㄧˇ

soeng⁶ zi¹ tin¹ man⁴, haa⁶ zi¹ dei⁶ lei⁵

шан чжи тяньвэнь

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ wən³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ti⁵¹ li²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

soeng⁶ dzi¹ tin¹ man⁴, haa⁶ dzi¹ dei⁶ lei⁵

/sœːŋ²² t͡siː⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ mɐn²¹ haː²² t͡siː⁵⁵ tei̯²² lei̯¹³/

describes someone who is very learned; a polymath


千里姻緣一線牽

ㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ ㄧㄣ ㄩㄢˊ ㄧ ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄑㄧㄢ

qiānlǐ yīnyuán yīxiàn qiān [Phonetic:qiānlǐ yīnyuán yíxiàn qiān]

chʻien¹-li³ yin¹-yüan² i¹-hsien⁴ chʻien¹

цяньли иньюань исянь цянь

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ in⁵⁵ ɥɛn³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³ jɐn⁵⁵ jyːn²¹ jɐt̚⁵ siːn³³ hiːn⁵⁵/

true love will remain, despite separation of great distances, even if by only a single thread


三五成群

ㄙㄢ ㄨˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄑㄩㄣˊ

саньучэнцюнь

/sän⁵⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰyn³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ ŋ̍¹³ sɪŋ²¹ kʷʰɐn²¹/

/sän⁵⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰyn³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ ŋ̍¹³ sɪŋ²¹ kʷʰɐn²¹/


三更燈火五更雞

ㄙㄢ ㄍㄥ ㄉㄥ ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄨˇ ㄍㄥ ㄐㄧ

sāngēng dēnghuǒ wǔgēng jī [Phonetic:sāngēngdēnghuówǔgēngjī]

саньгэн дэнхо угэн цзи

/sän⁵⁵ kɤŋ⁵⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ kɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ kaːŋ⁵⁵ tɐŋ⁵⁵ fɔː³⁵ ŋ̍¹³ kaːŋ⁵⁵ kɐi̯⁵⁵/

From the Tang poem “An Exhortation to Learning” (勸學)

Third watch (~ 11 p.m.) with lamp light and fifth watch (~ 5 a.m.) as the rooster crows, are the best time for a boy to study.
If one does not study hard while his hairs are still dark, he will regret for studying late when his hairs turn grey.

Tang Dynasty, Yan Zhenqing, “An Exhortation to Learning” (勸學)

Sāngēng dēnghuǒ wǔgēng jī, zhèngshì nán'ér dúshū shí. Hēifà bùzhī qín xué zǎo, báishǒu fāng huǐ dúshū chí.

三更燈火五更雞，正是男兒讀書時。黑髮不知勤學早，白首方悔讀書遲。

三更灯火五更鸡，正是男儿读书时。黑发不知勤学早，白首方悔读书迟。

Third watch with lamp light and fifth watch as the rooster crows

burn the midnight oil
burn the midnight oil

to burn the midnight oil, only to get up at the crack of dawn

It's just this kind of threshold that causes many students to study late into the night, only to get up and go to class the next morning. It also causes many schools to add extra classes, including make-up classes, and to cancel holidays and days off.

2004: 武少民 (Wu Shaomin), 来信选登:素质教育比不上高考升学率？ (Letters to the Editor: Quality education cannot compare to the rate at which students pass high school entrance exams?)

Jiùshì zhèyàng de yī dào kǎn, ràng zhòngduō de xuézǐ “sāngēng dēnghuǒ wǔgēng jī”, ràng zhòngduō de xuéxiào jiākè bǔkè qǔxiāo jiéjiàrì.

就是這樣的一道檻，讓眾多的學子“三更燈火五更雞”，讓眾多的學校加課補課取消節假日。

就是这样的一道槛，让众多的学子“三更灯火五更鸡”，让众多的学校加课补课取消节假日。

burn one's candle at both ends
burn one's candle at both ends


口蜜腹劍

ㄎㄡˇ ㄇㄧˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

коумифуцзянь

/kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mi⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/hɐu̯³⁵ mɐt̚² fʊk̚⁵ kiːm³³/

/kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mi⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/hɐu̯³⁵ mɐt̚² fʊk̚⁵ kiːm³³/

First used for describing Li Linfu, a Tang politician

Li Linfu was the Grand Chancellor. He was envious of those people with knowledge. He pretended to be nice to those people, spoke sweet words with them but defamed them secretly. Therefore, Li Linfu was said to be with honey on the mouth but a sword inside his heart.

1084 CE, Sima Guang, Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government

Lǐ Línfǔ wèi xiàng, yóu jì wénxué zhī shì, huò yáng yǔ zhī shàn, dàn yǐ gān yán ér yīn xiàn zhī. Shì wèi Lǐ Línfǔ “kǒu yǒu mì, fù yǒu jiàn.”

李林甫為相，尤忌文學之士，或陽與之善，啖以甘言而陰陷之。世謂李林甫「口有蜜，腹有劍。」

李林甫为相，尤忌文学之士，或阳与之善，啖以甘言而阴陷之。世谓李林甫「口有蜜，腹有剑。」

honey from the mouth, a sword from the belly


大刀闊斧

(The sounds of) broad swords, and wide axes (as when an army sweeps through in battle)

ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄠ ㄎㄨㄛˋ ㄈㄨˇ

/tä⁵¹ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ kʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ fu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/taːi̯²² tou̯⁵⁵ fuːt̚³ fuː³⁵/

/tä⁵¹ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ kʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ fu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/taːi̯²² tou̯⁵⁵ fuːt̚³ fuː³⁵/

The city of Nanjing will carry out drastic and comprehensive reforms to its administrative vetting and approval system; a system which has lasted for several decades.

2001: yangtse.com staff, 南京市大刀阔斧“放权” (Nanjing to implements broad "empowering" measures)

Nánjīng shì jiāng dàdāokuòfǔ dì duì yánxù jǐ shí nián de xíngzhèng shěnpī zhìdù jìnxíng quánmiàn gǎigé.

南京市將大刀闊斧地對延續幾十年的行政審批制度進行全面改革。

南京市将大刀阔斧地对延续几十年的行政审批制度进行全面改革。

to handle something with daring and resolve; to be bold and decisive when handling an issue; drastic


上窮碧落下黃泉

ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ

shang⁴ chʻiung² pi⁴-lo⁴ hsia⁴ huang²-chʻüan²

шан цюн било ся хуанцюань

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/

/sœːŋ²² kʰʊŋ²¹ pɪk̚⁵ lɔːk̚² haː²² wɔːŋ²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

dzyangX gjuwng pjiek lak haeH hwang dzjwen

From the Song of Everlasting Regret in 806 CE, by poet Bai Juyi

The priest searched thoroughly up in the blue beyond, as well as down in the Yellow Springs below the earth, but did not spot her (Yang Guifei) in the vastness of either place.

806 CE, Bai Juyi, Song of Everlasting Regret

Shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, liǎng chù mángmáng jiē bù jiàn.

上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見。

上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。

(Searched) thoroughly up in the blue beyond (as well as) down in the Yellow Springs (below the earth).

Southern Song, 羅燁 (Luo Ye), 《醉翁談錄·卷二·王魁負心桂英死報》

Nǎi jiàn Guìyīng pīfà zhàngjiàn, zhǐmà: “Wáng Kuí fùyìhàn, wǒ shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, xún rǔ bùjiàn, rǔ què zài cǐ.”

乃見桂英披髮仗劍，指罵：「王魁負義漢，我上窮碧落下黃泉，尋汝不見，汝卻在此。」

乃见桂英披发仗剑，指骂：「王魁负义汉，我上穷碧落下黄泉，寻汝不见，汝却在此。」

1928, Fu Ssu-nien, 《歷史語言研究所工作之旨趣》 [The Aims of Founding the Institute of History and Philology]

Wǒmen bùshì dúshū de rén, wǒmen zhǐshì shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, dòngshǒudòngjiǎo zhǎo dōngxī.

我們不是讀書的人，我們只是上窮碧落下黃泉，動手動腳找東西。

我们不是读书的人，我们只是上穷碧落下黄泉，动手动脚找东西。


gtg

(Internet slang) Initialism of got to go (as a form of farewell).


夕陽西下

ㄒㄧ ㄧㄤˊ ㄒㄧ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄒㄧ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

/ɕi⁵⁵ jɑŋ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/ɕi⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/t͡sɪk̚² jœːŋ²¹ sɐi̯⁵⁵ haː²²/

/ɕi⁵⁵ jɑŋ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/ɕi⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/t͡sɪk̚² jœːŋ²¹ sɐi̯⁵⁵ haː²²/


讀書破萬卷

ㄉㄨˊ ㄕㄨ ㄆㄛˋ ㄨㄢˋ ㄐㄩㄢˋ

душу по ваньцзюань

/tu³⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy̯ɛn⁵¹/

/tʊk̚² syː⁵⁵ pʰɔː³³ maːn²² kyːn³⁵/

/tʊk̚² syː⁵⁵ pʰɔː³³ maːn²² kyːn³⁵/

Having pored over ten thousand volumes, one can write with godly power.

讀書破萬卷，下筆如有神。

读书破万卷，下笔如有神。


下筆如神

ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄣˊ

сяби жу шэнь

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ ʂən³⁵/

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ ʂən³⁵/


MIP

Initialism of multum in parvo (“much in little”).


大紅大紫

ㄉㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄗˇ

/tä⁵¹ xʊŋ³⁵ tä⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/taːi̯²² hʊŋ²¹ taːi̯²² t͡siː³⁵/

/tä⁵¹ xʊŋ³⁵ tä⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/taːi̯²² hʊŋ²¹ taːi̯²² t͡siː³⁵/

這個歌星正大紅大紫著呢。

这个歌星正大红大紫着呢。

to be very popular; to be a prominent person


大門不出，二門不邁

ㄉㄚˋ ㄇㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨ

ㄦˋ ㄇㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄞˋ

дамэнь бу чу

эр мэнь бу май

/tä⁵¹ mən³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ mən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ maɪ̯⁵¹/

Literally: one neither goes outside of the front gate, nor strides toward the second (inner) gate.

to never leave home, and have little contact with the outside world; to live a sheltered life


一箭雙鵰

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (一箭雙鵰):
* → Korean: 일전쌍조(一箭雙鵰) (iljeonssangjo)
* → Vietnamese: nhất tiễn song điêu (一箭雙鵰)

ㄧ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄕㄨㄤ ㄉㄧㄠ

ицзяньшуандяо

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡siːn³³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ tiːu̯⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡siːn³³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ tiːu̯⁵⁵/

kill two birds with one stone
kill two birds with one stone

to kill two birds with one stone; to do one task and finish two or more goals


الله أعلم

head

اَللّٰهُ أَعْلَم

اَللّٰهُ أَعْلَم • (allāhu ʔaʕlam)

اَللّٰهُ أَعْلَم (canonical)
allāhu ʔaʕlam (romanization)

→ Persian: الله اعلم (allâho a'lam)

Literally “God knows best” or “God knows better”.


大眼瞪小眼

ㄉㄚˋ ㄧㄢˇ ㄉㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄧㄢˇ

dà yǎn dèng xiǎo yǎn [Phonetic:dàyǎndèngxiáoyǎn]

да янь дэн сяо янь

/tä⁵¹ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤŋ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Literally: the big eye stares at the small eye

two people staring at each other; without knowing what to do


一舉兩得

ja-r

いっ%きょ%りょう%とく

CJKV/code

いっ%きょ%りょう%とく

Sino-Xenic (一舉兩得):
* → Japanese: 一(いっ)挙(きょ)両(りょう)得(とく) (ikkyoryōtoku)
* → Korean: 일거양득(一擧兩得) (ilgeoyangdeuk)

CJKV

いっ%きょ%りょう%とく

ㄧ ㄐㄩˇ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄜˊ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕy²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤ³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ kɵy̯³⁵ lœːŋ¹³ tɐk̚⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕy²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤ³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ kɵy̯³⁵ lœːŋ¹³ tɐk̚⁵/

Dongguan Han Ji, 1ˢᵗ century CE– 2ⁿᵈ century CE

Wú dé Línzī, jí Xī'ān gū, bì fùwáng yǐ. Suǒwèi yī jǔ ér liǎng dé zhě yě.

吾得臨淄，即西安孤，必覆亡矣。所謂一舉而兩得者也。

吾得临淄，即西安孤，必覆亡矣。所谓一举而两得者也。


一網打盡

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (一網打盡):
* → Japanese: 一網打尽(いちもうだじん) (ichimōdajin)
* → Korean: 일망타진(一網打盡) (ilmangtajin)

ㄧ ㄨㄤˇ ㄉㄚˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɔːŋ¹³ taː³⁵ t͡sɵn²²/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ bɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin²²/

/it̚⁵⁻²⁴ bɔŋ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tã⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡sin⁴¹/

/it̚³²⁻⁵ bɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin²²/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ bɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin³³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ bɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin³³/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɔːŋ¹³ taː³⁵ t͡sɵn²²/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ bɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin²²/

/it̚⁵⁻²⁴ bɔŋ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tã⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡sin⁴¹/

/it̚³²⁻⁵ bɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin²²/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ bɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin³³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ bɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin³³/

Japanese and Korean sources attribute the source to 《宋史·卷三一四·范純仁傳》, although the Hanyu Da Cidian gives an earlier quotation from 《東軒筆錄》卷四.

lang

《宋史·卷三一四·范純仁傳》

《宋史·卷三一四·范純仁傳》

to round up the herd with one throw; roundup, wholesale arrest


大處著眼，小處著手

ㄉㄚˋ ㄔㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄧㄢˇ

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄔㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄕㄡˇ

да чу чжоянь

сяо чу чжошоу

/tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Literally: use one's eyes for the large areas, use one's hands for smaller areas

keep the general goal in sight, while taking hold of the daily tasks

keep one's eye on the ball
keep one's eye on the ball

keep one's eye on the ball, while not losing sight of the forest for the trees


大開方便之門

ㄉㄚˋ ㄎㄞ ㄈㄤ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄓ ㄇㄣˊ

да кай фанбянь чжи мэнь

/tä⁵¹ kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ fɑŋ⁵⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mən³⁵/

Literally: open wide the door of convenience


BTDTBTTS

From the idea of buying a T-shirt at a tourist spot in order to show others that one has been to that spot.

been there, done that, bought the T-shirt#English

(Internet slang, humorous) Initialism of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.


head

en-au-been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.ogg

(idiomatic, humorous) Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.


been there, done that, got the T-shirt

en-au-been there, done that, got the T-shirt.ogg

From the idea of getting a T-shirt at a tourist spot in order to show others that one has been to that spot.

(idiomatic, humorous) Alternative form of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.


大海撈針

ㄉㄚˋ ㄏㄞˇ ㄌㄠ ㄓㄣ

дахайлаочжэнь

/tä⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

/taːi̯²² hɔːi̯³⁵ laːu̯²¹ t͡sɐm⁵⁵/

/tua²²⁻²¹ hai⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lo²⁴⁻²² t͡siam⁴⁴/

/tä⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

/taːi̯²² hɔːi̯³⁵ laːu̯²¹ t͡sɐm⁵⁵/

/tua²²⁻²¹ hai⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lo²⁴⁻²² t͡siam⁴⁴/

needle in a haystack
needle in a haystack


覆水難收

ㄈㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄕㄡ

фушуйнаньшоу

/fu⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵/

/fʊk̚⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ naːn²¹ sɐu̯⁵⁵/

/fu⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵/

/fʊk̚⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ naːn²¹ sɐu̯⁵⁵/

First attested in the Book of the Later Han.

