塵埃落定

ㄔㄣˊ ㄞ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄉㄧㄥˋ

/ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ ˀaɪ̯⁵⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tiŋ⁵¹/

/t͡sʰɐn²¹ ɔːi̯⁵⁵ lɔːk̚² tɪŋ²²/

/ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ ˀaɪ̯⁵⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tiŋ⁵¹/

/t͡sʰɐn²¹ ɔːi̯⁵⁵ lɔːk̚² tɪŋ²²/

(of a matter) to be finalised; to get sorted out


橫空出世

ㄏㄥˊ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄔㄨ ㄕˋ

/xɤŋ³⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/waːŋ²¹ hʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ sɐi̯³³/

/xɤŋ³⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/waːŋ²¹ hʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ sɐi̯³³/

From the 1935 poem 《念奴嬌·崑崙》 by Mao Zedong.


味同嚼蠟

ㄨㄟˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄠˊ ㄌㄚˋ

ㄨㄟˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄐㄩㄝˊ ㄌㄚˋ

вэйтунцзяола

/weɪ̯⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ lä⁵¹/

вэйтунцзюэла

/weɪ̯⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ lä⁵¹/

/mei̯²² tʰʊŋ²¹ t͡sœːk̚³ laːp̚²/

/weɪ̯⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ lä⁵¹/

/weɪ̯⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ lä⁵¹/

/mei̯²² tʰʊŋ²¹ t͡sœːk̚³ laːp̚²/

tastes as if one is chewing wax; insipid; tasteless


騎牛搵馬

/kʰɛː²¹ ŋɐu̯²¹ wɐn³⁵ maː¹³/

/kʰɛː²¹ ŋɐu̯²¹ wɐn³⁵ maː¹³/

(Cantonese, figurative) to settle for what one has for the moment (e.g. job, girlfriend, etc.) while actively looking for something better


一無所獲

ㄧ ㄨˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄏㄨㄛˋ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ u³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ mou̯²¹ sɔː³⁵ wɔːk̚²/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ u³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ mou̯²¹ sɔː³⁵ wɔːk̚²/


viidestoista päivä

viidestoista päivä
viidestoista päivä#Finnish

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see viidestoista päivä ("fifteenth day")

Tarvitsen sen heti, enkä viidestoista päivä.

I need it at once (and not on the fifteenth day).

(idiomatic) Opposite of "now" or "at once", used as fortifier when telling someone to do something right now.


鬱鬱寡歡

ㄩˋ ㄩˋ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄏㄨㄢ

юйюйгуахуань

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯än⁵⁵/

/wɐt̚⁵ wɐt̚⁵ kʷaː³⁵ fuːn⁵⁵/

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯än⁵⁵/

/wɐt̚⁵ wɐt̚⁵ kʷaː³⁵ fuːn⁵⁵/


parade passed someone by

Have you stopped going out in the evening altogether because you don't want to disrupt your child's "routine"? Has the parade passed you by?

2007, Christie Mellor, chapter 7, in Three-Martini Family Vacation: A Field Guide to Intrepid Parenting, Chronicle Books LLC, →ISBN, page 43:

Before the parade passes by / I've gotta get some life back into my life / I'm ready to move out in front / I've had enough of just passing by life / With the rest of them / With the best of them / I can hold my head up high / For I've got a goal again / I've got a drive again / I wanna feel my heart coming alive again / Before the parade passes by

1964, Jerry Herman (lyrics and music), “Before the Parade Passes By”, in Jerry Herman (lyrics), Jerry Herman (music), Hello Dolly!, End of Act I. Hello Dolly! Produced for the Broadway stage by David Merrick and Champion-Five, Inc:

(idiomatic) Someone missed out on the joys of life, an opportunity, or popular movement

In The Five Pennies [1959 Film biography of Red Nichols, directed by Melville Shavelson] ...One young man says, "My father told me all about you.... He said you were smart to get out of the business before the parade passed you by." Outraged at this slight and intent on proving that he is still musically potent, Nichols is conveniently handed a cornet by his wife, who sees an opportunity to bring him back to the music after many years.

1996, Krin Gabbard, chapter 4, in Jammin' at the Margins: Jazz and the American Cinema, The University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 149:

(idiomatic) Someone no longer has what it takes to remain competetive and thus has no future in a particular role.

washed up

someone no longer has a future in a role


मम नाम ...

मम नाम रामः।


vuonna yksi ja kaksi

in the year dot (in an unspecified year long ago)

vuonna yksi ja kaksi jälkeen Saharan talvisodan


重蹈覆轍

ㄔㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄠˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄓㄜˊ

ㄔㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄠˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄔㄜˋ

/ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵¹/

/t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ tou̯²² fʊk̚⁵ t͡sʰiːt̚³/

/t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ tʰou̯⁵⁵ fʊk̚⁵ t͡sʰiːt̚³/

/teŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ tau³⁵⁻¹¹ hok̚⁴⁻² tʰiek̚²/

/teŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ tau³⁵⁻¹¹ hok̚⁴⁻² tʰiak̚²/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵¹/

/t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ tou̯²² fʊk̚⁵ t͡sʰiːt̚³/

/t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ tʰou̯⁵⁵ fʊk̚⁵ t͡sʰiːt̚³/

/teŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ tau³⁵⁻¹¹ hok̚⁴⁻² tʰiek̚²/

/teŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ tau³⁵⁻¹¹ hok̚⁴⁻² tʰiak̚²/

Now [we] are not considering past mistakes and following the tracks of an overturned cart again.

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

Jīn bù lǜ qiánshì zhī shī, fù xún fùchē zhī guǐ.

今不慮前事之失，復循覆車之軌。

今不虑前事之失，复循覆车之轨。

to go on the tracks of an overturned cart again

We must remember and draw from the painful lessons of the past, and we absolutely cannot repeat the same mistakes and allow the same situation to reoccur.

2005 February 5, 總統府新聞稿, in 《總統府公報》, number 6617

Wǒmen wùbì yào jìqǔ guòqù cǎntòng de jiàoxùn, juéduì bùnéng chóngdàofùchè, ràng xiāngtóng de qíngxíng zài fāshēng.

我們務必要記取過去慘痛的教訓，絕對不能重蹈覆轍，讓相同的情形再發生。

我们务必要记取过去惨痛的教训，绝对不能重蹈覆辙，让相同的情形再发生。

It's just that I'm afraid; I'm afraid that my child will repeat my mistakes. I think it's enough just for me to live a muddled life as a woman; my child does not have to.

2010, 趙銳, 《母親手記：我與孩子的故事》, page 181

Wǒ bùguò shì pà a, wǒ pà wǒ de háizi chóngdǎo wǒ de fùzhé, wǒ xiǎng wǒ zhè yī shēng xīlihútú de zuò nǚrén jiù gòu le, wǒ de háizi bùbì le.

