suurin surminkaan

Equivalent to suurin (“with great”) surmin (“with slaughters”) + -kaan (“[not] even”). Related to suin surminkaan; it is not known which form is original, albeit the other one is attested earlier.

suf

under no circumstance
under no circumstance

(idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) by no means, under no circumstance


要有光

/jɑʊ̯⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/jɑʊ̯⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/


полна капа

Used to convey that the amount in question is quite sufficient, or even greater than one would have hoped for.


父慈子孝

ㄈㄨˋ ㄘˊ ㄗˇ ㄒㄧㄠˋ

/fu⁵¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/fuː²² t͡sʰiː²¹ t͡siː³⁵ haːu̯³³/

/fu⁵¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/fuː²² t͡sʰiː²¹ t͡siː³⁵ haːu̯³³/

What are 'the things which men consider right?' Kindness on the part of the father, and filial duty on that of the son; gentleness on the part of the elder brother, and obedience on that of the younger; righteousness on the part of the husband, and submission on that of the wife; kindness on the part of elders, and deference on that of juniors; with benevolence on the part of the ruler, and loyalty on that of the minister - these ten are the things which men consider to be right.

The Book of Rites, c. 4ᵗʰ – 2ⁿᵈ century BCE

Hé wèi rén yì? Fù cí, zǐ xiào, xiōng liáng, dì tì, fū yì, fù tīng, cháng huì, yòu shùn, jūn rén, chén zhōng shí zhě, wèi zhī rén yì.

何謂人義？父慈、子孝、兄良、弟弟、夫義、婦聽、長惠、幼順、君仁、臣忠十者，謂之人義。

何谓人义？父慈、子孝、兄良、弟弟、夫义、妇听、长惠、幼顺、君仁、臣忠十者，谓之人义。

but used entirely sarcastically to denote unfilial child

the father is loving towards his children and the children show filial piety towards their father

(sarcastic, neologism) the father and child are engaging in family quarrel either verbally, financially or physically.


don't spare the horses

An allusion to traditional horse-drawn carriages.


知慳識儉

/t͡siː⁵⁵ haːn⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵ kiːm²²/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ haːn⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵ kiːm²²/

(Cantonese) to live frugally; to be thrifty


照貓畫虎

ㄓㄠˋ ㄇㄠ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄏㄨˇ

чжаомаохуаху

/ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ mɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡siːu̯³³ maːu̯⁵⁵ waːk̚² fuː³⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ mɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡siːu̯³³ maːu̯⁵⁵ waːk̚² fuː³⁵/

to copy or imitate slavishly without attempt at originality


東躲西藏

ㄉㄨㄥ ㄉㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧ ㄘㄤˊ

/tʊŋ⁵⁵ tu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ³⁵/

/tʊŋ⁵⁵ tu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ³⁵/


þau eru súr, sagði refurinn

From Aesop's fable The Fox and the Grapes.


גוט־עלעף

גוט־עלעף ! (canonical)
gut-elef! (romanization)


dili madala og rosaryo

Literally, “praying the rosary won't cut it”.

lit

(idiomatic) an utterly hopeless situation


ひとよんで

ja-pos

ひとよんで • (hito yonde) ^(←ひとよんで (fitoyonde)?)

hito yonde (romanization)
fitoyonde (romanization)
ひとよんで (hiragana historical)

人呼んで「美麗島」


WAGMI

we're all gonna make it
we're all gonna make it#English

(Internet slang) Initialism of we're all gonna make it. An expression of comradery.


il gioco è fatto

LL-Q652 (ita)-LangPao-il gioco è fatto.wav

Bisognava farlo in anticipo. A questo punto il gioco è fatto.

You needed to do it in advance. At this point, it's too late.


мый тэнад нимыд

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мый тэнад нимыд?

мый Тіян нимныд

мый тэнад нимыд? • (myj tenad ńimyd?) (formal мый Тіян нимныд)

myj tenad ńimyd? (romanization)
мый Тіян нимныд (formal)

what is your name? (informal; spoken to one person)


менам нимӧй

менам нимӧй...

менам нимӧй ... (canonical)
menam ńimöj... (romanization)


мый Тіян нимныд

мый Тіян нимныд?

мый тэнад нимыд

мый Тіян нимныд? • (myj Tijan ńimnyd?) (informal мый тэнад нимыд)

myj Tijan ńimnyd? (romanization)
мый тэнад нимыд (informal)

what is your name? (formal; spoken to one person)


naa na sa akong pahak

been there, done that
been there, done that


мый налӧн нимъясныс

мый налӧн нимъясныс?

мый сылӧн нимыс

мый налӧн нимъясныс? • (myj nalön ńimjasnys?) (singular мый сылӧн нимыс)

myj nalön ńimjasnys? (romanization)
мый сылӧн нимыс (singular)

[ˈmɯ̈j ˈnäɫɘn ˈɲimjäsnɯ̈s]


三好加一好

ㄙㄢ ㄏㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄧ ㄏㄠˇ

sān hǎo jiā yī hǎo [Phonetic:sān hǎo jiā yì hǎo]

сань хао цзя и хао

/sän⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sã⁴⁴⁻²² ho⁵³ ke⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² ho⁵³/

/sã³³ ho⁵⁵⁴ ke³³ t͡sit̚²⁴⁻² ho⁵⁵⁴/

/sã⁴⁴⁻²² ho⁵³ ke⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/sã⁴⁴⁻³³ ho⁵³ ke⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² ho⁵³/

/sã⁴⁴⁻³³ hɤ⁴¹ ke⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² hɤ⁴¹/

/sã⁴⁴⁻²² ho⁵³ ke⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² ho⁵³/

/sã³³ ho⁵⁵⁴ ke³³ t͡sit̚²⁴⁻² ho⁵⁵⁴/

/sã⁴⁴⁻³³ ho⁵³ ke⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² ho⁵³/

/sã⁴⁴⁻³³ hɤ⁴¹ ke⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² hɤ⁴¹/

A euphemism based on tetraphobia of 四好 (sì hó, literally “4 benefits”) (since 3 + 1 = 4), a homophonic phrase in Taiwanese for 死好 (sí hó, “You deserve it”, literally “(Your) death is good”).

zh-l

(Taiwan, colloquial, derogatory, euphemistic) You deserve it.


мый сылӧн нимыс

head

мый сылӧн нимыс?

мый налӧн нимъясныс

мый сылӧн нимыс? • (myj sylön ńimys?) (plural мый налӧн нимъясныс)

myj sylön ńimys? (romanization)
мый налӧн нимъясныс (plural)

[ˈmɯ̈j ˈsɯ̈ɫɘn ˈɲimɯ̈s]


pokorne cielę dwie matki ssie

Literally, “A humble calf sucks [from] two mothers”.

lit

fly too close to the sun
fly too close to the sun

(idiomatic) don't fly too close to the sun


and I don't mean maybe

(informal, idiomatic) Indicating that one is serious and not joking about a matter.


pilay palad sa pungkol

Literally, “how many palms does an armless person have”.


穩如磐石

ㄨㄣˇ ㄖㄨˊ ㄆㄢˊ ㄕˊ

вэньжупаньши

/wən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ pʰän³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/wən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ pʰän³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/


a démin

Inherited from French à demain (“see you tomorrow”).


is mise le meas

(idiomatic) formula to end a letter, yours truly (literally: 'I am yours, respectfully')


silmä silmästä

Calque of Biblical Hebrew עין תחת עין (ayin tahat ayin); silmä (“eye”) + silmästä (“out of eye”).


семь пятниц на неделе

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семь пя́тниц на неде́ле

семь пя́тниц на неде́ле • (semʹ pjátnic na nedéle)

семь пя́тниц на неде́ле (canonical)
semʹ pjátnic na nedéle (romanization)

[sʲemʲ ˈpʲætʲnʲɪt͡s nə‿nʲɪˈdʲelʲe]

у него́ семь пя́тниц на неде́ле

Said of someone who keeps changing their mind, is unreliable, etc.

en-семь_пятниц_на_неделе-ru-phrase-4hRcfg00


ongbẹ n gbẹ mi

òǹgbẹ ń gbẹ mí

òǹgbẹ ń gbẹ mí

yo-pos

òǹgbẹ ń gbẹ mí

òǹgbẹ ń gbẹ mí

/ò.ŋ̀.ɡ͡bɛ̄ ŋ́ ɡ͡bɛ̄ mĩ́/

From òǹgbẹ + ń + gbẹ + mí, literally “Thirst is drying me”.


и овцы целы, и волки сыты

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и о́вцы це́лы, и во́лки сы́ты

и о́вцы це́лы, и во́лки сы́ты • (i óvcy cély, i vólki sýty)

и о́вцы це́лы (canonical)
и во́лки сы́ты (canonical)
i óvcy cély (romanization)
i vólki sýty (romanization)

Literally, “the sheep [are] safe, and the wolves [are] full”. Compare Polish wilk syty i owca cała.

m-g

the sheep 􂀿are􂁀 safe, and the wolves 􂀿are􂁀 full

lit

Used when a win-win mutual agreement is found.

en-и_овцы_целы,_и_волки_сыты-ru-phrase-7Zrbss2h


la balle est dans le camp de quelqu'un

la balle est dans le camp de quelqu’un (canonical)

la balle est dans ton camp, la balle est dans votre camp

the ball is in someone's court
the ball is in someone's court


冰清玉潔

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄩˋ ㄐㄧㄝˊ

бинцинъюйцзе

/piŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ y⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ jʊk̚² kiːt̚³/

/piŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ y⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ jʊk̚² kiːt̚³/


ebi n pa mi

/ē.bī ŋ́ k͡pā mĩ́/

From ebi + ń + pa + mí, literally “Hunger is afflicting me”.


bisch du single

bisch single?
bisch single#Alemannic_German


sind Sii gläubig

are you religious?
are you religious#English


goots dr besser

are you feeling better?
are you feeling better#English

the alternative forms of the constituents


goed bezig

you're doing great, way to go, good job (phrase used to praise for a good job or efforts)


Dia's Muire duit

/ˌdʲiəs ˈmˠɪɾʲə ˈd̪ˠɪtʲ/

Reply to Dia duit, literally "God and Mary to you".


hän Sii morn scho öppis vor

are you doing anything tomorrow?
are you doing anything tomorrow#English

(polite) are you doing anything tomorrow?


häsch du morn scho öppis vor

(familiar) are you doing anything tomorrow?


heroiam slava

Transliteration of Ukrainian геро́ям сла́ва (herójam sláva, “glory to the heroes”). Salute originating in the interwar period. A response to the initiating interjection slava Ukraini.

translit

геро́ям сла́ва

A farewell, a sign-off indicating support to Ukraine during the Russian invasion of 2022, used as a response to slava Ukraini.


bisch du ghüroote

are you married?
are you married#English


жребий брошен

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жре́бий бро́шен

жре́бий бро́шен • (žrébij bróšen)

жре́бий бро́шен (canonical)
žrébij bróšen (romanization)

LL-Q7737 (rus)-Tatiana Kerbush-жребий брошен.wav

Russia (Saint Petersburg)


co dwie głowy, to nie jedna

Literally, “what two heads are isn't (the same as) one”.

lit

two heads are better than one
two heads are better than one

(idiomatic) two heads are better than one


nie ma dymu bez ognia

Literally, “there is no smoke without fire”.

no smoke without fire
no smoke without fire


民心向背

ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄅㄟˋ

миньсиньсянбэй

/min³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ peɪ̯⁵¹/

/min³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ peɪ̯⁵¹/

人心向背 人心向背#Chinese

Synonym of 人心向背 (rénxīnxiàngbèi, “the will of the people; popular sentiment”)


人心向背

ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄅㄟˋ

жэньсиньсянбэй

/ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ peɪ̯⁵¹/

/ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ peɪ̯⁵¹/

the will of the people; popular sentiment


prenez-vous des médicaments

are you taking any medications
are you taking any medications


до скольки

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до скольки́ • (do skolʹkí)

до скольки ́ (canonical)
do skolʹkí (romanization)

До скольки́ они́ откры́ты? ― Do skolʹkí oní otkrýty? ― How late are they open?

(colloquial) until what time, until when, how long, how late

Кста́ти, до скольки́ они́ обы́чно дожива́ют?

How old do they usually live to be, by the way?

Kstáti, do skolʹkí oní obýčno doživájut?

(colloquial) until what age, for how many years

До скольки́ ты смо́жешь досчита́ть? ― Do skolʹkí ty smóžešʹ dosčitátʹ? ― How far can you count?


со скольки

со скольки́ • (so skolʹkí)

со скольки ́ (canonical)
so skolʹkí (romanization)

Я сиде́ла здесь... со скольки́? Я не зна́ю.

I've been sitting here for... how long? I don't know.

Ja sidéla zdesʹ... so skolʹkí? Ja ne znáju.

Со скольки́ тебе́ удо́бно?

From what time (onwards) is convenient for you?

(colloquial) since what time, from what time, since when, how long (for) (in the past)

Со скольки́ лет мо́жно уча́ствовать?

How old do you have to be to participate?

Ты ду́мала об это́м со скольки́, с 14?

You've been thinking about this since, what, age 14?

(colloquial) since what age, from what age


hätte, hätte, Fahrradkette

/ˈhɛtə ˈhɛtə ˈfaːɐ̯ʁaːtˌkɛtə/

Chosen for the rhyme. Literally, “would have, would have, bicycle chain”

lit

Ja, Herr Lorig, hätte, hätte, hätte Fahrradkette—natürlich hätte das technische Wahlkampf-Management der SPD dies machen sollen. Nun ist auch gut.

2013 April 12, Peer Steinbrück, quotee, “Steinbrück zum verpatzten SPD-Slogan: "Hätte, hätte- Fahrradkette"”, in Der Spiegel, →ISSN:

woulda, coulda, shoulda
woulda, coulda, shoulda


あらたまの

ja-pos

あらたまの • (aratama no) ^(←あらたまの (aratamano)?)

aratama no (romanization)
aratamano (romanization)
あらたまの (hiragana historical)

(poetic) a pillow word of uncertain meaning used with words like "year" and "day"


wiara góry przenosi

Literally, “faith moves mountains”. From the Bible's Gospel of Matthew 21,19-25: "A widząc drzewo figowe przy drodze, podszedł ku niemu, lecz nic na nim nie znalazł oprócz liści. I rzekł do niego: «Niechże już nigdy nie rodzi się z ciebie owoc!» I drzewo figowe natychmiast uschło. A uczniowie, widząc to, pytali ze zdumieniem: «Jak mogło drzewo figowe tak od razu uschnąć?» Jezus im odpowiedział: «Zaprawdę, powiadam wam: jeśli będziecie mieć wiarę, a nie zwątpicie, to nie tylko z figowym drzewem to uczynicie, ale nawet jeśli powiecie tej górze: "Podnieś się i rzuć się w morze!", stanie się. I otrzymacie wszystko, o co na modlitwie z wiarą prosić będziecie»."

faith will move mountains
faith will move mountains

(idiomatic, biblical) faith will move mountains


дуже приємно

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ду́же приє́мно

ду́же приє́мно • (dúže pryjémno)

ду́же приє́мно (canonical)
dúže pryjémno (romanization)

Uk-дуже приємно.ogg


приємно познайомитися

приє́мно познайо́митися

приє́мно познайо́митися • (pryjémno poznajómytysja)

приє́мно познайо́митися (canonical)
pryjémno poznajómytysja (romanization)

en-приємно_познайомитися-uk-phrase-ieI0nRxd


vae victis

[u̯äe̯ ˈu̯ɪkt̪iːs̠]

From vae (“woe”) + victīs (“to the conquered people”), dative plural of the perfect passive participle of vincō (“to conquer”). According to Livy, said to have been uttered by the Gaulish chieftain Brennus after capturing Rome in 390 BC (see quotation).

Inde inter Q. Sulpicium tribūnum mīlitum et Brennum rēgulum Gallōrum conloquiō trānsācta rēs est, et mīlle pondō aurī pretium populī gentibus mox imperātūrī factum. Reī foedissimae per sē adiecta indignitās est: pondera ab Gallīs allāta inīqua, et, tribūnō recūsante, additus ab īnsolente Gallō ponderī gladius, audītaque intoleranda Rōmānīs vōx: "vae victīs!"

late 1st c. BC, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 5.48

Hence a meeting took place between Q. Sulpicius, the tribune, and Brennus, chieftain of the Gauls, who agreed on 1000 pounds of gold as the ransom price of a people soon about to rule the nations. This transaction was foul on its own, and yet was aggravated by an indignity: the Gauls brought forth unjust weights, and when the tribune protested, the insolent Gaul threw his sword onto the scale, with a phrase intolerable to the Romans, "Woe to the conquered!"


