心驚膽跳

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄉㄢˇ ㄊㄧㄠˋ

синьцзинданьтяо

/ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ tän²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/sɐm⁵⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ taːm³⁵ tʰiːu̯³³/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² kiã⁴⁴⁻²² tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau²¹/

/sim³³ kiã³³ tã⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tʰiau⁴¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² kiã⁴⁴⁻²² tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau²¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau¹¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ tã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau²¹/

/ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ tän²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/sɐm⁵⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ taːm³⁵ tʰiːu̯³³/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² kiã⁴⁴⁻²² tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau²¹/

/sim³³ kiã³³ tã⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tʰiau⁴¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻²² kiã⁴⁴⁻²² tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau²¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ tã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau¹¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³³ kiã⁴⁴⁻³³ tã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tʰiau²¹/


心高氣傲

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄍㄠ ㄑㄧˋ ㄠˋ

/ɕin⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/sɐm⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ hei̯³³ ŋou̯²²/

/ɕin⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/sɐm⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ hei̯³³ ŋou̯²²/


nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur

Latin, ”no one alleging his own turpitude is to be heard”.

...non potendosi dai Tribunali accogliere l'Istanze di coloro che allegano la violazione dei propri doveri come un mezzo di esimersi dal soddisfare alle contratte obbligazioni. Nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur.

1823, Supremo consiglio di giustizia, Tesoro del foro toscano, o sia, Raccolta delle decisioni del Supremo consiglio, volume 13 (in Italian), page 90:

Nunca a malicia aproveita a quem a emprega, e sempre o erro desfaz o que se fez com elle; ou, como dizem as leis romanas: «Nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur... Non videntur, qui errant, consentire» (a).

1866, Diogo Pereira Forjaz de Sampaio Pimentel, Livro segundo da parte primeira, tít. I-VIII, IX-XV (in Portuguese), page 387:

The operation of the principle that nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur has been considerably curtailed in the public interest, and the resulting doctrine of recrimination is said to have a fundamental moral value.

1958, Law in Eastern Europe, number 16 (in English), page 104:

Ako nije izričito drukčije određeno, vrijede opća načela: ex turpi causa non oritur actio; nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur; in pari turpitudine potior est conditio possidentis.

1969, Nikola Tintić, Radno i socijalno pravo: Radni odnosi (I) (in Serbo-Croatian and Latin), page 689:

III. Keine Aufnahme der gemeinrechtlichen Regel nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur in die Nichtigkeitslehre
Im österreichischen Recht basiert die Anerkennung der relativen Nichtigkeit unter anderem auf dem gemeinrechtlichen Proverbium nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur.

1998, Roland Michael Beckmann, Nichtigkeit und Personenschutz: Parteibezogene Einschränkung der Nichtigkeit von Rechtsgeschäften (in German), page 149:

In France the courts invoke the principle nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur and in England the principle is that ex turpi causa non oritur actio...

2010, Hugh Beale, Bénédicte Fauvarque-Cosson, Jacobien Rutgers, Contract Law: Ius Commune Casebooks for the Common Law of Europe (in English), page 1175:

The general fundamental principle of nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur will be specified not only under the Introductory Provisions, but also in re invalidity, with the stipulation that the entity incurring the cause of nullity in an imputable manner may not refer to the invalidity of the contract.

2005, Ildikó Basa, “Re-Codification of the Civil Code? Conception for Drafting the New Civil Code”, in Acta Juridica Hungarica (in English), page 86:

Zgodnie z zasadą nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur ten, kto zawinił zerwanie więzów rodzinnych, nie może ze swej niegodziwości wywodzić korzystnych dla siebie skutków.

2020, Grzegorz Wolak, “O wydziedziczeniu z powodu uporczywego niedopełniania obowiązków rodzinnych względem spadkodawcy”, in Studia Prawnicze KUL (in Polish):

According to the principle nemo turpitudinem suam allegans auditur, a person who is guilty of breaking family ties cannot derive any benefits for himself from his wickedness.

(law) No person may base an in rem right or legal claim against someone if the claimant has fulfilled the requirements for the acquisition of this right by an illegal act of his.


สุขสันต์วันเกิด

head

สุขสันต์วันเกิด

สุขสันต์วันเกิด

สุขสันต์ (sùk-sǎn, “happy”), from สุข (sùk, “joy”) + สันต์, + วันเกิด (wan-gə̀ət, “birthday”), from วัน (wan, “day”) + เกิด (gə̀ət, “to bear”).


pull the other one, it's got bells on

En-us-pull the other one, it's got bells on.oga

As an extension of the phrase pull someone's leg—now that you've pulled one leg, pull the other one.

Is he going to study integrals? Pull the other one, it's got bells on—he can't even do basic multiplication.

(UK, idiomatic, humorous) Expresses disbelief.

pull the other one, it's got brass bells on


excuse me

请阁讲一摆

pháiⁿ-sè, chhiáⁿ koh kóng chi̍t-pái / phái-sè, chhiáⁿ koh kóng chi̍t-pái

什物？

sím-mi̍h? / sím-mi? / sím-mih? / sīm-mi̍h? / sám-mi̍h?

(Canada, US) Said as a request to repeat information.

It was so hot I took off my clothes and sat by the window to cool off.
Excuse me?

(Canada, US) Said, as though as a request to repeat information, in order to indicate disbelief or indignation.

Excuse me? Anna? Is that you? — Oh, yes. I am here!
Audio (US): (file)

2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

Said as a request for an individual's attention.

Excuse me: can I get through please?

Oh, excuse me, I hadn't realized how late it was. I need to get home and make dinner.

(formal) Said as an expression of unexpected or early farewell.


誤人子弟

ㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄗˇ ㄉㄧˋ

/u⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵¹/

/ŋ̍²² jɐn²¹ t͡siː³⁵ tɐi̯²²/

/u⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵¹/

/ŋ̍²² jɐn²¹ t͡siː³⁵ tɐi̯²²/


一把鼻涕一把淚

ㄧ ㄅㄚˇ ㄅㄧˊ ㄊㄧˋ ㄧ ㄅㄚˇ ㄌㄟˋ

yībǎ bítì yībǎ lèi [Phonetic:yìbǎ bítì yìbǎ lèi]

иба бити иба лэй

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi³⁵ tʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pä²¹⁴⁻²¹ leɪ̯⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ paː³⁵ pei̯²² tʰɐi̯³³ jɐt̚⁵ paː³⁵ lɵy̯²²/


三振出局

ㄙㄢ ㄓㄣˋ ㄔㄨ ㄐㄩˊ

саньчжэнь чуцзюй

/sän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ t͡ɕy³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ t͡sɐn³³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ kʊk̚²/

/sän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ t͡ɕy³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ t͡sɐn³³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ kʊk̚²/

three-strikes and you're out law; three-strikes law


手心手背都是肉

Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh.

ㄕㄡˇ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄕㄡˇ ㄅㄟˋ ㄉㄡ ㄕˋ ㄖㄡˋ

шоусинь шоубэй доу ши жоу

/ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ peɪ̯⁵¹ toʊ̯⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐoʊ̯⁵¹/

/sɐu̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ puːi̯³³ tou̯⁵⁵ siː²² jʊk̚²/

cannot choose between one or the other because you are fond of both


parlez-vous anglais

do you speak English
do you speak English


屋漏更遭連夜雨

ㄨ ㄌㄡˋ ㄍㄥˋ ㄗㄠ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄝˋ ㄩˇ

у лоу гэн цзао лянье юй

/u⁵⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ kɤŋ⁵¹ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵⁵ li̯ɛn³⁵ jɛ⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Literally: The roof is leaking, and it has been raining night after night

describes when a string of unlucky events occur in rapid succession


GFY

go fuck yourself
go fuck yourself#English

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of go fuck yourself.

(Internet slang) Initialism of good for you (ironically).

(Internet slang) Initialism of gay for you.


不管三七二十一

do not care if three times seven equals 21

ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄨㄢˇ ㄙㄢ ㄑㄧ ㄦˋ ㄕˊ ㄧ

бугуань сань ци эршии

/pu⁵¹ ku̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ kuːn³⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ jiː²² sɐp̚² jɐt̚⁵/

/put̚² kon³¹ sam²⁴ t͡sʰit̚² ŋi⁵⁵ sɨp̚⁵ it̚²/

/put̚² kon³¹ sam²⁴ t͡sʰit̚² ŋi⁵⁵ sɨp̚⁵ (j)it̚²/

(colloquial) to cast all caution to the wind and act without thinking of the consequences


日出而作，日入而息

ㄖˋ ㄔㄨ ㄦˊ ㄗㄨㄛˋ

ㄖˋ ㄖㄨˋ ㄦˊ ㄒㄧ

ㄖˋ ㄖㄨˋ ㄦˊ ㄒㄧˊ

/ʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐu⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵/

/ʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐu⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ɕi³⁵/

jat⁹ tsoet⁷ ji⁴ dzok⁸, jat⁹ jap⁹ ji⁴ sik⁷

/jɐt̚² t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ jiː²¹ t͡sɔːk̚³ jɐt̚² jɐp̚² jiː²¹ sɪk̚⁵/

nyit tsyhwijH|tsyhwit nyi tsuH|tsaH|tsak nyit nyip nyi sik

up when the sun is out, resting when its dark (as in the days of old)


IITYWYBAD

The signs on cards, picked out with shining mica: Pies Like Mother Used to Make. Credit Makes Enemies, Let's Be Friends. Ladies May Smoke But Be Careful Where You Lay Your Butts. Eat Here and Keep Your Wife for a Pet. IITYWYBAD?

1939, John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, published 2014, page 160:

I saw a tank one day with the cabalistic letters "IITYWYBAD" on its side, and wondered if it were the name of some South Pacific Campaign or battleground; later I learned that it meant […]

1995, William J. Leonard, Where thousands fell, page 85:

Initialism of if I tell you, will you buy another drink?.


比手劃腳

ㄅㄧˇ ㄕㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄠˇ

ㄅㄧˇ ㄕㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄠˇ

бишоухуацзяо

/pi²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ä⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pei̯³⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ waːk̚² kœːk̚³/

/pei̯³⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ waːk̚² kœːk̚³/

比手畫腳 比手畫腳#Chinese

比手画脚 比手画脚#Chinese

Alternative form of 比手畫腳／比手画脚 (bǐshǒuhuàjiǎo)


जी नहीं

hi-phrase

जी नहीं • (jī nahī̃)

/d͡ʒiː nə.ɦĩː/

[d͡ʒiː‿nɐ.ɦĩː]


हाँ जी

हाँ जी • (hā̃ jī)

/ɦɑ̃ː d͡ʒiː/

[ɦä̃ː‿d͡ʒiː]

जी हाँ
जी हाँ#Hindi


जी हाँ

जी हाँ • (jī hā̃) (Urdu spelling جی ہاں)

/d͡ʒiː ɦɑ̃ː/

[d͡ʒiː‿ɦä̃ː]


il ne fallait pas

(idiomatic) you shouldn't have (said on receiving a gift)


you shouldn't have

Abbreviated from full sentence with verb, such as "you shouldn't have gone through all that trouble" or "you shouldn't have spent so much money".

What a lovely vase! You shouldn't have!

(idiomatic) Used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity, especially when receiving a gift.

你太客氣了

used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity


I don't understand

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-I don't understand.wav

Indicates that the speaker is not understanding the current subject or situation.

我𫧃晓听

góa bōe-hiáu thiaⁿ / góa bǒe-hiáu thiaⁿ / góa bē-hiáu thiaⁿ


雞同鴨講

ㄐㄧ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄧㄚ ㄐㄧㄤˇ

цзитунъяцзян

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵ jä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ aːp̚³ kɔːŋ³⁵/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵ jä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ aːp̚³ kɔːŋ³⁵/

mutually unintelligible; unable to understand one another; talking about two different things; getting one's wires crossed


and how

Did it create a disruption? And how!

It created a disruption, and how.

However, just as Wenger was preparing to introduce Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky, Van Persie struck - and how.

2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:

Liverpool have resembled a shadow of their real selves this season. The old guarantees, such as intensity and firepower, have been missing far too often.
They all returned here - and how - in the most spectacular manner as Manchester United, who have been undergoing a revival this season, were blown away by a team in full cry.

2023 March 5, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United”, in BBC Sport:

(idiomatic) Used to strongly confirm the preceding utterance.


以牙還牙

ㄧˇ ㄧㄚˊ ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄧㄚˊ

/i²¹⁴⁻²¹ jä³⁵ xu̯än³⁵ jä³⁵/

/jiː¹³ ŋaː²¹ waːn²¹ ŋaː²¹/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²⁴⁻²² huan²⁴⁻²² ɡe²⁴/

/i⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ɡe²⁴⁻²² huan²⁴⁻²² ɡe²⁴/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɡe¹³⁻²² huan¹³⁻²² ɡe¹³/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²⁴⁻¹¹ huan²⁴⁻¹¹ ɡe²⁴/

/i⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²³⁻³³ huan²³⁻³³ ɡe²³/

/i²¹⁴⁻²¹ jä³⁵ xu̯än³⁵ jä³⁵/

/jiː¹³ ŋaː²¹ waːn²¹ ŋaː²¹/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²⁴⁻²² huan²⁴⁻²² ɡe²⁴/

/i⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ɡe²⁴⁻²² huan²⁴⁻²² ɡe²⁴/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɡe¹³⁻²² huan¹³⁻²² ɡe¹³/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²⁴⁻¹¹ huan²⁴⁻¹¹ ɡe²⁴/

/i⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²³⁻³³ huan²³⁻³³ ɡe²³/

From the Chinese translation of the biblical phrase "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (以眼還眼，以牙還牙).


no biggie

It's no biggie. It should only take five minutes to make a new one.

My teeth are, like, too small / But no biggie / It's so awesome

1982, Frank Zappa, Moon Zappa (lyrics and music), “Valley Girl”, in Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch:

(idiomatic, colloquial) Not a big deal, not something to worry about.


且聽下回分解

ㄑㄧㄝˇ ㄊㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄈㄣ ㄐㄧㄝˇ

це тин сяхуэй фэньцзе

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰiŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ fən⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

In classical literature, a minor variant of this phrase (看 instead of 聽, which changes the meaning to “read” rather than “listen to”) was frequently employed as a literary device at the end of a chapter (回) in order to indicate to the user that there was more to the plot, and that the reader should continue on to the next chapter in order to find out what happened. The modified phrase later became popular during the days of radio broadcasts.

(said at the end of a radio-play broadcast) Tune in next time to hear the next installment of our story; stay tuned.


курам на смех

head

ку́рам на́ смех

ку́рам на́ смех • (kúram ná smex)

ку́рам на́ смех (canonical)
kúram ná smex (romanization)

Literally, “for chickens to laugh at”. Compare German da lachen ja die Hühner, an idiom with a similar meaning.

Э́то же ку́рам на́ смех!

That would be enough to make a cat laugh!

Рабо́та сде́лана ку́рам на́ смех.

(colloquial, disapproving) Something ridiculous, silly, or completely unsatisfactory.


بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ • (bi-smi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi)

بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (canonical)
bi-smi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi (romanization)

LL-Q13955_(ara)-Fenakhay-بسم_الله_الرحمن_الرحيم.wav

"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate"; basmala.

en-بسم_الله_الرحمن_الرحيم-ar-phrase-jRvqH6p9


через мой труп

че́рез мой труп

че́рез мой труп • (čérez moj trup)

че́рез мой труп (canonical)
čérez moj trup (romanization)


兄友弟恭

ㄒㄩㄥ ㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄧˋ ㄍㄨㄥ

/ɕi̯ʊŋ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/hɪŋ⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ tɐi̯²² kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/ɕi̯ʊŋ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/hɪŋ⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ tɐi̯²² kʊŋ⁵⁵/

to show love and respect as good brothers should


do you speak English

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-do you speak English.wav

Asks the interlocutor whether or not they are able to speak in the English language.

англыз бызшәа жәдыруама?

do you speak English? (English specifically)

sler angliysliylep kuučïndap turganar ba?

слер английслийлеп куучындап турганар ба?

bạn có nói được tiếng Anh không? (generic, replace bạn with other pronouns depending on the speakers' relationship, anh, chị, bà)

praat jy Afrikaans?

do you speak...? (fill with the name of the current foreign language)

你识唔识讲广东话？

nei⁵ sik¹ m⁴ sik¹ gong² gwong² dung¹ waa⁶⁻²

parles-tu français ? parlez-vous français

biasa kayong magsalitang kapampangan na?


出淤泥而不染

emerge from the mud without becoming soiled

ㄔㄨ ㄩ ㄋㄧˊ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄢˇ

чу юйни эр бу жань

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ y⁵⁵ ni³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ jyː⁵⁵ nɐi̯²¹ jiː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jiːm¹³/

to rise out of the ghetto and make something of oneself; to have been in bad surroundings without allowing oneself to be affected by them.


出口成章

ㄔㄨ ㄎㄡˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄤ

чукоучэнчжан

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

ㄔㄨ ㄎㄡˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄤㄦ

чукоучэнчжанр

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑ̃ɻ⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ hɐu̯³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ t͡sœːŋ⁵⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑ̃ɻ⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ hɐu̯³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ t͡sœːŋ⁵⁵/

words flow from the mouth as from the pen of a master; to speak eloquently


冬暖夏涼

ㄉㄨㄥ ㄋㄨㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄤˊ

дуннуаньсялян

/tʊŋ⁵⁵ nu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/tʊŋ⁵⁵ nyːn¹³ haː²² lœːŋ²¹/

/tʊŋ⁵⁵ nu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/tʊŋ⁵⁵ nyːn¹³ haː²² lœːŋ²¹/

warm in the winter and cool in the summer


quel âge as-tu

Coordinate term: (formal) quel âge avez-vous ?


kiom vi aĝas

LL-Q143 (epo)-Lepticed7-kiom vi aĝas.wav

how old are you? (Literally: "how much you are aged?")


何歳ですか

何歳ですか？ (canonical)
nansai desu ka? (romanization)


ESAD

(Internet slang, vulgar) eat shit and die


go figure

/ɡoʊ ˈfɪɡjɚ/

The car wouldn't start yesterday no matter what I did, but today it works just fine. Go figure.

Expresses perplexity, puzzlement, or surprise (as if telling somebody to try to make sense of the situation).


the fuck

Perhaps modelled after the hell, short for in the hell as in "What in the hell, ...".

да еба

vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns

So the man didn't like publicity; so the fuck what?

2010 January 28, Stephen Metcalf, “Salinger’s Genius”, in Slate, New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-21:

"Let me get you a glass!" she beams, then drags me to the adjacent room to see her press officer, hairdresser and makeup artist tucking into food and fizz. "Look at this!" she says, mock-appalled at the scene. "Seriously, what the fuck is this about?"

2011 April 29, Tim Jonze, quoting Cat Deeley, “Nerdy but nice”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-15:

Poland is depressing and there's vampires in Romania. Spain is far too hot and where the fuck is Lithuania?

2016 June 19, “Brexit” (14:33 from the start), in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 16, via HBO:

interrogative pronoun
interrogative pronoun#Noun

(vulgar, slang) Used with an interrogative pronoun as an intensifier to express anger, frustration, incredulity, or other strong emotion.

Shut the fuck up.

Calm the fuck down!

Back the fuck off!

Stay the fuck away from me!

Hurry the fuck up.

Let's get the fuck out.

“Get the fuck out of my house!” Sinclair bellowed, his face red, eyes bulging.

2004, Pun Plamondon, Lost from the Ottawa, page 84:

Ponytail tells fat boy, Drive the fuck off, get us out of here. He keeps the window down, still death-staring, You mine, motherfucker, wait and see, at Mickie.

2007, Ron Liebman, Death by Rodrigo, New York: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 134:

(vulgar, slang) Used after verbs forming a part of a phrasal verb as an intensifier to imply aggressive emphasis.

да го еба

vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb

The fuck did you come from? ― Where the fuck did you come from?

The fuck do you know all of this!? ― How the fuck do you know all of this?

The fuck was that? ― What the fuck was that?

The fuck you think you are?! ― Who the fuck do you think you are?

The fuck? ― (said incredulously; also as what the fuck?)

(vulgar, slang, by ellipsis) Used as a shortened form of the common interrogative phrases.

—Mom, I'm going out with my friends tonight. —The fuck you are!

Guess what i'm doing? I’m going to use fake blood to become a badass! The fuck you were!

Hey! I’m about leave the loud party in this building! The fuck it isn't.

‘You're not a self-respecting person.’
‘The fuck I ain't,’ the kid said.

1997, Robert Stone, Dog Soldiers, page 88:

(vulgar, slang) Used to emphatically express that something isn't true.

I'm feeling the fuck good today.

"Not really. It was okay. Fucking Natalie's cousin was down there thinking she was the fuck cute. That bitch came up! She met a fucking dude that play for the damn NFL," I said as I sat down.

2005, Daaimah S. Poole, What's Real, New York, N.Y.: Dafina Books, →ISBN, page 113:

Dudley [Althaus] taught me countless things about being a journalist. But the best advice was in three words: "Maybe I'm wrong." You get into a story. You think you have it figured out. But wait, "Maybe I'm the fuck wrong." Then you get deeper into it and discover things you had never thought of.

2016, Ioan Grillo, Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America, New York, N.Y. […]: Bloomsbury Press, →ISBN, page 349:

"You can come over whenever you want to. I just got my stuff settled in here. You gon have to mind the place cause I haven't put anything up yet. I stay in Dunwoody. Close to Perimeter," I threw in there, so she would know that I was living the fuck goodt.

2019, Tonya Williams, Give Them a Reason to Hate You Shawty: A Hood Love Story, Shan Presents, →ISBN, page 161:

rihanna ate kiss it better so tf bad

2023 August 4, @mainbitchclique, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-01-19:

(vulgar, slang, African-American Vernacular) Used to emphasize an adjective; fucking.

dafuq

said incredulous and used for less serious situations


must have killed a Chinaman

Referring to a putative, and otherwise unrecorded, Anglo-Australian superstition that killing a Chinese person brought about bad luck.

It appeared as though someone in the Battalion must have killed a Chinaman, as the weather continued rough and stormy, with strong wind.

1925, L. M. Newton, The Story of the Twelfth: A Record of the 12th Battalion, page 132:

(Australia, dated, now offensive) A jocular explanation for bad luck.


pleased to meet you

A polite formula used when being introduced to somebody.

ܬܦܵܩܬܵܐ ܦܨܝܼܚܬܵܐ

tpāqtā pṣīḥtā

真欢喜捌汝

chin hoaⁿ-hí pat lí / chin hoaⁿ-hí pat lír / chin hoaⁿ-hí pat lú

お初にお目にかかります

おはつにおめにかかります

お初にお目に掛かります

おはつにおめにかかります

rất vui được gặp bạn (generic, replace bạn with an appropriate pronoun)


SAG

(on a letter) Initialism of Saint Anthony guide.


半推半就

ㄅㄢˋ ㄊㄨㄟ ㄅㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄡˋ

баньтуйбаньцзю

/pän⁵¹ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

/puːn³³ tʰɵy̯⁵⁵ puːn³³ t͡sɐu̯²²/

/pan⁵³ t͡sʰuɪ⁴⁴⁻³⁵ pʰan⁵³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰiu⁵³/

/pän⁵¹ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

/puːn³³ tʰɵy̯⁵⁵ puːn³³ t͡sɐu̯²²/

/pan⁵³ t͡sʰuɪ⁴⁴⁻³⁵ pʰan⁵³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰiu⁵³/

to be half willing (at heart) and half unwilling (in appearance); to yield after making a show of resistance; to yield with a show of resistance


可遇而不可求

ㄎㄜˇ ㄩˋ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄑㄧㄡˊ

кэ юй эр букэ цю

/kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ y⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵/

可遇不可求 可遇不可求#Chinese

Alternative form of 可遇不可求 (kě yù bùkě qiú)


司馬昭之心

ㄙ ㄇㄚˇ ㄓㄠ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ

Сыма Чжао чжи синь

/sz̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/sz̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

Short for 司馬昭之心——路人皆知／司马昭之心——路人皆知 (Sīmǎ Zhāo zhī xīn, lùrén jiē zhī).

zh-etym-short

(even the people in the street know)Sima Zhao's heart

evil ambitions that are transparent to everyone


水漲船高

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄓㄤˇ ㄔㄨㄢˊ ㄍㄠ

шуйчжанчуаньгао

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än³⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/sɵy̯³⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ syːn²¹ kou̯⁵⁵/

/sɵy̯³⁵ t͡sœːŋ³³ syːn²¹ kou̯⁵⁵/

Zhu Ning states that considering how prices are formed, if the price of the raw material [eggs] grows, the prices of non-staple food made from eggs, such as mooncakes and cakes, must grow with it too.

黄俊毅 (2020 August 14) “供需结构变化助推鸡蛋价格走高 后市行情仍将偏暖”, in Economic Daily, page 6

Zhū Níng biǎoshì, cóng jiàgé xíngchéng jīzhì lái kàn, yuánliào jiàgé shàngzhàng, shìbì dǎozhì yǐ jīdàn wéi yuánliào de yuèbǐng, dàngāo děng fùshípǐn jiàgé shuǐzhàngchuángāo.

朱寧表示，從價格形成機制來看，原料價格上漲，勢必導致以雞蛋為原料的月餅、蛋糕等副食品價格水漲船高。

朱宁表示，从价格形成机制来看，原料价格上涨，势必导致以鸡蛋为原料的月饼、蛋糕等副食品价格水涨船高。


veel beterschap

get well soon (said when someone is ill, wishing a speedy recovery)


先禮後兵

ㄒㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ ㄏㄡˋ ㄅㄧㄥ

сяньлихоубин

/ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ xoʊ̯⁵¹ piŋ⁵⁵/

/siːn⁵⁵ lɐi̯¹³ hɐu̯²² pɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ xoʊ̯⁵¹ piŋ⁵⁵/

/siːn⁵⁵ lɐi̯¹³ hɐu̯²² pɪŋ⁵⁵/

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14ᵗʰ century CE

Guō Jiā jiàn yuē: “Liú Bèi yuǎn lái jiùyuán, xiānlǐhòubīng, zhǔgōng dāng yòng hǎoyán dá zhī, yǐ màn Bèi xīn.”

郭嘉諫曰：「劉備遠來救援，先禮後兵，主公當用好言答之，以慢備心。」

郭嘉谏曰：「刘备远来救援，先礼后兵，主公当用好言答之，以慢备心。」

to approach the situation politely before resorting to aggression


叫好又叫座

ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄏㄠˇ ㄧㄡˋ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ

цзяо хао ю цзяо цзо

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ joʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹/


叫苦連天

ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄎㄨˇ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄊㄧㄢ

цзяокуляньтянь

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/kiːu̯³³ fuː³⁵ liːn²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/kiːu̯³³ fuː³⁵ liːn²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

to be full of complaints; to complain to high heaven; to complain bitterly


只可意會，不可言傳

ㄓˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˋ ㄏㄨㄟˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧㄢˊ ㄔㄨㄢˊ

zhǐ kě yìhuì, bù kě yánchuán [Phonetic:zhíkěyìhuì,bùkěyánchuán]

чжи кэ ихуэй

бу кэ яньчуань

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än³⁵/

to be able to be perceived, but not expressed in words


四兩撥千斤

ㄙˋ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄅㄛ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄐㄧㄣ

сылянбоцяньцзинь

/sz̩⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/sei̯³³ lœːŋ¹³⁻³⁵ puːt̚² t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ kɐn⁵⁵/

a huge return for a very small investment; a big payoff for a small effort


叫好不叫座

ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄏㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ

jiào hǎo bù jiào zuò [Phonetic:jiào hǎo bú jiào zuò]

цзяо хао бу цзяо цзо

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹/

ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄏㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋㄦ

цзяохаобуцзяоцзор

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔɻ⁵¹/

/kiːu̯³³ hou̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ kiːu̯³³ t͡sɔː²²/

/kiːu̯³³ hou̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ kiːu̯³³ t͡sɔː²²/

describes a movie or play that receives critical acclaim but poor sales at the box office


dree one's weird

1846, He has meikle to answer for to you, Saunders, and I have mair; and to me he has

Michael Scott, The Cruise of the Midge (Franklin Library, p. 158)


叫天天不應，叫地地不靈

jiào tiān tiān bù yìng, jiào dì dì bù líng

ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄥˋ

ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄥˊ

jiào dì dì bù líng [Phonetic:jiào tiān tiān bú yìng

jiào tian tian bù yìng, jiào dì dì bù líng

chiao⁴ tʻien¹ tʻien¹ pu⁴ ying⁴, chiao⁴ ti⁴ ti⁴ pu⁴ ling²

jyàu tyān tyān bù yìng-, jyàu dì dì bù líng

jiaw tian tian bu yinq, jiaw dih dih bu ling

цзяо тянь тянь бу ин

цзяо ди ди бу лин

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ iŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ liŋ³⁵/

Literally: Cry out to the heavens, but the heavens don't respond. Cry out to the earth, but the earth is impervious.

to be up the creek without a paddle; to be without any aid


四平八穩

ㄙˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄚ ㄨㄣˇ

ㄙˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄚ ㄨㄣˇ

/sz̩⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ pä⁵⁵ wən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sz̩²¹³ pʰin²¹ pa²¹ uən⁵³/

/sz̩⁵⁵ pʰiŋ²⁴ pa²¹ uẽ⁵³/

/sei̯³³ pʰɪŋ²¹ paːt̚³ wɐn³⁵/

/sz̩⁵³⁻⁵⁵ pʰiaŋ¹¹ pat̚¹ ʋun³¹/

/sz̩⁴⁵ pʰĩŋ¹¹ paʔ² və̃ŋ⁵³/

/si²¹³⁻⁵⁵ piŋ⁵³⁽⁻²¹⁾ pɛiʔ²⁴⁻³⁵ yŋ³³/

/su²¹⁻⁵³ piɪŋ²⁴⁻²² pat̚³²⁻⁴ un⁵³/

/sz̩³³ bin⁵⁵ paʔ³³ uən²¹/

/sz̩³³ bin⁴⁴ paʔ³³ uən⁴⁴/

/sz̩⁴⁴ bin²³ paʔ⁴⁴ uən³⁴/

/sz̩⁵² bin³³ poʔ⁵⁵ uən⁵¹/

/sz̩⁴⁵ pin¹³ pa̠²⁴ u̯ən⁴¹/

/sz̩⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ pä⁵⁵ wən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sz̩²¹³ pʰin²¹ pa²¹ uən⁵³/

/sz̩⁵⁵ pʰiŋ²⁴ pa²¹ uẽ⁵³/

/sei̯³³ pʰɪŋ²¹ paːt̚³ wɐn³⁵/

/sz̩⁵³⁻⁵⁵ pʰiaŋ¹¹ pat̚¹ ʋun³¹/

/sz̩⁴⁵ pʰĩŋ¹¹ paʔ² və̃ŋ⁵³/

/si²¹³⁻⁵⁵ piŋ⁵³⁽⁻²¹⁾ pɛiʔ²⁴⁻³⁵ yŋ³³/

/su²¹⁻⁵³ piɪŋ²⁴⁻²² pat̚³²⁻⁴ un⁵³/

/sz̩³³ bin⁵⁵ paʔ³³ uən²¹/

/sz̩³³ bin⁴⁴ paʔ³³ uən⁴⁴/

/sz̩⁴⁴ bin²³ paʔ⁴⁴ uən³⁴/

/sz̩⁵² bin³³ poʔ⁵⁵ uən⁵¹/

/sz̩⁴⁵ pin¹³ pa̠²⁴ u̯ən⁴¹/

very stable and steady; completely stable and safe


post scriptum

fr-noun

post scriptum m (plural post scriptum or post scriptums)

post scriptum (plural)
post scriptums (plural)

Trop longues ! j’avais souri ; et par manière de riposte je me souviens lui avoir envoyé une lettre qui, à chaque page, semblait s’arrêter pour reprendre avec des post scriptums qui s’ajoutaient les uns aux autres sans qu’il y eût de raisons que cela finit.