It is difficult toretrieve water after (its container) has been knocked over

there's no point crying over spilt milk
there's no point crying over spilt milk


功虧一簣

ㄍㄨㄥ ㄎㄨㄟ ㄧ ㄎㄨㄟˋ

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ kʷʰɐi̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ kʷɐi̯²²/

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ kʷʰɐi̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ kʷɐi̯²²/

From the Forged Old Text chapters of the Book of Documents (《尚書·旅獒》):
:
The phrase likely originated as a paraphrase from the Analects, Book 9 (《論語·子罕》)

Oh! early and late never be but earnest. If you do not attend jealously to your small actions, the result will be to affect your virtue in great matters; in raising a mound of nine fathoms, the work may be unfinished for want of one basket (of earth).

The Book of Documents, circa 4ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Wūhū! Sù yè wǎng huò bù qín, bù jīn xì xíng, zhōng lěi dà dé. Wéi shān jiǔ rèn, gōng kuī yī kuì.

嗚呼！夙夜罔或不勤，不矜細行，終累大德。為山九仞，功虧一簣。

呜呼！夙夜罔或不勤，不矜细行，终累大德。为山九仞，功亏一篑。

The Master said, "(The prosecution of learning) may be compared to what may happen in raising a mound. If there want but one basket of earth to complete the work, and I stop, the stopping is my own work. It may be compared to throwing down the earth on the level ground. Though but one basketful is thrown at a time, the advancing with it is my own going forward."

Zǐyuē: “Pìrú wéi shān, wèi chéng yī kuì, zhǐ, wú zhǐ yě; pìrú píng dì, suī fù yī kuì, jìn, wú wǎng yě.”

子曰：「譬如為山，未成一簣，止，吾止也；譬如平地，雖覆一簣，進，吾往也。」

子曰：「譬如为山，未成一篑，止，吾止也；譬如平地，虽覆一篑，进，吾往也。」

to fall short of success due to the lack of a final effort


大意失荊州

ㄉㄚˋ ㄧˋ ㄕ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄓㄡ

даи ши Цзинчжоу

/tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵/

/tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵/

From the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Guan Yu had been assigned to defend Jingzhou. In a temporary lapse of judgement, he decided to go on the attack against Cao Cao. In doing so, he unwittingly gave Sun Quan an opportunity to attack Jingzhou. Guan Yu was captured, and later executed.

We absolutely must not regard the enemy too lightly, and thereby make a bad call and lose the farm.

Wǒmen juéduì bùnéng yīn qīngdí ér dàyì shī Jīngzhōu.

我們絕對不能因輕敵而大意失荊州。

我们绝对不能因轻敌而大意失荆州。

to have a temporary lapse in judgement that results in a major defeat; make a bad call and lose the farm


入鄉隨俗

when entering a village, follow the customs

ㄖㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄙㄨㄟˊ ㄙㄨˊ

/ʐu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ su̯eɪ̯³⁵ su³⁵/

/jɐp̚² hœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ t͡sʊk̚²/

/lip̚⁴⁻³² hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ sui²⁴⁻¹¹ siɔk̚⁴/

/lip̚⁴⁻³² hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² sui²⁴⁻²² siɔk̚⁴/

/zip̚⁴⁻³² hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ sui²³⁻³³ siɔk̚⁴/

/d͡zip̚⁴⁻² hĩẽ³³⁻²³ sui⁵⁵⁻¹¹ sok̚⁴/

/ʐu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ su̯eɪ̯³⁵ su³⁵/

/jɐp̚² hœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ t͡sʊk̚²/

/lip̚⁴⁻³² hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ sui²⁴⁻¹¹ siɔk̚⁴/

/lip̚⁴⁻³² hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² sui²⁴⁻²² siɔk̚⁴/

/zip̚⁴⁻³² hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ sui²³⁻³³ siɔk̚⁴/

/d͡zip̚⁴⁻² hĩẽ³³⁻²³ sui⁵⁵⁻¹¹ sok̚⁴/

when in Rome, do as the Romans do
when in Rome, do as the Romans do


多多益善

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (多多益善):
* → Korean: 다다익선(多多益善) (dadaikseon)

ㄉㄨㄛ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄧˋ ㄕㄢˋ

/tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂän⁵¹/

/tɔː⁵⁵ tɔː⁵⁵ jɪk̚⁵ siːn²²/

/to⁴⁴⁻³³ to⁴⁴⁻³³ iɪk̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn³³/

/tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ iɪk̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn³³/

/tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂän⁵¹/

/tɔː⁵⁵ tɔː⁵⁵ jɪk̚⁵ siːn²²/

/to⁴⁴⁻³³ to⁴⁴⁻³³ iɪk̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn³³/

/tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ iɪk̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn³³/

From a quote by the Han dynasty general Han Xin, recorded in Shiji: Once Emperor Gaozu of Han talks with him about how many soldiers a military officer can command. Han Xin asserted that the emperor can command no more than one million, but when asked about himself, he said

The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

臣多多而益善耳。

the more the merrier
the more the merrier

Emperor Gaozu of Han
Han Xin
Han dynasty
Shiji

韓信點兵，多多益善

Han Xin counts his troops, the more the merrier


大同小異

ㄉㄚˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄧˋ

/tä⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵¹/

/taːi̯²² tʰʊŋ²¹ siːu̯³⁵ jiː²²/

/tai²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ i²²/

/tai³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ²³⁻³³ siau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ĩ³³/

/tai³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ²³⁻³³ siau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ĩ³³/

/tai²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ĩ²²/

/tai³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ²³⁻³³ siɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

/tä⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵¹/

/taːi̯²² tʰʊŋ²¹ siːu̯³⁵ jiː²²/

/tai²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ i²²/

/tai³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ²³⁻³³ siau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ĩ³³/

/tai³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ²³⁻³³ siau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ĩ³³/

/tai²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ĩ²²/

/tai³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ²³⁻³³ siɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ i³³/

largely the same (with only) minor differences

Each of the revolutions of the colonial and semi-colonial countries will necessarily have specific characteristics of its own, but these will be minor variations on a general theme.

1940, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《新民主主義論》 (On New Democracy), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

Gège zhímíndì bànzhímíndì guójiā de gémìng bìrán huì yǒu mǒuxiē bùtóng tèdiǎn, dàn zhè shì dàtóng zhōng de xiǎoyì.

各個殖民地半殖民地國家的革命必然會有某些不同特點，但這是大同中的小異。

各个殖民地半殖民地国家的革命必然会有某些不同特点，但这是大同中的小异。

almost the same; almost identical; similar in most respects


女大十八變

ㄋㄩˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄕˊ ㄅㄚ ㄅㄧㄢˋ

ㄋㄩˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄕˊ ㄅㄚˊ ㄅㄧㄢˋ

нюй да шиба бянь

/ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ pä⁵⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ pä³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/nɵy̯¹³⁻³⁵ taːi̯²² sɐp̚² paːt̚³ piːn³³/

/ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ pä⁵⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ pä³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/nɵy̯¹³⁻³⁵ taːi̯²² sɐp̚² paːt̚³ piːn³³/

After having blossomed into womanhood, she has become a statuesque little swan.

Nǚ dà shíbābiàn, tā rújīn yǐ chéngwéi tíngtíngyùlì de xiǎotiān'é.

女大十八變，她如今已成為亭亭玉立的小天鵝。

女大十八变，她如今已成为亭亭玉立的小天鹅。

All of the changes that a girl makes when turning into a woman; blossom into womanhood


大驚小怪

ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄍㄨㄞˋ

дацзинсяогуай

/tä⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹/

/taːi̯²² kɪŋ⁵⁵ siːu̯³⁵ kʷaːi̯³³/

/taːi̯²² kɛːŋ⁵⁵ siːu̯³⁵ kʷaːi̯³³/

/tua²²⁻²¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻²² sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kuai²¹/

/tua⁴¹⁻²² kiã³³ sio⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ kuai⁴¹/

/tua²²⁻²¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻²² sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kuai²¹/

/tua³³⁻¹¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kuai¹¹/

/tua³³⁻²¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ siɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ kuai²¹/

/tua¹¹ kĩã³³⁻²³ siou⁵²⁻³⁵ kuai²¹³/

/du²² t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ɕiɔ³³ kua²¹/

/tä⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹/

/taːi̯²² kɪŋ⁵⁵ siːu̯³⁵ kʷaːi̯³³/

/taːi̯²² kɛːŋ⁵⁵ siːu̯³⁵ kʷaːi̯³³/

/tua²²⁻²¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻²² sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kuai²¹/

/tua⁴¹⁻²² kiã³³ sio⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ kuai⁴¹/

/tua²²⁻²¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻²² sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kuai²¹/

/tua³³⁻¹¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kuai¹¹/

/tua³³⁻²¹ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ siɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ kuai²¹/

/tua¹¹ kĩã³³⁻²³ siou⁵²⁻³⁵ kuai²¹³/

/du²² t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ɕiɔ³³ kua²¹/

什麼事兒這麼大驚小怪？

什么事儿这么大惊小怪？

I'm not easily shocked, but that book really is obscene.

Wǒ bìng bù shì dàjīngxiǎoguài de rén, dàn nà běn shū yínhuì zhī shèn quèshí ràng wǒ dàchīyījīng.

我並不是大驚小怪的人，但那本書淫穢之甚確實讓我大吃一驚。

我并不是大惊小怪的人，但那本书淫秽之甚确实让我大吃一惊。

他大驚小怪地對她說。

他大惊小怪地对她说。

In a large country like ours, there is nothing to get alarmed about if small numbers of people create disturbances; on the contrary, such disturbances will help us get rid of bureaucracy.

1957, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《關於正確處理人民內部矛盾的問題》 (On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

Zài wǒmen zhèyàng dà de guójiā lǐ, yǒu shǎoshù rén nàoshì, bìngbù zhídé dàjīngxiǎoguài, dàoshì zúyǐ bāngzhù wǒmen kèfú guānliáozhǔyì.

在我們這樣大的國家裡，有少數人鬧事，並不值得大驚小怪，倒是足以幫助我們克服官僚主義。

在我们这样大的国家里，有少数人闹事，并不值得大惊小怪，倒是足以帮助我们克服官僚主义。

much ado about nothing
much ado about nothing

to make a fuss over a trivial matter; much ado about nothing


捷足先登

ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄗㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄉㄥ

цзецзусяньдэн

/t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ t͡su³⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡siːt̚³ t͡sʊk̚⁵ siːn⁵⁵ tɐŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡siap̚⁴⁻³² t͡siɔk̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tiɪŋ⁴⁴/

/t͡siap̚⁴⁻³² t͡siɔk̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn⁴⁴⁻²² tiɪŋ⁴⁴/

/t͡siɛt̚⁴⁻³² t͡siɔk̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn⁴⁴⁻²² tiɪŋ⁴⁴/

/t͡siap̚⁴⁻² t͡sok̚² sãĩ³³⁻²³ teŋ³³/

/t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ t͡su³⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡siːt̚³ t͡sʊk̚⁵ siːn⁵⁵ tɐŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡siap̚⁴⁻² t͡sok̚² sãĩ³³⁻²³ teŋ³³/

From earlier 疾足先得, which is derived from the following paragraph in Shiji

After Qin lost its deer, everyone was chasing for it. Then those who had outstanding talents and could act quickly (literally, “ran fast”) could obtain it first.

Qín shī qí lù, tiānxià gòng zhú zhī, yúshì gāo cái jí zú zhě xiān dé yān.

秦失其鹿，天下共逐之，於是高材疾足者先得焉。

秦失其鹿，天下共逐之，于是高材疾足者先得焉。

the quick of foot will be the first to ascend

early bird gets the worm
early bird gets the worm

to take the first step; to act early on; to beat to the punch; the early bird gets the worm


一針見血

to see blood with one (prick of the) needle

ㄧ ㄓㄣ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄒㄧㄝˇ

ичжэньцзяньсе

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sɐm⁵⁵ kiːn³³ hyːt̚³/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sɐm⁵⁵ kiːn³³ hyːt̚³/

But there was something about the child that could be respected. His leisurely way, his reticence, his arbitrariness, his way of walking ahead without looking back. These were manifestations of his power, the power of the strongest, of the fittest. The child was, by no means, overly careful, or irresolute. The child could hit the nail on the head and make a clean break. The child was a quintessential Caucasian.

朱自清 (Zhu Ziqing), 《白種人——上帝的驕子》

Dàn zhè háizi què yě yǒu kějìng de dìfang: tā de cóngróng, tā de chénmò, tā de dúduàndúxíng, tā de yī qù bù huítóu, dōu shì lì de biǎoxiàn, dōu shì qiángzhě shìzhě de biǎoxiàn. Juébù pópomāma de, juébù niánniándādā de, yīzhēnjiànxiě, yīdāoliǎngduàn, zhè zhèngshì báizhǒngrén zhī suǒ yǐ wéi báizhǒngrén.

但這孩子卻也有可敬的地方：他的從容，他的沉默，他的獨斷獨行，他的一去不回頭，都是力的表現，都是強者適者的表現。決不婆婆媽媽的，決不粘粘搭搭的，一針見血，一刀兩斷，這正是白種人之所以為白種人。

朱自清 (Zhu Ziqing), 《白種人——上帝的驕子》

但这孩子却也有可敬的地方：他的从容，他的沉默，他的独断独行，他的一去不回头，都是力的表现，都是强者适者的表现。决不婆婆妈妈的，决不粘粘搭搭的，一针见血，一刀两断，这正是白种人之所以为白种人。

hit the nail on the head
hit the nail on the head


惠風和暢

ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄈㄥ ㄏㄜˊ ㄔㄤˋ

хуэйфэнхэчан

/xu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ⁵¹/

/wɐi̯²² fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɔː²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ³³/

/xu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ⁵¹/

/wɐi̯²² fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɔː²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ³³/


崇山峻嶺

ㄔㄨㄥˊ ㄕㄢ ㄐㄩㄣˋ ㄌㄧㄥˇ

чуншаньцзюньлин

/ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ t͡ɕyn⁵¹ liŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sʊŋ²¹ saːn⁵⁵ t͡sɵn²² lɪŋ¹³/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ t͡ɕyn⁵¹ liŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sʊŋ²¹ saːn⁵⁵ t͡sɵn²² lɪŋ¹³/

From the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, by Wang Xizhi.

Here there are high mountains and lofty peaks; an exuberant growth of trees and bamboos.

Jin Dynasty (265–420), 王羲之 (Wang Xizhi), Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion

“cǐ dì yǒu chóngshānjùnlǐng, màolínxiūzhú.”

「此地有崇山峻嶺，茂林修竹。」

「此地有崇山峻岭，茂林修竹。」


when the chips are down

From the game of poker, in which chips laid down on the table are staked.

He wasn't a very talented musician but, when the chips were down, he played well.

When the chips are down, you need to make tough decisions.