認親認戚

/jɪŋ²² t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵ jɪŋ²² t͡sʰɪk̚⁵/

/jɪŋ²² t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵ jɪŋ²² t͡sʰɪk̚⁵/

(Cantonese, derogatory) to pretend to be intimate with or cosy up to someone whom one is not familiar with


DOOM

Alternative form of doom (“didn't organize, only moved”)


pallo on jollakulla

Pallo on nyt sinulla.

(idiomatic) the ball is in someone's court


وضعت الحرب أوزارها

وَضَعَتِ ٱلْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا

وَضَعَتِ ٱلْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا • (waḍaʕati l-ḥarbu ʔawzārahā)

وَضَعَتِ ٱلْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا (canonical)
waḍaʕati l-ḥarbu ʔawzārahā (romanization)

en-وضعت_الحرب_أوزارها-ar-phrase-QYkF7h-w


aon scéal

Níl aon scéal nua agam ach gur airigh mé go mbeadh báire iomána ina leithéid seo d'áit amárach. [Leabhar Stiofáin Uí Ealaoire 1981: 15] Níl mórán dóchais aige as seo ach go mbainfidh sé triail as. Ní fhaca sé duine ná daoine ná aon[…]

2015 June 3, Seosamh Mac Ionnrachtaigh, Impreasin na Gaeilge A – H: (Fuaim na Gaeilge), AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

I do not have any new news except that I felt that there would be a hurling keeper in such a place tomorrow. [Stiófán Ó hEalaoire's book 1981: 15] He doesn't have much hope for this except that he will try it. He did not see a person or people or any …

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see aon, scéal.


哄堂大笑

鬨堂大笑
轟堂大笑
烘堂大笑

ㄏㄨㄥ ㄊㄤˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄒㄧㄠˋ

/xʊŋ⁵⁵ tʰɑŋ³⁵ tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/hʊŋ²² tʰɔːŋ²¹ taːi̯²² siːu̯³³/

/xʊŋ⁵⁵ tʰɑŋ³⁵ tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/hʊŋ²² tʰɔːŋ²¹ taːi̯²² siːu̯³³/

the whole room bursts into laughter simultaneously


suck, squeeze, bang, blow

From the action of each stroke of the 4-stroke Otto cycle. The intake stroke, compression stroke, power stroke, exhaust stroke.

internal combustion engine
internal combustion engine#English

(automotive, engineering) A reference to the Otto cycle and four-stroke internal combustion engines.


Wiedersehen macht Freude

Literally, “seeing again brings pleasure”.

lit

(literally) seeing (each other), meeting up again brings pleasure

(by extension, humorous, euphemistic) Said to hint at the fact that the speaker would like a borrowed item back.


日居月諸

ㄖˋ ㄐㄧ ㄩㄝˋ ㄓㄨ

ㄖˋ ㄐㄩ ㄩㄝˋ ㄓㄨ

жи цзи юэ чжу

/ʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵/

жи цзюй юэ чжу

/ʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚² kei̯⁵⁵ jyːt̚² t͡syː⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚² kɵy̯⁵⁵ jyːt̚² t͡syː⁵⁵/

/lit̚²⁴⁻² ki³³ ɡuat̚²⁴⁻² t͡sɯ³³/

/lit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴ ɡuat̚⁴⁻³² t͡su⁴⁴/

/d͡zit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ ki⁴⁴ ɡuat̚¹²¹⁻²¹ t͡su⁴⁴/

/ʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵/

/ʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚² kei̯⁵⁵ jyːt̚² t͡syː⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚² kɵy̯⁵⁵ jyːt̚² t͡syː⁵⁵/

/lit̚²⁴⁻² ki³³ ɡuat̚²⁴⁻² t͡sɯ³³/

/lit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴ ɡuat̚⁴⁻³² t͡su⁴⁴/

/d͡zit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ ki⁴⁴ ɡuat̚¹²¹⁻²¹ t͡su⁴⁴/

From Shijing, Odes Of Bei, "Sun and Moon"

O sun; O moon, which enlighten this lower earth!
Here is the man, who treats me not according to the ancient rule.
How can he get his mind settled? Would he then not regard me?

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

Rìjīyuèzhū, zhàolín xiàtǔ.
Nǎirú zhī rén xī, shì bù gǔchù.
Hú néng yǒu dìng, nìng bù wǒ gù.

日居月諸、照臨下土。
乃如之人兮、逝不古處。
胡能有定、寧不我顧。

日居月诸、照临下土。
乃如之人兮、逝不古处。
胡能有定、宁不我顾。

(literary) time flies quickly, time is inexorable


rest in piss

Modelled on rest in peace by replacing peace with near-homonym piss.

(humorous, derogatory) Said to mock a deceased person, or one who has suffered a great misfortune.


ものともせず

"treating not even as a thing": being not of regard


да видиш, да не веруваш

head

да видиш, да не веруваш • (da vidiš, da ne veruvaš)

da vidiš (romanization)
da ne veruvaš (romanization)

That's unbelievable (used to express disbelief or shock, lit. "to see it and to not believe it", i.e. one wouldn't believe it even if one saw it for oneself)

en-да_видиш,_да_не_веруваш-mk-phrase-ekM77EvM


才調秀出

ㄘㄞˊ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄔㄨ

/t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ tiːu̯²² sɐu̯³³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵/

/t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ tiːu̯²² sɐu̯³³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵/

From the Book of Jin [circa 7th century C.E.].

defdate

circa 7th century <small class='ce-date'>C.E.</small>

Wáng Jiē cáidiàoxiùchū, jiàn shǎng zhīyīn, xī qí yāo wǎng, wèi shēn jìzú, jiēfū!

王接才調秀出，見賞知音，惜其夭枉，未申驥足，嗟夫！

王接才调秀出，见赏知音，惜其夭枉，未申骥足，嗟夫！

having outstanding talent; having one's talent stand out from the crowd


j'fa

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(Quebec, informal) Pronunciation spelling of je fais.


and no flies

[…] seized by Mr. Stompff, who, scarcely waiting to carry him out of earshot, began, “Well! you've done it up brown this time, my man, and no flies! Your pictures have woke 'em up. They're talking of nothing else. […]

1865, Temple Bar: A London Magazine for Town and Country Readers, page 513:

(UK, slang, archaic) Synonym of and no mistake


едно зборува, друго прави

head

едно зборува, друго прави • (edno zboruva, drugo pravi)

edno zboruva (romanization)
drugo pravi (romanization)

en-едно_зборува,_друго_прави-mk-phrase-kuU61VYj


damnant quod non intelligunt

[ˈd̪ämnän̪t̪ kʷɔd̪ nɔn ɪn̪ˈt̪ɛlːʲɪɡʊn̪t̪]

[ˈd̪ämnän̪t̪ kwɔd̪ nɔn in̪ˈt̪ɛlːiɡun̪t̪]

Literally, “they condemn what they do not understand”. First used by Quintilian (c. 35 – c. 100 AD). Some sources credit it to Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC).


ma laagun jinna

/má làá.ɡũ̀ d͡ʒĩ̀.nã̀/

(idiomatic) don't sweat it (do not worry about it)


蹩手蹩腳

ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄕㄡˇ ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄐㄧㄠˇ

бешоу бецзяо

/pi̯ɛ³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


步步蓮花

ㄅㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄨㄚ

/pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/

/pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/


別抱琵琶

ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄅㄠˋ ㄆㄧˊ ㄆㄚˊ

/pi̯ɛ³⁵ pɑʊ̯⁵¹ pʰi³⁵ pʰä³⁵/

/pi̯ɛ³⁵ pɑʊ̯⁵¹ pʰi³⁵ pʰä³⁵/


前言不搭後語

前言不搭后语
前言不答後語
前言不對後語

ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄚ ㄏㄡˋ ㄩˇ

цяньянь бу да хоуюй

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ jɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹ tä⁵⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sʰiːn²¹ jiːn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ taːp̚³ hɐu̯²² jyː¹³/


far far away

Long long ago, in a land far far away there lived a beautiful princess.

(colloquial, fairy tales) Used to add emphasis to the fact that the story takes place in a far away land.


long long ago

(colloquial, fairy tales) Used to add emphasis to the fact that the story takes place in the distant past.


兵貴神速

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄍㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄣˊ ㄙㄨˋ

бингуйшэньсу

/piŋ⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹ ʂən³⁵ su⁵¹/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯³³ sɐn²¹ t͡sʰʊk̚⁵/

/piŋ⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹ ʂən³⁵ su⁵¹/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯³³ sɐn²¹ t͡sʰʊk̚⁵/

(literally, figuratively) speed is essential in war


絶許

ja-pos

絶(ぜつ)許(ゆる) • (zetsu-yuru) ^(←ぜつゆる (zetuyuru)?)

絶許 (canonical)
zetsu-yuru (romanization)
zetuyuru (romanization)
ぜつゆる (hiragana historical)

[d͡ze̞t͡sɨjɯ̟ɾɯ̟]

(Internet slang) Short for 絶対に許せない (zettai ni yurusenai).


絶許

絶(ぜっ)許(きょ) • (zekkyo) ^(←ぜつきよ (zetukyo)?)

絶許 (canonical)
zekkyo (romanization)
zetukyo (romanization)
ぜつきよ (hiragana historical)


εκ των υστέρων

head

εκ των υστέρων • (ek ton ystéron)

el-phrase

εκ των υστέρων • (ek ton ystéron)

Calque of Latin a posteriori. Formal syntax as in Katharevousa, from εκ (ek) / ἐκ (ek, “from”) + genitive plural των (ton) υστέρων (ystéron): ancient τῶν (tôn) ὑστέρων (hustérōn) ("of the subsequent"). See ύστερος (ýsteros).

εκ των υστέρων, μετανιώνω

(as adjectives, adverbs)

("a priori")


sech is

In tan as·mber Dauid “intellectum tibi dabo”, sech is arde són do·mbéra Día do neuch nod·n-eirbea ind ⁊ génas triit con·festar cid as imgabthi do dénum di ulc ⁊ cid as déinti dó di maith. Aithesc trá lesom insin a persin Dǽ.

When David says, “I will give thee understanding”, that is a sign that God will give to everyone that will trust in him, and work through him, that he may know what evil he must avoid doing, and what good he must do. He has then here a reply in the person of God.


𒆠𒁀

ki-ba (romanization)
kibâ (romanization)

From 𒆠 (ki, “place”) + 𒁀 (ba /bâ/, “in this”).


𒌓𒁀

ud-ba (romanization)
ud-bâ (romanization)

From 𒌓 (ud, “day”) + 𒁀 (ba /bâ/, “in this”).


𒆠𒌓𒁀

ki-ud-ba (romanization)
ki'udbâ (romanization)

From 𒆠 (ki, “place”) + 𒌓 (ud, “day”) + 𒁀 (ba /bâ/, “in this”), literally “in this day and place”.

there and then, once upon a time, formerly


от имени

head

от и́мени • (ot ímeni)

от и́мени (canonical)
ot ímeni (romanization)

[ɐˈt‿ɨmʲɪnʲɪ]

Ru-от имени.ogg

управля́ть от и́мени сы́на

и́мени имени#Russian

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see от (ot), и́мени (ímeni).


わきめもふらず

ja-pos

わきめもふらず • (wakime mo furazu) ^(←わきめもふらず (wakimemofurazu)?)

wakime mo furazu (romanization)
wakimemofurazu (romanization)
わきめもふらず (hiragana historical)

[β̞a̠kʲime̞ mo̞ ɸɯ̟ɾa̠zɨ]


ビバ

Borrowed from Italian viva or Spanish viva.


食飽買包

/t͡sia(ʔ)⁴³⁻²¹ pa⁴² bue⁴²⁻²⁴ pau⁴⁴/

/t͡sia(ʔ)⁴³⁻²¹ pa⁴² bue⁴²⁻²⁴ pau⁴⁴/

(Hokkien) to do something wasteful and superfluous


𒉡𒈨𒀀

nu-me-a (romanization)
numeâ (romanization)

From 𒉡 (nu, “not”) + 𒈨 (me, “to be”) + 𒀀 (a, nominalising suffix) + 𒀀 (a, locative case), literally “in not being”, in combination with a noun in the comitative case (literally: "when it is/was not together with").

compound

𒂷𒁕/𒀀𒉈𒁕 𒉡𒈨𒀀

ga₂-da/a-ne-da nu-me-a /gada/aneda numeâ/

𒈗𒁕 𒉡𒈨𒀀

(with comitative) without (the permission of)


膽生毛

/taːm³⁵ saːŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹/

/taːm³⁵ saːŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹/

(Cantonese, Leizhou Min) to be audacious but reckless


baba swoje, chłop swoje

Literally, “a woman has her own [opinion], a man has his own [opinion]”.

m-g

a woman has her own 􂀿opinion􂁀, a man has his own 􂀿opinion􂁀

lit

dziad swoje, baba swoje
dziad swoje, baba swoje#Polish

(idiomatic) Alternative form of dziad swoje, baba swoje


baba swoje, czart swoje

Literally, “a woman has her own [opinion], a devil has his own [opinion]”.

m-g

a woman has her own 􂀿opinion􂁀, a devil has his own 􂀿opinion􂁀


baba swoje, dziad swoje

Literally, “grandma has her own [opinion], grandpa has his own [opinion]”.

m-g

grandma has her own 􂀿opinion􂁀, grandpa has his own 􂀿opinion􂁀


dziad swoje, baba swoje

Literally, “grandpa has his own [opinion], grandma has her own [opinion]”.

m-g

grandpa has his own 􂀿opinion􂁀, grandma has her own 􂀿opinion􂁀

lit

(idiomatic) used when an agreement cannot be reached because everyone is too stubborn to change their opinion


na dwoje babka wróżyła

Literally, “the grandma foretold two things”. Compare Russian ба́бка на́двое сказа́ла (bábka nádvoje skazála).

cog

ба́бка на́двое сказа́ла

your guess is as good as mine
your guess is as good as mine

(idiomatic) it's a toss-up, it's up in the air, your guess is as good as mine, it's on the fence (a given situation may shake out two different ways)


бабка надвае сказала

head

ба́бка на́двае сказала

ба́бка на́двае сказала • (bábka nádvaje skazala)

ба́бка на́двае сказала (canonical)
bábka nádvaje skazala (romanization)

Literally, “the grandma foretold two things”.

en-бабка_надвае_сказала-be-phrase-jxIYrofz


бабка надвое сказала

ба́бка на́двое сказа́ла

ба́бка на́двое сказа́ла • (bábka nádvoje skazála)

ба́бка на́двое сказа́ла (canonical)
bábka nádvoje skazála (romanization)

Literally, “the grandma foretold two things”. Compare Polish na dwoje babka wróżyła.

en-бабка_надвое_сказала-ru-phrase-jxIYrofz


skończyło się babce sranie

skończyło się babci sranie
skończyło się babci sranie#Polish

(idiomatic, vulgar) Alternative form of skończyło się babci sranie


skończyło się babci sranie

Literally, “gramdma's shit has finished”.

lit

Po jakimś czasie skończyło się babci sranie.

2015 September 9, Paweł Szamburski, Chłopcy z ulicy Gorzałki, Virtualo, →ISBN:

(idiomatic, vulgar) used when someone has had enough of a situation, that's it


U&C

U&C: $80.00

(medicine, insurance) Abbreviation of usual and customary (price); the retail price if not covered by insurance.


克敵制勝

ㄎㄜˋ ㄉㄧˊ ㄓˋ ㄕㄥˋ

/kʰɤ⁵¹ ti³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹/

/hɐk̚⁵ tɪk̚² t͡sɐi̯³³ sɪŋ³³/

/kʰɤ⁵¹ ti³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹/

/hɐk̚⁵ tɪk̚² t͡sɐi̯³³ sɪŋ³³/


su gimtadieniu

Ellipsis of sveikinu tave su gimtadieniu (“I congratulate you on your birthday”). Compare Russian с днём рожде́ния (s dnjom roždénija).

cog

с днём рожде́ния


przez żołądek do serca

Literally, “through the stomach to the heart”.

lit

(idiomatic) the way to a man's heart is through his stomach


blinded by nostalgia

For example, in everyday discussions about popular culture, it is common to find the claim that one's aesthetic appreciation is “blinded by nostalgia” (or that one is wearing “nostalgia goggles”): maybe you think movies were better[…]

2018 November 15, Florian Cova, Sébastien Réhault, Advances in Experimental Philosophy of Aesthetics, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 26:

88 Finally, Zuckerman suggested, critics of Big Media may merely be "blinded by nostalgia" for some "golden age 30 or 40 years ago" when broadcast and newspaper companies were independently owned and operated. In fact, he claims,[…]

2012 May 4, Ronald V. Bettig, Jeanne Lynn Hall, Big Media, Big Money: Cultural Texts and Political Economics, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, →ISBN, page 36:

To believe experiences and objects in popular culture (often TV shows, video games etc) from one's past outweigh modern counterparts in terms of quality.


trời tru đất diệt

Partial calque of Literary Chinese 天誅地滅 (thiên tru địa diệt, literally “heaven and earth damn”)

pcal

the person in question shall be cursed/damned; the person in question shall suffer


người không vì mình, trời tru đất diệt

Partial calque of Literary Chinese 人不為己，天誅地滅 (nhân bất vị kỉ thiên tru địa diệt).