1923, La Grande revue, volume 113, page 613:

Règle générale, les post scriptum ne font donc pas partie du testament.

1997, Éléments de common law et aperçu comparatif du droit civil québécois, Scarborough, Ont.: Carswell, →ISBN, page 543:


post scriptum

postscript, after text, literary afterthought (at the end of any text)


四面楚歌

ㄙˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄔㄨˇ ㄍㄜ

/sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ kɤ⁵⁵/

/sei̯³³ miːn²² t͡sʰɔː³⁵ kɔː⁵⁵/

/sz̩³³ mi⁴⁴ t͡sʰu⁴⁴ ku⁵³/

/sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ kɤ⁵⁵/

/sei̯³³ miːn²² t͡sʰɔː³⁵ kɔː⁵⁵/

/sz̩³³ mi⁴⁴ t͡sʰu⁴⁴ ku⁵³/

In reference to the Battle of Gaixia:
: During the Chu–Han Contention, Xiang Yu (項羽) found himself besieged in the city of Gaixia (垓下), by the coalition force of Han and the other kings. Jiujiang fell to Ying Bu and Liu Jia the preceding month, and most of the Kingdom of Chu was occupied by the Han army. When he heard the besieging troops singing songs in the Chu accent, Xiang Yu knew his kingdom had fallen.
The situation was also mentioned in Consort Yu's poem to her husband Xiang Yu after his suicide

The Han army has conquered our land, Surrounded with the singing of Chu. My lord's spirits are low, Why then should I live?

Correct Meaning of the Records of the Grand Historian, by Zhang Shoujie

Hàn bīng yǐ lüè dì, sìfāng chǔ gēshēng. Dàwáng yìqì jìn, jiànqiè hé liáoshēng.

漢兵已略地，四方楚歌聲。大王意氣盡，賤妾何聊生。

汉兵已略地，四方楚歌声。大王意气尽，贱妾何聊生。

surrounded on four sides by the songs ofChu

Floyd Landis, besieged on all sides, put up a final defense on August 7, local time. This was his first interview since his B urine sample revealed the presence of testosterone.

2006: Dongfang Zaobao staff, 四面楚歌最后辩护 兰迪斯：国际自联逼我上绝路 (Making a final defense while besieged on all sides --- Landis: UCI is leaving me with no options)

Dāngdì shíjiān 8 yuè 7 rì, sìmiànchǔgē de Lándísī wèi zìjǐ zuò chū le zuìhòu de biànhù. Zhè shì tā zài B píng niàoyàng chéng yángxìng jiéguǒ bèi pīlù hòu jiēshòu de dìyīcì cǎifǎng.

當地時間8月7日，四面楚歌的蘭迪斯為自己做出了最後的辯護。這是他在B瓶尿樣呈陽性結果被披露後接受的第一次採訪。

当地时间8月7日，四面楚歌的兰迪斯为自己做出了最后的辩护。这是他在B瓶尿样呈阳性结果被披露后接受的第一次采访。

facing hostility, difficulty, or frustration on all sides

Battle of Gaixia
Chu (state)
Chu–Han Contention#End_of_the_war
Consort Yu (Xiang Yu's wife)
Kingdom of Chu
Xiang Yu
zh:史記正義


Kyrie

From Ancient Greek vocative Κύριε (Kúrie) of Κύριος (Kúrios, “Lord”).


n'est-ce pas

Borrowed from French n’est-ce pas ? (“isn't it?”).

I know him well, we artists have the common touch, n'est-ce pas?

1935, Thomas Wolfe, Of Time and the River, page 763:

It is just a little quarrel of two most worthy women, n'est-ce pas

2003, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky, The Adolescent, translation of original by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, published 1875, page 527:

(chiefly humorous) Used to form tag questions.


n'est-ce pas

Bizarre, n’est-ce pas ?

Used as an expression of affirmation after a statement, often translated into English as a tag question.


c'est la vie

Incidentally, it is common to store Prolog code in files with a .pl suffix. It’s an indication of what the file contains (namely Prolog code) and with some Prolog implementations you don’t actually have to type in the .pl suffix when you consult a file. Nice — but there is a drawback. Files containing Perl scripts usually have a .pl suffix too, and nowadays there are a lot of Perl scripts in use, so this can cause confusion. C’est la vie.

2006, Patrick Blackburn · Johan Bos · Kristina Striegnitz, Learn Prolog Now!, §1.4

An expression of acceptance of misfortune in life; that's life; such is life; so it goes


c'est la vie

→ Danish: c'est la vie

→ English: c'est la vie

→ Finnish: c’est la vie

⇒ Venetian: ceste!


NAD

(medicine) Initialism of nothing abnormal discovered (or detected).


Kyrie eleison

Internationalism. From the Ecclesiastical Latin spelling of Ancient Greek Κύριε ελέησον (Kúrie eléēson).

der

Κύριε ελέησον

(Christianity) O Lord, have mercy (upon us)


Kyrie eleison

From the Ecclesiastical Latin spelling of Ancient Greek Κύριε ελέησον (Kúrie eléēson), with the same meaning.

Κύριε ελέησον


Kyrie eleison

From the Ecclesiastical Latin spelling of the Ancient Greek phrase Κύριε ελέησον (Kúrie eléēson), same meaning.

(Christianity) o Lord, have mercy! (upon us)


brb

(Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative letter-case form of BRB.


I'll be a monkey's uncle

/ˈɑːl bi ə ˈmʌŋkiz ˌʌŋkəl/

Uncertain; the term monkey’s uncle appears in 19th-century works and may allude to early ideas about what is now called the theory of evolution. The term may then have gained more currency after the widely publicized 1925 Scopes Trial in Tennessee, United States, in which a high-school teacher was found guilty of having violated a law prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in a state-funded school.

Well I’ll be a monkey's uncle! I would never have thought that tourists would go into space!

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Lem said. "I've heerd of rifles with transits on 'em, but I ain't ever seen one. Mind if I look at her?"

1943, Field and Stream, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34:

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle, I actually solved that one.

1970 February, Tech Engineering News, Cambridge, Mass.: Board of Directors of Tech Engineering News, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 35, column 3:

[...] I made as if to step inside—wham, bang, I'll be a monkey's uncle if he didn't slam the door in my face! What was I supposed to do now? It wasn't exactly a cheerful situation.

1987, Sholem Aleichem [pseudonym; Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich], “[The Railway Stories] The Happiest Man in All Kodny”, in Hillel Halkin, transl., Tevye the Dairyman and The Railway Stories (Library of Yiddish Classics), New York, N.Y.: Schocken Books, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Schocken Books, [2008?], →ISBN, page 149:

But I know I am better than that. I completed two and a half years at the M.J.C., and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I did it all just to be neglected in some backwoods, drafty, lo-tech, no-glory, never-been-remembered-for-all-the-great-things-I-do, dead end court wizard position.

2002, Steve Morrill, Michael Saldivar, Dan LaReaux, Michael LaReaux, “The Three Authors’ Tale II”, in The Three Authors’ Tales, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 40:

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle if it isn't my old pal, Captain Pete. I haven't seen you in years. Good to see you!

2008, Carla Hester, chapter 7, in The Adventures of Penelope Plum (Penelope Plum Mysteries), [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 46:

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. That's incredible and …" he was silent working it out, "and that means that I am actually the last of the McNaughtens and now live here in Weatherwood.["]

2014 October 20, Rosamond Carter, Weatherwood, Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, Hay House, →ISBN, page 252:

(idiomatic) Often preceded by well: expressing complete surprise or disbelief.

Michael Quinion
Scopes Trial
The Observer


how do you do

"How do you do?" began Pollyanna politely. "I'm from Miss Polly Harrington, and I'd like to see Mrs. Snow, please."

1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:

pleased to meet you
pleased to meet you#English

nice to meet you
nice to meet you#English

(formal) A greeting used upon being introduced to someone. Alternatives are how are you, pleased to meet you, and nice to meet you. (Sometimes used as a rhetorical question among familiar parties, depending on the region).

始めてお目にかかります

はじめておめにかかります


that's that

It is quite simple. You're grounded for a week and that's that!

They gave a little frightened cry and ran off as hard as they could. "So that's that," said I to myself, as I watched them scampering. I knew that I had better stay where I was.

1872, Samuel Butler, chapter 6, in Erewhon […] , London: Trübner & Co., →OCLC:

The jury is satisfied and the verdict is that you needn't fuss. So that's that, and let's talk about something else.

1908, F. Marion Crawford, chapter 17, in The Primadonna:

(idiomatic) There is nothing more to say or to do concerning the matter and is not up for discussion or debate.

и толкова

there is nothing more to say or to do concerning the matter


FYF

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fuck your feelings.


end of story

(colloquial) That is as much as I know, am prepared to reveal or am willing to say about the subject.

If you don't want to move back to the States, we won't. End of story.

2013, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight (motion picture), spoken by Jesse (Ethan Hawke):

“You doxx, you get suspended, end of story,” he said, and then abruptly left the call.

2022 December 16, Bernhard Warner, quoting Elon Musk, “Musk Faces Growing Anger Over Twitter Ban of Journalists”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(colloquial) That is the definitive fact; there can be no argument.


&c

(dated, rare outside titles) Alternative form of &c. / etc.


TWYM

(Internet slang) Initialism of that's what you mean.


no probs

[...] Adelaide, its vineyards, and beaches and a curious serenity. No probs, they’ll tell you all through Australia. No probs, she’ll be right. The dust in this happy-go-lucky land is not swept under the carpet, it just naturally collects there.

1979, Robert Morley, Sheridan Morley, Morley Marvels: Memoirs, Notes, and Essays of the Famed Actor, Raconteur, Collector, Hotel Guest and Man of Leisure, A. S. Barnes & Company, Incorporated, page 127:

No probs at all. Here—let me show you an idea I'm working on.

1992, David S. Mason, Shadow Over Babylon, Dutton, page 197:

If you are peaceful, chances are there'll be no probs—but ya never know. If you are practicing nonviolent civil disobedience and expect to be arrested.

2004, Sandra Choron, Harry Choron, College in a Can, Houghton Mifflin Books, page 83:


habtm

(databases) Acronym of has and belongs to many. A many-to-many relationship in a database.


если бы только

head

е́сли бы то́лько

е́сли бы то́лько • (jésli by tólʹko)

е́сли бы то́лько (canonical)
jésli by tólʹko (romanization)

[ˈjes⁽ʲ⁾lʲɪ‿bɨ ˈtolʲkə]

Е́сли бы то́лько у меня́ бы́ло мно́го де́нег!

Jésli by tólʹko u menjá býlo mnógo déneg!


Homer nods

Horace acknowledges that honeſt Homer''' nods ſometimes: He is not equally awake in every Line: […]

1677, John Dryden, “The Authors Apology for Heroique Poetry; and Poetique Licence”, in The State of Innocence, and Fall of Man: An Opera. Written in Heroique Verse, and Dedicated to Her Royal Highness, the Duchess, London: Printed by T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, at the Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange, →OCLC:

Thoſe are but Stratagems which Errors ſeem, / Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream.

1709, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, London: Printed for W. Lewis in Russell-street, Covent-Garden; and sold by W. Taylor at the Ship in Pater-Noster-Row, T. Osborn in Grays-Inn near the Walks, and J. Graves in St. James's-Street, published 1711, →OCLC, page 12:

He [de Vigneul-Marvin] knows that Homer''' nods sometimes, and that Faults are found in the beſt writers. He is an Author himself, and conſequently may commit an Over-ſight as well as Pindar, Virgil, Horace, and all the moſt celebrated Ancient and Modern Authors.

1713, [Jean] de la Bruyere, N[icholas] Rowe, “Of M. de la Bruyere’s Book, entitul’d, The Characters: Or the Manners of the Present Age”, in The Works of Monsieur De La Bruyere. In Two Volumes. Containing, I. The Moral Characters of Theophrastus. II. The Characters, or, The Manners of the Present Age. III. M. Bruyeres Speech upon His Admission into the French Academy. IV. An Account of the Life and Writings of M. Bruyere. By Monsieur Coste. … Revis’d by the Paris Edition: With an Original Chapter, Of the Manner of Living with Great Men: Written after the Method of M. Bruyere, by N. Rowe, Esq., 6th edition, volume I, London: Printed for E[dmund] Curll, at the Dial and Bible, and J. Pemberton, at the Buck and Sun; both against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet, →OCLC, page 102:

And Homer nods: The Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles played in this year's NFC championship, not NFL championship as we said in a Friday follow-up (since corrected).

2009 April 27, James Taranto, “When Pigs Flu: But … but … Mexico has Socialized Medicine!”, in The Wall Street Journal, archived from the original on 2016-03-22:

Alternative form of even Homer nods (“not even the most vigilant and expert are immune to error”).


SMT

Send Me There, implying that one wishes to be sent to a place where one may possess or experience something.


и т. д.

Abbreviation of и так да́лее (i tak dáleje).

abbrev

и так да́лее


и т.д.

и так да́лее


仕方がない

仕方がない (canonical)
shikata ga nai (romanization)

Phrase composed of 仕方がない (shikata ga nai, literally “there is no way”).

it can't be helped, nothing can be done about it, have no choice, c'est la vie, it is what it is

it cannot be borne, one cannot help but (+ verb)


horses for courses

/ˈhɔɹsəz fɚ ˈkɔɹsəz/

An allusion to the fact that a racehorse performs best on a racecourse to which it is specifically suited.

Not long ago, a group of Thames-side penthouses went up for sale with giveaway Ducati motorbikes worth £13,000 apiece. […] "In many cases giveaways are horses for courses, the inducements matching the styles of properties being marketed," he [David Hollingworth of London and Country Mortgages] adds.