我不過是怕啊，我怕我的孩子重蹈我的覆轍，我想我這一生稀裏糊塗地做女人就夠了，我的孩子不必了。

2010, 趙銳, 《母親手記：我與孩子的故事》, page 181

我不过是怕啊，我怕我的孩子重蹈我的覆辙，我想我这一生稀里糊涂地做女人就够了，我的孩子不必了。

to repeat the same mistake; to recommit the same error


πράσινα άλογα

head

πράσινα άλογα

πράσινα άλογα • (prásina áloga)

el-phrase

πράσινα άλογα

πράσινα άλογα • (prásina áloga)

prásina áloga (romanization)
prásin' áloga (romanization)

my eye, my foot, rubbish, nonsense; literally: green horses


煥然一新

ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄖㄢˊ ㄧ ㄒㄧㄣ

хуаньжаньисинь

/xu̯än⁵¹ ʐän³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

/wuːn²² jiːn²¹ jɐt̚⁵ sɐn⁵⁵/

/huan²¹⁻⁴¹ ziɛn²³⁻³³ it̚³²⁻⁴ sin⁴⁴/

/huan¹¹⁻⁵³ liɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ it̚³²⁻⁴ sin⁴⁴/

/huaŋ²¹³⁻⁵⁵ d͡ziaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sek̚⁴⁻² siŋ³³/

/xu̯än⁵¹ ʐän³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

/wuːn²² jiːn²¹ jɐt̚⁵ sɐn⁵⁵/

/huan²¹⁻⁴¹ ziɛn²³⁻³³ it̚³²⁻⁴ sin⁴⁴/

/huan¹¹⁻⁵³ liɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ it̚³²⁻⁴ sin⁴⁴/


壽終正寢

ㄕㄡˋ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄓㄥˋ ㄑㄧㄣˇ

шоучжунчжэнцинь

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰin²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐu̯²² t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ t͡sʰɐm³⁵/

/sɐu̯²² t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ t͡sʰɐm³⁵/

被難

to be killed in a disaster, political incident


刀下留人

ㄉㄠ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄖㄣˊ

/tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/tou̯⁵⁵ haː²² lɐu̯²¹ jɐn²¹/

/tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/tou̯⁵⁵ haː²² lɐu̯²¹ jɐn²¹/

used as an exclamation requesting that the decapitation of a prisoner be stayed or suspended: Spare him / her!


悒鬱寡歡

ㄧˋ ㄩˋ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄏㄨㄢ

/i⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯än⁵⁵/

/jɐp̚⁵ wɐt̚⁵ kʷaː³⁵ fuːn⁵⁵/

/i⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯än⁵⁵/

/jɐp̚⁵ wɐt̚⁵ kʷaː³⁵ fuːn⁵⁵/


get this

She opened her eyes about an hour after Blue arrived, and—get this! She looks at him and she goes, 'I'm bald. They had to shave my head.'

2015, Suzanne Brockmann, Get Lucky, →ISBN:

Plus Kanté is something new. Get this: Chelsea have the most popular player in the league, a man nobody could seriously boo, albeit even the notably lovable Kanté is perhaps a little fetishised in his humility, his scooter-riding, the Premier League’s own friendly, scuttling Bilbo Baggins.

2017 May 13, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in the Guardian:

Used to emphasize or call attention to the next thing that is said.


畢其功於一役

ㄅㄧˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄩˊ ㄧ ㄧˋ

bì qí gōng yú yī yì [Phonetic:bì qí gōng yú yí yì]

би ци гун юй и и

/pi⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ i⁵¹/

/pi⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ i⁵¹/


無人問津

ㄨˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ

ужэньвэньцзинь

/u³⁵ ʐən³⁵ wən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/mou̯²¹ jɐn²¹ mɐn²² t͡sɵn⁵⁵/

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ muŋ¹¹ t͡siŋ³³/

/u³⁵ ʐən³⁵ wən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/mou̯²¹ jɐn²¹ mɐn²² t͡sɵn⁵⁵/

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ muŋ¹¹ t͡siŋ³³/

Liu Ziji from Nanyang was a person of integrity. When he heard about the Peach Blossom Spring, he joyfully planned a visit, but eventually died before being able to reach there. Since then there have been no one trying to search for the Peach Blossom Spring.

Tao Yuanming, Story of the Peach Blossom Spring

Nányáng Liú Zǐjì, gāoshàng shì yě, wén zhī, xīnrán guī wǎng. Wèiguǒ, xún bìng zhōng. Hòu suì wú wènjīn zhě.

南陽劉子驥，高尚士也，聞之，欣然規往。未果，尋病終。後遂無問津者。

南阳刘子骥，高尚士也，闻之，欣然规往。未果，寻病终。后遂无问津者。

nobody is interested; unpopular; unattractive


其樂無窮

ㄑㄧˊ ㄌㄜˋ ㄨˊ ㄑㄩㄥˊ

/t͡ɕʰi³⁵ lɤ⁵¹ u³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵/

/kʰei̯²¹ lɔːk̚² mou̯²¹ kʰʊŋ²¹/

/t͡ɕʰi³⁵ lɤ⁵¹ u³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵/

/kʰei̯²¹ lɔːk̚² mou̯²¹ kʰʊŋ²¹/

it is a great joy to (do something); to find it an infinite delight (to do something)


空穴來風

ㄎㄨㄥ ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄌㄞˊ ㄈㄥ

ㄎㄨㄥ ㄒㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄞˊ ㄈㄥ

кунсюэлайфэн

/kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ laɪ̯³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵/

/hʊŋ⁵⁵ jyːt̚² lɔːi̯²¹ fʊŋ⁵⁵/

/kʰaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hiɛt̚⁴⁻³² lai²⁴⁻¹¹ hɔŋ⁴⁴/

/kʰaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hiɛt̚⁴⁻³² lai²³⁻³³ hɔŋ⁴⁴/

/kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ laɪ̯³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵/

/kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵/

/hʊŋ⁵⁵ jyːt̚² lɔːi̯²¹ fʊŋ⁵⁵/

/kʰaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hiɛt̚⁴⁻³² lai²⁴⁻¹¹ hɔŋ⁴⁴/

/kʰaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hiɛt̚⁴⁻³² lai²³⁻³³ hɔŋ⁴⁴/

From 《風賦》 by Song Yu:
:
Note: the historical usage of the idiom may be etymologically unrelated to the mainstream usage today.

A bent trifoliate orange tree will attract birds to nest; an empty hole will attract the wind.

枳句來巢，空穴來風。

枳句来巢，空穴来风。

(of a rumour, literary, dated) to be not completely unsound; to have a basis for its existence

(of a rumour, in modern uses) to be completely unsound; to be utterly baseless


不亦樂乎

ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˋ ㄌㄜˋ ㄏㄨ

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɤ⁵¹ xu⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ jɪk̚² lɔːk̚² fuː²¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ²⁴/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ¹¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ²¹/

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɤ⁵¹ xu⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ jɪk̚² lɔːk̚² fuː²¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ²⁴/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ¹¹/

/put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ²¹/

Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?

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

有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？

有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？

(original meaning) Isn't it a pleasure (to ...)?

玩得不亦樂乎

玩得不亦乐乎

忙得不亦樂乎

忙得不亦乐乎

(modifies an adjective or verb) to a great extent; extremely; very; awfully


冇咁嬲

/mou̯¹³ kɐm³³ nɐu̯⁵⁵/

/mou̯¹³ kɐm³³ nɐu̯⁵⁵/

(Cantonese) would be a better course of action


sekreto para bibo

Literally, “(I'll keep it a) secret for fun”.

lit

used to refuse to answer a question or to divulge details


paunaha ko para dili ka bungoton

Literally, “let me go first so you don't grow a beard”.

lit

said to allow older people to go before younger ones


口水多過茶

/hɐu̯³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ tɔː⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ t͡sʰaː²¹/

/hɐu̯³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ tɔː⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ t͡sʰaː²¹/

all talk and no action
all talk and no action


失驚無神

/sɐt̚⁵ kɛːŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ sɐn²¹/

/sɐt̚⁵ kɛːŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ sɐn²¹/

(Cantonese) suddenly; unexpectedly; out of the blue


og lignende

Similar to Norwegian Nynorsk og liknande and Swedish och liknande


一言不發

ㄧ ㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄈㄚ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ jɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹ fä⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiːn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ faːt̚³/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ jɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹ fä⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiːn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ faːt̚³/


不求甚解

ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄕㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄝˇ

/pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʂən⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ kʰɐu̯²¹ sɐm²² kaːi̯³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ kʰɐu̯²¹ sɐm²² kaːi̯³⁵/

Originally means "to put emphasis on comprehending argumentation instead of words".