The armed forces of North Korea, which borders on and is allied with Russian Manchuria, marched into the U. S.-sponsored South Korea Republic over the week-end — and the chips are down for American prestige throughout the Far East.

1950 June 26, Alex H. Washburn, “Korea — Sound of War”, in Hope Star, volume 51, number 214, Hope, Ark., page 1, column 1:

They say that when the chips are down, girl
Your love won't stay so long, my friend
But they don't know that your sweet loving, babe
Has been around through thick and thin

1968 December 8, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Stevie Wonder (lyrics and music), “I’d Be a Fool Right Now”, in For Once in My Life, performed by Stevie Wonder:

“Lucian and Monte basically said to me, ‘Whatever you turn in, we will be proud to put out. We give you 100% creative freedom and trust.’” It was exactly what she needed to hear most when the chips were down.

2023 December 6, Sam Lansky, “Person of Year 2023 : Taylor Swift”, in Time:

(idiomatic) When the pressure is on; when the situation is urgent or critical.


放浪形骸

ㄈㄤˋ ㄌㄤˋ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄏㄞˊ

фанлан синхай

/fɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɑŋ⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵ xaɪ̯³⁵/

/fɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɑŋ⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵ xaɪ̯³⁵/

Literally: to give one's body to reckless abandon.
: From the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, by Wang Xizhi (王羲之).

to refuse to be bound by convention; to abandon oneself to Bohemianism


when push comes to shove

He is not a particularly talented builder, but when push comes to shove, he can usually get the job done.

While most chose at that time either to disband or to join the APC rally several blocks north in McPherson Park, several hundred mostly young DC-area blacks and a sizable number of militant Palestinians continued to demand their right to confront the Klan. Push somehow came to shove and the face-off began. Several hours of street fighting followed.

1982 December 18, David France, “Protests Drive Klan Rally Out Of Washington”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 1:

"We've demonstrated that when push comes to shove, we can be really fast, we can be agile, we can do things more slickly.

2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 35:

(figuratively, idiomatic) When the pressure is on; when the situation is critical or urgent; when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult.

όταν τα πράγματα φτάνουν στο απροχώρητο

ótan ta prágmata ftánoun sto aprochórito


入境隨俗

ㄖㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄙㄨㄟˊ ㄙㄨˊ

/ʐu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹ su̯eɪ̯³⁵ su³⁵/

/ʐu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹ su̯eɪ̯³⁵ su³⁵/

Literally: Enter an area, follow the local customs.

(chiefly Taiwan) when in Rome, do as the Romans do


see you later

Ellipsis of I will see you later or I hope to see you later.

(idiomatic) A phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker.


茂林修竹

ㄇㄠˋ ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄡ ㄓㄨˊ

маолиньсючжу

/mɑʊ̯⁵¹ lin³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu³⁵/

/mɐu̯²² lɐm²¹ sɐu̯³³ t͡sʊk̚⁵/

/mɑʊ̯⁵¹ lin³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu³⁵/

/mɐu̯²² lɐm²¹ sɐu̯³³ t͡sʊk̚⁵/

From Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, by Wang Xizhi.

「此地有崇山峻嶺，茂林修竹。」

「此地有崇山峻岭，茂林修竹。」

an exuberant growth of trees and bamboos; (figurative) place with serene and beautiful landscapes


女大不中留

ㄋㄩˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄌㄧㄡˊ

нюй да бу чжун лю

/ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ li̯oʊ̯³⁵/

a grown daughter cannot be kept unmarried for long


DM

Initialism of Dīs Mānibus, to/for the Spirits of the Dead, to/for the Spirit of the Deceased.


寸步不離

ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˊ

/t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ li³⁵/

/t͡sʰyːn³³ pou̯²² pɐt̚⁵ lei̯²¹/

/t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ li³⁵/

/t͡sʰyːn³³ pou̯²² pɐt̚⁵ lei̯²¹/


事倍功半

ㄕˋ ㄅㄟˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄅㄢˋ

шибэйгунбань

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ peɪ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pän⁵¹/

/siː²² pʰuːi̯¹³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ puːn³³/

/su²²⁻²¹ pue²²⁻²¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² puã²¹/

/su⁴¹⁻²² pue⁴¹⁻²² kɔŋ³³ puã⁴¹/

/su²²⁻²¹ pue²²⁻²¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² puã²¹/

/su³³⁻¹¹ pue³³⁻¹¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ puã¹¹/

/su³³⁻²¹ pue³³⁻²¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ puã²¹/

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ peɪ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pän⁵¹/

/siː²² pʰuːi̯¹³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ puːn³³/

/su²²⁻²¹ pue²²⁻²¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² puã²¹/

/su⁴¹⁻²² pue⁴¹⁻²² kɔŋ³³ puã⁴¹/

/su²²⁻²¹ pue²²⁻²¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² puã²¹/

/su³³⁻¹¹ pue³³⁻¹¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ puã¹¹/

/su³³⁻²¹ pue³³⁻²¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ puã²¹/

to get half the result with twice the effort


事半功倍

ㄕˋ ㄅㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄅㄟˋ

шибаньгунбэй

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pän⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹/

/siː²² puːn³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pʰuːi̯¹³/

/su²²⁻²¹ puã²¹⁻⁵³ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² pue²²/

/su⁴¹⁻²² puã⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ kɔŋ³³ pue⁴¹/

/su²²⁻²¹ puã²¹⁻⁵³ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² pue²²/

/su³³⁻¹¹ puã¹¹⁻⁵³ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ pue³³/

/su³³⁻²¹ puã²¹⁻⁴¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ pue³³/

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pän⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹/

/siː²² puːn³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pʰuːi̯¹³/

/su²²⁻²¹ puã²¹⁻⁵³ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² pue²²/

/su⁴¹⁻²² puã⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ kɔŋ³³ pue⁴¹/

/su²²⁻²¹ puã²¹⁻⁵³ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² pue²²/

/su³³⁻¹¹ puã¹¹⁻⁵³ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ pue³³/

/su³³⁻²¹ puã²¹⁻⁴¹ kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ pue³³/

At the present time, in a country of ten thousand chariots, let benevolent government be put in practice, and the people will be delighted with it, as if they were relieved from hanging by the heels. With half the merit of the ancients, double their achievements is sure to be realized. It is only at this time that such could be the case.

Mencius, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Dāngjīn zhī shí, wànshèng zhī guó xíng rénzhèng, mín zhī yuè zhī, yóu jiě dàoxuán yě. Gù shì bàn gǔ zhī rén, gōng bì bèi zhī, wéi cǐshí wéi rán.

當今之時，萬乘之國行仁政，民之悅之，猶解倒懸也。故事半古之人，功必倍之，惟此時為然。

当今之时，万乘之国行仁政，民之悦之，犹解倒悬也。故事半古之人，功必倍之，惟此时为然。

to yield twice the result with half the effort


愛不釋手

ㄞˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˋ ㄕㄡˇ

/ˀaɪ̯⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɔːi̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚⁵ sɐu̯³⁵/

/ai¹¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁵³/

/ai²¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁵³/

/ai²¹⁻⁴¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁴¹/

/ai²¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ siu⁵³/

/ˀaɪ̯⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɔːi̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚⁵ sɐu̯³⁵/

/ai¹¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁵³/

/ai²¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁵³/

/ai²¹⁻⁴¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁴¹/

/ai²¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ siu⁵³/

to love something too much to part with it


如履薄冰

ㄖㄨˊ ㄌㄩˇ ㄅㄛˊ ㄅㄧㄥ

/ʐu³⁵ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu̯ɔ³⁵ piŋ⁵⁵/

/jyː²¹ lei̯¹³ pɔːk̚² pɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ʐu³⁵ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu̯ɔ³⁵ piŋ⁵⁵/

/jyː²¹ lei̯¹³ pɔːk̚² pɪŋ⁵⁵/

(figurative) to be very careful; to act with extreme caution


安分守己

ㄢ ㄈㄣˋ ㄕㄡˇ ㄐㄧˇ

аньфэньшоуцзи

/ˀän⁵⁵ fən⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɔːn⁵⁵ fɐn²² sɐu̯³⁵ kei̯³⁵/

/on²⁴⁻¹¹ fun⁵⁵ su³¹ ki³¹/

/an⁴⁴⁻²² hun²²⁻²¹ siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ki⁵³/

/an³³ hun⁴¹⁻²² siu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ki⁵⁵⁴/

/an⁴⁴⁻²² hun²²⁻²¹ siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ki⁵³/

/an⁴⁴⁻³³ hun³³⁻¹¹ siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ki⁵³/

/an⁴⁴⁻³³ hun³³⁻²¹ siu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ki⁴¹/

/ˀän⁵⁵ fən⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɔːn⁵⁵ fɐn²² sɐu̯³⁵ kei̯³⁵/

/on²⁴⁻¹¹ fun⁵⁵ su³¹ ki³¹/

/an⁴⁴⁻²² hun²²⁻²¹ siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ki⁵³/

/an³³ hun⁴¹⁻²² siu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ki⁵⁵⁴/

/an⁴⁴⁻²² hun²²⁻²¹ siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ki⁵³/

/an⁴⁴⁻³³ hun³³⁻¹¹ siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ki⁵³/

/an⁴⁴⁻³³ hun³³⁻²¹ siu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ki⁴¹/

to abide by the law and do one's duty; to be content with one's lot


寸步難行

ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

цуньбунаньсин

/t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ nän³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵/

/t͡sʰyːn³³ pou̯²² naːn²¹ hɐŋ²¹/

/t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ nän³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵/

/t͡sʰyːn³³ pou̯²² naːn²¹ hɐŋ²¹/

有理走遍天下，無理寸步難行／有理走遍天下，无理寸步难行

yǒulǐ zǒu biàn tiānxià, wúlǐ cùnbùnánxíng

They have been digging up this road for the last several days and it is full of potholes. It is really difficult to move forward.
All kinds of strict government laws make it so that unscrupulous business people lament the fact that it is difficult for them to make headway. They can no longer prey on people at will

2002: Wang Huiling ed. (王惠玲), 最新學生作文成語寶典 (All new students treasury of classic idioms) →ISBN

Zhè tiáo lù sān tiān liǎng tóu de wā, kēngkēngdòngdòng de, zhēn shì cùnbùnánxíng.
Zhèngfǔ zhǒngzhǒng yánjǐn de fǎlǜ, shǐdé bùxiào de shēngyì rén, dàtàn cùnbùnánxíng, zài yě bùnéng rènyì bōxuē le.

這條路三天兩頭的挖，坑坑洞洞的，真是寸步難行。
政府種種嚴謹的法律，使得不肖的生意人，大嘆寸步難行，再也不能任意剝削了。

这条路三天两头的挖，坑坑洞洞的，真是寸步难行。
政府种种严谨的法律，使得不肖的生意人，大叹寸步难行，再也不能任意剥削了。

difficult to move forward; difficult to make headway


vete a chingar

(derogatory, Cuba slang) Go fuck yourself


tiäksä

Mun on tiäksä mentävä.


haru

(colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of "har du" (have you).


hasta la vista

1991 July 3, James Cameron and William Wisher Jr., “Terminator 2”, “Judgment Day”, Lightstorm Entertainment
John Connor: And if you want to shine them on it's "hasta la vista, baby."
The Terminator: Hasta la vista, baby.


hasta la vista

→ English: hasta la vista

Literally, “until the seeing”, in other words, "until we see each other again".

so long, goodbye, see you later, until next time


zuviel des Guten

too much of a good thing
too much of a good thing


πάνω από το πτώμα μου

head

πάνω από το πτώμα μου • (páno apó to ptóma mou)

en-πάνω_από_το_πτώμα_μου-el-phrase-w0G5n257


YBYSAIA

(Canada, US, slang) Initialism of you bet your sweet ass I am: a strong affirmative response.


一蹴而就

ㄧ ㄘㄨˋ ㄦˊ ㄐㄧㄡˋ

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ jiː²¹ t͡sɐu̯²²/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ jiː²¹ t͡sɐu̯²²/

人民币汇率改革不会一蹴而就. (simplified)
人民幣匯率改革不會一蹴而就. (traditional)

2004: anon, 外汇管理局表示：人民币汇率改革不会一蹴而就 (Foreign Exchange Bureau announces: the RMB exchange rate reforms will not happen all at once)

The RMB exchange rate reforms will not happen all at once.

to reach the goal in one step; happen all at once


wwwww

(mathematics) Abbreviation of which was what we/was wanted. (used at the end of a proof)


山青水秀

ㄕㄢ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄒㄧㄡˋ

шаньциншуйсю

/ʂän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

/ʂän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

山清水秀 山清水秀#Chinese

Synonym of 山清水秀 (shānqīngshuǐxiù, “picturesque scenery”)


小鳥依人

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄋㄧㄠˇ ㄧ ㄖㄣˊ

/ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄋㄧㄠˇㄦ ㄧ ㄖㄣˊ

сяоняорижэнь

/ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ni̯aʊ̯ɻʷ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/siːu̯³⁵ niːu̯¹³ jiː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

/ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ni̯aʊ̯ɻʷ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/siːu̯³⁵ niːu̯¹³ jiː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

Originally a gloss for the character 雀 (OC *ʔsewɢ) in the historical dictionary Shuowen (2nd century)

"雀" (sparrow) is a small bird that follows humans.

雀，依人小鳥也。

雀，依人小鸟也。

(as cute and helpless as) a little bird that must rely on a human in order to survive

the appearance of a woman or a child who is dependant upon others, and is also dainty and cute


Hristos se rodi

sh-phrase

Hristos se rodi (Cyrillic spelling Христос се роди)

Христос се роди (Cyrillic)


Srećan Božić

Srećan Božić (Cyrillic spelling Срећан Божић)

Срећан Божић (Cyrillic)


ваистину се роди

ваистину се роди

ваистину се роди (Latin spelling vaistinu se rodi)

Literally, “It is true, he has been born”.

lit

(Serbia) Merry Christmas (reply to greeting)


Срећан Божић

sh-phrase

Срећан Божић

Срећан Божић (Latin spelling Srećan Božić)


一蹴可幾

ㄧ ㄘㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄐㄧ

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

The learning process is not such that you can just do it all in one single day. Don't think that you will be able to remember everything in one sitting.

2006: anon, PChome online 討論區 (Pchome online Message board)

Xuéxí guòchéng juéfēi yīcùkějǐ, béng xiǎng yīcì jiù jìzhù quánbù.

學習過程絕非一蹴可幾，甭想一次就記住全部。

学习过程绝非一蹴可几，甭想一次就记住全部。

(Taiwanese Mandarin) to reach the goal in one step; do it all in one single day


vaistinu se rodi

vaistinu se rodi (Cyrillic spelling ваистину се роди)

ваистину се роди (Cyrillic)


Христос се роди

Христос се роди

Христос се роди (Latin spelling Hristos se rodi)

Кад се са неким пољуби, обавезно изговори: „Мир божи, нека буде срећан Божић, Христос се роди“, а онај са којим се љуби одговара: „Ваистину се роди!“ Полажајник затим дарује бадњак новцем, и то обично сребрним.
Kad se sa nekim poljubi, obavezno izgovori: „Mir boži, neka bude srećan Božić, Hristos se rodi“, a onaj sa kojim se ljubi odgovara: „Vaistinu se rodi!“ Polažajnik zatim daruje badnjak novcem, i to obično srebrnim.