Should a person not live a selfish life for themselves, they shall be destroyed by heaven and earth.


вот как

head

во́т как • (vót kak)

во́т как (canonical)
vót kak (romanization)

Че́рез адвока́та, во́т как.


jsp

jsp si c auj ou dmn

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of je sais pas (“idk”)


from hereon out

from here on out
from here on out#English

Alternative spelling of from here on out


二桃殺三士

ㄦˋ ㄊㄠˊ ㄕㄚ ㄙㄢ ㄕˋ

эртао ша саньши

/ˀɤɻ⁵¹ tʰɑʊ̯³⁵ ʂä⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/ˀɤɻ⁵¹ tʰɑʊ̯³⁵ ʂä⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

Based on a story in Yanzi chunqiu, when Yan Ying, the prime minister of the State of Qi schemed three arrogant and disobedient generals to death by awarding two peaches to the generals who accomplished the most. Conflicts arose and all of them committed suicide under remorse and shame. Compare with the mythology of apple of discord.


poner las cuernas

Spanish: poner los cuernos

Quien dixier: "yo te fodi la mugier e yo te pus las cuernas" o "yo te encegule", se otorgamjento ouier, peche .ccc. soldos e ixca por enemigo anuestro fuero

Whoever says "I fucked your wife and turned you into a cuckold", or "I cuckolded you", if they have wealth, may they pay 300 solidi and be considered an enemy to our lawbook


qu'est-ce que j'en sais

/k‿ɛs kə ʒ‿ɑ̃ sɛ/


born at night but not last night

Aware of one's situation; not as naive as a listener might expect.


come down in the last shower

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-come down in the last shower.wav

be born yesterday
be born yesterday#English


dear diary

Dear Diary, you do know how Ijust can't stand maths, right? My brain isn't made to deal with numbers. I was destined to read story books and write awesome stories for the rest of my life. Mum had peeped in my room to see how I was doing[…]

2014 September 19, Syazwani Izzati Azhar, Dear Diary, syazwani izzati azhar, →ISBN, page 51:

The traditional first line of a diary entry, based on the first line of a formal letter.


hålla grytan kokande

keep the pot boiling
keep the pot boiling

keep the pot boiling (continue with certain activities)


FYM

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of fuck you mean?; used to indicate confusion, usually enraged, at something.


röra om i grytan

(idiomatic) to cause drastic change
to shake things up

(idiomatic) to cause drastic change
to stir the pot

(idiomatic) to cause drastic change
to rock the boat


var ska sleven vara om inte i grytan

Literally, "where should the ladle be if not in the cauldron".

(idiomatic) used to express that someone or something obviously belongs in a certain context


döden i grytan

Biblical (2 Kings 4). Literally, "death in the pot".

(colloquial, idiomatic) certain death, sure ruin


um að gera

Það er um að gera að njóta veðursins.

Going outside to enjoy the weather is a great idea.

Um að gera að nýta tækifærið!

You should definitely use that opportunity!

Maður ætti kannski að skella sér til útlanda. – Já, um að gera!

I was thinking of going on a trip abroad. – Yes, that's a great idea!

I encourage you to do that; by all means (describes an action as being beneficial for the person spoken to)

Það er um að gera að vera meðvitaður um hvað maður setur ofan í sig.

It is important to be aware of what you put into your body.

Það er um að gera að vera þolinmóður.

Það er um að gera fyrir Breta að stöðva portúgölsku herskipin. (obsolete language)

For Britain, intercepting the Portuguese warships is of utmost importance.


во секоја чорба – мирудија

во секоја чорба – мирудија • (vo sekoja čorba – mirudija)

во секоја манџа – мирудија
во секоја манџа – мирудија#Macedonian

Alternative form of во секоја манџа – мирудија (vo sekoja mandža – mirudija)

во секоја манџа

en-во_секоја_чорба_–_мирудија-mk-phrase-hdj-q7db


во секоја манџа – миродија

во секоја манџа – миродија • (vo sekoja mandža – mirodija)

en-во_секоја_манџа_–_миродија-mk-phrase-hdj-q7db


во секоја чорба – миродија

во секоја чорба – миродија • (vo sekoja čorba – mirodija)

en-во_секоја_чорба_–_миродија-mk-phrase-hdj-q7db


во секоја манџа – мирудија

во секоја манџа – мирудија • (vo sekoja mandža – mirudija)

stick one's nose into
stick one's nose into

en-во_секоја_манџа_–_мирудија-mk-phrase-24EoiWjN

poke one's nose into
poke one's nose into

en-во_секоја_манџа_–_мирудија-mk-phrase-iL7h8K1B


Yizgungh senj bya

Yizgungh senj bya (1957–1982 spelling Yiƨguŋƅ senз bya)

/ji˧˩ kuŋ˧ θeːn˥ pʲa˨˦/

Calque from Chinese 愚公移山 (yúgōngyíshān).

to be resolute in one's endeavor, no matter what hardships one encounters


OUI

under the influence
under the influence#English

driving under the influence
driving under the influence#English

Initialism of operating under the influence, a synonym of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.


baju, baju, będziesz w raju

Literally, “story teller, story teller, you'll be in heaven”, chosen for its rhyming nature.

lit

liar liar pants on fire
liar liar pants on fire


down on one's knees

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-down on one's knees.wav

Wake up, kids, we got the dreamer’s disease / Age fourteen, they got you down on your knees / So polite, we’re busy still saying please

1997, “You Get What You Give”, in Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too, performed by the New Radicals:

Begging or pleading for something desperately.


ogbo atọ asure Iworiwofun

/ō.ɡ͡bó ā.tɔ́ à.sú.ɾē ì.wò.ɾì.wò.fṹ/

From o + gbó + atọ́ + àsúre + Ìwòrìwòfún, ultimately from o- (“agent prefix”) + gbó (“to be old”) + a- (“agent prefix”) + tọ́ (“to live a long life”) + à- (“nominalizing prefix”) + súre (“to shower blessings”) + Ìwòrìwòfún (“the spirit of the 61st chapter of the Odù Ifá”), literally “May you live to be old, may you live a long and healthy life, receive the blessings of Iworiwofun”.

af

àbọrú àbọyè àbọṣíṣẹ
abọru abọye abọṣiṣẹ#Yoruba

a greeting used by practitioners of Ifá divination, usually as a response to the greeting "àbọrú àbọyè àbọṣíṣẹ."


壽頭壽腦

ㄕㄡˋ ㄊㄡˊ ㄕㄡˋ ㄋㄠˇ

шоутоушоунао

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ nɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐu̯²² tʰɐu̯²¹ sɐu̯²² nou̯¹³/

/zɤ²² dɤ⁵⁵ zɤ³³ nɔ²¹/

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ nɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐu̯²² tʰɐu̯²¹ sɐu̯²² nou̯¹³/

/zɤ²² dɤ⁵⁵ zɤ³³ nɔ²¹/


土頭土腦

ㄊㄨˇ ㄊㄡˊ ㄊㄨˇ ㄋㄠˇ

/tʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ tʰu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ nɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰou̯³⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ tʰou̯³⁵ nou̯¹³/

/tʰou̯³⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ tʰou̯³⁵ nou̯¹³/


福壽雙全

ㄈㄨˊ ㄕㄡˋ ㄕㄨㄤ ㄑㄩㄢˊ

фушоушуанцюань

/fu³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/

/fʊk̚⁵ sɐu̯²² sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

/fu³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/

/fʊk̚⁵ sɐu̯²² sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

to enjoy both good fortune and longevity


danger is one's middle name

Extreme danger. Just not the type she thought. “Danger is my middle name.” “That is so cliché.” “Very well, my true middle name is Eugene.” Why he admitted it he couldn't have said, but he did enjoy her tinkle of laughter.

2017 May 16, Eve Langlais, Kate Douglas, A. C. Arthur, Hunger, St. Martin's Griffin, →ISBN, page 32:

(humorous) One is fearless or a daredevil


風高浪急

ㄈㄥ ㄍㄠ ㄌㄤˋ ㄐㄧˊ

фэнгаоланцзи

/fɤŋ⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ lɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/

/fʊŋ⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ lɔːŋ²² kɐp̚⁵/

/fɤŋ⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ lɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/

/fʊŋ⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ lɔːŋ²² kɐp̚⁵/

風急浪高 風急浪高#Chinese

风急浪高 风急浪高#Chinese


自輕自賤

ㄗˋ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄗˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

цзыцинцзыцзянь

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/


NGMI

Coordinate term: WNGMI

(medicine slang, Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of not gonna make it.


YGMI

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of you're gonna make it.


風急浪高

ㄈㄥ ㄐㄧˊ ㄌㄤˋ ㄍㄠ

фэнцзилангао

/fɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵ lɑŋ⁵¹ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/fɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵ lɑŋ⁵¹ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

to have stormy waves; to have strong winds and large waves


不堪入耳

ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄢ ㄖㄨˋ ㄦˇ

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ ʐu⁵¹ ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɐm⁵⁵ jɐp̚² jiː¹³/

/pu⁵¹ kʰän⁵⁵ ʐu⁵¹ ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ hɐm⁵⁵ jɐp̚² jiː¹³/

intolerable to the ear (e.g. of coarse language)


예나 지금이나

예 (ye, “old times”) + —나 (-na, “or”) + 지금 (jigeum, “now”) + —이나 (-ina, “or”).

그는 예나 지금이나 친절하다.

He is still kind as he has been in the past.

whether in old times or nowadays; used when a state or quality in the past has not been changed and still remains today


Boże uchowaj

(dated, idiomatic) God forbid, heaven forbid


大軍壓境

ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄧㄚ ㄐㄧㄥˋ

дацзюньяцзин

/tä⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ jä⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹/

/tä⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ jä⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹/

huge forces are bearing down on the border


俯拾皆是

ㄈㄨˇ ㄕˊ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄕˋ

/fu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/fuː³⁵ sɐp̚² kaːi̯⁵⁵ siː²²/

/fu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/fuː³⁵ sɐp̚² kaːi̯⁵⁵ siː²²/


हर हर महादेव

/ɦəɾ ɦəɾ mə.ɦɑː.d̪eːʋ/

[ɦɐɾ‿ɦɐɾ‿mɐ.ɦäː.d̪eːʋ]

From Sanskrit हर हर महादेव (hara hara mahādeva), made from हर (hara, “the Destroyer”) + महादेव (mahādeva, “great god, Lord Shiva”).

der

हर हर महादेव

af

(Hinduism) "Hail Shiva, the Destroyer": an invocation towards Shiva, the god of destruction and time.


mon petit doigt me dit

Literally, “my little finger tells me”. From Molière.

my gut is telling me
my gut is telling me

Mon petit doigt me dit que vous ne m’appréciez pas.

something is telling me
something is telling me

something tells me, something is telling me


勸和促談

ㄑㄩㄢˋ ㄏㄜˊ ㄘㄨˋ ㄊㄢˊ

цюаньхэцутань

/t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ t͡sʰu⁵¹ tʰän³⁵/

/t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ t͡sʰu⁵¹ tʰän³⁵/

(neologism, officialese) to promote peace and talks


mucho lerele y poco larala

all talk and no action
all talk and no action


a che fine

Literally, “to what end”. Compare French à quelle fin.


mleko się rozlało

(idiomatic) something unpleasant has happened and cannot be reversed


時勢所迫

ㄕˊ ㄕˋ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄆㄛˋ

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹/

to be forced by circumstances to do something one is unwilling to do


鳩佔鵲巢

ㄐㄧㄡ ㄓㄢˋ ㄑㄩㄝˋ ㄔㄠˊ

цзючжаньцюэчао

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯³⁵/

/kɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡siːm³³ t͡sœːk̚³ t͡sʰaːu̯²¹/

/kɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡siːm³³ t͡sœːk̚³ t͡sʰaːu̯²¹/

鵲巢鳩佔 鵲巢鳩佔#Chinese

鹊巢鸠占 鹊巢鸠占#Chinese


гореть синим пламенем

ru-verb

горе́ть си́ним пла́менем

сгоре́ть си́ним пла́менем

вы́гореть си́ним пла́менем

горе́ть си́ним пла́менем • (gorétʹ sínim plámenem) impf (perfective сгоре́ть си́ним пла́менем or вы́гореть си́ним пла́менем)

горе́ть си́ним пла́менем (canonical)
gorétʹ sínim plámenem (romanization)
сгоре́ть си́ним пла́менем (perfective)
вы́гореть си́ним пла́менем (perfective)

[ɡɐˈrʲet͡sʲ ˈsʲinʲɪm ˈpɫamʲɪnʲɪm]

Literally, “to burn with a blue flame”. Carbon monoxide burns blue and is toxic, and is formed when a fire burns without airflow, resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning or death.

Perfective: сгоре́ть си́ним пла́менем (sgorétʹ sínim plámenem)

(figuratively, low colloquial) to burn in hell, to go to hell expresses dissatisfaction with someone or something, a desire to get rid of someone or something

en-гореть_синим_пламенем-ru-phrase-Oyip6ZvR

Perfective: вы́гореть си́ним пла́менем (výgoretʹ sínim plámenem)

гореть гореть#Russian

синий синий#Russian

пламя пламя#Russian

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see гореть (goretʹ), синий (sinij), пламя (plamja).

en-гореть_синим_пламенем-ru-phrase-~rLfIkgO


ei penaalin terävin kynä

Hän ei taida olla penaalin terävin kynä.

He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, is he?

not the sharpest knife in the drawer
not the sharpest knife in the drawer

not the sharpest crayon in the box
not the sharpest crayon in the box

not the sharpest tool in the shed
not the sharpest tool in the shed

(euphemistic) not the sharpest knife in the drawer, not the sharpest crayon in the box, not the sharpest tool in the shed (lacking in intelligence)


maailman tappiin asti

until the cows come home
until the cows come home

until the cows come home, until Kingdom come, to the end of time


pikkulinnut lauloivat

a little bird told me
a little bird told me


kuin sillit suolassa

(packed) like sardines
packed like sardines


rien moins que

/ʁjɛ̃ mwɛ̃ kə/


the jokes write themselves

Did you hear about the cop who was caught stealing from a donut store? The jokes write themselves.

In 2015, I attended what was probably the first- ever conference on conspiracy theories— a gathering about which the jokes write themselves— organized by xii Preface and Acknowledgments Joseph Uscinski at the University of Preface and[…]

2021, Scott Radnitz, Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

... Panera, a King Kullen grocery store, Victoria's Secret, and yes, a Dunkin' Donuts (I know, the jokes write themselves). The black patrol vehicles park in the south corner next to a row of tall recycling bins for clothes and shoes.

2015 September 1, James Patterson, Murder House: Part One, Random House, →ISBN:

“God, the jokes write themselves with this tool.” “Well, if they did eat you, it would happen incredibly slowly,” Aston said with a grin, trying not to let Marla distract him too much. “Even so, they're among the toughest creatures[…]

2018 June 11, David Wood, Alan Baxter, Overlord, Adrenaline Press:

A situation where it is very easy to make jokes or the humor of a situation is self-evident.


一分一毫

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fən⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ xɑʊ̯³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ hou̯²¹/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fən⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ xɑʊ̯³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ hou̯²¹/


yhtä tyhjän kanssa

yhtä (“equal to”) + tyhjän (“of nil”) + kanssa (“with”)

Kaikki ponnisteluni on yhtä tyhjän kanssa.