Hào dúshū, bùqiúshènjiě, měi yǒu huìyì, biàn xīnrán wàng shí.

好讀書，不求甚解，每有會意，便欣然忘食。

好读书，不求甚解，每有会意，便欣然忘食。

to not seek deep understanding; to read or know things on a superficial level


飲鴆止渴

ㄧㄣˇ ㄓㄣˋ ㄓˇ ㄎㄜˇ

иньчжэньчжикэ

inʹčžɛnʹčžikɛ

/in²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐm³⁵ t͡sɐm²² t͡siː³⁵ hɔːt̚³/

/jɐm³⁵ t͡sɐm²² t͡siː³⁵ hɔːt̚³/

Based on a quote in Book of Later Han:
*

It's like sating hunger with aconite roots and slaking thirst with zhen's poison; they would not even enter the stomach and guts before already having killed by blocking off the throat; how can such a thing be done?

Pìyóu liáojī yú fùzǐ, zhǐkě yú zhèndú, wèi rù chángwèi, yǐ jué yānhóu, qǐ kě wéi zāi!

譬猶療飢於附子，止渴於酖毒，未入膓胃，已絕咽喉，豈可爲哉！

譬犹疗饥于附子，止渴于鸩毒，未入肠胃，已绝咽喉，岂可为哉！

todrink poisonous liquor to quench thirst

to do something harmful in order to seek any relief


洛陽紙貴

ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄓˇ ㄍㄨㄟˋ

/lu̯ɔ⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

/lɔːk̚² jœːŋ²¹ t͡siː³⁵ kʷɐi̯³³/

/lok̚⁴⁻² iaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sua⁵²⁻³⁵ kui²¹³/

/lu̯ɔ⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

/lɔːk̚² jœːŋ²¹ t͡siː³⁵ kʷɐi̯³³/

/lok̚⁴⁻² iaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sua⁵²⁻³⁵ kui²¹³/

From the incident that the Western Jin poet Zuo Si's work Rhapsodies on the Three Capitals was extremely popular that people were making copies of it, causing a shortage in paper and pushing up its price in Luoyang.

After that the noblemen were eagerly making copies of the work, causing paper to become expensive in Luoyang.

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

Yúshì háoguì zhī jiā jìngxiāng chuánxiě, Luòyáng wèi zhī zhǐ guì.

於是豪貴之家競相傳寫，洛陽為之紙貴。

于是豪贵之家竞相传写，洛阳为之纸贵。

(of a literary work, e.g. a new book) to be all the rage for a time; to be immensely popular


為虎作倀

ㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄨˇ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄔㄤ

ㄨㄟˊ ㄏㄨˇ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄔㄤ

/weɪ̯⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/weɪ̯³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/wɐi̯²² fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵/

/wɐi̯²² fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰaːŋ²¹/

/wɐi̯²¹ fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵/

/wɐi̯²¹ fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰaːŋ²¹/

/ui²²⁻²¹ hɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ tʰiɔŋ⁴⁴/

/weɪ̯⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/weɪ̯³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/wɐi̯²² fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵/

/wɐi̯²² fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰaːŋ²¹/

/wɐi̯²¹ fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵/

/wɐi̯²¹ fuː³⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ t͡sʰaːŋ²¹/

/ui²²⁻²¹ hɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ tʰiɔŋ⁴⁴/

to assist a devil; to help a villain do evil


seeya

Seeya later, dude

Well, slong Harry—seeya again

1920, Life Magazine, volume 76, number 1972, page 307:

"Seeya later, alligator." "Okay." "No," Eddie said patiently. "When I say that you're supposed to say, 'After awhile, crocodile.'"

He threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her a parting squeeze. “You get some rest, you hear?” “I will. Seeya.” With a final smile and a thumbs up sign, he was gone.


die Sonne geht auf

(fig.) remark made when a particularly pleasant person appears


魯魚亥豕

ㄌㄨˇ ㄩˊ ㄏㄞˋ ㄕˇ

/lu²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ xaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/lou̯¹³ jyː²¹ hɔːi̯²² t͡sʰiː³⁵/

/lu²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ xaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/lou̯¹³ jyː²¹ hɔːi̯²² t͡sʰiː³⁵/

Confusing the character 魯 with 魚, and 亥 with 豕 in ancient scripts.

Written characters, they are widely known to people, yet errors abound in written texts. Referring to this, an idiom goes: "After many rounds of copying, a fish (魚) gets foolhardy (魯), but the empty (虛) one becomes a tiger (虎)."

Ge Hong, c. 4th century, Baopuzi (《抱朴子》)

Shū zì, rén zhī zhī, yóu shàng xiě zhī duō wù. Gù yàn yuē, “shū sān xiě, yú chéng lǔ, xū chéng hǔ,” cǐ zhī wèi yě.

書字，人知之，猶尚寫之多誤。故諺曰，「書三寫，魚成魯，虛成虎，」此之謂也。

书字，人知之，犹尚写之多误。故谚曰，「书三写，鱼成鲁，虚成虎，」此之谓也。

Zi Xia, back in Wey, met someone reading historical annals aloud as such: "The armies of Jin attacked Qin; three pigs crossed the Yellow River." On hearing this, he said: "That's wrong. The text should read 'on the day of Ji-Hai' ."

The School Sayings of Confucius, c. 206 BCE– 220 CE

Cháng fǎn Wèi, jiàn dú shǐ zhì zhě yún: “Jìn shī fá Qín, sān shǐ dù Hé.” Zǐ Xià yuē: “Fēi yě, Jǐ Hài ěr.”

嘗返衛，見讀史志者云：「晉師伐秦，三豕渡河。」子夏曰：「非也，己亥耳。」

尝返卫，见读史志者云：「晋师伐秦，三豕渡河。」子夏曰：「非也，己亥耳。」

typographical errors caused by similar-looking characters


蛛絲馬跡

ㄓㄨ ㄙ ㄇㄚˇ ㄐㄧˋ

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ sz̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵¹/

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ sz̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/t͡syː⁵⁵ siː⁵⁵ maː¹³ t͡sɪk̚⁵/

/tu⁴⁴⁻³³ si⁴⁴⁻³³ mã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ziaʔ³²/

/tu³³⁻²³ si³³⁻²³ be⁵²⁻³⁵ t͡siaʔ²/

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ sz̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵¹/

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ sz̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/t͡syː⁵⁵ siː⁵⁵ maː¹³ t͡sɪk̚⁵/

/tu⁴⁴⁻³³ si⁴⁴⁻³³ mã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ziaʔ³²/

/tu³³⁻²³ si³³⁻²³ be⁵²⁻³⁵ t͡siaʔ²/


εδώ και

head

εδώ και • (edó kai)

el-phrase

εδώ και • (edó kai)

edó kai (romanization)
here and (literally)

Εδώ και πέντε μέρες δεν έχουν μαζέψει τα σκουπίδια και η γειτονιά αρχίζει να βρομάει.