1986, Гласник Етнографског музеја у Београду [Bulletin of the Ethnographic Museum of Belgrade], Vol. 50, p. 255

When you and someone else have kissed each other, without fail say: “The peace of God [be with you], may your Christmas be happy, Christ is born”, and he whom you kiss replies: “Indeed he is born!” The one who has come first into the house then endows the Yule log with money, and this usually of silver.


山崩地裂

The mountains collapse and the earth splits open.

ㄕㄢ ㄅㄥ ㄉㄧˋ ㄌㄧㄝˋ

/ʂän⁵⁵ pɤŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ li̯ɛ⁵¹/

/saːn⁵⁵ pɐŋ⁵⁵ tei̯²² liːt̚²/

/san⁴⁴⁻²² piɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² te²²⁻²¹ liɛt̚⁴/

/suã⁴⁴⁻²² paŋ⁴⁴⁻²² tue²²⁻²¹ liʔ⁴/

/suã⁴⁴⁻³³ paŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ liʔ⁴/

/ʂän⁵⁵ pɤŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ li̯ɛ⁵¹/

/saːn⁵⁵ pɐŋ⁵⁵ tei̯²² liːt̚²/

/san⁴⁴⁻²² piɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² te²²⁻²¹ liɛt̚⁴/

/suã⁴⁴⁻²² paŋ⁴⁴⁻²² tue²²⁻²¹ liʔ⁴/

/suã⁴⁴⁻³³ paŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ liʔ⁴/

This time, the earthquake occurred before dawn local time. People were still sound asleep when they were jolted awake by a massively destructive earthquake. In an instant, countless houses had collapsed, and many people had died in their sleep with no time to react.

2006, anon., 中国地震信息网 (China Seismic Information)

Zhè cì dìzhèn fāshēng zài dāngdì shíjiān língchén, rénmen hái zài shuìmèng zhōng bèi shānbēng dìliè bān de dìzhèn jīngxǐng, wúshù fángwū zài yīshùnjiān hōngrán dǎotān, xǔduō rén cùbùjífáng jiù sǐ yú mèng zhōng.

這次地震發生在當地時間凌晨，人們還在睡夢中被山崩地裂般的地震驚醒，無數房屋在一瞬間轟然倒坍，許多人猝不及防就死於夢中。

这次地震发生在当地时间凌晨，人们还在睡梦中被山崩地裂般的地震惊醒，无数房屋在一瞬间轰然倒坍，许多人猝不及防就死于梦中。

describes how a place looks after a great natural catastrophe; massively destructive

describes when a large problem or major incident occurs; uproarious; riotous; outrageous

The "Taiko" is a Japanese traditional style of drumming performance. As a result of the awesome noise that comes from the drumming, the low frequencies that strike like a hurricane, and the full and explosive ferocity of the sound, there are no words that can describe it.

2005, anon., 鬼太鼓座 (Ondekoza) -《疾走》(Roulade)

“Tàigǔ” shì Rìběn chuántǒng de gǔyì biǎoyǎn xíngshì, yóuyú qí suǒ léi chū de shānbēng dìliè de jùxiǎng, jiāshàng dīpín rú jùfēng bān xí lái, qí yīnyā zhī gāo, lìdào zhī qiáng, bàofāyīn zhī měng, fēi yányǔ suǒ néng xíngróng.

「太鼓」是日本傳統的鼓藝表演形式，由於其所擂出的山崩地裂的巨響，加上低頻如颶風般襲來，其音壓之高，力道之強，爆發音之猛，非言語所能形容。

「太鼓」是日本传统的鼓艺表演形式，由于其所擂出的山崩地裂的巨响，加上低频如飓风般袭来，其音压之高，力道之强，爆发音之猛，非言语所能形容。

describes something that has prestige and is imposing; awesome


صلى الله عليه وسلم

head

صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ • (ṣallā llāhu ʕalayhi wasallama)

صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ (canonical)
ṣallā llāhu ʕalayhi wasallama (romanization)

desc

→ Azerbaijani: səllallahu əleyhi və səlləm

صلی الله علیه وسلم

→ Persian: صلی الله علیه وسلم (sallâ-llâho 'aleyhe va-sallam)

саллоллоҳу алайҳи васаллам

→ Tajik: саллоллоҳу алайҳи васаллам (sallollohu alayh-i vasallam)

→ Turkish: sallallahu aleyhi ve sellem

صلیٰ اللہ علیہ وسلم

صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم

→ Urdu: صلیٰ اللہ علیہ وسلم (sallā-āllāhu 'alayhi wa-sallam)

→ Uzbek: sallollohu alayhi vasallam

(Islam) God shower blessing and salutation upon him and grant him peace

allāhumma ṣalli ʕalā muḥammadin waʔāli muḥammadin

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ


दूर के ढोल सुहावने

hi-phrase

दूर के ढोल सुहावने

دور کے ڈھول سہاونے

दूर के ढोल सुहावने • (dūr ke ḍhol suhāvne) (Urdu spelling دور کے ڈھول سہاونے)

dūr ke ḍhol suhāvne (romanization)
دور کے ڈھول سہاونے (Urdu)

/d̪uːɾ keː ɖʱoːl sʊ.ɦɑːʋ.neː/

[d̪uːɾ‿keː‿ɖʱoːl‿sʊ.ɦäːʋ.neː]

the grass is always greener on the other side


不可言喻

ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧㄢˊ ㄩˋ

/pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɛn³⁵ y⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ jiːn²¹ jyː²²/

/pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɛn³⁵ y⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ jiːn²¹ jyː²²/


不上不下

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄤˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ²² pɐt̚⁵ haː²²/

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ²² pɐt̚⁵ haː²²/

between a rock and a hard place
between a rock and a hard place

describes an awkward situation where one does not know what to do


進退維谷

ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄍㄨˇ

цзиньтуйвэйгу

/t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sɵn³³ tʰɵy̯³³ wɐi̯²¹ kʊk̚⁵/

/t͡sɵn³³ tʰɵy̯³³ wɐi̯²¹ kʊk̚⁵/

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 257 (《詩經·大雅·桑柔》)

lang

(《詩經·大雅·桑柔》)

(《詩經·大雅·桑柔》)

Look into the middle of that forest, At the herds of deer roaming together.
[But here] friends are insincere, And do not help one another in what is good.
People have the saying, "To go forwards or backwards is alike impracticable."

The Classic of Poetry, c. 11ᵗʰ – 7ᵗʰ centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zhān bǐ zhōng lín, shēnshēn qí lù.
Péngyǒu yǐ zèn, bù xū yǐ gǔ.
Rén yì yǒu yán: “Jìntuì wéi gǔ”.

瞻彼中林，甡甡其鹿。
朋友已譖，不胥以穀。
人亦有言：「進退維谷」。

瞻彼中林，甡甡其鹿。
朋友已谮，不胥以谷。
人亦有言：「进退维谷」。


進退兩難

ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄋㄢˊ

цзиньтуйляннань

/t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵/

/t͡sɵn³³ tʰɵy̯³³ lœːŋ¹³ naːn²¹/

/t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰe²¹⁻⁴¹ liɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lan²³/

/t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰe¹¹⁻⁵³ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lan²⁴/

/t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰue²¹⁻⁴¹ liɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lan²³/

/t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰue¹¹⁻⁵³ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lan²⁴/

/t͡sɵn³³ tʰɵy̯³³ lœːŋ¹³ naːn²¹/

/t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰe²¹⁻⁴¹ liɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lan²³/

/t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰe¹¹⁻⁵³ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lan²⁴/

/t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰue²¹⁻⁴¹ liɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lan²³/

/t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰue¹¹⁻⁵³ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lan²⁴/


不可限量

ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄌㄧㄤˋ

букэ сяньлян

/pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

Shanghai has a very promising future; if you have money, you should buy a house in Shanghai.

2005: anon, 上海的未来不可限量 有钱就买上海的房子 (news headline)

Shànghǎi de wèilái bùkěxiànliàng, yǒuqián jiù mǎi Shànghǎi de fángzi

上海的未來不可限量，有錢就買上海的房子

上海的未来不可限量，有钱就买上海的房子

limitless (opportunities); very promising


Deo vindice

[ˈd̪eoː ˈu̯ɪn̪d̪ɪkɛ]


不足為外人道

ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨˊ ㄨㄟˋ ㄨㄞˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄠˋ

буцзу вэй вайжэнь дао

/pu⁵¹ t͡su³⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ waɪ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ wɐi̯²² ŋɔːi̯²² jɐn²¹ tou̯²²/

He stayed on for a few more days before taking his leave. As he was departing, some of them said to him, "No need to tell outsiders about us."

The Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記), by Tao Yuanming, 421 (Wiktionary translation)

Tíng shùrì, cíqù. Cǐ zhōng rén yǔ yún: “Bùzú wèi wàirén dào yě.”

停數日，辭去。此中人語云：「不足為外人道也。」

停数日，辞去。此中人语云：「不足为外人道也。」

not fit to be told to others; no need to tell others; this is not to be mentioned to outsiders; this is strictly between ourselves


不到黃河心不死

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄙˇ

bù dào Huánghé xīn bù sǐ [Phonetic:bú dào Huánghé xīn bù sǐ]

бу дао Хуанхэ синь бу сы

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ tou̯³³ wɔːŋ²¹ hɔː²¹ sɐm⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ sei̯³⁵/

黃河／黄河 (Huáng Hé) may be a corrupted or euphemistic form of 黃泉／黄泉 (huángquán).

zh-l

黃河／黄河 (Huáng Hé)

one's resolve will not die until one reaches the Yellow River

From the beginning of history, the Chinese people have chosen to fight back when in dire circumstances. They persist as if duty-bound not to turn back. It is a tireless seeking spirit that forms a kind of positive resolve where one says, "I will not give up hope until I reach the Yellow River," or "I have not truly lived until I have reached the Great Wall.

2005: editorial staff of People's Education Press, 纪念抗日战争胜利60周年 (Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the victory in the sino-Japanese war)

cóng lìshǐ de yuántóu kāishǐ, Zhōngguó mínzhòng zài kùnhuò zhī zhōng xuǎnzé le kàngzhēng zhī lù, yìwúfǎngù de zǒu xià qù, xíngchéng le yī zhǒng “bù dào Huánghé xīn bù sǐ”, “bù dào Chángchéng fēi hǎohàn” de jījí xiàng shàng, bùxiè zhuīqiú de jīngshén

從歷史的源頭開始，中國民眾在困惑之中選擇了抗爭之路，義無返顧的走下去，形成了一種“不到黃河心不死”、“不到長城非好漢”的積極向上、不懈追求的精神

从历史的源头开始，中国民众在困惑之中选择了抗争之路，义无返顾的走下去，形成了一种“不到黄河心不死”、“不到长城非好汉”的积极向上、不懈追求的精神

until all is over, ambition never dies; not stop until one reaches one's goal; not to give up hope until one comes to one's tether's end; not to stop until one reaches the Yellow river; refuse to give up until all hope is gone


屌你老母

⇒ English: delay no more

/tiːu̯³⁵ nei̯¹³ lou̯¹³ mou̯¹³⁻³⁵/

/tiːu̯³⁵ nei̯¹³ lou̯¹³ mou̯¹³⁻³⁵/

diu² nei⁵ lou⁵ mou⁵⁻² siu² ji⁴ maa⁴ bei³ gaa⁴ nei⁵?

屌你老母小兒麻痺㗎你？

屌你老母小儿麻痹㗎你？

(vulgar, slang) fuck your mother; fuck you


FTW

(Internet slang) Initialism of for those wondering.


不如意事，十常八九

Events that do not turn out as one wished are happening as often as ten eight and nine.

ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧˋ ㄕˋ

ㄕˊ ㄔㄤˊ ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄡˇ

ши чан ба цзю

/pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

People are not gods; they are humans with human limitations, and so must accommodate human nature. One must find a good way to utilize Mother Nature's potential. Within the boundaries of a life where things are constantly going wrong, one must find a way to think outside of the box so that one can have more hits than misses.

Rén zhōngjiū bùshì shén, bùguò shì yǒuxiàn de rén, bìxū shùnyìng rénxìng, shàn yòng dàzìrán de qiánlì, zhàn zài “bùrúyìshì, shíchángbājiǔ” de júxiàn zhōng, yǐ shénmiào mòcè de móshì lái shǐ qí jíduōxiōngshào.

人終究不是神，不過是有限的人，必須順應人性，善用大自然的潛力，站在「不如意事，十常八九」的局限中，以神妙莫測的模式來使其吉多凶少。

人终究不是神，不过是有限的人，必须顺应人性，善用大自然的潜力，站在「不如意事，十常八九」的局限中，以神妙莫测的模式来使其吉多凶少。


和睦相處

ㄏㄜˊ ㄇㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄔㄨˇ

/xɤ³⁵ mu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/wɔː²¹ mʊk̚² sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː³⁵/

/wɔː²¹ mʊk̚² sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː¹³/

/xɤ³⁵ mu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/wɔː²¹ mʊk̚² sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː³⁵/

/wɔː²¹ mʊk̚² sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː¹³/

to get along; to live together in peace; to be on friendly terms with somebody


不拘小節

ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄩ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄝˊ

буцзюйсяоцзе

/pu⁵¹ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ siːu̯³⁵ t͡siːt̚³/

/pu⁵¹ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ siːu̯³⁵ t͡siːt̚³/

to not worry about minor matters; to not worry about the details; to not be a stickler for details; not worry about dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's


不明所以

ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄧˇ

/pu⁵¹ miŋ³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ sɔː³⁵ jiː¹³/

/pu⁵¹ miŋ³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ sɔː³⁵ jiː¹³/


不忍人之心

ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄣˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ

бу жэнь жэнь чжи синь

bu žɛnʹ žɛnʹ čži sinʹ

/pu⁵¹ ʐən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ jɐn³⁵ jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/

/pu⁵¹ ʐən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ jɐn³⁵ jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/

Mencius said, 'All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others. 'The ancient kings had this commiserating mind, and they, as a matter of course, had likewise a commiserating government. When with a commiserating mind was practised a commiserating government, to rule the kingdom was as easy a matter as to make anything go round in the palm. When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus: even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress. They will feel so, not as a ground on which they may gain the favour of the child's parents, nor as a ground on which they may seek the praise of their neighbours and friends, nor from a dislike to the reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing."

Mèngzǐ yuē: “Rén jiē yǒu bùrěnrénzhīxīn. Xiānwáng yǒu bùrěnrénzhīxīn, sī yǒu bù rěn rén zhī zhèng yǐ. Yǐ bùrěnrénzhīxīn, xíng bù rěn rén zhī zhèng, zhì tiānxià kě yùn zhī zhǎng shàng. Suǒyǐ wèi rén jiē yǒu bùrěnrénzhīxīn zhě, jīn rén zhà jiàn rúzǐ jiāng rù yú jǐng, jiē yǒu chùtì cèyǐn zhī xīn. Fēi suǒyǐ nàjiāo yú rúzǐ zhī fùmǔ yě, fēi suǒyǐ yào yù yú xiāngdǎng péngyǒu yě, fēi è qí shēng ér rán yě.”