2003 May 14, Christopher Browne, “Bonanza time for home buyers”, in The Independent, London, archived from the original on 2017-11-21:

Far be it from me to judge what anyone else finds attractive – each to their own, horses for courses, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and any number of similar well-meaning platitudes – but no one's going to start arguing forcefully that Mick [Hucknall]'s ever been 'classically handsome'.

2014 November 10, Helen Coffey, “What does Mick Hucknall have that other men lack?”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 2015-03-11:

Emailed greeting cards and digital photos may be more acceptable now, but are not a substitute for the post on every occasion. "People will still want to pour their heart out in letter or want that special photo of a grandchild. It's horses for courses," he [Alki Manias of NetValue] said.

2002 March 13, Sarah Left, “Email beats snail mail for residential use”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 2016-03-05:

However intense music becomes, there's always a limit to how far it can go. And that limit is marked out by its genre or style. […] It's an age-old rule, this insistence on "horses for courses", but in the modern era many musicians have become impatient with it. They dream of a music that knows no limits, which can do everything, all at once.

2013 January 12, Ivan Hewett, “John Zorn: Master of all styles and none”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 2016-03-15:

We must note, too, the good position (third) gained by Esmond as an undeniable instance of the "horses for courses" theory, for Esmond won the Peverill of the Peek Plate on this course two years in succession—1892–3.

1894 December, Baily’s Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume 62, London: Baily Brothers, →OCLC, page 417:

Almost immediately he went on to press for stricter standardisation in the future, saying that "horses for courses" was a luxury B.R. could not afford and that manufacturers must expect more detailed specifications from railway engineers in the future.

1961 July, “Editorial: Sir Brian begs the questions”, in Trains Illustrated, page 385:

(chiefly British, idiomatic) Different people are suited for different jobs or situations; what is fitting in one case may not be fitting in another.

適材適所 class yojijukugo

different people are suited for different jobs or situations


срећан рођендан

head

срећан рођендан (Roman spelling srećan rođendan)


srećan rođendan

срећан рођендан

srećan rođendan (Cyrillic spelling срећан рођендан)

срећан рођендан (Cyrillic)


QFT

(Internet slang) Initialism of quoted for truth (used after repeating the text of a previous post one agrees with)


IJS

(Internet slang) Initialism of I'm just saying: indicates that the accompanying statement is merely a helpful comment of some kind, and not intended to be the last word on the topic.


sretan rođendan

сретан рођендан

sretan rođendan (Cyrillic spelling сретан рођендан)

сретан рођендан (Cyrillic)


IKIWISI

information overload situations; user differences of opinion on preferred displays or interaction styles; or a number of users saying such things as, "I can't really tell you what I need, but I'll know it when I see it (IKIWISI)."

1989, Software risk management, page 125:

Another sort of prototype helps in the situation where you are not even sure what behaviour you want - the ikiwisi' syndrome (I'll know it when I see it). This is the sort of prototype that is built for evaluating user interfaces. Prototyping is therefore experimentation designed to yield information for the development process

1990, Strategies for software engineering: the management of risk and quality:

customers or users do not always know what they want or what they need. Before the arrival of the microcomputer, for example, very few customers would have been capable of expressing their need for a microcomputer. The needs and segments covered only appear clearly once the product or service is on the market - this is known as the 'ikiwisi' syndrome (I'll know it when I see it). But what are the needs of the customer?

1991, Managing Quality Dynamics, page 26:

Users also often find it difficult to define what they want in abstract or verbal terms independent of some working system : I'll know it when I see it' (IKIWISI). A prototype provides a means for users to say more precisely what they do or do not want. The general idea, then, is to construct a series of prototypes, to allow prospective users to examine each one, and say what changes they want in the next one.

1991, Towards a Theory of Cognition and Computing, page 175:

An acronym has been coined in this industry to express the "I'll know it when I see it" phenomena: IKIWISI.

1995, Electronic Document Management Systems: A Portable Consultant:

One of the fundamental difficulties of creating computer systems is the IKIWISI principle. I find it hard to envisage what it is I want, but I am sure that I'll know it when I see it. This principle describes the behaviour of users, who find it far easier to assess a working model than to review a technical document

1997 Design, Specification and Verification of Interactive Systems ’97: Proceedings of the Eurographics Workshop in Granada, Spain, June 4–6, 1997 (2012 reprint)


that's what's up

I choose this particular terminology because of the frequency with which I heard it used either in describing a person (“she knows what's up”) or as a statement of approval in response to a particular thought or idea that was introduced (“that's what's up”)

2009, Anthony Kwame Harrison, Hip Hop Underground: The Integrity and Ethics of Racial Identification, page 112:

“Dog, I told you the nigga Turtle said he'll be here 'round 6:30. It's only six o'clock, so if the nigga don't show in thirty minutes, we'll just bounce and do the shit ourselves,” Flick said.
“All right, that's what's up,” Pokey said, taking a seat on the bleachers, watching the basketball game.

2013, Tyler Gore, G.A.B.O.S.: Game Ain't Based on Sympathy, page 106:

(slang) Used to express acquiescence or concurrence; true; indeed.

(slang) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see that's, what's up.


AFAICT

(Internet slang) Initialism of as far as I can tell.


feliz cumpleaños

happy birthday (good wishes for a birthday)


esto es chino para mí

it's all Greek to me
it's all Greek to me

(idiomatic) it's all Greek to me; I don't understand any of this


it's Greek to me

it's all Greek to me
it's all Greek to me#English

Alternative form of it's all Greek to me


&c.

A use of the ligature & to stand for the et in etc. Compare & cetera.

1612, George Wither, Epithalamia, Or Nuptiall Poems Upon the Most Blessed and Happie Mariage Betweene the High and Mightie Prince Frederick the Fifth, Count Palatine of the Rhein, &c., and Princesse Elizabeth, Sole Daughter to Iames, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland:

1739, W. (William) Webster, Remarks on The Divine Legation of Moses, &c. in Several Letters - If I had not done amongst them the Works that no other Man did, they had not had Sin, &c. John 15:24

Let us conceive, then, of an Algebra in which the symbols x, y, z, &c. admit indifferently of the values 0 and 1, and of these values alone.

1854, George Boole, “Signs and their Laws”, in An Investigation of the Laws of Thought, on which are Founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities, London: Walton and Maberly, page 37:

1902, William Paton Buchan, Plumbing: A Text-book to the Practice of the Art Or Craft of the Plumber - Where a Geyser or hot-water heater is used it is a good and wise precaution to see that the bath-room, &c., when it is used is well ventilated.

1977, K. P. Punnoose, Bookdealers in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka &c.

(archaic) Alternative form of etc.: …and so on, …and other things.


左鄰右舍

ㄗㄨㄛˇ ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄧㄡˋ ㄕㄜˋ

/t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ lin³⁵ joʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤ⁵¹/

/t͡sɔː³⁵ lɵn²¹ jɐu̯²² sɛː³³/

/t͡sɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lin²³⁻³³ iu³³⁻²¹ sia²¹/

/t͡so⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴⁻¹¹ iu³³⁻¹¹ sia¹¹/

/t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ lin³⁵ joʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤ⁵¹/

/t͡sɔː³⁵ lɵn²¹ jɐu̯²² sɛː³³/

/t͡sɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lin²³⁻³³ iu³³⁻²¹ sia²¹/

/t͡so⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴⁻¹¹ iu³³⁻¹¹ sia¹¹/


SUH

Initialism of skrattar ut högt; LOL (laughing out loud)


ipsissima verba

From Latin ipsissima verba (“the very words”).

der

"The record in the magistrate's court does not purport to reproduce the ipsissima verba of the witness; it does not give questions and answers in the exact words in which the question was put and the answer made; it, at best, gives no more than a summary...."

1941, Engelbrecht v Nieuwoudt | CPD 54 at 55:

The actual words (spoken or transcribed).


noblesse oblige

Literally, “nobility obliges”. See noblesse and obliger.

noble or more generally high-ranked people have honourable obligations towards lower-ranked or less fortunate ones, and should behave nobly towards them


noblesse oblige

Unadapted borrowing from French noblesse oblige (literally “nobility obliges”), primarily used as a phrase.

ubor

noble or more generally high-ranked people have honourable/honorable obligations towards lower-ranked or less fortunate ones, and should behave nobly towards them


par delictum

From Latin in pari delicto potior est conditio defendentis (“if both (parties) are in the wrong, a defence is set up”).

uder

The 'clean hands doctrine', derived from English law, is similar in effect to the Roman law maxim in pari delicto potior est conditio defendentis, which operated as an absolute bar to the grant of relief to the plaintiff. The par delictum rule is concerned with the moral guilt of contracting parties, not their criminal liability.

(law) The par delictum rule prescribes that a party should not obtain satisfaction from a court of law with where his own conduct is wrongful.


and all

He ate the whole fish, bones and all.

Now proper French tradition requires that when you eat the ortolan, you drape a napkin over your head and consume the bird in one bite, beak, bones and all.

1995 August 21, “Pros and Cons of the Balanced Budget Amendment”, in Ind_Limbaugh:

The facts of the accident, however, are too ambiguous to reek of malice or recklessness. And the drivers involved, flaws and all, are hardly demons.

1998 May 15, Barry Bearak, “Hailing Danger; Behind the Wheel: Long Hours and Hard Feelings”, in New York Times:

We had six large trees ripped from the ground, roots and all. A firefighter told me that the wind hit 110 mph in West U.

2008 September 16, Ken Hoffman, “An oak tree is no longer mighty”, in Houston Chronicle, page STAR 1:

(idiomatic) Including every object, attribute, or process associated with preceding item or series of items.

kaikkineen

idiomatic: including every item associated with preceding item or items

What with you saying he was sick and all, I figured neither of you were coming.

(idiomatic, informal) Used to suggest certain unstated relevant implications or what has been stated.

ynnä muuta

idiomatic: used to suggest certain unstated relevant implications or what has been stated

He starts yelling and we come running to help, but a fat load of thanks we get and all!

(Northern England, Scotland) Used to add emphasis.

I'll have some of the red ones, some green ones, and them yellow ones and all.

“You leave my son alone!”
The woman turned her head slowly towards him. When her eyes met his, she said, “Gilbert, you are forgetting something. Frank is my son and all.”

2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

(British, informal) As well; in addition.


curator bonis

A curator appointed to look after the affairs of a person who is under some form of legal disability.


not much of anything

1971, Carol King, “So far away”, Tapestry, Ode Records
One more song about movin’ along the highway / Can’t say much of anything that's new.


can you tell us

Can you tell us how you will motivate your students to learn?

Begins a polite request; used on behalf of more than one speaker.


opinio juris sive necessitatis

Latin, opinio iuris sive necessitatis, "opinion of law or necessity"

The principle of international law where states believe or accept that a practice exists and must be followed because of a rule of law requiring it, to the extent that it becomes part of the body of norms known as international Customary Law.


façon de parler

Literally, “way of speaking”, “manner of speech”.

in a manner of speaking
in a manner of speaking

(informal) so to speak, in a manner of speaking, if one can call it that, if one can put it that way


do you know

汝知无？

lí chai bô? / lír chai bô? / lú chai bô?

汝知影无？

lí chai-iáⁿ bô? / lír chai-iáⁿ bô? / lú chai-iáⁿ bô?


I'd like to know

I'd like to know more about the graduate admissions process.

我欲知影

góa beh chai-iáⁿ / góa berh chai-iáⁿ / góa boeh chai-iáⁿ

我欲知

góa beh chai / góa berh chai / góa boeh chai


ks

Initialism of kaj simile (“and similarly”).

Initialism of kaj similaj (“and similar”).


so much for

For years, Volkswagen cars were designed to cheat on emissions tests. So much for "German engineering".

Well, I guess it'll never work. So much for that idea.

(idiomatic) An expression of dismissiveness, disappointment, disregard, or resignation; something said upon rejecting, giving up on, quitting, or disposing of something.

allà va

an expression of dismissiveness or resignation


вход воспрещён

head

вхо́д воспрещён

вхо́д воспрещён • (vxód vospreščón)

вхо́д воспрещён (canonical)
vxód vospreščón (romanization)


I want to know

Could you please tell me where to catch the bus? / Well, where are you going? What do you really want to know?

I want to know the directions to the bus station.

I want to know how to get to the bus station.

I want to know where the M-5 bus stops.


посторонним вход воспрещён

посторо́нним вход воспрещён

посторо́нним вход воспрещён • (postorónnim vxod vospreščón)

посторо́нним вход воспрещён (canonical)
postorónnim vxod vospreščón (romanization)

no admittance; authorized personnel only

en-посторонним_вход_воспрещён-ru-phrase-~RZNA~FS


no diggity

Compare African American Vernacular English dig, diggety.

I like the way you work it / No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up

1996, “No Diggity”, performed by Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre:

“I think we’re the only ones singing an original song,” I whisper in Galleria’s ear. ¶ She pokes me in the stomach and says, “No diggity, no doubt!”

2015, Deborah Gregory, Hey, Ho, Hollywood! The Cheetah Girls, Book 4, page 53:


打草驚蛇

ㄉㄚˇ ㄘㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄕㄜˊ

/tä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʂɤ³⁵/

/taː³⁵ t͡sʰou̯³⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ sɛː²¹/

/tä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʂɤ³⁵/

/taː³⁵ t͡sʰou̯³⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ sɛː²¹/

to give away your position through rash actions; to alert someone of your presence unwittingly


打落牙齒和血吞

ㄉㄚˇ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄧㄚˊ ㄔˇ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄝˇ ㄊㄨㄣ

ㄉㄚˇ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄧㄚˊ ㄔˇ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄩㄝˇ ㄊㄨㄣ

дало ячи хо се тунь

/tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ jä³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰu̯ən⁵⁵/

дало ячи хо сюэ тунь

/tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ jä³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰu̯ən⁵⁵/

Literally: knock out (the) teeth (and) mix (with) blood (, then) swallow (both teeth and blood mixed together)

to silently endure all manner of insults and abuse


打破砂鍋問到底

ㄉㄚˇ ㄆㄛˋ ㄕㄚ ㄍㄨㄛ ㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄉㄧˇ

дапо шаго вэнь даоди

/tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʂä⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵⁵ wən⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

A pun based on the homophony of 璺 (wèn, “crack”) and 問／问 (wèn, “to ask”).

打破砂锅问到底
打破沙鍋問到底
打破砂鍋璺到底
打破沙鍋璺到底

to break the clay pot and ask (crack) to the bottom

get to the bottom of
get to the bottom of

to keep asking questions to get to the bottom of something


ври больше

ври бо́льше • (vri bólʹše)

ври бо́льше (canonical)
vri bólʹše (romanization)

tell it to the marines
tell it to the marines

tell it to Sweeney; tell it to the marines


расскажи это своей бабушке

расскажи́ э́то свое́й ба́бушке

расскажи́ э́то свое́й ба́бушке • (rasskaží éto svojéj bábuške)

расскажи́ э́то свое́й ба́бушке (canonical)
rasskaží éto svojéj bábuške (romanization)

tell it to Sweeney, tell it to the marines

en-расскажи_это_своей_бабушке-ru-phrase-MipeiDZJ


tell it to Sweeney

"Tell it to Sweeney! (The Stuyvesants will understand.)” was an advertisement for the New York (NY) Daily News, first appearing in August 1922. The Daily News positioned itself as the newspaper of the average working man—such as the Irish “Sweeney.” The name “Stuyvesant” was used to represent blue bloods. Thus, if you advertise in the Daily News and reach the Sweeneys of New York City, the Stuyvesants will also get the message.