For the last five days they haven't collected the rubbish and the neighbourhood is starting to stink.

Edó kai pénte méres den échoun mazépsei ta skoupídia kai i geitoniá archízei na vromáei.

Η μάνα μου ζει στην Αμερική εδώ και δέκα χρόνια.

My mother has been living in America for ten years now.

I mána mou zei stin Amerikí edó kai déka chrónia.

for the past ..., for ... now, (for the duration of the time mentioned, since)


εδώ που τα λέμε

head

εδώ που τα λέμε • (edó pou ta léme)

el-phrase

εδώ που τα λέμε • (edó pou ta léme)

edó pou ta léme (romanization)
here that we're talking (literally)

Εδώ που τα λέμε, όταν τον πάντρεψε αυτόν ήταν το καλύτερο πράγμα που έκανε ποτέ.

To be honest, marrying him was the best thing she ever did.

Edó pou ta léme, ótan ton pántrepse aftón ítan to kalýtero prágma pou ékane poté.

Προσπάθησε να περάσει το πανεπιστήμιο αλλά εδώ που τα λέμε, θα ’ταν καλύτερο να μην είχε πάει ποτέ.

He tried to get through university but if I'm honest, it would have been better if he had never gone.

Prospáthise na perásei to panepistímio allá edó pou ta léme, tha ’tan kalýtero na min eíche páei poté.

to be honest, if I'm honest, to tell the truth


ne serait-ce que

Literally, “(it) would not be that, but”.

lit

Cette année, notre équipe a plus de chances que jamais de remporter la coupe – ne serait-ce que parce que nous nous entraînons très fort.
This year our team's chances of winning the cup are better than ever before – not least because we train very hard.

in part because, not least because, partially because


饑饉薦臻

ㄐㄧ ㄐㄧㄣˇ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄣ

цзицзиньцзяньчжэнь

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡ɕin²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡ɕin²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

That Heaven [thus] sends down death and disorder?
Famine comes again and again.

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

天降喪亂，饑饉薦臻。

天降丧乱，饥馑荐臻。


MAGA

The 17-year-old told a CBS affiliate the Maga hats - a staple of President Trump's campaign - are a "racist and hateful symbol." ¶ According to the sheriff's office, the student began verbally attacking her peer on Monday because of the Maga hat, before grabbing and hurling it to the ground.

2018 August 29, “California schoolgirl arrested in Trump hat classroom fracas”, in BBC News, BBC:

“Four more years!” the incumbent’s backers called out even louder, largely unencumbered by face coverings. ¶ “Black Lives Matter!” ¶ “Black Lives MAGA!”

2020 October 31, Matt Flegenheimer, “Campaign 2020: Let's Never Do This Again”, in New York Times:

“Mitch knows he can’t take Trump off the table there,” Scott Reed, a longtime G.O.P. strategist, said of the calculations of Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader. “He needs him to energize the MAGA crowd.”

2020 November 18, Richard Fausset, Jonathan Martin, “In Georgia, a Republican Feud With Trump at the Center”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Make America Great Again
w:Make America Great Again

(US politics) Acronym of Make America Great Again.


मैं हिंदू हूँ

hi-phrase

मैं हिंदू हूँ

میں ہندو ہوں

मैं हिंदू हूँ • (ma͠i hindū hū̃) (Urdu spelling میں ہندو ہوں)

ma͠i hindū hū̃ (romanization)
میں ہندو ہوں (Urdu)

/mɛ̃ː ɦɪn.d̪uː ɦũː/

[mɛ̃ː‿ɦɪ̃n̪.d̪uː‿ɦũː]


if it's yellow let it mellow

A short version of "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down".

It's a tad gross that I haven't been able to flush, but if it's yellow, let it mellow ... and run like hell-o.

He went on to explain: I'm not gonna waste like a gallon and a half of water that we're stealing from the Colorado River just cuz I took a pee, you know like, 'if it's yellow let it mellow,' you know, don't flush it.

2013, Laura Portwood-Stacer, Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism, →ISBN, page 29:

Explanation: No! I did not have to follow the, “if it's yellow, let it mellow” rule—in fact, if I did follow that rule I would probably still be single.

2016, Bo Bennett, Logically Fallacious, →ISBN:

In order to save water, do not flush the toilet every time you urinate.


head

if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down

Initially coined during one of the California droughts.

Never mind 'If it's yellow, let it mellow – if it's brown, flush it down.' My motto is: 'If it's brown, spread it on the ground – if it's yellow, recycle it like a good fellow.'

2008, Ethan Greenhart, Can I Recycle My Granny?: And Other Eco-dilemmas, →ISBN:

The first obvious difference you can make is simply to choose not to flush every time. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.

2009, Melissa Seligman, David Seligman, Simply Green, →ISBN, page 99:

Here is what I will say about the “If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down” rule: this is fine, providing you drink a lot of water.

2014, Vanessa Farquharson, Sleeping Naked Is Green, →ISBN:

In order to save water, only flush the toilet after defecation, not after urination.


談笑風生

ㄊㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄈㄥ ㄕㄥ

таньсяофэншэн

/tʰän³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰaːm²¹ siːu̯³³ fʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰän³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰaːm²¹ siːu̯³³ fʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

to talk in a jovial mood; to joke together; to talk cheerfully and wittily


何か用

何か用 (canonical)
nanika yō (romanization)

did you want something? can I help you? what do you want? did you need me?


惺惺惜惺惺

ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄥ

ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧˊ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄥ

синсинсисинсин

/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕi³⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕi³⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵/

people of intelligence and talent appreciate one another; like-minded people relate well to each other


कोई बात नहीं

hi-phrase

کوئِی بات نَہِیں

कोई बात नहीं • (koī bāt nahī̃) (Urdu spelling کوئِی بات نَہِیں)

koī bāt nahī̃ (romanization)
کوئِی بات نَہِیں (Urdu)

[koː.iː‿bäːt̪‿nɐ.ɦĩː]

Compare Punjabi ਕੋਈ ਗੱਲ ਨਹੀਂ (koī galla nahī̃) / کوئِی گَلّ نَہِیں (ko'ī gall nahīṉ).

nc

ਕੋਈ ਗੱਲ ਨਹੀਂ


सुप्रभात

hi-phrase

सुप्रभात • (suprabhāt)

Borrowed from Sanskrit सुप्रभात (suprabhāta). From सु (su) + प्रभात (prabhāta).


the word is go

(idiomatic) Indicates that given plans or actions can proceed.


നമസ്കാരം

head

നമസ്കാരം • (namaskāraṁ)

Borrowed from Sanskrit नमस्कार (namaskāra).