孟子曰：「人皆有不忍人之心。先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可運之掌上。所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心。非所以內交於孺子之父母也，非所以要譽於鄉黨朋友也，非惡其聲而然也。」

孟子曰：「人皆有不忍人之心。先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可运之掌上。所以谓人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍见孺子将入于井，皆有怵惕恻隐之心。非所以内交于孺子之父母也，非所以要誉于乡党朋友也，非恶其声而然也。」

compassion; a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others


不求有功，但求無過

does not seek merit, only seeks a lack of errors

ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄍㄨㄥ

ㄉㄢˋ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ

bat¹ kau⁴ jau⁵ gung¹, daan⁶ kau⁴ mou⁴ gwo³

/pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ tän⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ u³⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹/

bat⁷ kau⁴ jau⁵ gung¹, daan⁶ kau⁴ mou⁴ gwo³

bed¹ keo⁴ yeo⁵ gung¹, dan⁶ keo⁴ mou⁴ guo³

/pɐt̚⁵ kʰɐu̯²¹ jɐu̯¹³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ taːn²² kʰɐu̯²¹ mou̯²¹ kʷɔː³³/

That kind of color inside the lines mentality of development, previously seen in small companies, can no longer accommodate the requirements of market competition.

2005: 张志军 ed. (Zhang Zhijun), 小公司如何长大：创立品牌的艺术 (How small companies grow large: the art of creating a brand)

Xiǎo gōngsī cóngqián nà zhǒng bùqiúyǒugōngdànqiúwúguò de fāzhǎn sīlù, yǐjīng wúfǎ shìyìng shìchǎng jìngzhēng de xūyào.

小公司從前那種不求有功但求無過的發展思路，已經無法適應市場競爭的需要。

小公司从前那种不求有功但求无过的发展思路，已经无法适应市场竞争的需要。

(somebody who) does not try to accomplish anything, but rather avoids doing things that would end up in his making a mistake and getting yelled at by others; color inside the lines; a complacent attitude


不按牌理出牌

to not layout one's (Mahjong) pieces according to the logic of the (game) pieces

ㄅㄨˋ ㄢˋ ㄆㄞˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄔㄨ ㄆㄞˊ

bù àn páilǐ chūpái [Phonetic:bú àn páilǐ chūpái]

бу ань пайли чупай

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ˀän⁵¹ pʰaɪ̯³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ pʰaɪ̯³⁵/

to think outside the box; to do things in an unconventional way


le chat parti, les souris dansent

Literally, “the cat having left, the mice dance”.

lit

when the cat's away the mice will play
when the cat's away the mice will play

(idiomatic) when the cat's away the mice will play

quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent


天長地久

ja-r

てん%ちょう ち%きゅう

CJKV/code

てん%ちょう ち%きゅう

Sino-Xenic (天長地久):
* → Japanese: 天(てん)長地(ちょうち)久(きゅう) (tenchō chikyū)
* → Korean: 천장지구(天長地久) (cheonjangjigu)
* → Vietnamese: thiên trường địa cửu (天長地久)

CJKV

てん%ちょう ち%きゅう

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ

тяньчандицзю

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ tei̯²² kɐu̯³⁵/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻²² tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te²²⁻²¹ kiu⁵³/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tiɔŋ²³⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ kiu⁴¹/

/tʰiɛn³³ tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te⁴¹⁻²² kiu⁵⁵⁴/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tiɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ te³³⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tŋ̍²³⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ kiu⁴¹/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tŋ̍²⁴⁻¹¹ te³³⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³/

/tʰiaŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰiaŋ⁵⁵ ti¹¹ ku⁵²/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ tei̯²² kɐu̯³⁵/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻²² tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te²²⁻²¹ kiu⁵³/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tiɔŋ²³⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ kiu⁴¹/

/tʰiɛn³³ tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te⁴¹⁻²² kiu⁵⁵⁴/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tiɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ te³³⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tŋ̍²³⁻³³ te³³⁻²¹ kiu⁴¹/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ tŋ̍²⁴⁻¹¹ te³³⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³/

/tʰiaŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰiaŋ⁵⁵ ti¹¹ ku⁵²/

Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long. The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves. This is how they are able to continue and endure.

Tiānchángdìjiǔ. Tiāndì suǒyǐ néng cháng qiě jiǔ zhě, yǐ qí bù zìshēng, gù néng chángshēng.

天長地久。天地所以能長且久者，以其不自生，故能長生。

天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。

天长地久
靝⿰萬丈埊⿰多年

As long as the universe lasts, and until time stops for good, the regret of our parting will continue without end.

806: 白居易 (Bai Juyi), 長恨歌 ("Song of Everlasting Regret")

Tiānchángdìjiǔ yǒu shí jìn, cǐ hèn miánmián wú jué qī.

天長地久有時盡，此恨綿綿無絕期。

天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期。

enduring as the universe; everlasting and unchanging


不死也半條命

even if one does not die, one will be severely wounded

ㄅㄨˋ ㄙˇ ㄧㄝˇ ㄅㄢˋ ㄊㄧㄠˊ ㄇㄧㄥˋ

bù sǐ yě bàn tiáo mìng [Phonetic:bùsíyěbàntiáomìng]

бу сы е бань тяо мин

/pu⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵¹ tʰi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ miŋ⁵¹/

in a dangerous predicament; between a rock and a hard place


go fuck oneself

You ate all the cake and you want me to make more? Go fuck yourself.

Did anybody asked you? And tell already to go fuck themselves?

(offensive, vulgar, dismissal) To go to hell, to get lost.


不為五斗米折腰

ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄟˋ ㄨˇ ㄉㄡˇ ㄇㄧˇ ㄓㄜˊ ㄧㄠ

bù wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhéyāo [Phonetic:búwèiwúdóumǐzhéyāo]

бу вэй у доу ми чжэяо

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻³⁵ toʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ wɐi̯²² ŋ̍¹³ tɐu̯³⁵ mɐi̯¹³ t͡siːt̚³ jiːu̯⁵⁵/

From the Book of Jin Volume 94 Biographies of Hermits and Recluses "Tao Qian" (《晉書·卷九四·隱逸傳·陶潛》)：

lang

《晉書·卷九四·隱逸傳·陶潛》

《晉書·卷九四·隱逸傳·陶潛》

The commandery sent a postal inspector to the county (where Tao Qian worked as the county magistrate), and an official (subordinate to Tao Qian) suggested: "You should wear formal clothes to see him." Qian sighed: "I cannot bow down for the sake of five pecks of rice and flatter a base person!"

648 CE, Fang Xuanling (lead editor), Book of Jin

Jùn qiǎn dūyóu zhì xiàn, lì bái “yīng shùdài jiàn zhī”, Qián tàn yuē: “Wú bùnéng wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhéyāo, quánquán shì xiānglǐ xiǎorén yé!”

郡遣督郵至縣，吏白「應束帶見之」，潛歎曰：「吾不能爲五斗米折腰，拳拳事鄉里小人邪！」

郡遣督邮至县，吏白「应束带见之」，潜叹曰：「吾不能为五斗米折腰，拳拳事乡里小人邪！」

不爲五斗米折腰
不为五斗米折腰

to not bow down for the sake of fivepecks (or decalitres) of rice

to not compromise one's integrity just to earn a small salary in a dead-end job; to not sacrifice one's ideals in order to make a living


不恥下問

ㄅㄨˋ ㄔˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄨㄣˋ

/pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ wən⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰiː³⁵ haː²² mɐn²²/

/pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ wən⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰiː³⁵ haː²² mɐn²²/

Zigong asked, saying, "On what ground did Kong Wen get that title of Wen?" The Master said, "He was of an active nature and yet fond of learning, and he was not ashamed to ask and learn of his inferiors! On these grounds he has been styled Wen."

The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐgòng wèn yuē: “Kǒng Wén Zǐ héyǐ wèi zhī wén yě?” Zǐ yuē: “Mǐn ér hào xué, bù chǐ xiàwèn, shìyǐ wèi zhī wén yě.”

子貢問曰：「孔文子何以謂之文也？」子曰：「敏而好學，不恥下問，是以謂之文也。」

子贡问曰：「孔文子何以谓之文也？」子曰：「敏而好学，不耻下问，是以谓之文也。」

to be not ashamed to learn from one's subordinates


不見棺材不掉淚

不见棺材不掉泪
不見棺材不落淚

not shed a tear until one sees the coffin

ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄢ ˙ㄘㄞ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄌㄟˋ

bùjiàn guāncai bù diàolèi [Phonetic:bújiàn guāncai bú diàolèi]

буцзянь гуаньцай бу дяолэй

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ku̯än⁵⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯² pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ leɪ̯⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ kiːn³³ kuːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ pɐt̚⁵ tiːu̯²² lɵy̯²²/

to refuse to be convinced until one is faced with the grim reality; tenacious, resolute or pertinacious in one's pursuit of a goal despite obstacles or advice


不食人間煙火

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄐㄧㄢ ㄧㄢ ㄏㄨㄛˇ

бу ши жэньцзянь яньхо

/pu⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ jɛn⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚² jɐn²¹ kɐn⁵⁵ jiːn⁵⁵ fɔː³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚² jɐn²¹ kɐn⁵⁵ jiːn⁵⁵ fɔː³⁵/

According to folklore, the daoists believed that celestial beings (仙人) never ate cooked food. Later on, this phrase was used to describe a person who has other-worldly qualities similar to that of celestial beings.

These people who are out of touch with reality just don't understand the real suffering of others!

Zhè yī qún bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ de rén, gēnběn bù zhīdào biérén de shíjì tòngkǔ!

這一群不食人間煙火的人，根本不知道別人的實際痛苦！

这一群不食人间烟火的人，根本不知道别人的实际痛苦！

Unfortunately, this is the real world; the real world that contains normal people. The real world is crowded and noisy, and is filled with bitterness and compromise. Only there's no such thing as the other-worldly romantic love that you read about in fairy-tales.

2005: 张雁 ed. (Zhang Yan), 没什么爱是不食人间烟火 (There's no such thing as other-worldly romantic love)

Kěxī, zhè shì ge zhēnshí de shìjiè, zhēnshí de shìjiè lǐ yǒu pǔtōng rén, yǒu yōngjǐ hé xuānxiāo, yǒu xīnsuān jí wúnài, wéi dú méiyǒu tónghuà bān de bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ de àiqíng.

可惜，這是個真實的世界，真實的世界裡有普通人，有擁擠和喧囂，有辛酸及無奈，唯獨沒有童話般的不食人間煙火的愛情。

可惜，这是个真实的世界，真实的世界里有普通人，有拥挤和喧嚣，有辛酸及无奈，唯独没有童话般的不食人间烟火的爱情。


DES

Delivered Ex Ship
Delivered Ex Ship#English

(Incoterm) Initialism of Delivered Ex Ship.


不負眾望

ㄅㄨˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄨㄤˋ

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ wɑŋ⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ fuː²² t͡sʊŋ³³ mɔːŋ²²/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ hu²²⁻²¹ t͡siɔŋ²¹⁻⁵³ bɔŋ²²/

/put̚⁵⁻²⁴ hu⁴¹⁻²² t͡siɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ bɔŋ⁴¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁵ hu²²⁻²¹ t͡siɔŋ²¹⁻⁵³ bɔŋ²²/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ hu³³⁻¹¹ t͡siɔŋ¹¹⁻⁵³ bɔŋ³³/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ hu³³⁻²¹ t͡siɔŋ²¹⁻⁴¹ bɔŋ³³/

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ wɑŋ⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ fuː²² t͡sʊŋ³³ mɔːŋ²²/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ hu²²⁻²¹ t͡siɔŋ²¹⁻⁵³ bɔŋ²²/

/put̚⁵⁻²⁴ hu⁴¹⁻²² t͡siɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ bɔŋ⁴¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁵ hu²²⁻²¹ t͡siɔŋ²¹⁻⁵³ bɔŋ²²/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ hu³³⁻¹¹ t͡siɔŋ¹¹⁻⁵³ bɔŋ³³/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ hu³³⁻²¹ t͡siɔŋ²¹⁻⁴¹ bɔŋ³³/

to not let everyone down; to not let anybody down


不動聲色

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄕㄥ ㄙㄜˋ

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ tʊŋ²² sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵/

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ tʊŋ²² sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵/

Man caught peeping into female bathroom; quick-thinking woman kept her cool and reported it to the police; sexual predator arrested

2005: 黄智义 (Huang Zhiyi), 一名男子偷窥女厕所 机智女子不动声色报警擒色狼 (news headline)

yī míng nánzǐ tōukuī nǚcèsuǒ, jīzhì nǚzǐ bùdòngshēngsè bàojǐng qín sèláng

一名男子偷窺女廁所 機智女子不動聲色報警擒色狼

一名男子偷窥女厕所 机智女子不动声色报警擒色狼

to maintain one's composure; to stay calm and collected; to not turn a hair; to not bat an eyelid; to not show or betray one's feelings or intentions


青紅皂白

ㄑㄧㄥ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄗㄠˋ ㄅㄞˊ

цинхунцзаобай

/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ xʊŋ³⁵ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ t͡sou̯²² paːk̚²/

/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ xʊŋ³⁵ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ t͡sou̯²² paːk̚²/


不問青紅皂白

不問青紅皁白
不问青红皂白

ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄣˋ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄗㄠˋ ㄅㄞˊ

bùwèn qīnghóngzàobái [Phonetic:búwèn qīnghóngzàobái]

бувэнь цинхунцзаобай

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ wən⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ xʊŋ³⁵ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ mɐn²² t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ t͡sou̯²² paːk̚²/


不得其門而入

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄑㄧˊ ㄇㄣˊ ㄦˊ ㄖㄨˋ

будэ ци мэнь эр жу

/pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ mən³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʐu⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ tɐk̚⁵ kʰei̯²¹ muːn²¹ jiː²¹ jɐp̚²/

/pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ mən³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʐu⁵¹/

(The high official) Shusun Wu Shu (叔孫武叔) remarked to the other officials at court, "Zigong surpasses his master (Confucius) in ability." Zifu Jing Bo (子服景伯) reported this to Zigong. Zigong said, "I will use the analogy of a wall; the wall that I have built comes up to my shoulders. One can get a glimpse of the beauty inside my house. My master's wall is very high; if you are unable to enter through the gate, you will not behold the beauty of the ancestral temple or the splendor of all the officers inside. I suspect that few people are able to enter through the gate. Are not then Shusun Wu Shu's words reasonable?"

The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, Wiktionary translation

Shūsūn Wǔ Shū yù dàfū yú cháo, yuē: “Zǐgòng xián yú Zhòngní.” Zǐfú Jǐng Bó yǐ gào Zǐgòng. Zǐgòng yuē: “Pì zhī gōng qiáng, cì zhī qiáng yě jí jiān, kuījiàn shìjiā zhī hǎo. Fūzǐ zhī qiáng shù rèn, bù dé qí mén ér rù, bù jiàn zōngmiào zhī měi, bǎiguān zhī fù. Dé qí mén zhě huò guǎ yǐ. Fūzǐ zhī yún, bù yì yí hū!”