兵強馬壯

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄇㄚˇ ㄓㄨㄤˋ

бинцянмачжуан

/piŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ kʰœːŋ²¹ maː¹³ t͡sɔːŋ³³/

/piŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ kʰœːŋ²¹ maː¹³ t͡sɔːŋ³³/


徇私枉法

ㄒㄩㄣˋ ㄙ ㄨㄤˇ ㄈㄚˇ

/ɕyn⁵¹ sz̩⁵⁵ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɵn⁵⁵ siː⁵⁵ wɔːŋ³⁵ faːt̚³/

/ɕyn⁵¹ sz̩⁵⁵ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɵn⁵⁵ siː⁵⁵ wɔːŋ³⁵ faːt̚³/


head

und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, dann leben sie noch heute

/ʊnt ˈvɛn zi ˌnɪçt ɡəˈʃtɔʁbən zɪnt ˌdan ˈleːbən zi ˌnɔx ˈhɔʏ̯tə/

Literally, “and if they haven’t died, they are still alive today”.

lit

und sie lebten glücklich bis ans Ende ihrer Tage

and they lived happily ever after (formulaic ending of fairy tales)


天の時は地の利に如かず、地の利は人の和に如かず

ja-phrase

天の時は地の利に如かず、地の利は人の和に如かず

てん の とき は ち の り に しかず、ち の り は ひと の わ に しかず

天(てん)の時(とき)は地(ち)の利(り)に如(し)かず、地(ち)の利(り)は人(ひと)の和(わ)に如(し)かず • (ten no toki wa chi no ri ni shikazu, chi no ri wa hito no wa ni shikazu)

天の時は地の利に如かず、地の利は人の和に如かず (canonical)

Calque of Literary Chinese 天時不如地利，地利不如人和, from the chapter 公孫丑下／公孙丑下 (“Gongsun Chou 2”) of Mencius. See also Chinese 天時地利人和／天时地利人和 (tiānshí dìlì rénhé).

cal

天時不如地利，地利不如人和

てんのときはちのりにしかずちのりはひとのわにしかず

cog

(literally) earthly advantage is more important than heavenly time, man's harmony is more important than earthly advantage

en-天の時は地の利に如かず、地の利は人の和に如かず-ja-phrase-lhcrRqSQ

(figuratively) in order of worthiness of consideration when planning an operation, from least to most, are weather, geography, and man's unity

en-天の時は地の利に如かず、地の利は人の和に如かず-ja-phrase-Zu1gPoO5


শুভ নববর্ষ

head

śubhô nôbôbôrṣô

শুভ নববর্ষ • (śubhô nôbôbôrṣô)

Happy New Year, A wish said around the start of a new year to wish someone well for the New Year (holiday) or for the (entire) new year.


sesam, öppna dig

From French Sésame, ouvre-toi in the French translation of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves by Antoine Galland, originally from Arabic اِفْتَح يَا سِمْسِم (iftaḥ yā simsim).

der

اِفْتَح يَا سِمْسِم

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Antoine Galland


言行不一

ㄧㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧ

/jɛn³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹/

/jiːn²¹ hɐŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚⁵/

/jɛn³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹/

/jiːn²¹ hɐŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚⁵/

one's actions do not match up to one's words


don't give me that

(informal) Used to reject a statement or excuse that one does not believe.


à tu et à toi

LL-Q150 (fra)-LoquaxFR-à tu et à toi.wav

être à tu et à toi avec quelqu’un

on a first-name basis
on a first-name basis

on first-name terms, on a first-name basis; on familiar terms (with someone)


永誌不忘

ㄩㄥˇ ㄓˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄤˋ

/jʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹/

/wɪŋ¹³ t͡siː³³ pɐt̚⁵ mɔːŋ²¹/

/jʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹/

/wɪŋ¹³ t͡siː³³ pɐt̚⁵ mɔːŋ²¹/

1938 September 1, 運公, 《國際反對轟炸不設防城市大會議決制裁日本》, in 《東方雜誌》, volume 35, issue 17, page 50

Yàozhī, Shànghǎi, Guǎngzhōu, Mǎdélǐ, Gàiníjiāgé, Lānuòlè, Bāsàilóngnà, Yàměilìyà gè chéng chéngmíng zúyǐ xiàngzhēng fǎxīsī zài Zhōng Xī liǎng guó jìngnèi suǒ zuò zhī zhòngdà zuìxíng, wúrén jīnhòu dìngbì yǒngzhìbùwàng.

要之，上海、廣州、馬德里、蓋尼加格、拉諾勒、巴塞龍納、亞美利亞各城城名足以象徵法西斯在中西兩國境內所作之重大罪行，吾人今後定必永誌不忘。

要之，上海、广州、马德里、盖尼加格、拉诺勒、巴塞龙纳、亚美利亚各城城名足以象征法西斯在中西两国境内所作之重大罪行，吾人今后定必永志不忘。

But your story will be etched in stone, it won't disappear like a puff of smoke

2018 December 26, Jolin Tsai; Ashin (lyrics), RAZOR Chiang; Jolin Tsai (music), 《玫瑰少年》 (Womxnly), performed by Jolin Tsai

永誌不忘紀念 往事不如煙

永志不忘纪念 往事不如烟


GG no re

(gaming, slang, sometimes offensive) Abbreviation of good game, no rematch used when one has won a multiplayer online game and does not wish to play again; sometimes in contempt


plaît-il

(dated) I beg your pardon? come again? (could you repeat that?)


又乜又物

/jɐu̯²² mɐt̚⁵ jɐu̯²² mɐt̚²/

/jɐu̯²² mɐt̚⁵ jɐu̯²² mɐt̚²/

(Cantonese) this and that; and so on, and so forth


五彩斑斕

ㄨˇ ㄘㄞˇ ㄅㄢ ㄌㄢˊ

уцайбаньлань

/u²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵⁵ län³⁵/

/ŋ̍¹³ t͡sʰɔːi̯³⁵ paːn⁵⁵ laːn²¹/

/u²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵⁵ län³⁵/

/ŋ̍¹³ t͡sʰɔːi̯³⁵ paːn⁵⁵ laːn²¹/

all the colours in profusion; full of bright colours; multicoloured; garish display


窮鼠齧貓

ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄕㄨˇ ㄋㄧㄝˋ ㄇㄠ

/t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛ⁵¹ mɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ jiːt̚² maːu̯⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋiːt̚² maːu̯⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋaːt̚² maːu̯⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛ⁵¹ mɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ jiːt̚² maːu̯⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋiːt̚² maːu̯⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋaːt̚² maːu̯⁵⁵/

窮鼠齧狸 窮鼠齧狸#Chinese

穷鼠啮狸 穷鼠啮狸#Chinese


芝麻小事

ㄓ ˙ㄇㄚ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˋ

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mä² ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ maː²¹ siːu̯³⁵ siː²²/

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mä² ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ maː²¹ siːu̯³⁵ siː²²/


dans le même registre

Coordinate term: dans un autre registre

similarly, in the same vein, along the same lines, of the same kind; on the same note


窮鼠齧狸

ja-r

きゅうそ ねこ を かむ

Japanese: 窮鼠(きゅうそ)猫(ねこ)を噛(か)む (kyūso neko o kamu)

ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄕㄨˇ ㄋㄧㄝˋ ㄌㄧˊ

/t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛ⁵¹ li³⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ jiːt̚² lei̯²¹/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋiːt̚² lei̯²¹/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋaːt̚² lei̯²¹/

/t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛ⁵¹ li³⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ jiːt̚² lei̯²¹/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋiːt̚² lei̯²¹/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ syː³⁵ ŋaːt̚² lei̯²¹/

From the Discourses on Salt and Iron (鹽鐵論·詔聖／盐铁论·诏圣)

People cannot revive if they die, so a cornered rat will bite a cat; An ordinary man would go to assault the Emperor; A servant of a noble would destroy his bow. This is precisely the case of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.

Huan Kuan, Discourses on Salt and Iron, c. 1ˢᵗ century BCE

Sǐ bù zàishēng, qióng shǔ niè lí, pǐfū bēn wànchéng, shèrén zhé gōng, Chén Shèng, Wú Guǎng shì yě.

死不再生，窮鼠嚙狸，匹夫奔萬乘，舍人折弓，陳勝、吳廣是也。

死不再生，穷鼠啮狸，匹夫奔万乘，舍人折弓，陈胜、吴广是也。

窮鼠嚙狸
窮鼠齧貍
窮鼠嚙貍
穷鼠啮狸

(figurative) a cornered rat will bite a cat, weak people will attack when cornered


吳牛喘月

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (吳牛喘月):
* → Japanese: 呉牛喘月(ごぎゅうぜんげつ) (Gogyū zengetsu)

ㄨˊ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄔㄨㄢˇ ㄩㄝˋ

У ню чуаньюэ

/u³⁵ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɥɛ⁵¹/

/ŋ̍²¹ ŋɐu̯²¹ t͡sʰyːn³⁵ jyːt̚²/

/u³⁵ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɥɛ⁵¹/

/ŋ̍²¹ ŋɐu̯²¹ t͡sʰyːn³⁵ jyːt̚²/

Literally "water buffalo from Wu (East China) pants at the moon", as if the moon were a hot sun.
From 《世說新語·言語》／《世说新语·言语》:
:
Also, this idiom is believed to be taken from a lost volume of a much earlier work 《風俗通義》／《风俗通义》 (cited by 《太平御覽》)

The minister is a like a water buffalo from Wu seeing the moon and breathing heavily.

Liu Yiqing (editor), A New Account of the Tales of the World, 5ᵗʰ century CE

臣猶吳牛，見月而喘。

臣犹吴牛，见月而喘。

A buffalo from Wu pants at the moon. It has been worked harshly under the sun, and it becomes frightened when seeing the moon, thereby pants.

Wú niú wàng yuè zé chuǎn; shǐ zhī kǔyú rì, jiàn yuè bù, chuǎn yǐ!

吳牛望月則喘；使之苦於日，見月怖，喘矣！

吴牛望月则喘；使之苦于日，见月怖，喘矣！


il n'y a pas de mais qui tienne

il n’ y a pas de mais qui tienne (canonical)

(informal) but me no buts; there'll be no "but"


may you live in interesting times

Popularly attributed to Chinese, but this is apocryphal; the true origin is unclear. See May you live in interesting times § Origins on Wikipedia.

A sardonic curse disguised as well-wishing, where interesting times refers to trouble.


là où le bât blesse

where the shoe pinches
where the shoe pinches

(figuratively) where the shoe pinches, where the rub lies


狐藉虎威

desc

→ Japanese: 虎の威を借る狐 (tora no i o karu kitsune) (partial calque)

ㄏㄨˊ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄏㄨˇ ㄨㄟ

/xu³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵/

/wuː²¹ t͡sɛː³³ fuː³⁵ wɐi̯⁵⁵/

/xu³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵/

/wuː²¹ t͡sɛː³³ fuː³⁵ wɐi̯⁵⁵/

狐假虎威 狐假虎威#Chinese


少年易老學難成

少年老いやすく学なりがたし

→ Japanese: 少年老いやすく学なりがたし (shōnen oiyasuku gaku narigatashi) (calque)

ㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄧˋ ㄌㄠˇ ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄋㄢˊ ㄔㄥˊ

шаонянь и лао сюэ нань чэн

/ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ i⁵¹ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ nän³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵/

/siːu̯³³ niːn²¹ jiː²² lou̯¹³ hɔːk̚² naːn²¹ sɪŋ²¹/

It's easy for a youth to become old but hard to accomplish much learning. Every second of the time should not be undervalued.

shàonián yì lǎo xué nán chéng, yīcùn guāngyīn bùkě qīng

少年易老學難成，一寸光陰不可輕

少年易老学难成，一寸光阴不可轻

if you do not study when you are young, you will grow old quickly without accomplishing much learning


一個頭兩個大

ㄧ ㄍㄜˋ ㄊㄡˊ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄍㄜˋ ㄉㄚˋ

yī gè tóu liǎng gè dà [Phonetic:yí gè tóu liǎng gè dà]

и гэ тоу лян гэ да

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kɤ⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ kɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹/

Exaggerated expression of 頭大／头大 (tóudà).

zh-l

頭大／头大 (tóudà)

Nowadays, primary school homework tests logical deduction ability, and gives parents a headache as well.

Rújīn de xiǎoxué zuòyè kǎoyàn luójí tuīlǐ nénglì, jiāzhǎng men yě yīgetóuliǎnggedà.

如今的小學作業考驗邏輯推理能力，家長們也一個頭兩個大。

如今的小学作业考验逻辑推理能力，家长们也一个头两个大。


nunight

'Would you like to keep this photo in your room? Then you can say nunight to Mummy and Daddy when you go to bed.'

(childish, colloquial) night night; goodnight


堂堂之陣

ㄊㄤˊ ㄊㄤˊ ㄓ ㄓㄣˋ

тантан чжи чжэнь

/tʰɑŋ³⁵ tʰɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹/

/tʰɔːŋ²¹ tʰɔːŋ²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sɐn²²/

/tʰɑŋ³⁵ tʰɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹/

/tʰɔːŋ²¹ tʰɔːŋ²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sɐn²²/

A disciplined, orderly army with high morale.


走為上策

ㄗㄡˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄘㄜˋ

цзоувэйшанцэ

/t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹/

/t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹/

走為上計 走為上計#Chinese

走为上计 走为上计#Chinese

Synonym of 走為上計／走为上计 (zǒuwéishàngjì, “If all else fails, retreat; Fleeing is the best stratagem (of the Thirty-Six Stratagems)”)


胡編亂造

ㄏㄨˊ ㄅㄧㄢ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄗㄠˋ

хубяньлуаньцзао

/xu³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ lu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/wuː²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵ lyːn²² t͡sou̯²²/

/hu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ pʰiaŋ³³⁻²³ luaŋ³⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sau³⁵/

/xu³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ lu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/wuː²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵ lyːn²² t͡sou̯²²/

/hu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ pʰiaŋ³³⁻²³ luaŋ³⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sau³⁵/

to fabricate (stories, etc.); to cook up


niech się dzieje wola nieba

/ˈɲɛx.ɕɛ ˈd͡ʑɛ.jɛ ˈvɔ.la ˈɲɛ.ba/

Literally, “Heaven's will be done”. An excerpt of the quotation from Aleksander Fredro's 1838 comedy Zemsta (Revenge). The full quotation is: "Niech się dzieje wola Nieba, z nią się zawsze zgadzać trzeba" (literally, “Heaven's will be done, you must always agree with it”).

lit

niech się dzieje, co chce
niech się dzieje, co chce#Polish

(idiomatic) Alternative form of niech się dzieje, co chce


以眼還眼，以牙還牙

ㄧˇ ㄧㄢˇ ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄧㄢˇ

ㄧˇ ㄧㄚˊ ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄧㄚˊ

ияньхуаньянь

/i²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯än³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ jä³⁵ xu̯än³⁵ jä³⁵/

eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth


三十而立

ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄦˊ ㄌㄧˋ

/sän⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ li⁵¹/

/saːm⁵⁵ sɐp̚² jiː²¹ lɐp̚²/

/sän⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ li⁵¹/

/saːm⁵⁵ sɐp̚² jiː²¹ lɐp̚²/

The Master said, "At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.

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

Zǐyuē: “Wú shí yòu wǔ ér zhì yú xué, sānshí ér lì, sìshí ér bùhuò, wǔshí ér zhī tiānmìng, liùshí ér ěr shùn, qīshí ér cóng xīn suǒ yù, bù yújǔ.”

子曰：「吾十有五而志于學，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳順，七十而從心所欲，不踰矩。」

子曰：「吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲，不逾矩。」

to become independent at the age of thirty


一炮而紅

ㄧ ㄆㄠˋ ㄦˊ ㄏㄨㄥˊ

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pʰɑʊ̯⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xʊŋ³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ pʰaːu̯³³ jiː²¹ hʊŋ²¹/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pʰɑʊ̯⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xʊŋ³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ pʰaːu̯³³ jiː²¹ hʊŋ²¹/


en katt bland hermelinerna

From the 1966 cuplé of the same name by Swedish theater director, writer and actor Karl Gerhard. Literally, "a cat among the ermines".

coinage

Att han var en katt bland hermelinerna vid hovet fick Bellman känna av på olika sätt.

1997, Marie Louise Andersén, Bo Gösta Hall, Olof Holm, Torkel Stålmarck, “Djurgården – Haga – Ulriksdal”, in Bellman var där. En vägvisare till Bellmansmiljöer, page 164:

That he was a cat among the ermines at the royal court, Bellman felt in different ways.

Det verkar som om gubben mådde bättre av att vara underdog. Jag har hela tiden sagt att han varit en katt bland hermelinerna.

2017 February 26, Magnus Sundholm, “En katt bland hermelinerna [A cat among the ermines]”, in Aftonbladet:

It seems like the old man felt better about being an underdog. I have always said that he was a cat among the ermines.

(possibly derogatory) About a person who is among people of a higher social class than themselves, or otherwise being in a group where they do not fit in.