(idiomatic, dated, colloquial) I do not believe what you said.


расскажи это кому-нибудь другому

расскажи́ э́то кому́-нибудь друго́му

расскажи́ э́то кому́-нибудь друго́му • (rasskaží éto komú-nibudʹ drugómu)

расскажи́ э́то кому́-нибудь друго́му (canonical)
rasskaží éto komú-nibudʹ drugómu (romanization)

[rəskɐˈʐɨ ˈɛtə kɐˈmu‿nʲɪbʊdʲ drʊˈɡomʊ]

en-расскажи_это_кому-нибудь_другому-ru-phrase-yit4TYRT


打成一片

ㄉㄚˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄧ ㄆㄧㄢˋ

dǎ chéng yīpiàn [Phonetic:dǎ chéng yípiàn]

да чэн ипянь

/tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pʰi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/taː³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ jɐt̚⁵ pʰiːn³³/

/tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pʰi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/taː³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ jɐt̚⁵ pʰiːn³³/

We hope that they will continue to make progress and that in the course of work and study they will gradually acquire the communist world outlook, grasp Marxism-Leninism and become integrated with the workers and peasants. We hope they will not stop halfway, or, what is worse, slide back, for there will be no future for them in going backwards.

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

Wǒmen xīwàng wǒguó de zhīshi fènzǐ jìxù qiánjìn, zài zìjǐ de gōngzuò hé xuéxí de guòchéng zhōng, zhúbù de shùlì gòngchǎn zhǔyì de shìjièguān, zhúbù de xuéhǎo Mǎkèsī-Lièníng zhǔyì, zhúbù de tóng gōngrén nóngmín dǎchéngyīpiàn, ér bùyào zhōngtú tíngdùn, gèng bùyào xiànghòu dàotuì, dàotuì shì méiyǒu chūlù de.

我們希望我國的知識分子繼續前進，在自己的工作和學習的過程中，逐步地樹立共產主義的世界觀，逐步地學好馬克思列寧主義，逐步地同工人農民打成一片，而不要中途停頓，更不要向後倒退，倒退是沒有出路的。

我们希望我国的知识分子继续前进，在自己的工作和学习的过程中，逐步地树立共产主义的世界观，逐步地学好马克思列宁主义，逐步地同工人农民打成一片，而不要中途停顿，更不要向后倒退，倒退是没有出路的。

to become one with; to become a harmonious whole


exceptio non numeratae pecuniae

Latin phrase.
exceptio (“an exception”) + non (“not (having)”) + numero - atis ("to count") + pecunia (“money”).

In my opinion a defendant in an action for provisional sentence on a mortgage bond who has renounced the benefit of the exceptio non numeratae pecuniae is not debarred either in the provisional case or in the principal case from raising the defence that he did not receive the money in respect of which he had acknowledged his indebtedness. The benefit of the exception is to enable a defendant to place upon the plaintiff the onus of proving that the money was paid; by renouncing the benefit, the defendant takes the onus of proof upon himself.

COHEN v LOUIS BLUMBERG (PTY), LTD AND ANOTHER 1949 (2) SA 849 (W)

(law) An exception whereby a defendant can claim that the plaintiff has not paid the money to him and that therefore the obligation is not owing.


生米煮成熟飯

ㄕㄥ ㄇㄧˇ ㄓㄨˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄕㄨˊ ㄈㄢˋ

ㄕㄥ ㄇㄧˇ ㄓㄨˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄕㄡˊ ㄈㄢˋ

shēngmǐ zhǔchéng shúfàn [Phonetic:shēngmízhǔchéngshúfàn]

шэнми чжучэн шуфань

/ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ mi²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʂu³⁵ fän⁵¹/

shēngmǐ zhǔchéng shóufàn [Phonetic:shēngmízhǔchéngshóufàn]

шэнми чжучэн шоуфань

/ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ mi²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʂoʊ̯³⁵ fän⁵¹/

/saːŋ⁵⁵ mɐi̯¹³ t͡syː³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ sʊk̚² faːn²²/

What's done is done. You should bravely face reality, and think of a solution.

Zhè jiàn shì yǐjīng shēngmǐ zhǔchéng shúfàn le, nǐ yīnggāi yǒnggǎn de miànduì xiànshí, sīliáng jiějué zhī dào.

這件事已經生米煮成熟飯了，你應該勇敢地面對現實，思量解決之道。

这件事已经生米煮成熟饭了，你应该勇敢地面对现实，思量解决之道。

there is no turning back; what's done is done; you can't turn back the clock


tell it to the marines

Unknown, with many apocryphal suggestions.

William. No palaver! tell it to the marines. What, tacking and double tacking! Come to what you want to say at once.

I don’t believe the story you have been telling me, either, and think it far more likely that you are hiding from justice on account of some devil’s work you have been engaged in. Bah! Tell your story to the marines!

1868 February, Caroline M. Sawyer, “The Jester of Durano; Or, The Times of Old”, in The Ladies’ Repository, a Universalist Monthly Magazine for the Home Circle, volume XXXIX, Boston, Mass.: The Universalist Publishing House, page 128:

(idiomatic, colloquial) I do not believe what you said.


are your ears burning

Are your ears burning? We were just talking about you.

(idiomatic, colloquial, rhetorical question) Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

no et xiulaven les orelles?

asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion

호랑이도 제말하면 온다

the tiger comes after the speech about him


目不暇給

ㄇㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄚˊ ㄐㄧˇ

/mu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ä³⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/mʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ haː²² kʰɐp̚⁵/

/mu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ä³⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/mʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ haː²² kʰɐp̚⁵/

so many things come into sight that the eyes are kept fully occupied


瓜田李下

ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

/ku̯ä⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/kʷaː⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹ lei̯¹³ haː²²/

/ku̯ä⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

/kʷaː⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹ lei̯¹³ haː²²/

Originates from a longer proverb 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠／瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠 (guātián bù nà lǚ, lǐxià bù zhěng guān), literally "do not put on shoes in a melon field; do not adjust your hat under a plum tree".

zh-l

a position that invites suspicion; suspicious circumstances or surroundings


光彩奪目

ㄍㄨㄤ ㄘㄞˇ ㄉㄨㄛˊ ㄇㄨˋ

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu̯ɔ³⁵ mu⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːi̯³⁵ tyːt̚² mʊk̚²/

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu̯ɔ³⁵ mu⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːi̯³⁵ tyːt̚² mʊk̚²/


石破天驚

ㄕˊ ㄆㄛˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄐㄧㄥ

шипотяньцзин

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/sɛːk̚² pʰɔː³³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/sɛːk̚² pʰɔː³³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵/


exceptio doli

From Latin exceptiō (“exception”) + dolus (“trickery, deception”).

Such would be the case, for example, if a person were to sue upon a transaction which he had obtained from the defendant by intimidation, or if he were to sue the defendant in breach of an informal agreement not to sue (pactum de non petendo). In this way the exceptio doli may sometimes serve the purposes of an exceptio metus or exceptio pacti. But Roman jurisprudence did not stop there. An exceptio doli was declared to be available, not only where the plaintiff by taking legal proceedings was acting maliciously, but also wherever, as it was said, 'ipsa res in se dolum habet' (1, 36 D. de verb. obl. 45, I), i.e. wherever the raising of the action constituted objectively a breach of good faith. The insertion of the exceptio doli in the formula was considered as empowering the judge to take account of every single circumstance which would render the condemnation of the defendant substantially unjust. ZUURBEKOM, LTD v UNION CORPORATION, LTD 1947 (1) SA 514 (A)

exceptio doli generalis
exceptio doli generalis

(law) More properly the exceptio doli generalis. An exception or exceptio whereby a defendant can raise the defence that the plaintiff has not acted in good faith.


冰消瓦解

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄠ ㄨㄚˇ ㄐㄧㄝˇ

/piŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ wä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ siːu̯⁵⁵ ŋaː¹³ kaːi̯³⁵/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ siːu̯⁵⁵ ŋaː¹³ kaːi̯³⁵/

to melt like ice and break like tiles; to disintegrate; to dissolve


exceptio non adempleti contractus

"(T)he contention is advanced that the exceptio non adempleti contractus should only be available to the owner where the nature of the defect in the work delivered is of so substantial a nature as to entitle the owner to refuse to accept the work." MACFARLANE v CROOKE 1951 (3) SA 256 (C)

(law) An exception whereby a defendant can avoid his obligations to the plaintiff based on poor performance by the plaintiff.

excepción de falta de cumplimiento del contrato


exceptio doli generalis

From Latin exceptiō (“exception”) + dolus (“trickery, deception”) + generālis (“general, generic”).

(law) Otherwise known as the exceptio doli. An exception or exceptio whereby a defendant can raise the defence that the plaintiff has not acted in good faith.


名花有主

the famous flower has already got a host

ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄧㄡˇ ㄓㄨˇ

/miŋ³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/mɪŋ²¹ faː⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ t͡syː³⁵/

/miŋ³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/mɪŋ²¹ faː⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ t͡syː³⁵/

the famed beauty has been spoken for; (of a girl, or something precious) to be taken


lis alibi pendens

From līs (“lawsuit, action”) + alibī (“elsewhere”) + pendēns (“pending”).

The preclusion of another court dealing with an action in respect of the same subject matter.

vireilläolovaikutus

No other court dealing with the same action


回家吃自己

ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄔ ㄗˋ ㄐㄧˇ

хуэйцзя чи цзыцзи

/xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


冰肌玉骨

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄐㄧ ㄩˋ ㄍㄨˇ

ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧ ㄩˋ ㄍㄨˇ

/piŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ y⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/niŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ y⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ kei̯⁵⁵ jʊk̚² kʷɐt̚⁵/

/pĩã³³⁻²³ ki³³⁻²³ ɡek̚⁴⁻² kuk̚²/

/piŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ y⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/niŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ y⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ kei̯⁵⁵ jʊk̚² kʷɐt̚⁵/

/pĩã³³⁻²³ ki³³⁻²³ ɡek̚⁴⁻² kuk̚²/


多采多姿

ㄉㄨㄛ ㄘㄞˇ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄗ

/tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵⁵/

/tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵⁵/


白駒過隙

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (白駒過隙):
* → Korean: 백구과극(白駒過隙) (baekgugwageuk)
* → Vietnamese: bạch câu quá khích (白駒過隙)

Japanese: 白駒(はっく)隙(げき)を過(す)ぐ (hakku geki o sugu)

ㄅㄞˊ ㄐㄩ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧˋ

/paɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹/

/paːk̚² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ kʷʰɪk̚⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹/

/paːk̚² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ kʷʰɪk̚⁵/

That human beings live between heaven and earth is similar to a white colt's bolting past a crevice; it is but an instant.

Rénshēng tiāndì zhī jiān, ruò báijū zhī guò xì, hūrán ér yǐ.

人生天地之間，若白駒之過郤，忽然而已。

人生天地之间，若白驹之过郤，忽然而已。

(the amount of time it takes for) a white colt to pass by a crevice

swiftness of the lapse of time; fleeting of time; in the twinkling of an eye


吃裡扒外

吃裏扒外
吃里扒外
吃裡爬外

ㄔ ㄌㄧˇ ㄆㄚˊ ㄨㄞˋ

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰä³⁵ waɪ̯⁵¹/

/hɛːk̚³ lɵy̯¹³ pʰaː²¹ ŋɔːi̯²²/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰä³⁵ waɪ̯⁵¹/

/hɛːk̚³ lɵy̯¹³ pʰaː²¹ ŋɔːi̯²²/

to live off someone while helping others; to repay a kindness by stabbing someone in the back


名不見經傳

one's name does not appear in classical works

ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄓㄨㄢˋ

míng bù jiàn jīngzhuàn [Phonetic:míng bú jiàn jīngzhuàn]

мин бу цзянь цзинчжуань

/miŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯än⁵¹/


先天下之憂而憂，後天下之樂而樂

head

先天下之憂而憂，後天下之樂而樂

ㄒㄧㄢ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄓ ㄧㄡ ㄦˊ ㄧㄡ

ㄏㄡˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄓ ㄌㄜˋ ㄦˊ ㄌㄜˋ

sin¹ tin¹ haa⁶ zi¹ jau¹ ji⁴ jau¹, hau⁶ tin¹ haa⁶ zi¹ lok⁶ ji⁴ lok⁶

сянь тянься чжи ю эр ю

хоу тянься чжи лэ эр лэ

/ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ lɤ⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ lɤ⁵¹/

sīn tīn hah jī yāu yìh yāu, hauh tīn hah jī lohk yìh lohk

sin¹ tin¹ haa⁶ dzi¹ jau¹ ji⁴ jau¹, hau⁶ tin¹ haa⁶ dzi¹ lok⁹ ji⁴ lok⁹

xin¹ tin¹ ha⁶ ji¹ yeo¹ yi⁴ yeo¹, heo⁶ tin¹ ha⁶ ji¹ log⁶ yi⁴ log⁶

/siːn⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐu̯⁵⁵ jiː²¹ jɐu̯⁵⁵ hɐu̯²² tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² t͡siː⁵⁵ lɔːk̚² jiː²¹ lɔːk̚²/

From Yueyang Lou Ji by 范仲淹 (Fan Zhongyan)

So when will they be joyful? They will surely say, "Be concerned before the world is, and be joyful only after the world is joyful."

Ránzé héshí ér yuè yē? Qí bì yuē: “Xiān tiānxià zhī yōu ér yōu, hòu tiānxià zhī yuè ér yuè” yú!

然則何時而樂耶？其必曰：「先天下之憂而憂，後天下之樂而樂」歟！

然则何时而乐耶？其必曰：「先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐」欤！

先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐

be the first to show concern, and the last to enjoy comforts


光明磊落

ㄍㄨㄤ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄨㄛˋ

гуанминлэйло

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹ lɵy̯¹³ lɔːk̚²/

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹ lɵy̯¹³ lɔːk̚²/


好管閒事

ㄏㄠˋ ㄍㄨㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄕˋ

хао гуань сяньши

/xɑʊ̯⁵¹ ku̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/xɑʊ̯⁵¹ ku̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

like to stick one's nose in other's affairs


好氣又好笑

ㄏㄠˇ ㄑㄧˋ ㄧㄡˋ ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄠˋ

хао ци ю хао сяо

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

to not know whether to laugh or get angry


好戲還在後頭

ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧˋ ㄏㄞˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄏㄡˋ ˙ㄊㄡ

хаоси хай цзай хоутоу

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi⁵¹ xaɪ̯³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯¹/

/hou̯³⁵ hei̯³³ waːn²¹ t͡sɔːi̯²² hɐu̯²² tʰɐu̯²¹/


夸父追日

ㄎㄨㄚ ㄈㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄟ ㄖˋ

ㄎㄨㄚ ㄈㄨˇ ㄓㄨㄟ ㄖˋ

/kʰu̯ä⁵⁵ fu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹/

/kʰu̯ä⁵⁵ fu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹/

/kʷʰaː⁵⁵ fuː²² t͡sɵy̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚²/

/kʰu̯ä⁵⁵ fu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹/

/kʰu̯ä⁵⁵ fu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹/

/kʷʰaː⁵⁵ fuː²² t͡sɵy̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚²/

夸父逐日 夸父逐日#Chinese


尖酸刻薄

ㄐㄧㄢ ㄙㄨㄢ ㄎㄜˋ ㄅㄛˊ

цзяньсуанькэбо

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ su̯än⁵⁵ kʰɤ⁵¹ pu̯ɔ³⁵/

/t͡siːm⁵⁵ syːn⁵⁵ hɐk̚⁵ pɔːk̚²/

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ su̯än⁵⁵ kʰɤ⁵¹ pu̯ɔ³⁵/

/t͡siːm⁵⁵ syːn⁵⁵ hɐk̚⁵ pɔːk̚²/

acrid and unsympathetic; sharp and unkind; merciless; pitiless


安家立業

ㄢ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄌㄧˋ ㄧㄝˋ

/ˀän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɛ⁵¹/

/ˀän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɛ⁵¹/

to settle down with one's family and build a career


exceptio quod metus causa

From Latin exceptio (“exception”) quod (“based on”) metus (“duress”) causa (“a cause (of action)”).