叔孫武叔語大夫於朝，曰：「子貢賢於仲尼。」子服景伯以告子貢。子貢曰：「譬之宮牆，賜之牆也及肩，窺見室家之好。夫子之牆數仞，不得其門而入，不見宗廟之美，百官之富。得其門者或寡矣。夫子之云，不亦宜乎！」

叔孙武叔语大夫于朝，曰：「子贡贤于仲尼。」子服景伯以告子贡。子贡曰：「譬之宫墙，赐之墙也及肩，窥见室家之好。夫子之墙数仞，不得其门而入，不见宗庙之美，百官之富。得其门者或寡矣。夫子之云，不亦宜乎！」

在經歷了多年的不得其門而入後，中國終於在2005年10月24日正式成為“X86體系俱樂部”的正式成員。

2005: Design News China editorial staff, 争议英特尔称AMD旧技术援华 (Dispute ... Intel claims that old AMD technology is helping China)

On 24 October 2005, after having spent many years of trying to find an "in" without any success, China finally became a formal member of the "X86 architecture club."

因此，若你所安裝或開放的功能、網路服務與通訊連接埠越少，駭客就越不得其門而入。

undated: China National Cotton editorial staff 中国企业信息化道路 (Information Super Highway for Chinese Industries)

Because of this, the fewer capabilities/network services and communications connection ports that you install or open, the more that hackers will be unable to gain entrance (to your system).

to not have an "in"; to be unable to crack into (a market); to try to find an in without any success; to be unable to gain entrance


STV

on peut lfaire auj stv

(text messaging) Initialism of si tu veux.


of a

He always used to dine at my father's house of a Sunday.

1839, John Gibson Lockhart, Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart:

So, next time they come to me of a morning and ask the same question, what do you think my answer might be?

2008, Kim Patrick, Rewarding Good Behavior in Children:

(dated, now dialectal, idiomatic) on every; in the (followed by a noun indicating a certain time)


不堪回首

ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄢ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄡˇ

буканьхуэйшоу

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɐm⁵⁵ wuːi̯²¹ sɐu̯³⁵/

/puk̚²⁻⁴ kʰam³³⁻²³ hue⁵⁵⁻¹¹ siu⁵²/

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɐm⁵⁵ wuːi̯²¹ sɐu̯³⁵/

/puk̚²⁻⁴ kʰam³³⁻²³ hue⁵⁵⁻¹¹ siu⁵²/

cannot bear to look back on; to find it unbearable to recall


不愁衣食

ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄡˊ ㄧ ㄕˊ

/pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯²¹ jiː⁵⁵ sɪk̚²/

/pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯²¹ jiː⁵⁵ sɪk̚²/


不歡而散

ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄢ ㄦˊ ㄙㄢˋ

бухуаньэрсань

/pu⁵¹ xu̯än⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ sän⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ fuːn⁵⁵ jiː²¹ saːn³³/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ huan⁴⁴⁻²² li²⁴⁻²² san²¹/

/put̚⁵⁻²⁴ huan³³ li²⁴⁻²² san⁴¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁵ huan⁴⁴⁻²² li¹³⁻²² san²¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ huan⁴⁴⁻³³ li²⁴⁻¹¹ san¹¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ huan⁴⁴⁻³³ li²³⁻³³ san²¹/

/pu⁵¹ xu̯än⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ sän⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ fuːn⁵⁵ jiː²¹ saːn³³/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ huan⁴⁴⁻²² li²⁴⁻²² san²¹/

/put̚⁵⁻²⁴ huan³³ li²⁴⁻²² san⁴¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁵ huan⁴⁴⁻²² li¹³⁻²² san²¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ huan⁴⁴⁻³³ li²⁴⁻¹¹ san¹¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ huan⁴⁴⁻³³ li²³⁻³³ san²¹/

part [break up; end; disperse] in discord [with ill feelings; anger]; break up in disagreement; depart unhappily; end on a sour note; part in dudgeon; part on bad terms.


不鳴則已，一鳴驚人

ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗㄜˊ ㄧˇ

ㄧ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄖㄣˊ

bat¹ ming⁴ zak¹ ji⁵, jat¹ ming⁴ ging¹ jan⁴

бу мин цзэ и

иминцзинжэнь

/pu⁵¹ miŋ³⁵ t͡sɤ³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ miŋ³⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

bat⁷ ming⁴ dzak⁷ ji⁵, jat⁷ ming⁴ ging¹ jan⁴

bed¹ ming⁴ zeg¹ yi⁵, yed¹ ming⁴ ging¹ yen⁴

/pɐt̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ t͡sɐk̚⁵ jiː¹³ jɐt̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ kɪŋ⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

But as the game progressed, everybody had to take off their glasses in disbelief. Compared to the previous low expections in public opinion polls, the performance of the two teams was literally a bolt from the blue.

2006: anon, ESWC ——“梦，开始的地方 (Electronic Sports World Cup -- "A dream is the starting place")

Kě bǐsài de guòchéng què shì ràng rén dà diē yǎnjìng, yǔ zhīqián yúlùn de dīdiào xiàngbǐ, liǎng zhǐ duìwǔ de biǎoxiàn kěwèi bù míng zé yǐ yī míng jīng rén.

可比賽的過程卻是讓人大跌眼鏡，與之前輿論的低調相比，兩只隊伍的表現可謂不鳴則已一鳴驚人。

可比赛的过程却是让人大跌眼镜，与之前舆论的低调相比，两只队伍的表现可谓不鸣则已一鸣惊人。

set the world on fire
set the world on fire

to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat; to become famous overnight; to set the world on fire; a bolt from the blue


一鳴驚人

ㄧ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄖㄣˊ

иминцзинжэнь

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ miŋ³⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ kɪŋ⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ biɪŋ²³⁻³³ kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ zin²³/

/it̚³²⁻⁵ biɪŋ¹³⁻²² kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² d͡zin¹³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² lin²⁴/

/it̚⁵⁻²⁴ biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kiɪŋ³³ lin²⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ biɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ lin²⁴/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ miŋ³⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ kɪŋ⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ biɪŋ²³⁻³³ kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ zin²³/

/it̚³²⁻⁵ biɪŋ¹³⁻²² kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² d͡zin¹³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² lin²⁴/

/it̚⁵⁻²⁴ biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kiɪŋ³³ lin²⁴/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ biɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ lin²⁴/

King Zhuang, for three years after he took the reins of government, issued no decree and formulated no policy. Therefore, one day the Right Commissioner of the Army, when attending on the Throne, made before the King an intimation, saying: "There is a bird which has perched or a hill-top in the south. For three years it has neither fluttered nor flown nor sung but kept silent without making any sound. What is the name of that bird?" In reply the King said: "For three years it has not fluttered in order thereby to grow its wings and feathers, and has neither flown nor sung in order thereby to look at the conditions of the people. Though it has not flown, yet once it starts flying, it will soar high up into the sky. Though it has not sung, yet once it starts singing, it will surprise everybody. Leave it as it has been. I, the King, understand what you mean."

Han Feizi, circa 2ⁿᵈ century BCE, translated based on W. K. Liao's version

Chǔ Zhuāng wáng lì zhèng sān nián, wú lìng fā, wú zhèng wèi yě. Yòusīmǎ yù zuò ér yǔ wáng yǐn yuē: “Yǒu niǎo zhǐ nánfāng zhī fù, sān nián bù chì bù fēi bù míng, hēirán wú shēng, cǐ wèi hé míng?” Wáng yuē: “Sān nián bù chì, jiāng yǐ zhǎng yǔyì. Bù fēi bù míng, jiāng yǐ guān mín zé. Suī wú fēi, fēi bì chōngtiān; suī wú míng, míng bì jīngrén. Zǐ shì zhī, bùgǔ zhīzhī yǐ.”

楚莊王蒞政三年，無令發，無政為也。右司馬御座而與王隱曰：「有鳥止南方之阜，三年不翅不飛不鳴，嘿然無聲，此為何名？」王曰：「三年不翅，將以長羽翼。不飛不鳴，將以觀民則。雖無飛，飛必沖天；雖無鳴，鳴必驚人。子釋之，不穀知之矣。」

楚庄王莅政三年，无令发，无政为也。右司马御座而与王隐曰：「有鸟止南方之阜，三年不翅不飞不鸣，嘿然无声，此为何名？」王曰：「三年不翅，将以长羽翼。不飞不鸣，将以观民则。虽无飞，飞必冲天；虽无鸣，鸣必惊人。子释之，不谷知之矣。」

2006: anon, 《ESWC ——“梦，开始的地方》 (Electronic Sports World Cup -- "A dream is the starting place")

Kě bǐsài de guòchéng què shì ràng rén dàdiēyǎnjìng, yǔ zhīqián yúlùn de dīdiào xiāngbǐ, liǎng zhī duìwǔ de biǎoxiàn kěwèi bù míng zé yǐ yīmíngjīngrén.


不堪一擊

ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄢ ㄧ ㄐㄧˊ

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ kɪk̚⁵/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ kʰam⁴⁴⁻³³ it̚³²⁻⁴ kiɪk̚³²/

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ kɪk̚⁵/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ kʰam⁴⁴⁻³³ it̚³²⁻⁴ kiɪk̚³²/

cannot withstand a single blow; collapse at the first blow


不識廬山真面目

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˊ ㄌㄨˊ ㄕㄢ ㄓㄣ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄨˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˋ ㄌㄨˊ ㄕㄢ ㄓㄣ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄨˋ

буши Лушань чжэньмяньму

/pu⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ lu³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu⁵¹/

bùshì Lúshān zhēnmiànmù [Phonetic:búshì Lúshān zhēnmiànmù]

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ lu³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚⁵ lou̯²¹ saːn⁵⁵ t͡sɐn⁵⁵ miːn²² mʊk̚²/

From the poem 題西林壁 by Song dynasty poet Su Shi in 1084.

I cannot make out the true face of Mount Lu
only because I am within this very mountain.

Bùshí Lúshān zhēnmiànmù, zhǐ yuán shēn zài cǐ shān zhōng.

不識廬山真面目，只緣身在此山中。

不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。

to be unable to recognize the true face ofMount Lu

to not recognize the full picture or true nature of something because one only has a partial understanding of it


井底之蛙

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (井底之蛙):
* → Korean: 정저지와(井底之蛙) (jeongjeojiwa)

ja-r

井の中の蛙 大%海を知らず

い の なか の かわず たい%かい を しらず

い の なか の かわず

→ Japanese: (calque) 井(い)の中(なか)の蛙(かわず)大(たい)海(かい)を知(し)らず (i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu), 井(い)の中(なか)の蛙(かわず) (i no naka no kawazu), 井(せい)底(てい)の蛙(かわず) (seitei no kawazu) (calque)

q

→ Korean: 우물 안 개구리 (umul an gaeguri) (calque; more common than the Sino-Korean form)

→ Vietnamese: ếch ngồi đáy giếng (calque)

ㄐㄧㄥˇ ㄉㄧˇ ㄓ ㄨㄚ

/t͡ɕiŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ wä⁵⁵/

/t͡sɛːŋ³⁵ tɐi̯³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ waː⁵⁵/

/t͡siɪŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ te⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² ua⁴⁴/

/t͡sẽ⁵²⁻³⁵ tõĩ⁵² t͡sɯ³³⁻²³ ua³³/

/t͡ɕiŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ wä⁵⁵/

/t͡sɛːŋ³⁵ tɐi̯³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ waː⁵⁵/

/t͡siɪŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ te⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² ua⁴⁴/

/t͡sẽ⁵²⁻³⁵ tõĩ⁵² t͡sɯ³³⁻²³ ua³³/

From Zhuangzi:
:
Note: 鼃 is an ancient character for frog. In modern times, it has often been replaced with 蛙 (wā).

A frog in a well cannot be talked with about an ocean - it is confined to its own narrow place.

Jǐng wā bù kěyǐ yù yú hǎi zhě, jū yú xū yě.

井鼃不可以語於海者，拘於虛也。

井鼃不可以语于海者，拘于虚也。

a frog at the bottom of a well (who can only see a small part of the sky through the opening)

You're (like) a frog at the bottom of a well (who can only see part of the sky), how would you know about anything that is profound!

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14ᵗʰ century CE

汝乃井底之蛙，安知玄奧乎！

汝乃井底之蛙，安知玄奥乎！

[You] can tell that I am a frog at the bottom of a well; all day, all [I] talk about is that these several people are so unique.

Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, mid-18ᵗʰ century CE

Kě zhī wǒ jǐngdǐzhīwā, chéngrìjia zhǐ shuō xiànzài de zhè jǐ ge rén shì yǒuyīwú'èr de.

可知我井底之蛙，成日家只說現在的這幾個人是有一無二的。

可知我井底之蛙，成日家只说现在的这几个人是有一无二的。

a “frog in a well”, a person of very limited outlook and experience


今生今世

ㄐㄧㄣ ㄕㄥ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄕˋ

цзиньшэнцзиньши

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/kɐm⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ kɐm⁵⁵ sɐi̯³³/

/kim⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kim⁴⁴⁻³³ se²¹/

/kim⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kim⁴⁴⁻³³ se¹¹/

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/kɐm⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ kɐm⁵⁵ sɐi̯³³/

/kim⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kim⁴⁴⁻³³ se²¹/

/kim⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kim⁴⁴⁻³³ se¹¹/

in this lifetime; for the rest of one's life


rumor has it

(American spelling) Alternative spelling of rumour has it.


今朝有酒今朝醉

ㄐㄧㄣ ㄓㄠ ㄧㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄓㄠ ㄗㄨㄟˋ

jīnzhāo yǒu jiǔ jīnzhāo zuì [Phonetic:jīnzhāoyóujiǔjīnzhāozuì]

цзиньчжао ю цзю цзиньчжао цзуй

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

/kɐm⁵⁵ t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ t͡sɐu̯³⁵ kɐm⁵⁵ t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sɵy̯³³/

/kim⁴⁴⁻³³ tiau⁴⁴⁻³³ u³³⁻¹¹ t͡siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kim⁴⁴⁻³³ tiau⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sui¹¹/

/kim⁴⁴⁻³³ tiau⁴⁴⁻³³ u³³⁻²¹ t͡siu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ kim⁴⁴⁻³³ tiau⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sui²¹/

A gain makes me sing; a loss makes me sullen. Worries and regrets are always around. If there is wine today, then today is the day to get drunk. Worry about tomorrow's worries when they come tomorrow.

c. 833-909: Luo Yin (羅隱／罗隐), 自遣 (Self Consolation)

Dé jí gāo gē shī jí xiū, duō chóu duō hèn yì yōuyōu. Jīnzhāo yǒu jiǔ jīnzhāo zuì, míngrì chóu lái míngrì chóu.

得即高歌失即休，多愁多恨亦悠悠。今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁來明日愁。

得即高歌失即休，多愁多恨亦悠悠。今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁来明日愁。

Today's youth must struggle diligently for the sake of those who will come after them. They must not while away their time with an attitude of here today, gone tomorrow.

2005: anon, 要豪宅不要孩子 白领高质量追求今朝有酒今朝醉 (They want nice homes but don't want kids, white collar workers live for the now)

Jīntiān de niánqīngrén yě yīnggāi wèi tāmen de hòurén jiānkǔ fèndòu, bùnéng bào zhe “jīnzhāo yǒu jiǔ jīnzhāo zuì” de tàidù guò rìzi.