楚楚可憐

ㄔㄨˇ ㄔㄨˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄌㄧㄢˊ

/ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɛn³⁵/

/t͡sʰɔː³⁵ t͡sʰɔː³⁵ hɔː³⁵ liːn²¹/

/t͡sʰɔː³⁵ t͡sʰɔː³⁵ hɔː³⁵ liːn²¹/


焚琴煮鶴

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (焚琴煮鶴):
* → Japanese: 焚琴煮鶴(ふんきんしゃかく) (funkin shakaku)
* → Korean: 분금자학(焚琴煮鶴) (bun'geumjahak)

ja-r

こと を やき つる を にる

→ Japanese: 琴(こと)を焚(や)き鶴(つる)を煮(に)る (koto o yaki tsuru o niru) (calque)

ㄈㄣˊ ㄑㄧㄣˊ ㄓㄨˇ ㄏㄜˋ

фэнь цинь чжу хэ

/fən³⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ⁵¹/

/fɐn²¹ kʰɐm²¹ t͡syː³⁵ hɔːk̚²/

/fən³⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ⁵¹/

/fɐn²¹ kʰɐm²¹ t͡syː³⁵ hɔːk̚²/

From Li Shangyin's personal notes about behaviours that he considered spoiling beautiful sceneries. See also 大煞風景／大煞风景 (dàshāfēngjǐng).

zh-l

大煞風景／大煞风景 (dàshāfēngjǐng)

(Behaviours that) spoil beautiful sceneries: Shouting at a place with flowers, crying when looking at flowers, laying a carpet on moss, chopping willow trees, hanging pants under flowers, leaving behind when going on travel in spring, tying horse onto stalagmite, lighting torches under the moon, saying vulgar things on a party with female entertainers, planting vegetables in a fruit garden, constructing buildings before mountains, raising chicken and ducks in a flower frame, military general walking, washing feet in clear springs, burning guqins and cooking cranes, drinking only tea (but not wine) when having flower viewing.

Shàfēngjǐng: huājiān hē dào ﹑ kàn huā lèi xià ﹑ tái shàng pū xí ﹑ zhuó què chuí yáng ﹑ huā xià shài kūn ﹑ yóu chūn zhòng zǎi ﹑ shísǔn jì mǎ ﹑ yuè xià bǎ huǒ ﹑ jì yán shuō sú shì ﹑ guǒyuán zhǒng cài ﹑ bèi shān qǐlóu ﹑ huājià xià yǎng jī yā ﹑ bùxíng jiāngjūn ﹑ qīngquán zhuó zú ﹑ fénqínzhǔhè ﹑ duì huā chuò chá.

煞風景：花間喝道﹑看花淚下﹑苔上鋪席﹑斫卻垂楊﹑花下曬裩﹑遊春重載﹑石筍繫馬﹑月下把火﹑妓筵說俗事﹑果園種菜﹑背山起樓﹑花架下養雞鴨﹑步行將軍﹑清泉濯足﹑焚琴煮鶴﹑對花啜茶。

煞风景：花间喝道﹑看花泪下﹑苔上铺席﹑斫却垂杨﹑花下晒裩﹑游春重载﹑石笋系马﹑月下把火﹑妓筵说俗事﹑果园种菜﹑背山起楼﹑花架下养鸡鸭﹑步行将军﹑清泉濯足﹑焚琴煮鹤﹑对花啜茶。

(figuratively) vulgar, tasteless behaviors that spoil elegant or beautiful things


焚琴煮鶴

焚琴煮鶴 (canonical)
funkin shakaku (romanization)

Yojijukugo (四字熟語), borrowed from Literary Chinese 焚琴煮鶴 (fén qín zhǔ hè, literally “burn a string instrument to cook a crane”). Can be read as 琴(こと)を焚(や)き鶴(つる)を煮(に)る (koto o yaki tsuru o niru) in kanbun kundoku form.

ja-r

こと を やき つる を にる


鬱鬱不得志

ㄩˋ ㄩˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄓˋ

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/wɐt̚⁵ wɐt̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵ tɐk̚⁵ t͡siː³³/

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/wɐt̚⁵ wɐt̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵ tɐk̚⁵ t͡siː³³/

[Li Mi] changed his name to Liu Zhiyuan, and taught the people how to make a life. He felt depressed and sobbed in grief.

Biàn xìngmíng wéi Liú Zhìyuǎn, jiàoshòu zhūshēng zìgěi, yùyùbùdézhì, āi yín qì xià.

變姓名為劉智遠，教授諸生自給，鬱鬱不得志，哀吟泣下。

变姓名为刘智远，教授诸生自给，郁郁不得志，哀吟泣下。

to feel depressed because one cannot achieve their ambition


井底の蛙

ja-pos

井(せい)底(てい)の蛙(かわず) • (seitei no kawazu) ^(←せいていのかわづ (seitei no kawadu)?)

井底の蛙 (canonical)
seitei no kawazu (romanization)
seitei no kawadu (romanization)
せいていのかわづ (hiragana historical)

Calque of Literary Chinese 井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐzhīwā), referring literally to “a frog at the bottom of a well”. Originally from Zhuangzi.

calque

a person of very limited outlook and experience


de l'eau a coulé sous les ponts

de l’ eau a coulé sous les ponts (canonical)

water under the bridge
water under the bridge

it was a long time ago, and much has changed since; it's water under the bridge


это было давно и неправда

head

э́то бы́ло давно́ и непра́вда

э́то бы́ло давно́ и непра́вда • (éto býlo davnó i neprávda)

э́то бы́ло давно́ и непра́вда (canonical)
éto býlo davnó i neprávda (romanization)

Literally, “it was long ago and it didn't happen”.

lit

Э́то так, но э́то бы́ло давно́ и непра́вда. То есть тогда́, мо́жет, бы́ло так, а тепе́рь соверше́нно потеря́ло значе́ние.

1984, Г. Померанц, “Страстная односторонность и бесстрастие духа. Статья первая”, in Страна и мир:

That is true, but it's water under the bridge. Which is to say, maybe it was true back then, but today that is of no importance whatsoever.

Éto tak, no éto býlo davnó i neprávda. To jestʹ togdá, móžet, býlo tak, a tepérʹ soveršénno poterjálo značénije.

yesterday's fish and chips
yesterday's fish and chips

(colloquial, idiomatic, ironic) it's water under the bridge, it's yesterday's fish and chips (said of an event, typically an unpleasant one, which happened in the past but which is unimportant or no longer relevant)

en-это_было_давно_и_неправда-ru-phrase-nv7~9E5f


il n'y a que ça de vrai

(informal) there's nothing like it; that's all that matters


war is hell

The short-term and long-term effects of war are greatly devastating and immeasurable.


一根繩上的螞蚱

ㄧ ㄍㄣ ㄕㄥˊ ㄕㄤˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄇㄚˋ ˙ㄓㄚ

yī gēn shéng shàng de màzha [Phonetic:yì gēn shéng shàng de màzha]

и гэнь шэн шан дэ мачжа

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ kən⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ d̥ə¹ mä⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ä¹/

ㄧ ㄍㄣㄦ ㄕㄥˊ ㄕㄤˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄇㄚˋ ˙ㄓㄚ

игэньршэншандэмачжа

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ kəɻ⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ d̥ə¹ mä⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ä¹/


qu'il pleuve ou qu'il vente

qu’ il pleuve ou qu’ il vente (canonical)

qu’il pleuve, qu’il vente ou qu’il neige

in all weathers, whatever the weather, come rain or shine

come hell or high water
come hell or high water

(figuratively) no matter what, come rain or shine, come hell or high water


вокруг да около

head

вокру́г да о́коло

вокру́г да о́коло • (vokrúg da ókolo)

вокру́г да о́коло (canonical)
vokrúg da ókolo (romanization)

[vɐˈkruɡ‿dɐ‿ˈokəɫə]

Ты хо́дишь вокру́г да о́коло.

You're beating around the bush. (literally, “You're walking around and about.”)

Хва́тит броди́ть вокру́г да о́коло.

Де́ти бе́гают вокру́г да о́коло, когда́ прихо́дит любо́вь.

Children beat around the bush when it comes to love.

Déti bégajut vokrúg da ókolo, kogdá prixódit ljubóvʹ.

ходи́ть ходить#Russian

(with ходи́ть (xodítʹ) or similar verbs) around the bush (about a manner of communication)


高風亮節

ㄍㄠ ㄈㄥ ㄌㄧㄤˋ ㄐㄧㄝˊ

гаофэнлянцзе

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/

/kou̯⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ lœːŋ²² t͡siːt̚³/

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/

/kou̯⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ lœːŋ²² t͡siːt̚³/

to be a person of noble character and steadfast integrity


многая літа

мно́гая лі́та

мно́гая лі́та • (mnóhaja líta)

мно́гая лі́та (canonical)
mnóhaja líta (romanization)

[ˈmnɔɦɐjɐ ˈlʲitɐ]

From Old Church Slavonic мъногаꙗ лѣта (mŭnogaja lěta), the adjective form being the neuter plural. See the Wikipedia article for more.

bor

мъногаꙗ лѣта

(archaic, poetic or ecclesiastic) wish for longevity, many years (of prosperity, health, etc.)

uk:многая літа


niille sijoilleen

in their tracks
stop someone in their tracks


sekä siunaus että kirous

both a blessing and a curse
a blessing and a curse


tu quoque, mi fili

tū quoque (canonical)
mī fīlī (canonical)

[ˈt̪uːkʷɔkʷɛ miːˈfiːlʲiː]

A variant translation, especially popular in French, of Ancient Greek καὶ σύ, τέκνον (kaì sú, téknon). The Greek is attributed to Caesar as his last words, but on no supporting evidence. Consists of tū (“thou, you (sg.)”), quoque (“also, too”), and the vocatives of meus (“my”) and fīlius (“son”).

cog

καὶ σύ, τέκνον


they hate us 'cause they ain't us

(slang) The reason that certain people are disliked is because others are jealous of them.


重修舊好

ㄔㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄡ ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄏㄠˇ

/ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐu̯⁵⁵ kɐu̯²² hou̯³⁵/

/tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siu⁴⁴⁻²² ku²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siu³³ ku⁴¹⁻²² ho⁵⁵⁴/

/tiɔŋ¹³⁻²² siu⁴⁴⁻²² ku²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/tiɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siu⁴⁴⁻³³ ku³³⁻¹¹ ho⁵³/

/tiɔŋ²³⁻³³ siu⁴⁴⁻³³ ku³³⁻²¹ hɤ⁴¹/

/t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐu̯⁵⁵ kɐu̯²² hou̯³⁵/

/tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siu⁴⁴⁻²² ku²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/tiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² siu³³ ku⁴¹⁻²² ho⁵⁵⁴/

/tiɔŋ¹³⁻²² siu⁴⁴⁻²² ku²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/tiɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siu⁴⁴⁻³³ ku³³⁻¹¹ ho⁵³/

/tiɔŋ²³⁻³³ siu⁴⁴⁻³³ ku³³⁻²¹ hɤ⁴¹/


黑不溜秋

ㄏㄟ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄡ ㄑㄧㄡ

/xeɪ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/

/hɐk̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵ lɐu̯²² t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵/

/xeɪ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/

/hɐk̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵ lɐu̯²² t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵/

(colloquial, derogatory) in black colour


faz-me rir

(informal) Expression of irony towards fallacies or absurd statements.


einen Stich haben

to be round the bend, to be a bit touched in the head (crazy)

einen Stich ins Rote haben


葉落歸根

→ Vietnamese: lá rụng về cội (calque)

ㄧㄝˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄍㄣ

/jɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ kən⁵⁵/

/jiːp̚² lɔːk̚² kʷɐi̯⁵⁵ kɐn⁵⁵/

/jɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ kən⁵⁵/

/jiːp̚² lɔːk̚² kʷɐi̯⁵⁵ kɐn⁵⁵/

宋·釋道原《景德傳燈錄》

葉落歸根，來時無口。

宋·釋道原《景德傳燈錄》

叶落归根，来时无口。

a person who has been away from his or her hometown for a long time would eventually return


信你一成，雙目失明

If I believe ten-percent of what you say, both of my eyes will turn blind.

seon³ nei⁵ jat¹ sing⁴, soeng¹ muk⁶ sat¹ ming⁴

seun néih yāt sìhng, sēung muhk sāt mìhng

soen³ nei⁵ jat⁷ sing⁴, soeng¹ muk⁹ sat⁷ ming⁴

sên³ néi⁵ yed¹ xing⁴, sêng¹ mug⁶ sed¹ ming⁴

/sɵn³³ nei̯¹³ jɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵ mʊk̚² sɐt̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹/

(Hong Kong Cantonese, originally Internet slang) Used to express that someone is not believable


超凡脫俗

ㄔㄠ ㄈㄢˊ ㄊㄨㄛ ㄙㄨˊ

/ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ fän³⁵ tʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵ su³⁵/

/t͡sʰiːu̯⁵⁵ faːn²¹ tʰyːt̚³ t͡sʊk̚²/

/ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ fän³⁵ tʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵ su³⁵/

/t͡sʰiːu̯⁵⁵ faːn²¹ tʰyːt̚³ t͡sʊk̚²/


head

wenn es nicht wahr ist, dann ist es gut erfunden

Calque of Italian se non è vero, è ben trovato (“if it isn't true, it's well invented”).

cal

Though the anecdote is perhaps not factual, it is nevertheless worthwhile to tell it, because it is amusing or expresses a truth.

wenn es nicht stimmt, dann ist es gut erfunden


pieds et poings liés

bound hand and foot (with one's feet and hands bound)

être pieds et poings liés

to be hog-tied, to have one's hands and feet tied, to be bound hand and foot

(figuratively) stuck, unable to do anything, entirely at the mercy of someone else


たまちる

ja-pos

たまちる • (tama chiru) ^(←たまちる (tamatiru)?)

tama chiru (romanization)
tamatiru (romanization)
たまちる (hiragana historical)

1885, “抜(ばつ)刀(たう)隊(たい) (Battōtai)”, 外(と)山(やま)正(まさ)一(かず) (Toyama Masakazu) (lyrics):

玉ちる劔拔き連れて 死ぬる覺悟で進むべし

Tama chiru tsurugi nukitsurete Shinuru kakugo de susumu beshi

(literary) Referring to the glistening of a blade.


no hay tutía

there's nothing to do about that, you're stuck with it


agbara ya ṣọọbu

head

àgbàrá ya ṣọ́ọ̀bù

àgbàrá ya ṣọ́ọ̀bù

yo-pos

àgbàrá ya ṣọ́ọ̀bù

àgbàrá ya ṣọ́ọ̀bù

Modelled on omíyalé (“flood”, literally “water visits the home”)


obehöriga äga ej tillträde

Literally "unauthorized [persons] do not have access". äga here is in a mostly archaic present indicative plural form, which has largely been replaced by äger outside certain phrases like this one.


Éirinn go brách

→ English: Erin go bragh

Dialectal form of Éire go brách (“Ireland forever”)


ATGATT

(motorcycling, philosophy) Acronym of all the gear all the time.. A statement of philosophy of the motorcyclist rider, who rides fully kitted-out whenever out riding.


知人善任

ㄓ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄢˋ ㄖㄣˋ

чжижэньшаньжэнь

čžižɛnʹšanʹžɛnʹ

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐən⁵¹/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ siːn²² jɐm²²/

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐən⁵¹/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ siːn²² jɐm²²/

to know one's subordinates well enough to assign them jobs commensurate with their abilities


muya taka

(Partido, Tabaco–Legazpi–Sorsogon) I like you


kto zacz

The second element was inherited from Old Polish za czso.


死都唔知點死

/sei̯³⁵ tou̯⁵⁵ m̩²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ tiːm³⁵ sei̯³⁵/

(Cantonese) sure to die a reckless death


退避三舍

ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄙㄢ ㄕㄜˋ

/tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ ʂɤ⁵¹/

/tʰɵy̯³³ pei̯²² saːm⁵⁵ sɛː³³/

/tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ ʂɤ⁵¹/

/tʰɵy̯³³ pei̯²² saːm⁵⁵ sɛː³³/

From the account of Duke Wen of Jin, who, prior to becoming the ruler of Jin, had fled from a succession crisis and had been seeking shelter in various states. After receiving him, King Cheng of Chu asked how he would pay back if he were to become the ruler of Jin. His reply was (《左傳·僖公二十三年》)

lang

(《左傳·僖公二十三年》)

(《左傳·僖公二十三年》)

If by your lordship's powerful influence I shall recover the State of Jin, should Chu and Jin go to war and meet in the plain of the Middle Land, I will withdraw from your lordship three stages [each of 30 li]. If then I do not receive your commands to cease from hostilities, with my whip and my bow in my left hand, and my quiver and my bowcase on my right, I will manaeuvre with your lordship.

Commentary of Zuo, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Ruò yǐ jūn zhī líng, dé fǎn Jìn guó, Jìn Chǔ zhì bīng, yù yú zhōngyuán, qí bì jūn sān shè. Ruò bù huò mìng, qí zuǒ zhí biān mǐ, yòu shǔ gāo jiān, yǐ yǔ jūn zhōuxuán.