It appears that in that Court, the defence stressed by appellant's counsel was the exceptio quod metus causa and it was to that defence that the learned Judge-President mainly directed himself.

1974, SHEPSTONE v SHEPSTONE 1974 (2) SA 462 (N):

Reverting to the defence raised by first defendant, it is clear that a contract may be vitiated by duress (metus), the raison d'etre of the rule apparently being that intimidation or improper pressure renders the consent of the party subjected to duress no true consent at all. ]

[ 1974, AREND AND ANOTHER v ASTRA FURNISHERS (PTY) LTD 1974 (1) SA 298 (C)

(law) The exceptio metus; an exception based on the fact that the underlying cause of action was based on duress or intimidation by the plaintiff of the defendant.


لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ • (lā ʔilāha ʔillā llāhu muḥammadun rasūlu llāhi)

/laː ʔi.laː.ha ʔil.la‿ɫ.ɫaː.hu mu.ħam.ma.dun ra.suː.lu‿ɫ.ɫaː.hi/

(Islam) There is no deity but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.

en-لا_إله_إلا_الله_محمد_رسول_الله-ar-phrase-u0d4v9pF

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ

أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ


成事不足，敗事有餘

ㄔㄥˊ ㄕˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨˊ

ㄅㄞˋ ㄕˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄩˊ

sing⁴ si⁶ bat¹ zuk¹, baai⁶ si⁶ jau⁵ jyu⁴

/ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡su³⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵/

sing⁴ si⁶ bat⁷ dzuk⁷, baai⁶ si⁶ jau⁵ jy⁴

/sɪŋ²¹ siː²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ paːi̯²² siː²² jɐu̯¹³ jyː²¹/

/sən¹¹ sz̩⁵³⁻⁵⁵ put̚¹ t͡siʊk̚¹ paɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sz̩⁵³ iu⁴⁴⁻³⁵ i¹¹/

always failing, never succeeding; plenty of failures, but not much success


成也蕭何，敗也蕭何

ㄔㄥˊ ㄧㄝˇ ㄒㄧㄠ ㄏㄜˊ

ㄅㄞˋ ㄧㄝˇ ㄒㄧㄠ ㄏㄜˊ

sing⁴ jaa⁵ siu¹ ho⁴, baai⁶ jaa⁵ siu¹ ho⁴

chʻêng² yeh³ Hsiao¹ Ho², pai⁴ yeh³ Hsiao¹ Ho²

чэн е Сяо Хэ

бай е Сяо Хэ

/ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵/

/sɪŋ²¹ jaː¹³ siːu̯⁵⁵ hɔː²¹ paːi̯²² jaː¹³ siːu̯⁵⁵ hɔː²¹/

In the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He recommended Han Xin become a general, later he helped Empress Lü Zhi to have Han Xin killed. Later, this phrase was used as a metaphor to describe a situation in the success or failure of an endeavor derives from the same person or thing.

The success is fromXiao He, and the downfall is also from Xiao He.

The key to their success was also their undoing, low cost was the mandate of Walmart

chéngyěxiāohébàiyěxiāohé dī chéngběn chéng Wò'ěrmǎ mìngmén

成也蕭何敗也蕭何低成本成沃爾瑪命門

成也萧何败也萧何低成本成沃尔玛命门

the key to one's success is also one's undoing


有一搭沒一搭

ㄧㄡˇ ㄧ ㄉㄚ ㄇㄟˊ ㄧ ㄉㄚ

yǒu yīdā méi yīdā [Phonetic:yǒu yìdā méi yìdā]

ю ида мэй ида

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tä⁵⁵ meɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tä⁵⁵/

think of something to say without paying much heed to what one is saying


此起彼落

ㄘˇ ㄑㄧˇ ㄅㄧˇ ㄌㄨㄛˋ

/t͡sʰz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/t͡sʰiː³⁵ hei̯³⁵ pei̯³⁵ lɔːk̚²/

/t͡sʰiː³⁵ hei̯³⁵ pei̯³⁵ lɔːk̚²/

(of sounds) rising and falling; continuous; unceasing


有一頓，沒一頓

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ tu̯ən⁵¹ meɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ tu̯ən⁵¹/

describes when someone cannot eat on a regular basis


有教無類

ㄧㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄨˊ ㄌㄟˋ

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ u³⁵ leɪ̯⁵¹/

/jɐu̯¹³ kaːu̯³³ mou̯²¹ lɵy̯²²/

/iu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kau²¹⁻⁵³ bu²⁴⁻²² lui²²/

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ u³⁵ leɪ̯⁵¹/

/jɐu̯¹³ kaːu̯³³ mou̯²¹ lɵy̯²²/

/iu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kau²¹⁻⁵³ bu²⁴⁻²² lui²²/

The Master said, "In teaching there should be no distinction of classes."

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

子曰：「有教無類。」

子曰：「有教无类。」

to provide education for all and without class discriminations


百口莫辯

ㄅㄞˇ ㄎㄡˇ ㄇㄛˋ ㄅㄧㄢˋ

байкоумобянь

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/paːk̚³ hɐu̯³⁵ mɔːk̚² piːn²²/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ kʰau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ bɔk̚⁴⁻³² piɛn³³/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ bɔk̚⁴⁻³² piɛn³³/

/paːk̚³ hɐu̯³⁵ mɔːk̚² piːn²²/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ kʰau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ bɔk̚⁴⁻³² piɛn³³/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ kʰau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ bɔk̚⁴⁻³² piɛn³³/

unable to give a convincing explanation in self-defense; difficult to clarify; beyond justification (when wronged or treated unjustly)


有情人終成眷屬

ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄔㄥˊ ㄐㄩㄢˋ ㄕㄨˇ

юцинжэнь чжунчэн цзюаньшу

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛn⁵¹ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐu̯¹³ t͡sʰɪŋ²¹ jɐn²¹ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ²¹ kyːn³³ sʊk̚²/


早知今日，何必當初

if one had known about this day from the beginning, there would have been no point in starting

ㄗㄠˇ ㄓ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄖˋ

ㄏㄜˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤ ㄔㄨ

цзаочжи цзиньжи

/t͡sɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/

dzou² dzi¹ gam¹ jat⁹, ho⁴ bit⁷ dong¹ tso¹

/t͡sou̯³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ kɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚² hɔː²¹ piːt̚⁵ tɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔː⁵⁵/

/t͡sa⁵³⁻³⁴ t͡sai³³ kim³³ lit̚³ hɔ²⁴⁻²² pit̚⁵³⁻⁵⁴ tɔŋ³³ t͡sʰɔ³³/


百感交集

ㄅㄞˇ ㄍㄢˇ ㄐㄧㄠ ㄐㄧˊ

байганьцзяоцзи

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kän²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵/

/paːk̚³ kɐm³⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ t͡saːp̚²/

/paːk̚³ kɐm³⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ t͡saːp̚²/


此地無銀三百兩

ㄘˇ ㄉㄧˋ ㄨˊ ㄧㄣˊ ㄙㄢ ㄅㄞˇ ㄌㄧㄤˇ

ci² dei⁶ mou⁴ ngan⁴ saam¹ baak³ loeng⁵⁻²

cǐdì wú yín sān bǎi liǎng [Phonetic:cǐdìwúyínsānbáiliǎng]

цыди у инь сань бай лян

/t͡sʰz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵¹ u³⁵ in³⁵ sän⁵⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

tsi² dei⁶ mou⁴ ngan⁴ saam¹ baak⁸ loeng⁵⁻²

/t͡sʰiː³⁵ tei̯²² mou̯²¹ ŋɐn²¹ saːm⁵⁵ paːk̚³ lœːŋ¹³⁻³⁵/

The first half of a longer sentence: 此地無銀三百兩，隔壁王二不曾偷 (cǐdì wú yín sān bǎi liǎng, gébì Wáng Èr bùcéng tōu), literally “There are no 300 taels of silver (buried) here. The neighbour Wang Er did not steal (the silver).”
It is said to come from a story about a man named Zhang San (張三). According to the story, he buried 300 taels of silver in the ground with the banner “There are no 300 taels of silver (buried) here” so that no one would steal them. But his neighbor Wang Er (王二) saw through the lie and dug up the money, leaving the banner “Your neighbour Wang Er did not steal (the silver)”.

zh-m

此地無銀三百兩，隔壁王二不曾偷

此地无银三百两
此地無銀三百両

There are no 300taels of silver (buried) here.

the lady doth protest too much
the lady doth protest too much

a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure; a very poor lie which reveals the truth; protest one's innocence too much; the lady doth protest too much


百思不解

still puzzled after pondering a hundred times

ㄅㄞˇ ㄙ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄝˇ

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sz̩⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːk̚³ siː⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ kaːi̯³⁵/

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sz̩⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːk̚³ siː⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ kaːi̯³⁵/

incomprehensible; perplexed still despite much thought


百花齊放，百家爭鳴

English: let a thousand flowers bloom

ㄅㄞˇ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄑㄧˊ ㄈㄤˋ

ㄅㄞˇ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄓㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˊ

baak³ faa¹ cai⁴ fong³, baak³ gaa¹ zang¹ ming⁴

байцзячжэнмин

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ä⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ fɑŋ⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵/

baak⁸ faa¹ tsai⁴ fong³, baak⁸ gaa¹ dzang¹ ming⁴

bag³ fa¹ cei⁴ fong³, bag³ ga¹ zeng¹ ming⁴

/paːk̚³ faː⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐi̯²¹ fɔːŋ³³ paːk̚³ kaː⁵⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹/

This phrase was used by Mao Zedong in 1957 to launch the Hundred Flowers Campaign.

let one hundred flowers bloom; let one hundred schools of thought contend

classical philosophic schools of the Warring States period in 475 BC to 221 BC, but adopted as a policy by Mao Zedong to promote progress in the arts and sciences, and the development of a dynamic socialist culture


百廢俱興

ㄅㄞˇ ㄈㄟˋ ㄐㄩˋ ㄒㄧㄥ

байфэйцзюйсин

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy⁵¹ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/paːk̚³ fɐi̯³³ kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ hɪŋ⁵⁵/

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy⁵¹ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/paːk̚³ fɐi̯³³ kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ hɪŋ⁵⁵/

In spring of the fourth year of Qingli, Teng Zijing was demoted and exiled to Baling County. After two years, (his) governance becomes smooth, and the people become happy and harmonious; all the previously abandoned tasks are being undertaken.

范仲淹 (Fan Zhongyan), 《岳陽樓記》 (Memorial to Yueyang Tower)

Qìnglì sì nián chūn, Téng Zǐjīng zhéshǒu Bālíng jùn. Yuè míngnián, zhèngtōngrénhé, bǎifèijùxìng.

慶曆四年春，滕子京謫守巴陵郡。越明年，政通人和，百廢具興。

庆历四年春，滕子京谪守巴陵郡。越明年，政通人和，百废具兴。

all neglected tasks are being undertaken; all that was left undone is now being undertaken


gj

(Internet slang) Initialism of good job.


耳熟能詳

so familiar to the ears, that it can be (told) in detail

ㄦˇ ㄕㄨˊ ㄋㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄤˊ

ㄦˇ ㄕㄡˊ ㄋㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄤˊ

/ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂoʊ̯³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/jiː¹³ sʊk̚² nɐŋ²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

/hi³³⁻¹¹ siɪk̚⁴⁻³² liɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siɔŋ²⁴/

/d͡zɯ⁵²⁻³⁵ sek̚⁴⁻² leŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ siaŋ⁵⁵/

/ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂoʊ̯³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/jiː¹³ sʊk̚² nɐŋ²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

/hi³³⁻¹¹ siɪk̚⁴⁻³² liɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ siɔŋ²⁴/

/d͡zɯ⁵²⁻³⁵ sek̚⁴⁻² leŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ siaŋ⁵⁵/

Below, let us take a look at how some well-worn Chinese phrases are expressed in English

2004, 苏萍 (Su Ping), 耳熟能详的中文用英语怎么说, 上海小学 (Shanghai Primary School)

yǐxià jiù ràng wǒmen lái kàn yīxiē ěrshúnéngxiáng de zhōngwén zài yīngyǔ zhōng shì rúhé biǎodá de

以下就讓我們來看一些耳熟能詳的中文在英語中是如何表達的

以下就让我们来看一些耳熟能详的中文在英语中是如何表达的

heard a million times, to the point where one can recite it in one's sleep; well-worn (phrase)


自以為得計

ㄗˋ ㄧˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄉㄜˊ ㄐㄧˋ

цзы ивэй дэцзи

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ tɤ³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵¹/

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ tɤ³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵¹/

All sly people, all those who do not have a scientific attitude in their work, fancy themselves resourceful and clever, but in fact they are most stupid and will come to no good.

1942, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《整頓黨的作風》 (Rectify the Party's Style of Work), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

Yīqiè jiǎohuá de rén, bù zhào kēxué tàidù bànshì de rén, zì yǐwéi déjì, zì yǐwéi hěn cōngmíng, qíshí dōu shì zuì chǔn de, dōu shì méiyǒu hǎo jiéguǒ de.

一切狡猾的人，不照科學態度辦事的人，自以為得計，自以為很聰明，其實都是最蠢的，都是沒有好結果的。

一切狡猾的人，不照科学态度办事的人，自以为得计，自以为很聪明，其实都是最蠢的，都是没有好结果的。

To mistakenly think that one will ultimately succeed as the result of having accomplished only part of one's plan; because you won a single battle, you mistakenly think you will win the war.


自掃門前雪

(only) sweep away the snow in front of one's own door

ㄗˋ ㄙㄠˇ ㄇㄣˊ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄒㄩㄝˇ

цзы сао мэнь цянь сюэ

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ sɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡siː²² sou̯³³ muːn²¹ t͡sʰiːn²¹ syːt̚³/

When relating to others, one should not have an attitude of merely worrying about one's own affairs — we should care for and help one another.

Yǔ rén xiāngchǔ bù yīng huái zhe zì sǎo ménqián xuě de xīntài, yīngdāng bǐcǐ guānhuái, hùxiāng bāngzhù.