今天的年輕人也應該為他們的後人艱苦奮鬥，不能抱著「今朝有酒今朝醉」的態度過日子。

今天的年轻人也应该为他们的后人艰苦奋斗，不能抱着「今朝有酒今朝醉」的态度过日子。

describes someone who has the attitude of instant gratification and does not plan ahead; live for the now


rumour has it

head

rumour has it (simple past rumour had it)

Rumour has it Joe is looking for a new job.

Rumour has it that a new luxury lounge car design is also under discussion at the moment.

1964 July, “XP64: New Standard Carriage Project”, in Modern Railways, page 2:

“Why bother with the daily grind when you can go to Mosul, get paid $400 a month, get a wife – and live an Islamic way,” went an exchange between two men overheard by a fellow passenger in a taxi. Rumour has it that a woman whose husband died fighting with Isis now receives a generous widow’s pension from jihadi coffers.

2014 November 27, Ian Black, “Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis”, in The Guardian:


շնորհակալ եմ

շնորհակալ եմ • (šnorhakal em)

/ʃənoɾɑˈɡɑl em/

[ʃənoɾɑɡɑ́l em]

LL-Q8785 (hye)-Vahagn Petrosyan-շնորհակալ եմ.wav


光明正大

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (光明正大):
* → Vietnamese: quang minh chính đại (光明正大)

ㄍㄨㄤ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄓㄥˋ ㄉㄚˋ

гуанминчжэнда

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹ t͡sɪŋ³³ taːi̯²²/

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹ t͡sɪŋ³³ taːi̯²²/

Reform is a public affair for the masses. Reform is an open and aboveboard affair. It should not merely be discussed among a small number of the best and brightest of the aristocracy. It should not be carried out in a "hush-hush" manner, much less behind closed doors.

2006: 巫继学 (Wu Jixue), 光明正大的改革何拒公众参与大辩论？ (When conducting open and aboveboard reforms, why deny the public a chance to participate in the debate?)

Gǎigé shì gōnggòng dàzhòng de shì, gǎigé shì guāngmíngzhèngdà de shì, bùnéng zhǐ zài shǎoshù jīngyīng guìzú zhōng tǎolùn, bùnéng jìngqiāoqiāo de jìnxíng, gèng bùnéng zài nàlǐ gǎo shénme ànxiāngcāozuò.

改革是公共大眾的事，改革是光明正大的事，不能只在少數精英貴族中討論，不能靜悄悄地進行，更不能在那裡搞什麼暗箱操作。

改革是公共大众的事，改革是光明正大的事，不能只在少数精英贵族中讨论，不能静悄悄地进行，更不能在那里搞什么暗箱操作。

high-principled; open and aboveboard; just and honorable; frank and righteous; without artifice


光明正大

quang minh chính đại
quang minh chính đại#Vietnamese

chữ Hán form of quang minh chính đại (“high-principled; open and aboveboard; just and honorable; frank and righteous; without artifice”).


化腐朽為神奇

ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄈㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄡˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄣˊ ㄑㄧˊ

huà fǔxiǔ wéi shénqí [Phonetic:huàfúxiǔwéishénqí]

хуа фусю вэй шэньци

/xu̯ä⁵¹ fu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ʂən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵/

/faː³³ fuː²² nɐu̯³⁵ wɐi̯²¹ sɐn²¹ kʰei̯²¹/

What we love is animation. What we hate is corruption. But corruption in its turn becomes animation, and animation once more becomes corruption.

Shì qí suǒ měi zhě wéi shénqí, qí suǒ è zhě wéi chòufǔ. Chòufǔ fù huàwéi shénqí, shénqí fù huàwéi chòufǔ.

是其所美者為神奇，其所惡者為臭腐。臭腐復化為神奇，神奇復化為臭腐。

是其所美者为神奇，其所恶者为臭腐。臭腐复化为神奇，神奇复化为臭腐。

toturn something rotten into something magical

Dream of the Red Chamber depicts relationships between various men and women, including the wickedness of Jia Lian and Xue Pan. However, those words made a silk purse of a sow's ear and should not be removed.

1985 May 3, 孫犁, 《小說與色情》, in 《小說雜談》

“Hónglóumèng” xiě le gèzhǒng rén de nánnǚ guānxì, bāokuò Gǔ Liǎn, Xuē Pán de bùkān qíngzhuàng, dàn háishì huà fǔxiǔ wéi shénqí de bǐmò, bùnéng shānchú de.

《紅樓夢》寫了各種人的男女關係，包括賈璉、薛蟠的不堪情狀，但還是化腐朽為神奇的筆墨，不能刪除的。

1985 May 3, 孫犁, 《小說與色情》, in 《小說雜談》

《红楼梦》写了各种人的男女关系，包括贾琏、薛蟠的不堪情状，但还是化腐朽为神奇的笔墨，不能删除的。

If a human expert makes a mistake when making tea or wine, he can only accept his failure, but our lives, in God's hands, can be made into something wonderful.

2012 April, 方華, 茶、酒、人生, in 《中信》, issue 600

Rénjiān de gāoshǒu, zhì chá niàng jiǔ rúguǒ chūcuò, zhǐ néng jiēshòu shībài; dàn wǒmen de rénshēng zài Shàngdì shǒu zhōng, què kěyǐ huà fǔxiǔ wéi shénqí.

人間的高手，製茶釀酒如果出錯，只能接受失敗；但我們的人生在上帝手中，卻可以化腐朽為神奇。

人间的高手，制茶酿酒如果出错，只能接受失败；但我们的人生在上帝手中，却可以化腐朽为神奇。

make a silk purse of a sow's ear
make a silk purse of a sow's ear

to find a new use for something that has been discarded; to make a silk purse of a sow's ear


and so on

Put things where you will use them: sponges next to the sink, knives next to the cutting board, and so on.

The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about "creating compelling content", or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing", "share the things you love with the world" and so on.

2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27:

[…] It could ensure that the labour force is on board with a scheme to make the railways a key area of skills development - not just in engineering, but in other aspects of railway operation, just as it was under BR. And so on. But at the moment, all we are hearing are vague plans to 'renationalise the railways', whereas what is needed is a well-worked-out strategy for a public-owned railway.

2023 March 8, Christian Wolmar, “Labour passes up the chance to deliver a forceful rail policy”, in RAIL, number 978, page 35:

(idiomatic) Used to indicate that a list continues in a similar manner.


what the heck

So there, I know, was somebody or a combination of somebodys who did not know what the heck they were doing or dealing with.

1974, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Agriculture, Agriculture and the Fuel Crisis: Hearings..., page 88:

- Eggman: What else? I shall take Gizoid back and fulfill my plans to take over the world! Once I have Gizoid acquire my ultimate weapon, "Final Egg Blaster,"… I’ll be able to use it as my final weapon of destruction!!
- Knuckles: What the heck is the "Final Egg Blaster"?!

2003, Sonic Team, Sonic Battle, Sega, published 2003, Game Boy Advance, level/area: Knuckles’ Story:


天下父母心

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄇㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄣ

тянься фуму синь

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² fuː²² mou̯¹³ sɐm⁵⁵/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² fuː²² mou̯¹³ sɐm⁵⁵/


反脣相譏

ㄈㄢˇ ㄔㄨㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄐㄧ

фаньчуньсянцзи

/fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/faːn³⁵ sɵn²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵ kei̯⁵⁵/

/fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/faːn³⁵ sɵn²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵ kei̯⁵⁵/

to make a sarcastic remark rather than submit to another's criticism; to rebut with sarcastic remarks; to make a sarcastic comeback; to talk back


反脣相稽

ㄈㄢˇ ㄔㄨㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄐㄧ

фаньчуньсянцзи

/fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/faːn³⁵ sɵn²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵ kʰɐi̯⁵⁵/

/fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/faːn³⁵ sɵn²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵ kʰɐi̯⁵⁵/


天下本無事，庸人自擾之

nothing under the heavens is the matter until a person of mediocre ability messes things up for himself

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄣˇ ㄨˊ ㄕˋ

ㄩㄥ ㄖㄣˊ ㄗˋ ㄖㄠˇ ㄓ

tin¹ haa⁶ bun² mou⁴ si⁶, jung⁴ jan⁴ zi⁶ jiu² zi¹

тянься бэнь уши

юнжэнь цзы жао чжи

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ jʊŋ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

tīn hah bún mòuh sih, yùhng yàhn jih yíu jī

tin¹ haa⁶ bun² mou⁴ si⁶, jung⁴ jan⁴ dzi⁶ jiu² dzi¹

tin¹ ha⁶ bun² mou⁴ xi⁶, yung⁴ yen⁴ ji⁶ yiu² ji¹

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² puːn³⁵ mou̯²¹ siː²² jʊŋ²¹ jɐn²¹ t͡siː²² jiːu̯³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵/

Virgos will find it easy to fall into the trap of feeling like they should try to fix something that was not broken in the first place. Nothing has actually happened, so relax and don't overthink things.

Chǔnǚzuò róngyì xiànrù tiānxiàběnwúshì yōngrénzìrǎozhī de qíngxù zhōng, gēnběn dōu méiyǒu shénme shìqíng fāshēng, xīnqíng yào fàngkāi yīdiǎn bùyào xiǎng tài duō.

處女座容易陷入天下本無事庸人自擾之的情緒中，根本都沒有什麼事情發生，心情要放開一點不要想太多。

处女座容易陷入天下本无事庸人自扰之的情绪中，根本都没有什么事情发生，心情要放开一点不要想太多。

to bring angst or trouble on oneself; to try to fix something that was not broken in the first place


天外飛來一筆

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨㄞˋ ㄈㄟ ㄌㄞˊ ㄧ ㄅㄧˇ

tiānwài fēi lái yībǐ [Phonetic:tiānwài fēi lái yìbǐ]

тяньвай фэй лай иби

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ waɪ̯⁵¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ laɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋɔːi̯²² fei̯⁵⁵ lɔːi̯²¹ jɐt̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵/

People who are faced with a policy from the big boss that comes out of left field are often at a loss as to what to do. How is a low level employee to respond?

2006: anon, 高层主管的决定不实用怎么办 (What to do when a decision by senior management is not practical)

Miànduì dàlǎobǎn tiānwàifēiláiyībǐ de juécè, cháng lìngrén wúsuǒshìcóng, jīcéng yuángōng gāi rúhé yìngbiàn?

面對大老板天外飛來一筆的決策，常令人無所適從，基層員工該如何應變？

面对大老板天外飞来一笔的决策，常令人无所适从，基层员工该如何应变？

to insert a sentence into a place where it is completely unrelated to what came before or after it; to say or do something out of left field


happy holidays

In the United States people say Happy Holidays to include all people on the earth: the Jewish people Celebrating Hanukah, Africans celebrating Kwanza, Middle Eastern people celebrating Eid, Christians celebrating Christmas, […]

2009, Ruben Santos Claveria, Holiday Songs and Kisses: Christmas Songs And other Poems:

Madeleine Mayfair, What Should I Write? 101 Holiday Wishes for Greeting Cards
Season's greetings and happy holidays!

(Canada, US, Philippines) A greeting used during the Christmas and winter holiday season to recognize the celebration of many holidays, sometimes starting with Thanksgiving and including Hanukkah, the winter solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Day.


天若有情天亦老

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧˋ ㄌㄠˇ

тянь жо юцин тянь и лао

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ i⁵¹ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ jœːk̚² jɐu̯¹³ t͡sʰɪŋ²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵ jɪk̚² lou̯¹³/

If Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would grow old. (Things are sad and bleak and there is no justice in the world.)


天時地利人和

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (天時地利人和):
* → Vietnamese: thiên thời, địa lợi, nhân hoà (天時地利人和)

desc

天の時は地の利に如かず、地の利は人の和に如かず

→ Japanese: 天の時は地の利に如かず、地の利は人の和に如かず (ten no toki wa chi no ri ni shikazu, chi no ri wa hito no wa ni shikazu) (calque)

at the right time, in the right place and with the right people

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄕˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄏㄜˊ

тяньши дили жэньхэ

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ xɤ³⁵/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ siː²¹ tei̯²² lei̯²² jɐn²¹ wɔː²¹/

/tʰi̯en²⁴ sɨ¹¹ tʰi⁵⁵ li⁵⁵ ŋin¹¹ fo¹¹/

/tʰi̯en²⁴ sɨ¹¹ tʰi⁵⁵ li⁵⁵ ŋin¹¹ fo¹¹/

With a little luck and some hard work, the women's volleyball team will be a shoe-in for the gold medal.

2004: anon., 04新郎雅典站 (04 Athens Website)

tiānshí dìlì rénhé jiā nǔlì, nǚpái de zhè méi jīnpái mìngzhōngzhùdìng

天時地利人和加努力 女排的這枚金牌命中注定

天时地利人和加努力 女排的这枚金牌命中注定

conditions required for success; knock on wood; if everything goes according to plan; with a little luck; everything goes right


what the hell

Shortened from earlier what in the hell.

What the hell is going on?

What the hell is that?!

What the hell did you do?

What the hell is this?!

What the hell is happening?!

What the hell are you?!

What the hell is it?!

What the hell happened here?

What the hell do you want?

What the hell is wrong with you?!

What the hell do you think you're doing!?

What the hell was that?!

What the hell is with you?!

What the hell was this!?

What the hell is all this!?

What the hell is all that!?

(mildly vulgar, slang) An intensive form of what.

一体全体なんだ？

いったいぜんたいなんだ？

It’s expensive, but what the hell, you only live once.

Surprisingly, dieters ate more ice cream after eating a large milkshake than after eating a small one. Dr. Polivy calls this the “What the hell” effect, which she describes as thinking “What the hell, my diet’s already broken, so I might as well eat everything in sight.”

i have had my ups and downs / but wotthehell wotthehell / yesterday sceptres and crowns / fried oysters and velvet gowns / and today i herd with bums / but wotthehell wotthehell

1927, Don Marquis, “song of mehitabel”, in archy and mehitabel:

(mildly vulgar, slang) Indicating acceptance, indulgence, or insouciance: Why not? Who cares?


easy come, easy go

They took $200 with them into the casino, and regarded their winnings as easy come, easy go.

Ridin' high when I was king / Played it hard and fast cause I had everything / Walked away, wonderin' then / But easy come and easy go and it would end

1967, Bob Gaudio, Peggy Farina (lyrics and music), “Beggin'”, performed by The Four Seasons:

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy / Because I'm easy come, easy go / Little high, little low

1975, Freddie Mercury (lyrics and music), “Bohemian Rhapsody”, performed by Queen:

(idiomatic) Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in the same way, goes in the same way)

lehce nabyl, lehce pozbyl

easily won and easily lost; usually said when resigned to a loss

ti nalaka ti pannakasapulna, nalaka met ti pannakapukawna

an rud a fhaightear go bog caitear go bog é

vse veselje hitro mine, vsaka sreča hitro zgine


but who's counting

There are only 258 more shopping days until Christmas, but who's counting?

You've made that mistake eight times now. But who's counting?

I've been looking for a job for six months now, but who's counting?

(colloquial, rhetorical question, sarcastic, humorous) Used as a retort or comeback, often to deprecate oneself or another for excessive concern or attention to detail.


and so forth

Dates back at least to Old English and swā forþ.

Don't forget to pack weather items appropriate for the climate: sunscreen, rain gear, and so forth.

[David] Wain packs They Came Together with supporting characters, most of them variations on stock rom-com archetypes—the exes, the siblings, the co-workers, the yuppie parents, and so forth.