畢恭畢敬

ㄅㄧˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄅㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄥˋ

/pi⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹/

/pi⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹/

reverent and respectful; extremely deferential


鬼哭狼嚎

ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄎㄨ ㄌㄤˊ ㄏㄠˊ

/ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ kʰu⁵⁵ lɑŋ³⁵ xɑʊ̯³⁵/

/ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ kʰu⁵⁵ lɑŋ³⁵ xɑʊ̯³⁵/

to wail like ghosts and howl like wolves


孤苦伶仃

ㄍㄨ ㄎㄨˇ ㄌㄧㄥˊ ㄉㄧㄥ

/ku⁵⁵ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ liŋ³⁵ tiŋ⁵⁵/

/kuː⁵⁵ fuː³⁵ lɪŋ²¹ tɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ku⁵⁵ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ liŋ³⁵ tiŋ⁵⁵/

/kuː⁵⁵ fuː³⁵ lɪŋ²¹ tɪŋ⁵⁵/


出謀劃策

ㄔㄨ ㄇㄡˊ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄘㄜˋ

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ moʊ̯³⁵ xu̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹/

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ moʊ̯³⁵ xu̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹/

(sometimes derogatory) to put forward plans and ideas; to give advice


渾水摸魚

ㄏㄨㄣˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄇㄛ ㄩˊ

ㄏㄨㄣˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄇㄛ ㄩˊ

/xu̯ən³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

/wɐn²² sɵy̯³⁵ mɔː³⁵ jyː²¹/

/wɐn²² sɵy̯³⁵ mɔː³⁵ jyː²¹⁻³⁵/

/xu̯ən³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

/wɐn²² sɵy̯³⁵ mɔː³⁵ jyː²¹/

/wɐn²² sɵy̯³⁵ mɔː³⁵ jyː²¹⁻³⁵/

fish in troubled waters
fish in troubled waters

to take advantage of a crisis for personal gain; to fish in troubled waters


負隅頑抗

ㄈㄨˋ ㄩˊ ㄨㄢˊ ㄎㄤˋ

/fu⁵¹ y³⁵ wän³⁵ kʰɑŋ⁵¹/

/fuː²² jyː²¹ waːn²¹ kʰɔːŋ³³/

/fu⁵¹ y³⁵ wän³⁵ kʰɑŋ⁵¹/

/fuː²² jyː²¹ waːn²¹ kʰɔːŋ³³/

[…] There was a man named Feng Fu in Jin, famous for his skill in seizing tigers. Afterwards he became a scholar of reputation, and going once out to the wild country, he found the people all in pursuit of a tiger. The tiger took refuge in a corner of a hill, where no one dared to attack him.

Jìn rén yǒu Féng Fù zhě, shàn bó hǔ, zú wéi shànshì. Zé zhī yě, yǒu zhòng zhú hǔ. Hǔ fù yú, mò zhī gǎn yīng.

晉人有馮婦者，善搏虎，卒為善士。則之野，有眾逐虎。虎負嵎，莫之敢攖。

晋人有冯妇者，善搏虎，卒为善士。则之野，有众逐虎。虎负嵎，莫之敢撄。

(figurative) to make a last-ditch fight (relying on a strategically inaccessible place or other conditions)


摩拳擦掌

ㄇㄛˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄘㄚ ㄓㄤˇ

моцюаньцачжан

/mu̯ɔ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵ t͡sʰä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/mɔː⁵⁵ kʰyːn²¹ t͡sʰaːt̚³ t͡sœːŋ³⁵/

/mɔː⁵⁵ kʰyːn²¹ t͡sʰaːt̚³ t͡sœːŋ³⁵/

to rub one's fists and wipe one's palms; to roll up one's sleeves for a battle


混水摸魚

ㄏㄨㄣˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄇㄛ ㄩˊ

ㄏㄨㄣˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄇㄛ ㄩˊ

ㄏㄨㄣˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄇㄛ ㄩˊ

/xu̯ən³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

/xu̯ən⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

/wɐn²² sɵy̯³⁵ mɔː³⁵ jyː²¹/

/xu̯ən³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

/xu̯ən⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

/wɐn²² sɵy̯³⁵ mɔː³⁵ jyː²¹/

渾水摸魚 渾水摸魚#Chinese

浑水摸鱼 浑水摸鱼#Chinese

Alternative form of 渾水摸魚／浑水摸鱼 (húnshuǐmōyú)


死心塌地

ㄙˇ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄊㄚ ㄉㄧˋ

/sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵ tʰä⁵⁵ ti⁵¹/

/sei̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ tʰaːp̚³ tei̯²²/

/sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵ tʰä⁵⁵ ti⁵¹/

/sei̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ tʰaːp̚³ tei̯²²/

她死心塌地地跟著那個男人。

她死心塌地地跟着那个男人。

to be hell-bent on; to be dead set on (following someone)


無動於衷

ㄨˊ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄩˊ ㄓㄨㄥ

/u³⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵/

/mou̯²¹ tʊŋ²² jyː⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

/u³⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵/

/mou̯²¹ tʊŋ²² jyː⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

aloof; indifferent; unmoved; unconcerned


一錘定音

ㄧ ㄔㄨㄟˊ ㄉㄧㄥˋ ㄧㄣ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯³⁵ tiŋ⁵¹ in⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ tɪŋ²² jɐm⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯³⁵ tiŋ⁵¹ in⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ tɪŋ²² jɐm⁵⁵/


五勞七傷

ㄨˇ ㄌㄠˊ ㄑㄧ ㄕㄤ

/u²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

/ŋ̍¹³ lou̯²¹ t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵/

/u²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

/ŋ̍¹³ lou̯²¹ t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵/

traditional Chinese medicine
traditional Chinese medicine

(traditional Chinese medicine) “five strains and seven impairments”, five referring to the five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney), and seven to adverse effects on one's body as a result of: overeating (spleen), anger (liver), moisture (kidney), cold (lung), worry (heart), wind and rain (outer appearance) and fear (mind)

(by extension) various disease risk factors and pathogenic factors


原原本本

ㄩㄢˊ ㄩㄢˊ ㄅㄣˇ ㄅㄣˇ

юаньюаньбэньбэнь

/ɥɛn³⁵ ɥɛn³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɥɛn³⁵ ɥɛn³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


義無反顧

ㄧˋ ㄨˊ ㄈㄢˇ ㄍㄨˋ

/i⁵¹ u³⁵ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku⁵¹/

/jiː²² mou̯²¹ faːn³⁵ kuː³³/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ bo²⁴⁻²² huan⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kɔ²¹/

/ɡi⁴¹⁻²² bo²⁴⁻²² huan⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ kɔ⁴¹/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ bo¹³⁻²² huan⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kɔ²¹/

/ɡi³³⁻¹¹ bo²⁴⁻¹¹ huan⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kɔ¹¹/

/ɡi³³⁻²¹ bɤ²³⁻³³ huan⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ kɔ²¹/

/i⁵¹ u³⁵ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku⁵¹/

/jiː²² mou̯²¹ faːn³⁵ kuː³³/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ bo²⁴⁻²² huan⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kɔ²¹/

/ɡi⁴¹⁻²² bo²⁴⁻²² huan⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ kɔ⁴¹/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ bo¹³⁻²² huan⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kɔ²¹/

/ɡi³³⁻¹¹ bo²⁴⁻¹¹ huan⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kɔ¹¹/

/ɡi³³⁻²¹ bɤ²³⁻³³ huan⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ kɔ²¹/

to pursue justice with no second thoughts; to proceed without hesitation


直接了當

ㄓˊ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄉㄤˋ

чжицзеляодан

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɑŋ⁵¹/

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɑŋ⁵¹/

直截了當 直截了當#Chinese

直截了当 直截了当#Chinese

Alternative form of 直截了當／直截了当 (zhíjiéliǎodàng)


驕奢淫逸

ㄐㄧㄠ ㄕㄜ ㄧㄣˊ ㄧˋ

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʂɤ⁵⁵ in³⁵ i⁵¹/

/kiːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɛː⁵⁵ jɐm²¹ jɐt̚²/

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʂɤ⁵⁵ in³⁵ i⁵¹/

/kiːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɛː⁵⁵ jɐm²¹ jɐt̚²/

From Zuo Zhuan. Duke Zhuang I of Wey (w:zh:衛前莊公) had a favored son, Zhou Yu (w:zh:州吁), and did not restrain him. One of his officers was concerned (《左傳·隱公三年》)

Shi Que remonstrated with the duke, saying, "Your servant has heard that, when you love a son, you should teach him righteous ways, and not help him on in the course of depravity. There are pride, extravagance, lewdness, and dissipation, by which one depraves himself; but these four vices come from over-indulgence and allowances. If you are going to make Zhou Yu your successor, settle him in that position; if you have not yet decided on such a step, you are paving the way for him to create disorder. …

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

Shí Què jiàn yuē: “Chén wén ài zǐ, jiào zhī yǐ yì fāng, fú nà yú xié. Jiāo, shē, yín, yì, suǒ zì xié yě. Sì zhě zhī lái, chǒng lù guò yě. Jiāng lì Zhōu Yù, nǎi dìng zhī yǐ, ruò yóu wèi yě, jiē zhī wéi huò.......