與人相處不應懷著自掃門前雪的心態，應當彼此關懷，互相幫助。

与人相处不应怀着自扫门前雪的心态，应当彼此关怀，互相帮助。

only worry about one's own affairs; to not involve oneself in other's affairs


舌燦蓮花

ㄕㄜˊ ㄘㄢˋ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄨㄚ

шэ цань ляньхуа

/ʂɤ³⁵ t͡sʰän⁵¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/

/ʂɤ³⁵ t͡sʰän⁵¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/


色香味俱全

ㄙㄜˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄨㄟˋ ㄐㄩˋ ㄑㄩㄢˊ

сэсянвэй цзюйцюань

/sɤ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/

/sɪk̚⁵ hœːŋ⁵⁵ mei̯²² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

/sɪk̚⁵ hœːŋ⁵⁵ mei̯²² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

the look, smell and taste (of a dish of food) are all excellent


行不改名，坐不改姓

ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄞˇ ㄇㄧㄥˊ

ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄞˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ

hsing² pu⁴ kai³ ming², tso⁴ pu⁴ kai³ hsing⁴

син бу гай мин

цзо бу гай син

/ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ miŋ³⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕiŋ⁵¹/

Literally: to not change your given name after doing something, and not change your surname after sitting down

to do things in an aboveboard and straightforward manner

I have nothing to hide; if he has a problem, tell him to come see me directly.

Wǒ xíngbùgǎimíng, zuòbùgǎixìng, yàoshi yǒu shénme wèntí, jiào tā zhíjiē lái zhǎo wǒ.

我行不改名，坐不改姓，要是有什麼問題，叫他直接來找我。

我行不改名，坐不改姓，要是有什么问题，叫他直接来找我。


衣食無缺

/i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ u³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ u³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵⁵/


伸手不見五指

ㄕㄣ ㄕㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄨˇ ㄓˇ

shēnshǒu bù jiàn wǔzhǐ [Phonetic:shēnshǒubújiànwúzhǐ]

шэньшоу бу цзянь учжи

/ʂən⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

pitch black; can't see your hand in front of you


低聲下氣

ㄉㄧ ㄕㄥ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄑㄧˋ

/ti⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

/tɐi̯⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ haː²² hei̯³³/

/ti⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

/tɐi̯⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ haː²² hei̯³³/


兵荒馬亂

thetroops are starving, and the horses are in disarray

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄏㄨㄤ ㄇㄚˇ ㄌㄨㄢˋ

бинхуанмалуань

/piŋ⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯än⁵¹/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ maː¹³ lyːn²²/

/piŋ⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯än⁵¹/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ maː¹³ lyːn²²/


冷眼旁觀

ㄌㄥˇ ㄧㄢˇ ㄆㄤˊ ㄍㄨㄢ

лэнъяньпангуань

/lɤŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰɑŋ³⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵/

/laːŋ¹³ ŋaːn¹³ pʰɔːŋ²¹ kuːn⁵⁵/

/lɤŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰɑŋ³⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵/

/laːŋ¹³ ŋaːn¹³ pʰɔːŋ²¹ kuːn⁵⁵/

There is a type of person who has no enthusiasm for the people's cause and looks coldly from the side-lines at the struggles and victories of the proletariat and its vanguard; what they are interested in, and will never weary of eulogizing, is themselves, plus perhaps a few figures in their small coterie.

1942, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《在延安文藝座談會上的講話》 (Talks at the Yenan Forum on Literature and Art), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

Yě yǒu zhèyàng de yīzhǒng rén, tāmen duìyú rénmín de shìyè bìng wú rèqíng, duìyú wúchǎn jiējí jí qí xiānfēngduì de zhàndòu hé shènglì, bàozhe lěngyǎnpángguān de tàidù, tāmen suǒ gǎndào xìngqù ér yào bù píjuàn de gēsòng de zhǐyǒu tā zìjǐ, huòzhě jiāshàng tā suǒ jīngyíng de xiǎojítuán lǐ de jǐge juésè.

也有這樣的一種人，他們對於人民的事業並無熱情，對於無產階級及其先鋒隊的戰鬥和勝利，抱著冷眼旁觀的態度，他們所感到興趣而要不疲倦地歌頌的只有他自己，或者加上他所經營的小集團裡的幾個角色。

也有这样的一种人，他们对于人民的事业并无热情，对于无产阶级及其先锋队的战斗和胜利，抱着冷眼旁观的态度，他们所感到兴趣而要不疲倦地歌颂的只有他自己，或者加上他所经营的小集团里的几个角色。

to look on coldly without getting involved


兵敗如山倒

the troops are defeated like a mountain being toppled

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄅㄞˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄢ ㄉㄠˇ

бин бай жу шань дао

/piŋ⁵⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ paːi̯²² jyː²¹ saːn⁵⁵ tou̯³⁵/

/piŋ⁵⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ paːi̯²² jyː²¹ saːn⁵⁵ tou̯³⁵/

to be soundly defeated; to suffer a crushing defeat


別具一格

ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄐㄩˋ ㄧ ㄍㄜˊ

/pi̯ɛ³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ kɤ³⁵/

/piːt̚² kɵy̯²² jɐt̚⁵ kaːk̚³/

/pi̯ɛ³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ kɤ³⁵/

/piːt̚² kɵy̯²² jɐt̚⁵ kaːk̚³/

That museum's design has a unique style.

那家博物館的設計別具一格。

那家博物馆的设计别具一格。

to have a style of one's own; to have a unique style; in a class by itself; peculiar


別開生面

ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄎㄞ ㄕㄥ ㄇㄧㄢˋ

бекайшэнмянь

/pi̯ɛ³⁵ kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/piːt̚² hɔːi̯⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ miːn²²/

/piɛt̚⁴⁻³² kʰai⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ biɛn³³/

/piak̚⁴⁻² kʰai³³⁻²³ sẽ³³⁻²³ mĩ¹¹/

/pi̯ɛ³⁵ kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/piːt̚² hɔːi̯⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ miːn²²/

/piɛt̚⁴⁻³² kʰai⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ biɛn³³/

/piak̚⁴⁻² kʰai³³⁻²³ sẽ³³⁻²³ mĩ¹¹/

to forge a new path; to stand out from the rest


助紂為虐

help(King) Zhou (of Shang) to perform his cruelty

ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄡˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄋㄩㄝˋ

чжучжоувэйнюэ

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ny̯ɛ⁵¹/

/t͡sɔː²² t͡sɐu̯²² wɐi̯²¹ jœːk̚²/

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ny̯ɛ⁵¹/

/t͡sɔː²² t͡sɐu̯²² wɐi̯²¹ jœːk̚²/

to help the wicked perpetrate wicked deeds; to help a tyrant to do evil


qui vive

Literally, “[long] live who?”, used by sentries to ask for the allegiance of oncoming folk. vive … (“long live …”) is a common expression of support.

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


吹毛求疵

to blow apart the hairs upon a fur to discover any defect

ㄔㄨㄟ ㄇㄠˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄘ

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ mɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ t͡sʰz̩⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɵy̯⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ kʰɐu̯²¹ t͡sʰiː⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɵy̯⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ kʰɐu̯²¹ t͡sʰiː⁵⁵/


吹灰之力

ㄔㄨㄟ ㄏㄨㄟ ㄓ ㄌㄧˋ

чуйхуэйчжили

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ li⁵¹/

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ li⁵¹/

Pistons shoot down the Hawks without lifting a finger --- Francis' reappearance secures brilliant victory for the Magic

2006: 吴哥 (Wu Ge), 活塞射鹰不费吹灰之力 弗朗西斯复出魔术克奇才 (news article headline)

Huósāi shè Yīng bù fèi chuīhuīzhīlì, Fúlǎngxīsī fù chū Móshù kè qícái

活塞射鷹不費吹灰之力 弗朗西斯複出魔術克奇才

活塞射鹰不费吹灰之力 弗朗西斯复出魔术克奇才

with very little effort; easy; without so much as batting an eye; without so much as lifting a finger


吹皺一池春水

ㄔㄨㄟ ㄓㄡˋ ㄧ ㄔˊ ㄔㄨㄣ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

chuī zhòu yīchí chūn shuǐ [Phonetic:chuī zhòu yìchí chūn shuǐ]

чуй чжоу ичи чунь шуй

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Literally: a breeze causes ripples in the water of a spring-time pond

Shanda makes waves with casual web games

2006: Gameking staff, 盛大借休闲网游吹皱一池春水 (news article headline)

Shèngdà jiè xiūxián wǎngyóu chuīzhòu yī chí chūnshuǐ

盛大借休閑網游吹皺一池春水

盛大借休闲网游吹皱一池春水

to make waves; to cause ripples; to have an impact; cause a stir


IMAO

Coined in contrast to IMHO (“in my humble opinion”).

(Internet slang, humorous) Initialism of in my arrogant opinion.


hyd

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of how('re) you doing. (how are you doing?)


夾縫中求生存

to eke out an existence within the crevices

ㄐㄧㄚ ㄈㄥˋ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄕㄥ ㄘㄨㄣˊ

ㄐㄧㄚˊ ㄈㄥˋ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄕㄥ ㄘㄨㄣˊ

цзяфэн чжун цю шэнцунь

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən³⁵/

/t͡ɕi̯ä³⁵ fɤŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən³⁵/

to try to remain neutral without succumbing to pressure from either side


坐不改姓，行不改名

to not change your surname after sitting down, and not change your given name after doing something

ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄞˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ

ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄞˇ ㄇㄧㄥˊ

tso⁴ pu⁴ kai³ hsing⁴, hsing² pu⁴ kai³ ming²

цзо бу гай син

син бу гай мин

/t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕiŋ⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ miŋ³⁵/

行不改名，坐不改姓 行不改名，坐不改姓#Chinese

Alternative form of 行不改名，坐不改姓 (xíng bù gǎi míng, zuò bù gǎi xìng)


弄假成真

ㄋㄨㄥˋ ㄐㄧㄚˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄣ

нунцзячэнчжэнь

/nʊŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

/lʊŋ²² kaː³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ t͡sɐn⁵⁵/

/nʊŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

/lʊŋ²² kaː³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ t͡sɐn⁵⁵/

Fantasy becomes reality! School authorities create artificial smoke, cause students to faint from suffocation

xiàofāng zìbèi rénzào yānwù xūndǎo xuéshēng, xiāofáng yǎnxí “nòngjiǎchéngzhēn”

校方自備人造煙霧熏倒學生 消防演習「弄假成真」

校方自备人造烟雾熏倒学生 消防演习「弄假成真」

to turn simulation into reality unintentionally; fantasy becomes reality


弄巧成拙

ㄋㄨㄥˋ ㄑㄧㄠˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄨㄛ

ㄋㄨㄥˋ ㄑㄧㄠˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄨㄛˊ

нунцяочэнчжо

/nʊŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵/

/nʊŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵/

/lʊŋ²² haːu̯³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ t͡syːt̚²/

/lʊŋ²² haːu̯³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ t͡syːt̚²/


我不入地獄，誰入地獄

wǒ bù rù dìyù

ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄩˋ

ㄕㄟˊ ㄖㄨˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄩˋ

ngo⁵ bat¹ jap⁶ dei⁶ juk⁶, seoi⁴ jap⁶ dei⁶ juk⁶

wǒ bù rù dìyù

wǒ bù rù dìyù

во бу жу диюй

/wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʐu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹ ʂeɪ̯³⁵ ʐu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹/

ngóh bāt yahp deih yuhk, sèuih yahp deih yuhk

ngo⁵ bat⁷ jap⁹ dei⁶ juk⁹, soey⁴ jap⁹ dei⁶ juk⁹

ngo⁵ bed¹ yeb⁶ déi⁶ yug⁶, sêu⁴ yeb⁶ déi⁶ yug⁶

/ŋɔː¹³ pɐt̚⁵ jɐp̚² tei̯²² jʊk̚² sɵy̯²¹ jɐp̚² tei̯²² jʊk̚²/

Its exact origin in the Buddhist canon is unclear; possibly an adaptation of a vow of Kṣitigarbha 地藏菩薩／地藏菩萨 (Dìzàng Púsà) recorded in the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra.

zh-l

地藏菩薩／地藏菩萨 (Dìzàng Púsà)

"Until the hells are empty, I vow to not attain Buddhahood; only when all living beings are saved, shall I attain enlightenment.

The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra

Dìyù bù kōng, shì bù chéngfó; zhòngshēng dù jìn, fāng zhèng pútí.

地獄不空，誓不成佛；眾生度盡，方證菩提。

地狱不空，誓不成佛；众生度尽，方证菩提。

if I don't do it, who will?; if I don't help, who will?; sacrifice oneself in order to save others


扮豬吃老虎

ㄅㄢˋ ㄓㄨ ㄔ ㄌㄠˇ ㄏㄨˇ

bàn zhū chī lǎohǔ [Phonetic:bànzhūchīláohǔ]

бань чжу чи лаоху

/pän⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːn²² t͡syː⁵⁵ hɛːk̚³ lou̯¹³ fuː³⁵/

/paːn²² t͡syː⁵⁵ hɛːk̚³ lou̯¹³ fuː³⁵/

to play dumb to take advantage of someone


攻其無備，出其不意

ㄍㄨㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄨˊ ㄅㄟˋ

ㄔㄨ ㄑㄧˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˋ

kung¹ chʻi² wu² pei⁴, chʻu¹ chʻi² pu⁴ i⁴

гун ци у бэй

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ u³⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ i⁵¹/

From: The Art of War, by Sunzi ("Laying Plans, Number 24")
: Literally: Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

to catch somebody unprepared; to take somebody by surprise


求生不得，求死不能

ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄕㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ

ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄙˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄥˊ

kau⁴ sang¹ bat¹ dak¹, kau⁴ sei² bat¹ nang⁴

/t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ nɤŋ³⁵/

kau⁴ sang¹ bat⁷ dak⁷, kau⁴ sei² bat⁷ nang⁴

keo⁴ seng¹ bed¹ deg¹, keo⁴ séi² bed¹ neng⁴

/kʰɐu̯²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ tɐk̚⁵ kʰɐu̯²¹ sei̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ nɐŋ²¹/

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

between a rock and a hard place; in a bind; in a pickle

to have a fate worse than death (often as a curse)


沉魚落雁

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (沈魚落雁 (chényúluòyàn)):
* → Japanese: 沈魚落雁(ちんぎょらくがん) (chingyorakugan)
* → Korean: 침어낙안(沈魚落雁) (chimeonagan)
* → Vietnamese: trầm ngư lạc nhạn (沉魚落雁), chim sa cá lặn (沉魚落雁)

ㄔㄣˊ ㄩˊ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄧㄢˋ

/ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ y³⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɛn⁵¹/

/t͡sʰɐm²¹ jyː²¹ lɔːk̚² ŋaːn²²/

/ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ y³⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɛn⁵¹/

/t͡sʰɐm²¹ jyː²¹ lɔːk̚² ŋaːn²²/

From Zhuangzi (in the chapter "Discussion on Making All Things Equal"):
:
沉魚／沉鱼 (chén yú) often refers to Xi Shi and 落雁 (lùo yàn) often refers to Wang Zhaojun.

Mao Qiang and Li Ji [courtesans and two of the Four Beauties] are what people consider beautiful, but if fish see them they will swim into the depths; if birds see them, they will fly away into the air; if deer see them, they will gallop away. Among these four, who knows what is rightly beautiful in the world?

Máoqiáng, lìjī, rén zhī suǒ měi yě, yú jiàn zhī shēn rù, niǎo jiàn zhī gāo fēi, mílù jiàn zhī jué zhòu. Sì zhě shú zhī tiānxià zhī zhèng sè zāi?