若以君之靈，得反晉國，晉楚治兵，遇於中原，其辟君三舍。若不獲命，其左執鞭弭，右屬櫜鞬，以與君周旋。

若以君之灵，得反晋国，晋楚治兵，遇于中原，其辟君三舍。若不获命，其左执鞭弭，右属櫜鞬，以与君周旋。

to give way to avoid a conflict in the face of superior strength (to avoid heavy losses)


死都不知道怎麼死的

ㄙˇ ㄉㄡ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄉㄠˋ ㄗㄣˇ ˙ㄇㄜ ㄙˇ ˙ㄉㄜ

ssŭ³ tou¹ pu⁴ chih¹-tao⁴ tsên³-mê⁵ ssŭ³ tê⁵

сы доу бу чжидао цзэньмэ сы дэ

/sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ toʊ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sən²¹⁴ mə⁴ sz̩²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴/


konia z rzędem

Literally, “a horse with [its] tack [to someone]”.

lit

(idiomatic) a million dollars, a king's ransom (of something very difficult and thus deserving of a high payment if completed) [with dative ‘to whom’]

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see koń, rząd.


食嘢唔做嘢，做嘢打爛嘢

[someone only] eats and does not do a thing; [when he actually] does things, [he] breaks things

sik⁶ je⁵ m⁴ zou⁶ je⁵, zou⁶ je⁵ daa² laan⁶ je⁵

sihk yéh m̀h jouh yéh, jouh yéh dá laahn yéh

sik⁹ je⁵ m⁴ dzou⁶ je⁵, dzou⁶ je⁵ daa² laan⁶ je⁵

xig⁶ yé⁵ m⁴ zou⁶ yé⁵, zou⁶ yé⁵ da² lan⁶ yé⁵

/sɪk̚² jɛː¹³ m̩²¹ t͡sou̯²² jɛː¹³ t͡sou̯²² jɛː¹³ taː³⁵ laːn²² jɛː¹³/

(Cantonese) being idle and never doing things right


年貢の納め時

ja-pos

年(ねん)貢(ぐ)の納(おさ)め時(どき) • (nengu no osamedoki) ^(←ねんぐのおさめどき (nengu no osamedoki)?)

年貢の納め時 (canonical)
nengu no osamedoki (romanization)
ねんぐのおさめどき (hiragana historical)


不成功便成仁

ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ

бу чэнгун бянь чэнжэнь

/pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ piːn²² sɪŋ²¹ jɐn²¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ piːn²² sɪŋ²¹ jɐn²¹/


your money or your life

Stand and deliver! Your money or your life!

A stereotypical threat used by robbers, implying that the victim should value their life more than any valuables they may be carrying.


асыңыз дәмді болсын

head

асыңыз дәмді болсын

асыңыз дәмді болсын • (asyñyz dämdı bolsyn)

en-асыңыз_дәмді_болсын-kk-phrase-JFlm6WTc


күн өлүүтэ

күн өлүүтэ • (kün ölüüte)

күн (kün, “sun”) + өлүүтэ (ölüüte, “death”) (possessive form).


tuon taivaallista

En ymmärtänyt siitä tuon taivaallista.

En välitä tuon taivaallista!

(with negative, idiomatic) at all, anything, even a bit or shred (of)


Google is your friend

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Google is your friend.wav

(Internet slang) A suggestion that the addressee could learn something using an Internet search engine, rather than asking others.


血湧き肉躍る

ja-pos

血(ち)湧(わ)き肉(にく)躍(おど)る • (chi waki niku odoru)

血湧き肉躍る (canonical)
chi waki niku odoru (romanization)

[t͡ɕi β̞a̠kʲi ɲ̟ikɯ̟ o̞do̞ɾɯ̟]

"the blood wells and the flesh rouses": rousing


大蛇屙屎

/taːi̯²² sɛː²¹ ɔː⁵⁵ siː³⁵/

/tʰaɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ o⁴⁴⁻³⁵ sz̩³¹/

/taːi̯²² sɛː²¹ ɔː⁵⁵ siː³⁵/

/tʰaɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ o⁴⁴⁻³⁵ sz̩³¹/

never having seen big things before (and therefore considering a normal thing remarkable due to ignorance)

未見過大蛇屙屎

未见过大蛇屙屎

(Cantonese, Hakka, figuratively) very rare things or phenomena


いざしらず

ja-phrase

いざしらず • (iza shirazu) ^(←いざしらず (izasirazu)?)

iza shirazu (romanization)
izasirazu (romanization)
いざしらず (hiragana historical)

A confusion of いさ (isa) and いざ (iza); originally いさしらず (isa shirazu).

([…]はいざしらず、[…]) I don't know about […] , but […]


ый өлүүтэ

head

ый өлүүтэ • (ıy ölüüte)

ый (ıy, “moon”) + өлүүтэ (ölüüte, “death”) (possessive form).


me lo dices o me lo cuentas

¿me lo dices o me lo cuentas (canonical)


عيد فصح سعيد

عِيدُ فِصْح سَعِيد

عِيدُ فِصْح سَعِيد • (ʕīdu fiṣḥ saʕīd)

عِيدُ فِصْح سَعِيد (canonical)
ʕīdu fiṣḥ saʕīd (romanization)


عيد ميلاد مجيد

عِيد مِيلَاد مَجِيد

عِيد مِيلَاد مَجِيد • (ʕīd mīlād majīd)

عِيد مِيلَاد مَجِيد (canonical)
ʕīd mīlād majīd (romanization)


講三講四

/kɔːŋ³⁵ saːm⁵⁵ kɔːŋ³⁵ sei̯³³/

/kɔŋ³¹ sam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ kɔŋ³¹ si⁵³/

/kɔːŋ³⁵ saːm⁵⁵ kɔːŋ³⁵ sei̯³³/

/kɔŋ³¹ sam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ kɔŋ³¹ si⁵³/

(Cantonese, Hakka, derogatory) to gossip; to make irresponsible remarks

(Cantonese, Hakka, derogatory) to criticize, to carp


べくして

亡ぶべくして亡ぶ

(literary, preceded and followed by the same verb) happening as a matter of course


jemandem am Herzen liegen

close to one's heart, dear to one's heart, near one's heart


going once, going twice

Ellipsis of going once, going twice, sold.

ellipsis

Said before closing the bidding for a particular item in an auction, giving other bidders a final opportunity to bid for it.

Now I'm asking you once again, where's my money? Going once, going twice!” “Wait a minute, Carlos...”

1977, Lynn Pearson, Out of Work, page 330:

Picked up the last slice of pizza and asked, “Anybody want it? Going once, going twice, the last call for the last slice of pizza!”

2021, Gary T. Brideau, The Long Way Home, page 111:

By extension, indicating that the speaker will take some action if there is no immediate objection.


狼狼戾戾

/lɔŋ¹¹ lɔŋ¹¹ laɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ laɪ⁵³/

/lɔŋ¹¹ lɔŋ¹¹ laɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ laɪ⁵³/

Do not leave the whole house in a complete mess.

mog⁶ gau³ hi⁴ yid⁶ gian¹ vug⁵ du¹ long² long² lai⁴ lai⁴.

莫搞去一間屋都狼狼戾戾。

莫搞去一间屋都狼狼戾戾。


it's going

A: How's it going? B: It's going.

(informal) An apathetic or negative response to the informal greeting "how's it going?".


人生字を識るは憂患の始め

ja-pos

じんせい じ を しる は ゆうかん の はじめ

人(じん)生(せい)字(じ)を識(し)るは憂(ゆう)患(かん)の始(はじ)め • (jinsei ji o shiru wa yūkan no hajime)

人生字を識るは憂患の始め (canonical)
jinsei ji o shiru wa yūkan no hajime (romanization)

Calque of Literary Chinese 人生識字憂患始 (rénshēng shízì yōuhuàn shǐ), which is a line in Su Shi's (蘇軾) poem 石蒼舒醉墨堂.

cal

じんせいじをしるはゆうかんのはじめ

misery of life starts at literacy; ignorance is bliss

識字憂患

識字憂患 しきじゆうかん


no justice, no peace

A political slogan which originated during protests against acts of ethnic violence against African Americans.


hægara sagt en gert

easier said than done
easier said than done


玄之又玄

ㄒㄩㄢˊ ㄓ ㄧㄡˋ ㄒㄩㄢˊ

сюаньчжиюсюань

/ɕy̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ joʊ̯⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛn³⁵/

/jyːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐu̯²² jyːn²¹/

/hiɛn²⁴⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² iu²²⁻²¹ hiɛn²⁴/

/hiɛn²⁴⁻²² t͡si³³ iu⁴¹⁻²² hiɛn²⁴/

/hiɛn¹³⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² iu²²⁻²¹ hiɛn¹³/

/hiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iu³³⁻¹¹ hiɛn²⁴/

/hiɛn²³⁻³³ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iu³³⁻²¹ hiɛn²³/

/ɕy̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ joʊ̯⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛn³⁵/

/jyːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐu̯²² jyːn²¹/

/hiɛn²⁴⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² iu²²⁻²¹ hiɛn²⁴/

/hiɛn²⁴⁻²² t͡si³³ iu⁴¹⁻²² hiɛn²⁴/

/hiɛn¹³⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² iu²²⁻²¹ hiɛn¹³/

/hiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iu³³⁻¹¹ hiɛn²⁴/

/hiɛn²³⁻³³ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iu³³⁻²¹ hiɛn²³/

Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.

玄之又玄，眾妙之門。

玄之又玄，众妙之门。


覆酒甕

ㄈㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄨㄥˋ

/fu⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ wəŋ⁵¹/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sɐu̯³⁵ ʊŋ³³/

/fu⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ wəŋ⁵¹/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sɐu̯³⁵ ʊŋ³³/

At first, Lu Ji came to Luoyang, and he wanted to compose an ode for it. When he heard that Zuo Si is writing one, he clapped his hands with scoffing, writing to his younger brother Lu Yun, saying: "There is a coarse man here planning to write a series of odes to the three capitals, and when it is finished, it shall be used to cover a wine jar!" But when Zuo Si finished his ode, Lu Ji appreciated it very much, believing it could not be improved anymore, so he stopped writing his own.

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

Chū, Lù Jī rù Luò, yù wèicǐ fù, wén Sī zuò zhī, fǔzhǎng ér xiào, yǔ dì Yún shū yuē: “Cǐ jiān yǒu cāngfù, yù zuò “Sāndū fù”, xū qí chéng, dāng yǐ fùjiǔwèng ěr.” Jí Sī fù chū, jī jué tàn fú, yǐwèi bùnéng jiā yě, suì chuòbǐ yān.

初，陸機入洛，欲為此賦，聞思作之，撫掌而笑，與弟雲書曰：「此間有傖父，欲作《三都賦》，須其成，當以覆酒甕耳。」及思賦出，機絕歎伏，以為不能加也，遂輟筆焉。

初，陆机入洛，欲为此赋，闻思作之，抚掌而笑，与弟云书曰：「此间有伧父，欲作《三都赋》，须其成，当以覆酒瓮耳。」及思赋出，机绝叹伏，以为不能加也，遂辍笔焉。

(literary) used to describe a worthless book or work


無知は至福である

ja-pos

むち は しふく である

無(む)知(ち)は至(し)福(ふく)である • (muchi wa shifuku dearu)

無知は至福である (canonical)
muchi wa shifuku dearu (romanization)


the measles

What the measles do you think you're doing?

Why the meazills, should you stand heere, with your traine...

1614 November 10 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Beniamin Iohnson [i.e., Ben Jonson], Bartholmew Fayre: A Comedie, […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1631, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

interrogative pronoun
interrogative pronoun#English

(euphemistic, obsolete) Used after interrogative pronouns as an intensifier to express anger, frustration, incredulity, or other strong emotion.


let me count the ways

From a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.


let us count the ways

How does the media love Twitter? Let us count the ways: as a tech platform practically indispensable to the work of newsgathering; as a metrics system designating clear numerical value to once-squishy concepts of popularity and esteem; as a gossip-fueled lunchroom of the elites more or less available for public participation; as an arena for duking out industry controversies ranging from #MeToo to opinions about opinion pages.

April 14 2022, Delia Cai, “Severance, the New York Times’s Twitter Guidelines, and the Forever Illusion of Work-Life Balance”, in Vanity Fair:

let me count the ways
let me count the ways#English

Alternative form of let me count the ways


techtle mechtle

Žádný techtle mechtle!


人生識字憂患始

desc

人生字を識るは憂患の始め

→ Japanese: 人生字を識るは憂患の始め (jinsei ji o shiru wa yūkan no hajime) (calque)

Japanese: 識字憂患 (shikiji yūkan)

Korean: 식자우환 (sikjauhwan)

ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄕˊ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄕˇ

ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄕˋ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄕˇ

жэньшэн шицзы юхуань ши

/ʐən³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ʐən³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐn²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵ t͡siː²² jɐu̯⁵⁵ waːn²² t͡sʰiː³⁵/

From 石蒼舒醉墨堂 by Su Shi (蘇軾):
:
Note that Su Shi is actually a famous scholar-official as well as a calligrapher. This poem was written for Shi Cangshu (石蒼舒) who shared the same interest in calligraphy with Su Shi and exceedingly appreciated Su Shi's calligraphy.

Misery of life starts at literacy. Knowing roughly the name is more than necessary. Why bother using cursive calligraphy to flaunt swiftness? I opened a book, whose incomprehensibility brings me sadness.

Rénshēng shízì yōuhuàn shǐ, xìngmíng cū jì kěyǐ xiū. Hé yòng cǎoshū kuā shénsù, kāijuǎn chǎnghuǎng lìngrén chóu.

人生識字憂患始，姓名粗記可以休。何用草書誇神速，開卷戃怳令人愁。

人生识字忧患始，姓名粗记可以休。何用草书夸神速，开卷𰑿怳令人愁。


身殘志堅

ㄕㄣ ㄘㄢˊ ㄓˋ ㄐㄧㄢ

шэньцаньчжицзянь

/ʂən⁵⁵ t͡sʰän³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/ʂən⁵⁵ t͡sʰän³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/


覆醬瓿

ㄈㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄤˋ ㄅㄨˋ

ㄈㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄤˋ ㄆㄡˇ

/fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹/

/fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ pʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ pʰɐu̯³⁵/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ pɐu̯²²/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ pou̯²²/

/fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹/

/fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ pʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ pʰɐu̯³⁵/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ pɐu̯²²/

/fʊk̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ pou̯²²/

Back then there were busybodies coming with wine and food to study under him. Hou Ba from Julu often lived with Yang Xiong as a disciple. Yang Xiong taught him about Taixuan and Fayan (Yang Xiong's books). Liu Xin saw this and said: "You are just torturing yourself! Scholars nowadays have wealth and emoluments, yet they don't even understand I Ching, let alone Taixuan! I'm afraid they are gonna be used to cover jam pots by posterity."

Shí yǒu hǎoshìzhě zǎi jiǔyáo cóng yóuxué, ér Jùlù Hóu Bā cháng cóng Xióng jū, shòu qí “Tàixuán”, “Fǎyán” yān. Liú Xīn yì cháng guān zhī, wèi Xióng yuē: “Kōng zì kǔ! Jīn xuézhě yǒu lù lì, rán shàng bùnéng míng “Yì”, yòu rú “Xuán” hé? Wú kǒng hòurén yòng fùjiàngbù yě.”

時有好事者載酒肴從游學，而鉅鹿侯芭常從雄居，受其《太玄》、《法言》焉。劉歆亦嘗觀之，謂雄曰：「空自苦！今學者有祿利，然尚不能明《易》，又如《玄》何？吾恐後人用覆醬瓿也。」

时有好事者载酒肴从游学，而钜鹿侯芭常从雄居，受其《太玄》、《法言》焉。刘歆亦尝观之，谓雄曰：「空自苦！今学者有禄利，然尚不能明《易》，又如《玄》何？吾恐后人用覆酱瓿也。」

Rai San'yō's work (Nihon Gaishi) is of course crude in writing and full of washū (improper Japanese elements in Literary Chinese text), but insofar as the research is also sloppily done and the discussion biased. It really should be used to cover a jam pot.

Fukushiyu (復子庾, a Japanese kanbun in 西崦先生餘稿) by Hoashi Banri (帆足萬里)

Lài shēng suǒzuò, wúlùn wénzì bǐlòu, héxí cuòchū, jiāyǐ kǎozhèng shūlòu, yìlùn guāipì, zhēn kě yǐ fùjiàngbù.