石碏諫曰：「臣聞愛子，教之以義方，弗納于邪。驕、奢、淫、泆，所自邪也。四者之來，寵祿過也。將立州籲，乃定之矣，若猶未也，階之為禍。……

石碏谏曰：「臣闻爱子，教之以义方，弗纳于邪。骄、奢、淫、泆，所自邪也。四者之来，宠禄过也。将立州吁，乃定之矣，若犹未也，阶之为祸。……


秀外慧中

ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄨㄞˋ ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄓㄨㄥ

сювайхуэйчжун

/ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ waɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵/

/sɐu̯⁵⁵ ŋɔːi̯²² wɐi̯²² t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

/siu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ɡua¹¹ hui³⁵⁻¹¹ toŋ³³/

/sɐu̯⁵⁵ ŋɔːi̯²² wɐi̯²² t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

/siu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ɡua¹¹ hui³⁵⁻¹¹ toŋ³³/

(usually of a girl) good-looking and intelligent


五采繽紛

ㄨˇ ㄘㄞˇ ㄅㄧㄣ ㄈㄣ

уцайбиньфэнь

/u²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pin⁵⁵ fən⁵⁵/

/u²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pin⁵⁵ fən⁵⁵/

五彩繽紛 五彩繽紛#Chinese

五彩缤纷 五彩缤纷#Chinese

(uncommon) Alternative form of 五彩繽紛／五彩缤纷 (wǔcǎibīnfēn)


無魂無影

/bo²⁴⁻²² hun²⁴⁻²² bo²⁴⁻²² iã⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻²² hun²⁴⁻²² bo²⁴⁻²² iã⁵⁵⁴/

/bo¹³⁻²² hun¹³⁻²² bo¹³⁻²² iã⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻¹¹ hun²⁴⁻¹¹ bo²⁴⁻¹¹ iã⁵³/

/bɤ²³⁻³³ hun²³⁻³³ bɤ²³⁻³³ iã⁴¹/

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ huŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ĩã⁵²/

/bo²⁴⁻²² hun²⁴⁻²² bo²⁴⁻²² iã⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻²² hun²⁴⁻²² bo²⁴⁻²² iã⁵⁵⁴/

/bo¹³⁻²² hun¹³⁻²² bo¹³⁻²² iã⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻¹¹ hun²⁴⁻¹¹ bo²⁴⁻¹¹ iã⁵³/

/bɤ²³⁻³³ hun²³⁻³³ bɤ²³⁻³³ iã⁴¹/

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ huŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ĩã⁵²/

(Hakka, Southern Min) to disappear without a trace


烏七八糟

/u⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ pä⁵⁵ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/vu⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi²¹ pa²¹ t͡sau⁵⁵/

/wuː⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ paːt̚³ t͡sou̯⁵⁵/

/u³³ t͡sʰi²⁴ pa̠²⁴ t͡sɒu̯³³/

/u³³ t͡ɕʰi²⁴ pa̠²⁴ t͡sɒu̯³³/

/u⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ pä⁵⁵ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/vu⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi²¹ pa²¹ t͡sau⁵⁵/

/wuː⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ paːt̚³ t͡sou̯⁵⁵/

/u³³ t͡sʰi²⁴ pa̠²⁴ t͡sɒu̯³³/

/u³³ t͡ɕʰi²⁴ pa̠²⁴ t͡sɒu̯³³/

everything in disorder; in a hideous mess; horribly messy


om det

Og det var svært at tage helt seriøst, […] Men hende om det, tænkte Camilla […]

2013, Sara Blædel, Dødesporet, Art People, →ISBN:

Hun har åbenbart stadigvæk et svagt punkt i hjertet for Dem. Men hende om det.

2016, Ib Henrik Cavling, Stræberen, Lindhardt og Ringhof, →ISBN:

She apparently still has a weak point in her heart for you. But to each their own.

Men jeg anså ellers dig for at være en mand, der forstod at bedømme tiden og værdierne og hvad vi alle skylder hverandre. Men dig om det, selvfølgelig.

... ih, hvor Redaktøren bliver ond i Sulet, Du bliver kostet ud, men dig om det«.

1963, Aksel Krogh, Vi er alle jyder: (jydske fortællinger):

... oh, how furious the editor will become. You will be chased out with a broom, but as long as I'm not involved, I don't care".

... de fandt hinanden, så at sige, og dem om det, de var sikkert månesyge begge to, så ja, dem om det.

2012, Lars Saabye Christensen, Bernhard Hvals fortalelser, C&K Forlag, →ISBN:

Det mente jeg nu ikke, men dem om det, tænkte jeg, ...

2016, Erling Jepsen, Gramhavet: Familiehemmeligheder 1, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:

Fordi ellers vil der om lidt stå tre flinke turister fra Chicago eller et eller andet og tro, at jeg har brændt dem af. Og så får jeg ikke mine usle 100 euro for at vise dem Eiffeltårnet. Ikke at de alligevel kan se en skid i det her vejr, men dem om det.

2011, Christian Mørk, Den åbne grav, Politikens Forlag, →ISBN, page 66:

Because otherwise, in a moment three nice tourists from Chicago or whereever will stand there, thinking I have stood them up. And then I won't get my measly 100 euro for showing them the Eiffel tower. Not that they can see shit in this weather, but if that's what they want, that's what they'll get.

... at mænd påtog sig en moralsk forpligtelse ved velvilligt at penetrere deres underliv. Nå, men dem om det. Hun havde netop fået et match.

2017, Jo Nesbø, translated by Allan Hilton Andersen, Tørst, Modtryk, →ISBN:

Hardcore nordiske køkkennørder bruger ganske vist ikke citroner, da de vist er dømt unordiske, men dem om det, de skal jo heller ikke spise deres restaurantmad selv ...

2014, Camilla Plum, Abracadabra, Politikens Forlag, →ISBN:

Of course, hardcore Nordic cuisine nerds do not use lemons, as, I think, they've been deemed un-Nordic, but I'll leave them to that, it's not like they have to eat their restaurant food themselves ...

(after a pronoun in the accusative) Indicates that the speaker considers something someone (the person denoted by the pronoun) does foolish, but ultimately does not care and will not interfere; roughly translatable as "to each their own" or "it's none of my business".