毛嬙、麗姬，人之所美也，魚見之深入，鳥見之高飛，麋鹿見之決驟。四者孰知天下之正色哉？

毛嫱、丽姬，人之所美也，鱼见之深入，鸟见之高飞，麋鹿见之决骤。四者孰知天下之正色哉？

(of women) extremely beautiful; drop-dead gorgeous


狂風怒號

ㄎㄨㄤˊ ㄈㄥ ㄋㄨˋ ㄏㄠˊ

куанфэн нухао

/kʰu̯ɑŋ³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ nu⁵¹ xɑʊ̯³⁵/

/kʰu̯ɑŋ³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ nu⁵¹ xɑʊ̯³⁵/

a violent wind is howling; the storm raged


肝膽相照

to mutually illuminate each others' liver and gall (i.e. innermost feelings)

ㄍㄢ ㄉㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄓㄠˋ

ганьданьсянчжао

/kän⁵⁵ tän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/kɔːn⁵⁵ taːm³⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡siːu̯³³/

/kän⁵⁵ tän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/kɔːn⁵⁵ taːm³⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡siːu̯³³/

to treat one another with absolute sincerity; to show total devotion


和尚打傘——無法無天

ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄙㄢˇ

ㄨˊ ㄈㄚˇ ㄨˊ ㄊㄧㄢ

хэшан да сань

/xɤ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ sän²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/wɔː²¹ sœːŋ²²⁻³⁵ taː³⁵ saːn³³ mou̯²¹ faːt̚³ mou̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

Literally: (like a) monk holding up an umbrella ― no (respect for) law and order. A Chinese pun for lawless and hairless.

和尚打伞——无法无天
和尚打傘——無髮無天

(xiehouyu) no respect for law and order; unruly


肚裡的蛔蟲

ㄉㄨˋ ㄌㄧˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄔㄨㄥˊ

дули дэ хуэйчун

/tu⁵¹ li²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵/

/tu⁵¹ li²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵/

肚子裡的蛔蟲 肚子裡的蛔蟲#Chinese

肚子里的蛔虫 肚子里的蛔虫#Chinese

Alternative form of 肚子裡的蛔蟲／肚子里的蛔虫 (dùzi lǐ de huíchóng)


秀色可餐

ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄙㄜˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄘㄢ

/ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ sɤ⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰän⁵⁵/

/sɐu̯³³ sɪk̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ t͡sʰaːn⁵⁵/

/siu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ sek̚²⁻⁴ kʰo⁵²⁻³⁵ t͡sʰaŋ³³/

/ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ sɤ⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰän⁵⁵/

/sɐu̯³³ sɪk̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ t͡sʰaːn⁵⁵/

/siu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ sek̚²⁻⁴ kʰo⁵²⁻³⁵ t͡sʰaŋ³³/

From a line in the poem 《日出東南隅行》 by Lu Ji (陸機)

Her skin, soft and tender, and her beauty, deliciously desirable.

鮮膚一何潤，秀色若可餐。

鲜肤一何润，秀色若可餐。

a beautiful countenance that can be eaten

(of a woman) extremely attractive; breathtakingly beautiful


秀才遇到兵——有理說不清

head

秀才遇到兵——有理說不清

秀才遇到兵——有理说不清

A scholar meets a foot soldier ― cannot use reason with him.

ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄩˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄅㄧㄥ

ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄥ

сюцай юйдао бин

/ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ piŋ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵/

like talking to a wall
like talking to a wall


肚子裡的蛔蟲

肚子里的蛔虫
肚子裏的蛔蟲
肚裡蛔蟲
肚裡的蛔蟲
肚皮裡蛔蟲
肚裡面條蟲

ㄉㄨˋ ˙ㄗ ㄌㄧˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄔㄨㄥˊ

дуцзы ли дэ хуэйчун

/tu⁵¹ d͡z̥z̩¹ li²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵/

/tʰou̯¹³ t͡siː³⁵ lɵy̯¹³ tɪk̚⁵ wuːi̯²¹ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹/

Li often said that Hui could read her mind; many things were implicitly understood without needing to be said out loud.

Lì jīngcháng shuō Huī shì tā dùzi lǐ de huíchóng, hǎoduō de shìqing dōu bùyòng shuō, yě jiùshì xīnzhàobùxuān ba.

莉經常說輝是她肚子裡的蛔蟲，好多的事情都不用說，也就是心照不宣吧。

莉经常说辉是她肚子里的蛔虫，好多的事情都不用说，也就是心照不宣吧。


無法無天

ㄨˊ ㄈㄚˇ ㄨˊ ㄊㄧㄢ

/u³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/bu²³⁻³³ huat̚³²⁻⁴ bu²³⁻³³ tʰiɛn⁴⁴/

/bu²⁴⁻¹¹ huat̚³²⁻⁴ bu²⁴⁻¹¹ tʰiɛn⁴⁴/

/bu²⁴⁻²² huat̚³²⁻⁴ bu²⁴⁻²² tʰiɛn⁴⁴/

/u³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/bu²³⁻³³ huat̚³²⁻⁴ bu²³⁻³³ tʰiɛn⁴⁴/

/bu²⁴⁻¹¹ huat̚³²⁻⁴ bu²⁴⁻¹¹ tʰiɛn⁴⁴/

/bu²⁴⁻²² huat̚³²⁻⁴ bu²⁴⁻²² tʰiɛn⁴⁴/

From
* 無／无 (wú, “not have”) + 法 (fǎ) (short for 法紀／法纪 (fǎjì, “law”)): ("no (respect for) law") +
* 無／无 (wú, “not have”) + 天 (tiān) (short for 天理 (tiānlǐ, “heavenly justice”).
Literally "no (respect for) heaven(ly) justice".

zh-l

法紀／法纪 (fǎjì, “law”)


言不盡意

ㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄧˋ

янь бу цзинь и

/jɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹/

/jɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹/

what one says does not sufficiently express what one means


AMDG

ad majorem Dei gloriam
w:ad majorem Dei gloriam

Initialism of ad majorem Dei gloriam (“for the greater glory of God”).


身在曹營心在漢

ㄕㄣ ㄗㄞˋ ㄘㄠˊ ㄧㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄗㄞˋ ㄏㄢˋ

shên¹ tsai⁴ Tsʻao² ying² hsin¹ tsai⁴ Han⁴

шэнь цзай Цао ин синь цзай Хань

/ʂən⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰɑʊ̯³⁵ iŋ³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ xän⁵¹/

/sɐn⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯²² t͡sʰou̯²¹ jɪŋ²¹ sɐm⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯²² hɔːn³³/

From Romance of the Three Kingdoms
: Literally: (Guan Yu's) body is in Cao Cao's camp, but his heart is with the Han

A growing number of university graduates are not loyal to their employers; right after they've signed a contract of employment, they're already thinking of jumping ship

bùshào dàxuéshēng shēnzàicáoyíngxīnzàihàn, gāng qiānyuē jiù xiǎng tiàocáo

不少大學生身在曹營心在漢 剛簽約就想跳槽

不少大学生身在曹营心在汉 刚签约就想跳槽

subjugated by one authority, while still remaining loyal to another; not loyal


I'm in love with you

‘I’m in love with you, Michael,’ Camilla said longingly.

A declaration of passion or romantic feeling.

我真疼汝

góa chin thiàⁿ lí / góa chin thiàⁿ lír / góa chin thiàⁿ lú / óa chin thiàⁿ lú


車同軌，書同文

ㄔㄜ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄟˇ

/ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵ wən³⁵/

Literally: same ruts for carriages, same script for writing
: In the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Shihuang standardized the width of roads, and the writing system. Today, this phrase refers generically to implementing universal standards.

2003: anon., www.oikos.com.tw

The newest member of Microsoft Office 2003 follows on the heels of Microsoft OneNote; yesterday, Office InfoPath was announced. It displays Microsoft's attempt to create "universal standards" for the information technology world.

Wēiruǎn Office 2003 xīn chéngyuán jì OneNote zhīhòu, zuótiān zài fābiǎo Office InfoPath, zhǎnxiàn wēiruǎn zài zīxùn shìjiè zhōng “chētóngguǐ, shūtóngwén” de qǐtú.

微軟Office2003新成員繼OneNote之後，昨天再發表OfficeInfoPath，展現微軟在資訊世界中「車同軌，書同文」的企圖。

微软Office2003新成员继OneNote之后，昨天再发表OfficeInfoPath，展现微软在资讯世界中「车同轨，书同文」的企图。


π.χ.

from παραδείγματος χάριν (paradeígmatos chárin)


παραδείγματος χάριν

head

παραδείγματος χάριν

παραδείγματος χάριν • (paradeígmatos chárin)

el-phrase

παραδείγματος χάριν

πα‧ρα‧δεί‧γμα‧τος‧χά‧ριν

en-παραδείγματος_χάριν-el-phrase-dwQe48mx


사랑해

[sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ]

[sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦe̞]


где туалет

head

где туале́т?

где туале́т? • (gde tualét?)

где туале́т (canonical)
gde tualét? (romanization)


я вас люблю

я вас люблю́

я вас люблю ́ (canonical)
ja vas ljubljú (romanization)


я тебя люблю

я тебя́ люблю́

я тебя́ люблю́ • (ja tebjá ljubljú)

я тебя́ люблю́ (canonical)
ja tebjá ljubljú (romanization)


métro, boulot, dodo

Literally, “metro, work, sleep”. Abbreviated from the last line of a 1951 poem by Pierre Béarn, collected in Couleurs d’usine (Factory colors):
: Au déboulé garçon pointe ton numéro
: Pour gagner ainsi le salaire
: D’un morne jour utilitaire
: Métro, boulot, bistro, mégots, dodo, zéro
Literal translation:
: Rush in boy punch your number
: Thus to earn the salary
: Of a dreary utilitarian day
: Metro, work, bistro, cigs, sleep, zero

same old same old
same old same old#English

metonymy for the everyday routine of a Parisian or more generally urban worker; roughly, same old same old, or rat race


easy does it

Easy does it on the salt. I'm trying to cut down.

Easy does it! That thing is heavy and fragile.

“Nothing is bugging me, and nobody gave me any big pitch.” “Maybe that's what's bugging you, nobody give you the pitch. Did I strike oil there, June?” “Easy does it there, Rich,” said Wigman. “Don't get personal.”

2013, John O'Hara, The New York Stories, Penguin, →ISBN:

(idiomatic) Relax; do something gently, lightly or carefully; slow down; calm down.

आहिस्ता आहिस्ता (āhistā āhistā, literally “slowly, slowly”)


not on

It's just not on. We can't go breaking into another lawyer's office. I mean . . . it's just not something you can do.

1998, James P. Hogan, chapter 24, in Bug Park:

A feature of a situation may be influencing us although we do not realize it. From the agent's point of view the motivational power and direction of a consideration may not even be recognized. We often do not know why certain choices are just not on, and others so strangely attractive.

1998, Simon Blackburn, Ruling Passions: A Theory of Practical Reasoning, page 124:

2003, Dan Connell (author), Lionel Cliffe and Basil Davidson (introduction), Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution, 1976-1982, page 325,
After a week or so, he and I determined that walking hundreds of miles behind guerrilla lines under these conditions was just not on for him, and he packed his equipment to return home.

(informal, British, Australia, Ireland) Unacceptable or impossible.


que dalle

From que (“only, nothing but”) and a second element of uncertain origin..

Je comprends que dalle. Traduis-moi ça !

I don't understand a damn thing. Translate this for me!

(slang) sod all, naff all, jack shit (nothing)


de duobus vel pluribus reis debendi

Latin dē (“of”), duō (“two”), vel (“or”), plūs (“many, numerous”), reus (“debtor”), dēbēre (“to owe”)

(of an exception) applicable in cases where there are two or more principal debtors who are liable jointly but not severally; that is to say where each one is liable only for his share of the debt. In the event of the creditor claiming the full amount of the debt from one of the debtors, the debtor from whom the full amount is claimed can avail himself of this benefit and thereby avoid having to pay more than his share of the debt.


ALP

TTYL/TTYA/cul8r; Abbreviation of à la prochaine.


痛不欲生

ㄊㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄩˋ ㄕㄥ

/tʰʊŋ⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ y⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰʊŋ³³ pɐt̚⁵ jʊk̚² sɐŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰʊŋ⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ y⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰʊŋ³³ pɐt̚⁵ jʊk̚² sɐŋ⁵⁵/

to be overwhelmed with grief to the extent that one can not go on living


don't look at me

A: "Someone needs to label all these words as nouns or verbs."

B: "Don't look at me: I don't know anything about grammar."

2003, "Top Banana", season 1, episode 2 of Arrested Development
Michael Bluth: Well, I'll tell you what. I'm gonna give you a promotion. Welcome aboard, Mr. Manager.
George Michael Bluth: Wow! I'm Mr. Manager!
Michael Bluth: Well, "manager". We just say "manager". And you can hire an employee if you need one.
George Michael Bluth: Do you think I need one?
Michael Bluth: Don't look at me, Mr. Manager.
George Michael Bluth: Right. It's up to me now. I'm Mr. Manager.

A response indicating that one is either unwilling or unable to perform a task, or that one is not guilty of something for which blame was implied.


老而不死是為賊

ㄌㄠˇ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄙˇ ㄕˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄗㄟˊ

лао эр бу сы ши вэй цзэй

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ t͡seɪ̯³⁵/

/lou̯¹³ jiː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ sei̯³⁵ siː²² wɐi̯²¹ t͡sʰaːk̚²/

Yuan Rang was squatting on his heels, and so waited the approach of the Master, who said to him, "In youth not humble as befits a junior; in manhood, doing nothing worthy of being handed down; and living on to old age - this is to be a pest." With this he hit him on the shank with his staff.

Yuán Rǎng yí sì. Zǐ yuē: “Yòu ér bù xùn tì, zhǎng ér wú shù yān, lǎo ér bù sǐ, shì wéi zéi!” Yǐ zhàng kòu qí jìng.

原壤夷俟。子曰：「幼而不孫弟，長而無述焉，老而不死，是為賊！」以杖叩其脛。

原壤夷俟。子曰：「幼而不孙弟，长而无述焉，老而不死，是为贼！」以杖叩其胫。

used to scorn an old person that lacks morality or proper behaviour


來無影去無蹤

ㄌㄞˊ ㄨˊ ㄧㄥˇ ㄑㄩˋ ㄨˊ ㄗㄨㄥ

лай у ин цюй у цзун

/laɪ̯³⁵ u³⁵ iŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰy⁵¹ u³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

to come without a shadow, and leave without a trace


one's bark is worse than one's bite

En-au-one's bark is worse than one's bite.ogg

(idiomatic) One acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless.

հաչան շունը չի կծում

one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless

弱い犬ほどよく吠る

よわいいぬほどよくほえる

соба́ка, кото́рая ла́ет — не куса́ет (sobáka, kotóraja lájet — ne kusájet)


no glove, no love

Employing glove, US slang for “condom”, and love as a euphemism for “sex”. Used as a safe-sex slogan since at least 1986.

(slang) Without a condom, there will be no sex.


shit happens

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-shit happens.wav

(vulgar) An expression of acceptance of misfortune and unforeseen bad circumstances or luck.


kristi į akis

to strike one's eye, to catch one's eye (literally fall on the eyes)