賴生所作，無論文字鄙陋，和習錯出，加以考證疏漏，議論乖僻，真可以覆醬瓿。

赖生所作，无论文字鄙陋，和习错出，加以考证疏漏，议论乖僻，真可以覆酱瓿。


無聲無氣

/mou̯²¹ sɪŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ hei̯³³/

/mo¹¹ saŋ⁴⁴⁻³⁵ mo¹¹ hi⁵³/

/mou̯²¹ sɪŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ hei̯³³/

/mo¹¹ saŋ⁴⁴⁻³⁵ mo¹¹ hi⁵³/


清湯寡水

ㄑㄧㄥ ㄊㄤ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

цинтангуашуй

/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ tʰɑŋ⁵⁵ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ tʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ kʷaː³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵/

/t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ tʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ kʷaː³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵/


星星點點

ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ

синсиндяньдянь

/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ti̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ti̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ tiːm³⁵ tiːm³⁵/

/sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ tiːm³⁵ tiːm³⁵/


飯氣攻心

ㄈㄢˋ ㄑㄧˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄒㄧㄣ

фаньцигунсинь

/fän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/faːn²² hei̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/

/fän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/faːn²² hei̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/


杳無音訊

ㄧㄠˇ ㄨˊ ㄧㄣ ㄒㄩㄣˋ

/jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ in⁵⁵ ɕyn⁵¹/

/miːu̯¹³ mou̯²¹ jɐm⁵⁵ sɵn³³/

/jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ in⁵⁵ ɕyn⁵¹/

/miːu̯¹³ mou̯²¹ jɐm⁵⁵ sɵn³³/

杳無音信 杳無音信#Chinese

杳无音信 杳无音信#Chinese


gleðiligar páskir

/ˈkleːjɪliːaɹ ˈpʰɔʃ.tʃɪɹ/


仰結煞

仰结煞
仰詰刹
仰𢯹煞
仰戛煞

/ŋiɔŋ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ kat̚¹ sat̚¹/

/ŋiɔŋ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ kat̚¹ sat̚¹/

What should I do! I lost my mobile phone!

Ngiong⁴ gad⁵ sad⁵! Su³ gi¹ diêd⁵ pêd⁵ ê²!

仰結煞！手機跌撇了！

仰结煞！手机跌撇了！

(Hakka) What to do?; What should be done?


是咁的

/siː²² kɐm³⁵ tɪk̚⁵/

/siː²² kɐm³⁵ tɪk̚⁵/

Mixed written vernacular Chinese and Cantonese writing.

(Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, originally Internet slang) Synonym of 係噉嘅／系噉嘅 (hai6 gam2 ge2, “it is in this way”) (used as an opening of a post)


what a small world

it's a small world
it's a small world#English


怨天怨地

ㄩㄢˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄩㄢˋ ㄉㄧˋ

юаньтяньюаньди

/ɥɛn⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɥɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹/

/ɥɛn⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɥɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹/

to blame everyone and everything; to incessantly grumble about things


浩氣長存

ㄏㄠˋ ㄑㄧˋ ㄔㄤˊ ㄘㄨㄣˊ

хаоци чанцунь

/xɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən³⁵/

/hou̯²² hei̯³³ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

/xɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən³⁵/

/hou̯²² hei̯³³ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹/


po nas choćby i potop

po nas choćby potop
po nas choćby potop#Polish


po nas choćby potop

after us the deluge (a nihilistic expression of indifference to whatever happens after one is gone)


無結煞

无结煞
無詰刹
無𢯹煞
無戛煞

(Hakka) there is nothing to be done; one can't do anything about it

痛到無結煞

痛到无结煞

(Hakka, after verb/adjective + particle) (to) a great extent; extremely


SWBAT

(education) Initialism of student(s) will be able to.... (used in defining learning objectives)


на пустом месте

head

на пусто́м ме́сте

на пусто́м ме́сте • (na pustóm méste)

на пусто́м ме́сте (canonical)
na pustóm méste (romanization)

Трибуна́л пришло́сь начина́ть на пусто́м ме́сте.

Tribunál prišlósʹ načinátʹ na pustóm méste.

Они́ постро́или го́род на пусто́м ме́сте.

Ты сама́ себе́ создаёшь пробле́мы на пусто́м ме́сте.

You're creating problems for yourself out of nothing.

Ty samá sebé sozdajóšʹ problémy na pustóm méste.

(neologism, colloquial) from scratch, from nothing, out of nothing

Ты вы́сказал э́то предположе́ние буква́льно на пусто́м ме́сте.

You made that assumption literally out of the blue.

Ty výskazal éto predpoložénije bukválʹno na pustóm méste.

Она́ распла́калась на пусто́м ме́сте.

(neologism, colloquial) out of the blue, out of nowhere, for no reason, over nothing, all of a sudden


nature versus nurture

The phrase was coined in the mid-1800s by the English Victorian polymath Francis Galton in discussion about the influence of heredity and environment on social advancement.

Comparing how a person's characteristics are formed, either by innate biological factors such as genetics (nature), or by upbringing and life experience (nurture).


久病成醫

Prolonged illness makes a doctor of a patient.

ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄧ

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ i⁵⁵/

/kɐu̯³⁵ pɛːŋ²² sɪŋ²¹ jiː⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ i⁵⁵/

/kɐu̯³⁵ pɛːŋ²² sɪŋ²¹ jiː⁵⁵/

experience is the best teacher
experience is the best teacher


làm ơn mắc oán

[laːm˨˩ ʔəːn˧˧ mak̚˧˦ ʔwaːn˧˦]

[laːm˦˩ ʔəːŋ˧˧ mak̚˦˧˥ ʔwaːŋ˦˧˥]

[laːm˨˩ ʔəːŋ˧˧ mak̚˦˥ (ʔ)waːŋ˦˥]

làm ơn (“to do (someone else) favor”) + mắc (“to get”) + oán (“hatred”).

com

no good deed goes unpunished
no good deed goes unpunished

benefactors often get hatred from beneficiaries; no good deed goes unpunished


Vogel, friss oder stirb

„Seine Politik des ‚Vogel, friss oder stirb‘ hat nicht funktioniert“, so der Finanzexperte, der als einziger Mann zusammen mit drei Frauen für das Parlament verhandelte.

2014 March 21, Eric Bonse, quoting Sven Giegold, “Bank-Einigung in letzter Minute”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz, →ISSN, page 10:


friss, Vogel, oder stirb

Die Bundesregierung wollte die Verantwortung los sein und schob sie deshalb dem Bundestag zu - aber mit einem Verfahren nach dem Motto „Friss, Vogel, oder stirb“.

2010 August 4, Claudia Roth, “60 Jahre Charta der Vertriebenen: Verhöhnung statt Versöhnung?!”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz, →ISSN:

Vogel, friss oder stirb
Vogel, friss oder stirb#German

Alternative form of Vogel, friss oder stirb


annaka

From anna (“central space”) + aka (“at, in, on, to”).

af

(Caura River dialect and Brazil) in the central room of a village roundhouse, where unmarried men sleep and ritual activities take place


anna'ka

(Cunucunuma River dialect) Alternative form of annaka (“in the central room of a village roundhouse, where unmarried men sleep and ritual activities take place”)


黃皮樹了哥——唔熟唔食

/wɔːŋ²¹ pʰei̯²¹⁻³⁵ syː²² liːu̯¹³⁻⁵⁵ kɔː⁵⁵ m̩²¹ sʊk̚² m̩²¹ sɪk̚²/

(Cantonese) to take advantage of people one is closely acquainted with


不溫不火

ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄛˇ

/pu⁵¹ wən⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pu⁵¹ wən⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

to be in a happy medium state; neither hot nor cold


AGAO

Abbreviation of Australian government access only (“a classified information status”).


說古道今

ㄕㄨㄛ ㄍㄨˇ ㄉㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄣ

шогудаоцзинь

/ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/syːt̚³ kuː³⁵ tou̯²² kɐm⁵⁵/

/ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/syːt̚³ kuː³⁵ tou̯²² kɐm⁵⁵/

From General Yue Fei [circa 17th–18th c.].

Nǐmen yòu wénzhòuzhòu de shuōgǔdàojīn, wǒ nà lǐ xǐngdé?

你們又文縐縐的說古道今，我那裏省得？

你们又文绉绉的说古道今，我那里省得？

everything under the sun
everything under the sun


AUSTEO

Abbreviation of Australian eyes-only (“a classified information status”).


各有所長

ㄍㄜˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄔㄤˊ

/kɤ⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵/

/kɤ⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵/

each has its own strengths (e.g. each person as their own strengths)


有頭髮邊個想做瘌痢

有头发边个想做瘌痢
有頭髮邊個想做癩痢

Who wants to have scabies when one has hair?

jau⁵ tau⁴ faat³ bin¹ go³ soeng² zou⁶ laat³ lei⁶⁻¹

yáuh tàuh faat bīn go séung jouh laat lēi

jau⁵ tau⁴ faat⁸ bin¹ go³ soeng² dzou⁶ laat⁸ lei⁶⁻¹

yeo⁵ teo⁴ fad³ bin¹ go³ sêng² zou⁶ lad³ léi⁶⁻¹

/jɐu̯¹³ tʰɐu̯²¹ faːt̚³ piːn⁵⁵ kɔː³³ sœːŋ³⁵ t͡sou̯²² laːt̚³ lei̯²²⁻⁵⁵/

(Cantonese) nobody wants bad things to happen to them


天荒地老

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄏㄨㄤ ㄉㄧˋ ㄌㄠˇ

тяньхуандилао

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ tei̯²² lou̯¹³/

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ tei̯²² lou̯¹³/


who's to say?

Who's to say what clothes I can and can't wear in my free time?

According to whose authority (especially in defiance)

In the closest contest for years, who's to say who will win the title?


Среќен Велигден

head

Среќен Велигден

Среќен Велигден • (Sreḱen Veligden)


running and racing

I was running and racing earlier trying to get to the meeting on time.

(Ireland) To be in a rush or all over the place


火都嚟

/fɔː³⁵ tou̯⁵⁵ lɐi̯²¹/

/fɔː³⁵ tou̯⁵⁵ lei̯²¹/

/fɔː³⁵ tou̯⁵⁵ lɐi̯²¹/

/fɔː³⁵ tou̯⁵⁵ lei̯²¹/

睇到火都嚟


含飴弄孫

ㄏㄢˊ ㄧˊ ㄋㄨㄥˋ ㄙㄨㄣ

ханьинунсунь

/xän³⁵ i³⁵ nʊŋ⁵¹ su̯ən⁵⁵/

/hɐm²¹ jiː²¹ lʊŋ²² syːn⁵⁵/

/xän³⁵ i³⁵ nʊŋ⁵¹ su̯ən⁵⁵/

/hɐm²¹ jiː²¹ lʊŋ²² syːn⁵⁵/

The Book of the Later Han, circa 5ᵗʰ century CE

Wú dàn dāng hányínòngsūn, bùnéng fù zhī zhèngshì.

吾但當含飴弄孫，不能復知政事。

吾但当含饴弄孙，不能复知政事。


執法犯法

ㄓˊ ㄈㄚˇ ㄈㄢˋ ㄈㄚˇ

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ fän⁵¹ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ fän⁵¹ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


vita natural durante

Literally, “natural life lasting”, or more loosely translated as “lasting for one's entire natural life”.

lit

L'università gli ha dotato un incarico permanente vita natural durante.

The university endowed him with lifetime tenure.


梨花帶雨

ㄌㄧˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄉㄞˋ ㄩˇ

/li³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/li³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Her jade countenance was sad, and crisscrossed with tears, like a pear blossom bathed in springtime rain.

806 CE, Bai Juyi, Song of Everlasting Regret

Yùróng jìmò lèi lángān, líhuā yī zhī chūn dài yǔ.

玉容寂寞泪闌干，梨花一枝春帶雨。

玉容寂寞泪阑干，梨花一枝春带雨。


to name a few

To provide just few examples, even though there are more.


เป็นต้นว่า

เป็น (bpen, “to be”) + ต้น (dtôn, “foremost”) + ว่า (wâa, “to say, mention”).


довлеет дневи злоба его

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довле́ет дне́ви зло́ба его́

довле́ет дне́ви зло́ба его́ • (dovléjet dnévi zlóba jevó)

довле́ет дне́ви зло́ба его́ (canonical)
dovléjet dnévi zlóba jevó (romanization)

Ru-довлеет дневи злоба его.ogg

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic довлѣетъ дневи ѕлоба егѡ (dovlějetŭ dnevi dzloba ego), from the Church Slavonic text of Matthew 6:34, corresponding to дово́льно для ка́ждого дня свое́й забо́ты (dovólʹno dlja káždovo dnja svojéj zabóty) in the Russian Synodal Bible and to sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof in the English King James Version.

bor+

довлѣетъ дневи ѕлоба егѡ

Их жизнь текла́ ве́село, шу́мно и приво́льно; без тяжёлых дум и душе́вных потрясе́ний, без гнету́щей мы́сли о за́втрашнем дне и изнуря́ющего труда́ и́з-за куска́ насу́щного хле́ба; держа́лись они́ му́дрого пра́вила ― «довле́ет дне́ви зло́ба его́», и загля́дывать вперёд не люби́ли.

1893, Е. А. Соловьев-Андреевич, Дмитрий Писарев. Его жизнь и литературная деятельность:

Their life flowed merrily, noisily, and without a care; without hard pondering or psychic shocks, without oppressive thoughts of tomorrow or exhausting labour for a piece of daily bread; they followed the wise rule, “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof,” and were not wont to look ahead.

Ix žiznʹ teklá véselo, šúmno i privólʹno; bez tjažólyx dum i dušévnyx potrjasénij, bez gnetúščej mýsli o závtrašnem dne i iznurjájuščevo trudá íz-za kuská nasúščnovo xléba; deržálisʹ oní múdrovo právila ― «dovléjet dnévi zlóba jevó», i zagljádyvatʹ vperjód ne ljubíli.

(biblical) sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof

King James Version
Russian Synodal Bible

en-довлеет_дневи_злоба_его-ru-phrase-wy3vzX1n


默默無聞

ㄇㄛˋ ㄇㄛˋ ㄨˊ ㄨㄣˊ

/mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ u³⁵ wən³⁵/

/mɐk̚² mɐk̚² mou̯²¹ mɐn²¹/

/mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ u³⁵ wən³⁵/

/mɐk̚² mɐk̚² mou̯²¹ mɐn²¹/


отто кэбис

Straightforward, but note also the discussion at Bashkir кәбән (kəbən, “haystack, hillock”).


the future is now

Advanced and cutting-edge technology is available nowadays.

Driscoll, Bryan (2019 January 23) “The Six-Step SEO Checklist You'll Need To Dominate 2019”, in Forbes: “You’ve heard it a million times by now: “Mobile is the future.” Well, guess what? The future is now. And if your website isn’t mobile friendly in 2019, you’re going to be at a serious disadvantage.”

An event or situation that was predicted has just occurred.


以次充好

ㄧˇ ㄘˋ ㄔㄨㄥ ㄏㄠˇ

/i²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

(Mainland China, law) to replace genuine products with substandard ones


行不苟合

ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄡˇ ㄏㄜˊ

/ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵/

/ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵/

[Zhu] Jian had a silver tongue. He was first known to be honest and upright, and assertive.

Jiàn wéirén kǒubiàn, chū míng liánzhí, xíngbùgǒuhé.

建爲人口辯，初名廉直，行不苟合。

建为人口辩，初名廉直，行不苟合。


vertaansa vailla

without equal, unparalleled, unmatched, unequaled, peerless


nuoruus menee hukkaan nuorissa

Calque of English youth is wasted on the young.

cal

youth is wasted on the young
youth is wasted on the young


avaimet käteen

[ˈɑ̝ʋɑ̝i̯me̞t̪ ˈk̟æt̪e̞ːn]

From avaimet (“keys”) + käteen (“into hand”).