身懷六甲

ㄕㄣ ㄏㄨㄞˊ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄐㄧㄚˇ

ㄕㄣ ㄏㄨㄞˊ ㄌㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄚˇ

шэньхуайлюцзя

/ʂən⁵⁵ xu̯aɪ̯³⁵ li̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

шэньхуайлуцзя

/ʂən⁵⁵ xu̯aɪ̯³⁵ lu⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn⁵⁵ waːi̯²¹ lʊk̚² kaːp̚³/

/ʂən⁵⁵ xu̯aɪ̯³⁵ lu⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn⁵⁵ waːi̯²¹ lʊk̚² kaːp̚³/


葉公好龍

ㄧㄝˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄏㄠˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

ㄕㄜˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄏㄠˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

/jɛ⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯⁵¹ lʊŋ³⁵/

/ʂɤ⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯⁵¹ lʊŋ³⁵/

/siːp̚³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ hou̯³³ lʊŋ²¹/

/jiːp̚² kʊŋ⁵⁵ hou̯³³ lʊŋ²¹/

/jɛ⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯⁵¹ lʊŋ³⁵/

/ʂɤ⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯⁵¹ lʊŋ³⁵/

/siːp̚³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ hou̯³³ lʊŋ²¹/

/jiːp̚² kʊŋ⁵⁵ hou̯³³ lʊŋ²¹/

From a parable in 《新序》 (New Prefaces), describing a man named 葉公 (Shè Gōng/Yè Gōng, “Lord Ye/Lord She”), who was obsessed with drawings of dragons, but fled in terror when he saw a real dragon.

zh-l

Lord Ye/She Zigao liked dragons, dragons drawn on hooks, dragons drawn on wine vessels, dragons drawn at house carvings. So, the dragon in the sky listened then went down, head peeking through the windowsill, tail extended into the hall. Lord Ye/She saw it, gave up then turned around and ran, losing his soul, extremely terrified. This is Lord Ye/She not liking dragons, he liked those resembling dragons but are not dragons.

Han Dynasty, New Prefaces (新序), Liu Xiang (劉向)

Shègōng Zǐgāo hào lóng, gōu yǐ xiě lóng, záo yǐ xiě lóng, wū shì diāo wén yǐ xiě lóng. Yúshì tiānlóng wén ér xià zhī, kuī tóu yú yǒu, yì wěi yú táng. Shègōng jiàn zhī, qì ér xúanzǒu, shī qí húnpò, wǔsèwúzhǔ. Shì Shègōng fēi hào lóng yě, hào fū sì lóng ér fēi lóng zhě yě.

葉公子高好龍，鉤以寫龍，鑿以寫龍，屋室雕文以寫龍。於是天龍聞而下之，窺頭於牖，施尾於堂。葉公見之，棄而還走，失其魂魄，五色無主。是葉公非好龍也，好夫似龍而非龍者也。

叶公子高好龙，钩以写龙，凿以写龙，屋室雕文以写龙。于是天龙闻而下之，窥头于牖，施尾于堂。叶公见之，弃而还走，失其魂魄，五色无主。是叶公非好龙也，好夫似龙而非龙者也。

to pretend to like something which one actually dislikes or fears


ma non troppo

The opening section is clearly written in the French overture style, leading into a lively Allegro ma non troppo where imitative, fanfare-like entries abound.

1992, Albert R. Rice, The Baroque Clarinet, →ISBN, page 106:

There is some confusion over the metronome mark of the slow movement. The violin and piano reduction gives ♪=69, which is wholly inconsistent with the tempo indication 'Lento ma non troppo'.

2013, Norman Del Mar, Richard Strauss: A Critical Commentary on His Life and Works, →ISBN:


Lord love you

Lord love you, can not, cannot you at last give comfort to two honest hearts ?

1770, Samuel Richardson, The History of Sir Charles Grandison in a Series of Letters:

The Reverend winced, but said mildly,— “Yes,—we are Americans.” “Lord love you, you can just bet that's what I am, every time! Put it there!”

Said to express good will toward the listener

And, Lord love you, Betsy ! who do you think would marry a soldier in these times ?

1840, Frederick Chamier, Ben Brace, the last of Nelson's Agamemnons, page 37:

“If, as how, miss, (you see,) it was only ourselves that you had to do with—(but, Lord love you, miss! we're only officers, and has our duty to do, and must do it!)—why, we'd go a little out of our way for to oblige a lady; but the people you must go to is the gemmen whose names is here," pointing to the warrant; "they're the people as the money's owing to -- Quirk, Gamm" --

1841, Samuel Warren, Ten Thousand A-year - Volume 5, page 138:

“There was a woman in our aft-scuppers when I went a-whalin in the little 'Grampus' – and Lord love you, Pumpo, you poor land-swab, she WAS as pretty a craft as ever dowsed a tarpauling – there was a woman on board the 'Grampus,' who before we'd struck our first fish, or biled our first blubber, set the whole crew in a mutiny.

1847, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Stars and Stripes:

Said to soften the negative impact of something that is said next.


返老還童

ㄈㄢˇ ㄌㄠˇ ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄊㄨㄥˊ

фаньлаохуаньтун

/fän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯än³⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵/

/faːn³⁵ lou̯¹³ waːn²¹ tʰʊŋ²¹/

/fän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯än³⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵/

/faːn³⁵ lou̯¹³ waːn²¹ tʰʊŋ²¹/

to recover one's youthful vigour; to become young again; to become rejuvenated in one's old age


walay utang karon, ugma ra

Literally, “no credits today, only tomorrow”.

lit

(especially in a sari-sari store) a phrase used in refusing to sell on credit


a magician never reveals his secrets

A polite refusal by someone who has just done a magic trick to reveal how it works.

um mágico nunca revela seus segredos

"So how did you do it? Who were the bodies I saw? You didn't kill someone did you?” “No,” Nathan said, almost insulted by her questions, but a smile came over him. “A magician never reveals his secrets, Damarus. Now turn around and enjoy the silence.”

2003, Michelle Woody, Figment of the Heart, →ISBN, page 291:

Combs took a sip of his coffee and recoiled, forgetting how hot it was. He ignored the burning of his tongue, though, and asked Williams: "How did you know it was me?" “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

2015, Anthony Tyler, A Cold Dead Place, →ISBN:

"How did you get your hands on it?" The kidnapper shrugged, coyly. "I have my ways." "Which are what, exactly?" The kidnapper tsked, shaking a finger at him. “A magician never reveals his secrets, and a reporter never gives up his source.” Blare groaned, struggling to lift his head.

(by extension) A refusal to explain how one accomplished something impressive.


mama's baby, papa's maybe

“Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe” is how the black feminist critic Hortense Spillers describes the reproductive burdens of black women, and her words certainly seem to apply to Sally Hemings's experience.

2009, Deborah Gray White, Telling Histories: Black Women Historians in the Ivory Tower, →ISBN:

As David Buss states in his book The Dangerous Passion, there's an African phrase that captures this male fear: “Mama's baby, papa's maybe.”

2010, Eva Nagorski, The Down and Dirty Dish on Revenge, →ISBN:

His approach to unity is based on the theses of a Swiss lawyer-macrohistorian, Johan Bachofen, a US anthropologist, Lewis M. Morgan, a German macrohistorian, Friedrich Engels, and deep knowledge of Greek drama. Why the latter? Because it reflects the matriarchy-patriarchy contradiction after the first form recognized by Bachofen, promiscuity. They are all variations on the perennial theme "mama's baby, papa's maybe".