2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2017-12-07:

(idiomatic) Indicates that a list continues in a similar manner.

dhe kështu

indicates that a list continues in a similar manner


pp.

Alternative forms: per pro, p.p.

per procurationem
per procurationem#English


p.s.

Initialism of postskribo (“postscript”).


kad na vrbi rodi grožđe

sh-idiom

kad na vrbi rodi grožđe (Cyrillic spelling кад на врби роди грожђе)

кад на врби роди грожђе (Cyrillic)

Literally translates as "when willows bear grapes"; the phrase stems from folklore where willows are depicted as commonplace but unfruitful trees.


кад на врби роди грожђе

кад на врби роди грожђе (Latin spelling kad na vrbi rodi grožđe)

en-кад_на_врби_роди_грожђе-sh-phrase-YuwsbElu

en-кад_на_врби_роди_грожђе-sh-phrase-uU8z7NUp


ad kalendas Graecas

→ English: Greek calends (calque)

desc

→ French: aux calendes grecques (calque)

→ Italian: alle calende greche (calque)

[äd̪ käˈɫ̪ɛn̪d̪äːs̠ ˈɡräe̯käːs̠]

[äd̪ käˈlɛn̪d̪äs ˈɡrɛːkäs]

Attributed by Suetonius in Lives of the Twelve Caesars to Caesar Augustus. The kalends (also written calends) were specific days of the Roman calendar (the first of the month), not of the Greek, and so the “Greek Kalends” would never occur.

never in a month of Sundays
never in a month of Sundays

(idiomatic) never at all; never in a month of Sundays.

Attic calendar
Caesar Augustus
Roman calendar
Suetonius
The Twelve Caesars


日向

Compound of 日 (hi, “sun”) + な (na, Old Japanese possessive particle) + た (ta, “direction, side”).
The ta element is found in terms such as あなた (anata, “you”, originally “that side (distant)”), そなた (sonata, “you”, archaic; originally “that side (nearby)”).

com

日向(ひなた)に氷(こおり) 日向に氷#Japanese

日向(ひなた)に氷(こおり) (hinata ni kōri, “ice in sun → melting → gradually disappearing”)

陰(かげ)になり日向(ひなた)になり 陰になり日向になり#Japanese

陰(かげ)になり日向(ひなた)になり (kage ni nari hinata ni nari)

夏は日向を行け冬は日陰を行け#Japanese

夏(なつ)は日向(ひなた)を行(ゆ)け冬(ふゆ)は日(ひ)陰(かげ)を行(ゆ)け (natsu wa hinata o yuke fuyu wa hikage o yuke)


one's lips are sealed

You're talking a lot / But you're not saying anything / When I have nothing to say / My lips are sealed

1977, Talking Heads (lyrics and music), “Psycho Killer”, in Talking Heads: 77:

(idiomatic) One will not tell anyone else; one is keeping a secret.


stick 'em up

A command stereotypically given by robbers, particularly when pointing a gun: Put your hands in the air! Surrender!


about to

He's standing at the edge, and I think he's about to jump.

She seemed about to say something.

And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:

1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Acts of the Apostles, xviii, 14

I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

(idiomatic, with infinitive verb) Indicates something that will happen very soon; indicates action that is imminent; ready to.

I'm not about to let the lockdown stop me from going to the beach every day.

I'm not about to wander around at night to find it.

(as negative 'not about to', informal, originally US, Canada) Indicates that one has no intention of doing the stated thing at any time in the future.

(obsolete in affirmative) Indicates that one is preparing or planning to do the stated thing at some time in the future, not necessarily imminently.

عَلَى وَشْك

followed by a verbal noun in the definite form

(for both forms, particle 了 (le) is used after verb) 就要 (jiùyào)

(expressed by the future participle of the verb)

fifth infinitive of the verb (different grammatical structure; see usage example in tekemäisillään)

ketinti (verb 'intend to, be about to' + inf.)

verb + འགྲོའོ ('gro'o)/གྲབས (grabs) (colloquial/literary) + existential auxiliary ཡོད (yod)/ཡོད་རེད (yod red)/འདུག ('dug) (egophoric/assertive/testimonial)

verb + ཆོག་ཆོག (chog chog) (in the sense of readiness or preparedness)


(Internet slang, text messaging) thank you.


how's the weather

(by extension, idiomatic) Indicating a change of subject to unimportant topics.


ihn

(Internet, text messaging) Initialism of I hope not.


天高皇帝遠

Heaven is high and the emperor is far away.

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄍㄠ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄩㄢˇ

тянь гао хуанди юань

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ ɥɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

to be faraway from the central government and therefore beyond its control


ek is lief vir jou

LL-Q14196 (afr)-Oesjaar-ek is lief vir jou.wav


what's your phone number

Asks the interlocutor to give their phone number for subsequent communication.

電話番号は何ですか

でんわばんごうはなんですか

haaʼishaʼ nibéésh bee haneʼé bee shił hólneʼ?

ขอเบอร์หน่อย

kɔ̌ɔ bəə nɔ̀i


天涯若比鄰

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄚˊ ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄌㄧㄣˊ

тянья жо билинь

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ jä³⁵ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lin³⁵/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋaːi̯²¹ jœːk̚² pei̯³⁵ lɵn²¹/

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ jä³⁵ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lin³⁵/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋaːi̯²¹ jœːk̚² pei̯³⁵ lɵn²¹/

Literally: the far ends of heaven are like next door.

The watch towers are protected by the three Qin states, I can make out the land of the five crossings in the distance. My mood (is somber) as I part from you, We are both officials traveling (far from home). When one has a close friend in this world, the far ends of heaven are like next door. (Therefore, when we reach the) fork in the road (where we must part), let us not exchange kerchiefs moistened (with tears like) women and children.

c. 647 – 675: Wang Bo, 《送杜少府之任蜀州》 (Seeing off Vice-prefect Du on the occasion of his appointment to the state of Shu)

Chéngquè fǔ sānqín, fēngyān wàng wǔjīn. Yǔ jūn líbié yì, tóng shì huàn yóu rén. Hǎinèi cún zhījǐ, tiānyá ruò bǐlín. Wúwèi zài qílù, érnǚ gòng zhān jīn.

城闕輔三秦，風煙望五津。與君離別意，同是宦游人。海內存知己，天涯若比鄰。無為在歧路，兒女共沾巾。

城阙辅三秦，风烟望五津。与君离别意，同是宦游人。海内存知己，天涯若比邻。无为在歧路，儿女共沾巾。

Staying connected - Using MSN Messenger to find friends.

tiānyá ruò bǐlín ── zài MSN Messenger zhōng sōusuǒ hǎoyǒu

天涯若比鄰──在MSN Messenger中搜索好友

天涯若比邻──在MSN Messenger中搜索好友

to feel a closeness to a friend or loved one despite being separated by a great distance


海內存知己，天涯若比鄰

ㄏㄞˇ ㄋㄟˋ ㄘㄨㄣˊ ㄓ ㄐㄧˇ

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄚˊ ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄌㄧㄣˊ

hoi² noi⁶ cyun⁴ zi¹ gei², tin¹ ngaai⁴ joek⁶ bei² leon⁴

хайнэй цунь чжицзи

тянья жо билинь

/xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ neɪ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰu̯ən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ jä³⁵ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lin³⁵/

hói noih chyùhn jī géi, tīn ngàaih yeuhk béi lèuhn

hoi² noi⁶ tsyn⁴ dzi¹ gei², tin¹ ngaai⁴ joek⁹ bei² loen⁴

hoi² noi⁶ qun⁴ ji¹ géi², tin¹ ngai⁴ yêg⁶ béi² lên⁴

/hɔːi̯³⁵ nɔːi̯²² t͡sʰyːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ kei̯³⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋaːi̯²¹ jœːk̚² pei̯³⁵ lɵn²¹/

c. 647 – 675: Wang Bo, 送杜少府之任蜀州 (Seeing off Vice-prefect Du on the occasion of his appointment to the state of Shu) (Wiktionary translation)

Chéngquè fǔ Sānqín, fēngyān wàng Wǔjīn. Yǔ jūn líbié yì, tóng shì huàn yóu rén. Hǎinèi cún zhījǐ, tiānyá ruò bǐlín. Wú wéi zài qílù, érnǚ gòng zhān jīn.

the far ends of heaven are like next door

to feel a closeness to a friend or loved one despite being separated by a great distance (this phrase is often used when talking about the internet, long-distance phones, etc.)


wouldn't you know it

Wouldn't you know it! I left my wallet at home.

(informal) Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at misfortune.


無論如何

ㄨˊ ㄌㄨㄣˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄏㄜˊ

/u³⁵ lu̯ən⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ xɤ³⁵/

/mou̯²¹ lɵn²² jyː²¹ hɔː²¹/

/bɤ²³⁻³³ lun³³⁻²¹ zu²³⁻³³ hɤ²³/

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ luŋ³⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ho⁵⁵/

/u³⁵ lu̯ən⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ xɤ³⁵/

/mou̯²¹ lɵn²² jyː²¹ hɔː²¹/

/bɤ²³⁻³³ lun³³⁻²¹ zu²³⁻³³ hɤ²³/

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ luŋ³⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ho⁵⁵/

in any case; at any rate; whatever happens; no matter what


天機不可洩漏

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄐㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄌㄡˋ

тяньцзи букэ селоу

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ loʊ̯⁵¹/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ kei̯⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ siːt̚³ lɐu̯²²/


天靈靈，地靈靈

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄌㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄥˊ

ㄉㄧˋ ㄌㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄥˊ

тянь лин лин

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ liŋ³⁵ liŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ liŋ³⁵ liŋ³⁵/

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ liŋ³⁵ liŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ liŋ³⁵ liŋ³⁵/

a spell said by a wizard or shaman (similar to abracadabra)

(literally) spirit of sky and spirit of land answering


where are you from

In which country or region were you born or raised?

haʼshį́į́ nandá?

in which country or region were you born or raised


manos a la obra

Literally, “hands to the building/work”.

Ya es hora, manos a la obra.

(idiomatic) hands on deck, let's get to work, let's get to it, get down to work, get on with it, get down to business


there and back

Possibly a shortening of to there and back.

It took me about 20 minutes there and back.

You don't need to tell me about depression. I've been there and back.

(idiomatic) On or for a round trip journey, literal or figurative.

sinne ja takaisin

on or for a round trip journey (literal)

sinne ja takaisin

on or for a round trip journey (figurative)

проходи́ли

already covered (as in a school program)


心服口服

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄈㄨˊ ㄎㄡˇ ㄈㄨˊ

/ɕin⁵⁵ fu³⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu³⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ fʊk̚² hɐu̯³⁵ fʊk̚²/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² hɔk̚⁴⁻³² kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚⁴/

/sim³³ hɔk̚²⁴⁻² kʰau⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ hɔk̚²⁴/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² hɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚¹²¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ hɔk̚⁴⁻³² kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚⁴/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ hɔk̚⁴⁻³² kʰau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚⁴/

/ɕin⁵⁵ fu³⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu³⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ fʊk̚² hɐu̯³⁵ fʊk̚²/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² hɔk̚⁴⁻³² kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚⁴/

/sim³³ hɔk̚²⁴⁻² kʰau⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ hɔk̚²⁴/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² hɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚¹²¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ hɔk̚⁴⁻³² kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚⁴/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ hɔk̚⁴⁻³² kʰau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ hɔk̚⁴/

to be sincerely convinced; to be won over completely


how old are you

Literally: What is your age in years?

Jack: (laughing at infantile humor)

Jill: How old are you?

(impolite) Used to question the mental age (maturity) of the interlocutor.

汝几岁啰？

lí kúi hè--lo͘? / lí kúi hèr--lo͘? / lí kúi hòe--lo͘? / lí kúi hè--lo͘h? / lí kúi hèr--lo͘h? / lí kúi hòe--lo͘h?

bạn bao nhiêu tuổi? (replace bạn with an appropriate pronoun)


how old are you

Word by word translation of Chinese 怎麼老是你？/怎么老是你？ (Zěnme lǎoshì nǐ?, “Why is it always you?”)

zh-m

怎麼老是你？/怎么老是你？

(China, humorous) Why is it always you? You again?


IDK

IDK what you're talking about.

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I don't know.


she'll be right

/ʃɪəl bi ɹʌɪt/

So there’s shuffling, like, and a bit o’ coughing and spitting, and someone else says: ‘She’ll be right, mate. She’s on her way if you’ll hang on a tick. You’re at the party.’

1988, Janette Turner Hospital, Charades, page 77:

“Nah, she’ll be right. You go.”
“You’ll have to start mixing with the others at some point, you know.”
“It’s not just that, I got homework to do. Gotta catch up.”

2001, Anthony Eaton, A New Kind of Dreaming, page 122:

In a whisper, I suggested to Ian that we reattach the winch cable to a tree in the clearing, but of course his reply was, “Naaahh, she’ll be right, mate.”

2010, Robin Easton, Naked in Eden: My Adventure and Awakening in the Australian Rainforest, page 77:

(idiomatic, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial) OK, no problem, everything will be all right.


hara

From elision of haraya, dative singular of hara.

Sən hara, bura hara?

(literally, “Where are you, [and] where is this place?”)

What are you doing here? It is very unexpected to see you here.

what is X doing in Y?; It is quite unexpected to see X in Y

Toy hara, şortik geymək hara?

(literally, “Where is wedding, [and] where are shorts?”)

It is completely inappropriate to wear shorts on a wedding.

X is completely unfit/inappropriate for Y

Beş yaş hara, on yaş hara?

(literally, “Where is the age of five, [and] where is the age of ten?”)

Five-year-olds are completely different ten-year-olds.


心急如焚

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄐㄧˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄈㄣˊ

синьцзижуфэнь

/ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵ ʐu³⁵ fən³⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ kɐp̚⁵ jyː²¹ fɐn²¹/

/sim³³⁻²³ kip̚²⁻⁴ d͡zu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ uŋ⁵⁵/

/ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵ ʐu³⁵ fən³⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ kɐp̚⁵ jyː²¹ fɐn²¹/

/sim³³⁻²³ kip̚²⁻⁴ d͡zu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ uŋ⁵⁵/

very anxious; very nervous; very impatient


心照不宣

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄓㄠˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄩㄢ

синьчжаобусюань

/ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ t͡siːu̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ syːn⁵⁵/

/ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ t͡siːu̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ syːn⁵⁵/

to understand something but not voice it; to have a tacit understanding


心寬體胖

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄎㄨㄢ ㄊㄧˇ ㄆㄢˊ

синькуаньтипань

/ɕin⁵⁵ kʰu̯än⁵⁵ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵/

/ɕin⁵⁵ kʰu̯än⁵⁵ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵/

From the Great Learning (《大學》) in the Book of Rites

Riches adorn a house, and virtue adorns the person. The mind is expanded, and the body is at ease. Therefore, the superior man must make his thoughts sincere.

The Book of Rites, c. 4ᵗʰ – 2ⁿᵈ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Fù rùn wū, dé rùn shēn, xīn guǎng tǐ pán, gù jūnzǐ bì chéng qí yì.

富潤屋，德潤身，心廣體胖，故君子必誠其意。

富润屋，德润身，心广体胖，故君子必诚其意。