尖嘴猴腮

ㄐㄧㄢ ㄗㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄡˊ ㄙㄞ

цзяньцзуйхоусай

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xoʊ̯³⁵ saɪ̯⁵⁵/


豆蔻年華

ㄉㄡˋ ㄎㄡˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄨㄚˊ

доукоуняньхуа

/toʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰoʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ xu̯ä³⁵/

/tɐu̯²² kʰɐu̯³³ niːn²¹ waː²¹/

/toʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰoʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ xu̯ä³⁵/

/tɐu̯²² kʰɐu̯³³ niːn²¹ waː²¹/

(figuratively) thirteen to fourteen years of age (of a girl); maidenhood


who died and gave you the reins

who died and made you boss
who died and made you boss#English

Alternative form of who died and made you boss


如飢似渴

ㄖㄨˊ ㄐㄧ ㄙˋ ㄎㄜˇ

/ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ sz̩⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jyː²¹ kei̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː¹³ hɔːt̚³/

/ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ sz̩⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jyː²¹ kei̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː¹³ hɔːt̚³/

as if thirsting or hungering for something; with great eagerness


甘之如飴

/kän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐu³⁵ i³⁵/

/kɐm⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jiː²¹/

/kän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐu³⁵ i³⁵/

/kɐm⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jiː²¹/


鹹吃蘿蔔淡操心

ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄔ ㄌㄨㄛˊ ˙ㄅㄛ ㄉㄢˋ ㄘㄠ ㄒㄧㄣ

сянь чи лобо дань цаосинь

/ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵ b̥u̯ɔ³ tän⁵¹ t͡sʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

poke one's nose into
poke one's nose into

to be meddlesome; to poke one's nose into others' business


鼎足而三

ㄉㄧㄥˇ ㄗㄨˊ ㄦˊ ㄙㄢ

динцзуэрсань

/tiŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ sän⁵⁵/

/tiŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ sän⁵⁵/

to have three sides (e.g. rivals) coexisting


顛鸞倒鳳

ㄉㄧㄢ ㄌㄨㄢˊ ㄉㄠˇ ㄈㄥˋ

дяньлуаньдаофэн

/ti̯ɛn⁵⁵ lu̯än³⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɤŋ⁵¹/

/tiːn⁵⁵ lyːn²¹ tou̯³⁵ fʊŋ²²/

/ti̯ɛn⁵⁵ lu̯än³⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɤŋ⁵¹/

/tiːn⁵⁵ lyːn²¹ tou̯³⁵ fʊŋ²²/


片言隻語

ㄆㄧㄢˋ ㄧㄢˊ ㄓ ㄩˇ

пяньяньчжиюй

/pʰi̯ɛn⁵¹ jɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pʰiːn³³ jiːn²¹ t͡sɛːk̚³ jyː¹³/

/pʰi̯ɛn⁵¹ jɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pʰiːn³³ jiːn²¹ t͡sɛːk̚³ jyː¹³/

隻言片語 隻言片語#Chinese

只言片语 只言片语#Chinese


死諸葛走生仲達

ㄙˇ ㄓㄨ ㄍㄜˊ ㄗㄡˇ ㄕㄥ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄚˊ

сы чжугэ цзоу шэн чжунда

/sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ kɤ³⁵ t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹ tä³⁵/

From Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions during the Three Kingdoms period. At his fifth expedition, Zhuge Liang, who served as the imperial chancellor of Shu Han, died. Shu Han's expedition force retreated without announcing Zhuge Liang's death. His opponent, Cao Wei general Sima Yi, was unaware of Zhuge Liang's death and suspected the sudden retreat as a plot, thus unable to pursue Shu Han forces.

to deter someone else using cheap, low-skill tricks by a clever person

Cao Wei
Shu Han
Sima Yi
Zhu Geliang
Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions


no ni na

From the actual Spanish words "no ni nada".

Yo no he dibujado eso en la pared ― ¡No ni ná, que te he visto!

I didn't draw that on the wall ― Don't lie, I saw you!

(Andalusia) a quick way of showing disbelief in regard to an action someone has negated or answering to an already negative question; yes, it was; yes, you did; actually yes


ta gueule c'est magique

(informal, roleplaying games) said when you don't want to explain poorly justified elements in fiction, especially fantasy or science-fiction


bỉ sắc tư phong

[ʔɓi˧˩ sak̚˧˦ tɨ˧˧ fawŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʔɓɪj˧˨ ʂak̚˦˧˥ tɨ˧˧ fawŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʔɓɪj˧˨ sak̚˦˧˥ tɨ˧˧ fɔŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓɪj˨˩˦ ʂak̚˦˥ tɨ˧˧ fawŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʔɓɪj˨˩˦ sak̚˦˥ tɨ˧˧ fawŋ͡m˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-bỉ sắc tư phong.wav

Sino-Vietnamese word from 彼 (“that”), 嗇 (“insufficient”), 斯 (“this”) and 豐 (“bountiful”).

vi-etym-sino

Anh ấy rất giỏi ngoại ngữ nhưng lại yếu môn toán, lạ gì bỉ sắc tư phong.

He is very good at foreign languages but bad at math, it's not strange that one cannot have it both ways.

𨔍(Lạ)之(gì)彼(bỉ)嗇(sắc)斯(tư)豊(phong)
𡗶(Trời)撑(xanh)涓(quen)貝(với)𦟐(má)紅(hồng)打(đánh)㭴(ghen)

1820, Nguyễn Du (阮攸), Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều)^(https://vi.wikisource.org/wiki/Truyện_Kiều_(bản_Liễu_Văn_Ðường_1866)), published 1866, lines 5–6:

It’s not strange that beauty may beget misery.
 The jealous gods tend to heap spites on rosy-cheeked beauties.

(who) is rich in this is poor in that; (figurative) one cannot have it both ways


à vous de voir

(informal) it's up to you, it's your call, it's your choice, you decide


trung quân ái quốc

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˧ kwən˧˧ ʔaːj˧˦ kuək̚˧˦]

[ʈʊwŋ͡m˧˧ kwəŋ˧˧ ʔaːj˨˩˦ kuək̚˦˧˥]

[ʈʊwŋ͡m˧˧ wəŋ˧˧ ʔaːj˦˥ wək̚˦˥]

2013, Nguyễn Đình An "Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, người con ưu tú của Hội An (Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Hội An's Outstanding Son)" Đà Nẵng Online
Tư tưởng chủ đạo của ông là trung quân ái quốc. Bản thân ông và ông biết trong tâm tưởng các đồng chí, đồng đội trong nghĩa hội của mình Hàm Nghi là một thần tượng.
His principal ideology was loyalty to the monarch and love for the country. He himself idolized Hàm Nghi and he knew that his comrades and fellow members of his association of rectitude did so too in their hearts and minds.

to be loyal to the monarch and love the country; loyalty to the monarch and love for the country


a poder ser

(fairly uncommon, regional) if possible, ideally


正人君子

ㄓㄥˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ

чжэнжэньцзюньцзы

/ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sɪŋ³³ jɐn²¹ kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sɪŋ³³ jɐn²¹ kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

[Cui] Yin was fond of incompetent people, but hated the upright and honest ones.

Yìn suǒ yuè zhě tàróng xià bèi, suǒ wù zhě zhèngrénjūnzǐ.

胤所悅者闒茸下輩，所惡者正人君子。

胤所悦者阘茸下辈，所恶者正人君子。

(formal, sometimes sarcastic) an upright and honest person


অগতির গতি

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অগতির গতি • (ôgôtir gôti)

(idiomatic) the only/last resort for the helpless person; the only way out


TSIA

(Internet slang) Initialism of title says it all.


once you go black

Clipping of once you go black, you never go back.

clipping

Is it true what they say about once you go black . . . .

2009, Carleen Brice, Children of the Waters: A Novel, page 78:

“What did I say about once you go black?” “Lila, if it was just sex I could understand...”

2014, Sam Leonard, Messenger from God: A Story of Fate and Faith, page 183:

He thought of the way she giggled when he told her, “You know what happens once you go black, don't you?”

2020, Angel Ayers, The Throwaways, page 15:

(informal) Once a person of another race has a sexual relationship with a black person, implying that they will not return to having sexual relationships with members of the former race.


come to find out

Come to find out, the company kept 2 sets of books.

1945, Walter Rogers, Elizabeth Rogers, John Donar: Common Man, page 89:

It's not listed anywhere. So, a phone call is made to Podunk – and come to find out, the airport is a grass field.

1974, Alan W. Garey, “Helicopter Operations at Civil Airports”, in Approach: The Naval Aviation Safety Review, page 25:

And come to find out, he don't think.

1989, Francis L. Gross, Searching for God, page 123:

Well, come to find out, these survival suits haven't been out of their sacks for years.

1997, Leslie Leyland Fields, The Entangling Net: Alaska's Commercial Fishing Women Tell Their Lives, page 119:

Well, come to find out they won and got married today on television, all expenses paid.

2009, Bobby Rose, Bama Sweetheart, page 293:


一語中的

ㄧ ㄩˇ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄧˋ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ jyː¹³ t͡sʊŋ³³ tɪk̚⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ jyː¹³ t͡sʊŋ³³ tɪk̚⁵/


神魂顛倒

ㄕㄣˊ ㄏㄨㄣˊ ㄉㄧㄢ ㄉㄠˇ

шэньхуньдяньдао

/ʂən³⁵ xu̯ən³⁵ ti̯ɛn⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn²¹ wɐn²¹ tiːn⁵⁵ tou̯³⁵/

/ʂən³⁵ xu̯ən³⁵ ti̯ɛn⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn²¹ wɐn²¹ tiːn⁵⁵ tou̯³⁵/

Young ladies fell in love with him, becoming so obsessed with him that they didn't think of their own families.

Feng Menglong, Stories to Awaken the World, 1627 CE

Xiǎo niángmen duō yǒu ài tā de, fèng dé shénhúndiāndǎo, lián jiā lǐ yě bù sīxiǎng.

小娘們多有愛他的，奉得神魂顛倒，連家裡也不思想。

小娘们多有爱他的，奉得神魂颠倒，连家里也不思想。

(sometimes derogatory) possessed; obsessed


you want a cookie

what do you want, a cookie?
what do you want, a cookie#English

Alternative form of what do you want, a cookie?


戎馬倥傯

ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄇㄚˇ ㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄗㄨㄥˇ

жунмакунцзун

/ʐʊŋ³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰʊŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


怪力亂神

ㄍㄨㄞˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄕㄣˊ

гуайлилуаньшэнь

/ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹ ʂən³⁵/

/kʷaːi̯³³ lɪk̚² lyːn²² sɐn²¹/

/kuai²¹⁻⁴¹ liɪk̚⁴⁻³² luan³³⁻²¹ sin²³/

/kuai¹¹⁻⁵³ liɪk̚⁴⁻³² luan³³⁻¹¹ sin²⁴/

/ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹ ʂən³⁵/

/kʷaːi̯³³ lɪk̚² lyːn²² sɐn²¹/

/kuai²¹⁻⁴¹ liɪk̚⁴⁻³² luan³³⁻²¹ sin²³/

/kuai¹¹⁻⁵³ liɪk̚⁴⁻³² luan³³⁻¹¹ sin²⁴/

The subjects on which the Master did not talk, were — extraordinary things, feats of strength, disorder, and spiritual beings.

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

子不語：怪、力、亂、神。

子不语：怪、力、乱、神。

(dated, literal) monstrousness, violence, rebellion and supernaturalism


乾手淨腳

/kɔːn⁵⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ t͡sɛːŋ²² kœːk̚³/

/kɔːn⁵⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ t͡sɛːŋ²² kœːk̚³/

(Cantonese) done well and neatly, without loose ends


TATA

Initialism of there are thousands of alternatives (a rebuttal of the political slogan TINA).


denial ain't a river in Egypt

denial is not a river in Egypt
denial is not a river in Egypt#English

Alternative form of denial is not a river in Egypt


乾淨俐落

ㄍㄢ ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄧˋ ˙ㄌㄨㄛ

ганьцзинлило

/kän⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹ lu̯ɔ¹/

/kɔːn⁵⁵ t͡sɛːŋ²² lei̯²² lɔːk̚²/

/kän⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹ lu̯ɔ¹/

/kɔːn⁵⁵ t͡sɛːŋ²² lei̯²² lɔːk̚²/


agama impor

Compound of agama (“religion”) + impor (“import(ed)”).

com

world religions: a particular way of thinking about religions which organizes them into a set of discrete traditions with a supposedly 'global' import.


hier spielt die Musik

this is where the buzz / action is happening (said to make someone aware that they should pay attention)


agama pendatang

Compound of agama (“religion”) + pendatang (“immigrant”).


agama rahmat

Compound of agama (“religion”) + rahmat (“grace”).


投石問路

to toss a stone to find out what's ahead

ㄊㄡˊ ㄕˊ ㄨㄣˋ ㄌㄨˋ

/tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ wən⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹/

/tʰɐu̯²¹ sɛːk̚² mɐn²² lou̯²²/

/tau²⁴⁻²² t͡sio(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ bun²²⁻²¹ lɔ²²/

/tau²⁴⁻²² t͡sio(ʔ)²⁴⁻² bun⁴¹⁻²² lɔ⁴¹/

/tau¹³⁻²² t͡sio(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ bun²²⁻²¹ lɔ²²/

/tau²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sio(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ bun³³⁻¹¹ lɔ³³/

/tau²³⁻³³ t͡siɤ(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ bun³³⁻²¹ lɔ³³/

/tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ wən⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹/

/tʰɐu̯²¹ sɛːk̚² mɐn²² lou̯²²/

/tau²⁴⁻²² t͡sio(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ bun²²⁻²¹ lɔ²²/

/tau²⁴⁻²² t͡sio(ʔ)²⁴⁻² bun⁴¹⁻²² lɔ⁴¹/

/tau¹³⁻²² t͡sio(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ bun²²⁻²¹ lɔ²²/

/tau²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sio(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ bun³³⁻¹¹ lɔ³³/

/tau²³⁻³³ t͡siɤ(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ bun³³⁻²¹ lɔ³³/


以其昏昏，使人昭昭

ㄧˇ ㄑㄧˊ ㄏㄨㄣ ㄏㄨㄣ

ㄕˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓㄠ ㄓㄠ

шижэньчжаочжао

šižɛnʹčžaočžao

/i²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ xu̯ən⁵⁵ xu̯ən⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

Mencius said,"Anciently, men of virtue and talents by means of their own enlightenment made others enlightened. Nowadays, it is tried, while they are themselves in darkness, and by means of that darkness, to make others enlightened."

Mèngzǐ yuē: “Xiánzhě yǐ qí zhāozhāo, shǐ rén zhāozhāo; jīn yǐqíhūnhūn, shǐrénzhāozhāo.”

孟子曰：「賢者以其昭昭，使人昭昭；今以其昏昏，使人昭昭。」

孟子曰：「贤者以其昭昭，使人昭昭；今以其昏昏，使人昭昭。」

(derogatory) to light the way for others despite being in darkness themselves


為反而反

ㄨㄟˋ ㄈㄢˇ ㄦˊ ㄈㄢˇ

вэйфаньэрфань

/weɪ̯⁵¹ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/wɐi̯²¹ faːn³⁵ jiː²¹ faːn³⁵/

/weɪ̯⁵¹ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/wɐi̯²¹ faːn³⁵ jiː²¹ faːn³⁵/

opposing for the sake of opposing; contrary


quomodo te habes

[ˈkʷoːmɔd̪ɔ t̪eː ˈhäbeːs̠]


agen pengelat

/ˈaɡɛn pəŋəˈlat̚/

Compound of agen + pengelat, calque of English chelating agent.

(chemistry) chelating agent: any compound that reacts with a metal ion to produce a chelate.


turas math dhut

bon voyage (informal, addressed to one person)

turas math dhuibh

formal and/or addressed to two or more people


qui va là

who goes there? (a sentry's challenge to an intruder)


aliansi penerbangan

Compound of aliansi + penerbangan, from calque of English airline alliance.

(transport, tourism) airline alliance: aviation industry arrangement between two or more airlines agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level.


一望而知

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɔːŋ²² jiː²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɔːŋ²² jiː²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵/


寂寂無聞

ㄐㄧˋ ㄐㄧˋ ㄨˊ ㄨㄣˊ

ㄐㄧˊ ㄐㄧˊ ㄨˊ ㄨㄣˊ

/t͡ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi⁵¹ u³⁵ wən³⁵/

/t͡ɕi³⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵ u³⁵ wən³⁵/

/t͡ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi⁵¹ u³⁵ wən³⁵/

/t͡ɕi³⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵ u³⁵ wən³⁵/

to be obscure; to be not little-known; to be not famed


salvo errore

Literally, “except error”, or more loosely translated as “unless there is an error”.

lit

unless there is an unintentional mistake; subject to correction; if I'm not mistaken


құлақ асу

head

құлақ асу • (qūlaq asu)

Құлақ ас сөзіме


及時行樂

ㄐㄧˊ ㄕˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄜˋ

/t͡ɕi³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ lɤ⁵¹/

/kʰɐp̚² siː²¹ hɐŋ²¹ lɔːk̚²/

/t͡ɕi³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ lɤ⁵¹/

/kʰɐp̚² siː²¹ hɐŋ²¹ lɔːk̚²/


因時制宜

/in⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ i³⁵/

/jɐn⁵⁵ siː²¹ t͡sɐi̯³³ jiː²¹/

/in⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ i³⁵/

/jɐn⁵⁵ siː²¹ t͡sɐi̯³³ jiː²¹/

to use methods appropriate to the current situation


look who the cat dragged in

look what the cat's dragged in
look what the cat's dragged in#English

Alternative form of look what the cat's dragged in


terima pesanan

Compound of terima (“to receive”) + pesanan (“order”).


gét gô

[ɣɛt̚˧˦ ɣo˧˧]

[ɣɛt̚˦˧˥ ɣow˧˧]

[ɣɛk̚˦˥ ɣow˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-gét gô.wav

From English let's go with regressive assimilation.

Thử thách 6 ngày 6 đêm nằm dưới sình lầy, gét gô!

Sleep in mud for 6 days and 6 nights challenge, let's go!


a szabadban

a (“the”) + szabad (“free, unrestricted”) + -ban (“in”, case suffix)

affix

(idiomatic) in the open, outside, outdoors, alfresco