2010 November 2, Cameroun Douala, “The Cultural Unity of Black Africa?”, in Real News Network:

The enormous value that patriarchal cultures and religions place on female virginity has roots in biology. We’ve all heard the saying, “Mama’s baby, Papa’s maybe.”

2015 December 25, Valerie Tarico, “Is Jesus' birth worth celebrating? The dark subtext of the nativity scene”, in Salon:

Because men experience "paternity uncertainty" ("Mama's baby, Papa's maybe"), they're more distressed by sexual infidelity, which could chump them into raising a kid who'll pass on some other dude's genes.

2016 December 17, Amy Akon, “Little gifts to girlfriend show how thoughtful you are”, in Poughkeepsie Journal:

It is easy to know the biological mother of a child, but difficult to be sure who the biological father is.


對號入座

ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄠˋ ㄖㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ

/tu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ xɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹/

ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄠˋㄦ ㄖㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋㄦ

дуйхаоржуцзор

/tu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ xaʊ̯ɻʷ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔɻ⁵¹/

/tɵy̯³³ hou̯²² jɐp̚² t͡sɔː²²/

/tui²¹⁻⁴¹ hɤ³³⁻²¹ zip̚⁴⁻³² t͡sɤ³³/

/tui²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ho¹¹ d͡zip̚⁴⁻² t͡so¹¹/

/tɵy̯³³ hou̯²² jɐp̚² t͡sɔː²²/

/tui²¹⁻⁴¹ hɤ³³⁻²¹ zip̚⁴⁻³² t͡sɤ³³/

/tui²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ho¹¹ d͡zip̚⁴⁻² t͡so¹¹/

(literally) to take one's seat according to the number (on the ticket); to take the assigned seat

(figurative) to match people with descriptions; to associate oneself with something that appears similar; to take something personally; to respond to criticism without having being named


兩鬢斑白

ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄅㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄢ ㄅㄞˊ

лянбиньбаньбай

/li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pin⁵¹ pän⁵⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pin⁵¹ pän⁵⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

to have grey hair at the temples; to be old-aged or have overworked oneself


ก็ได้

th-phrase

ก็ได้ • (gɔ̂ɔ-dâai)

/kɔː˥˩.daːj˥˩/

2017 April 6, “รัฐธรรมนูญแห่งราชอาณาจักรไทย พุทธศักราช ๒๕๖๐ [Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, 2560 Buddhist Era]”, in ห้องสมุดกฎหมาย, Bangkok: สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา, retrieved 2020-07-08:
ในการนี้ จะเสนอพระนามพระราชธิดาก็ได้
nai gaan níi · jà sà-nə̌ə prá naam prá-râat-chá tí-daa gɔ̂ɔ-dâai
In this respect, the name of a royal daughter may be submitted.

2015 July 17, “พระราชบัญญัติมหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์ พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๘ [Thammasat University Act, 2558 BE]”, in ห้องสมุดกฎหมาย, Bangkok: สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา, retrieved 2020-07-08:
มาตรา ๓๕ ให้มีอธิการบดีเป็นผู้บังคับบัญชาสูงสุด...ของมหาวิทยาลัย และอาจมีรองอธิการบดี...เพื่อทำหน้าที่และรับผิดชอบตามที่อธิการบดีมอบหมายก็ได้
mâat-dtraa · sǎam-sìp hâa · hâi mii à-tí-gaan-bɔɔ-dii bpen pûu-bang-káp-ban-chaa sǔung-sùt ... kɔ̌ɔng má-hǎa-wít-tá-yaa-lai · lɛ́ àat mii rɔɔng à-tí-gaan-bɔɔ-dii ... pʉ̂ʉa tam nâa-tîi lɛ́ ráp-pìt-chɔ̂ɔp dtaam tîi à-tí-gaan-bɔɔ-dii mɔ̂ɔp-mǎai gɔ̂ɔ-dâai
Section 35 There shall be a Rector to serve as the chief executive officer...of the University, and there may be Vice Rectors...to take charge of the duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Rector.

1956 November 15, “ประมวลกฎหมายอาญา [Penal Code]”, in ห้องสมุดกฎหมาย, Bangkok: สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา, retrieved 2020-07-08:
ศาลจะลงโทษน้อยกว่าที่กฎหมายกำหนดไว้สำหรับความผิดนั้นเพียงใดก็ได้ หรือจะไม่ลงโทษเลยก็ได้
sǎan jà long tôot nɔ́ɔi gwàa tîi gòt-mǎai gam-nòt wái sǎm-ràp kwaam-pìt nán piiang dai gɔ̂ɔ-dâai · rʉ̌ʉ jà mâi long tôot ləəi gɔ̂ɔ-dâai
The court may give less punishment than that which is provided by the law for such offence to whatever extent, or may give no punishment at all.

used at the end of an expression of agreement, allowance, or approval.


流連忘返

ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄨㄤˋ ㄈㄢˇ

люляньванфань

/li̯oʊ̯³⁵ li̯ɛn³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/lɐu̯²¹ liːn²¹ mɔːŋ²¹ faːn³⁵/

/liu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ liaŋ⁵⁵ buaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ huaŋ⁵²/

/li̯oʊ̯³⁵ li̯ɛn³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/lɐu̯²¹ liːn²¹ mɔːŋ²¹ faːn³⁵/

/liu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ liaŋ⁵⁵ buaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ huaŋ⁵²/

to remain enjoying oneself and forget to go home; to be unable to tear oneself away; to linger


hold my beer

Suggesting that the speaker is holding a beer and needs someone else to hold it while they perform some act.

(humorous, imperative, originally) I am about to start a fight.

98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH SHIT' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A SLIPPERY ROAD. THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM MINNESOTA AND THEY SAY, ‘HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS.’

2008, Kiven Hopper, One Hundred and One Dirty Nasty Disgusting Jokes You'll Love Reading, page 227:

When he says “Hold my beer and watch this” What he means is “I'm a crazy Redneck and love to show off.”

2010, Virginia Alene, Catch And Release, page 18:

(humorous, imperative, US) I am about to do something difficult, extraordinary or crazy which will nevertheless be easy for me.

[[https://twitter.com/bpedaci/status/796205042802065409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw] BRITAIN: Brexit is the stupidest, most self-destructive act a country could undertake.
USA: Hold my beer].

2016, Tom Phillips et al., “18 Tweets About How America Has Out-Brexited Brexit”, in BuzzFeed:

(humorous, imperative, US) I will outperform someone who did something questionable by doing something even more questionable.


七月流火

ㄑㄧ ㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄏㄨㄛˇ

/t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯³⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯³⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 154 (《詩經·豳風·七月》):
:
In antiquity, Chinese astronomers saw the westerly motion of Antares, the Great Fire Star (大火), as a sign of autumn's arrival. Whether this idiom should be interpreted as referring to the current heat or the imminent cooling is a matter of constant dispute.

lang

(《詩經·豳風·七月》)

(《詩經·豳風·七月》)

In the seventh month, the Fire Star passes the meridian; in the ninth month, clothes are given out.
In the days of [our] first month, the wind blows cold; in the days of [our] second, the air is cold.

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

Qīyuè liú huǒ, jiǔyuè shòu yī.
Yī zhī rì bìfā, èr zhī rì lìliè.

七月流火，九月授衣。
一之日觱發，二之日栗烈。

七月流火，九月授衣。
一之日觱发，二之日栗烈。

the summer heat recedes during the seventh lunar month, and the cold season becomes imminent


束之高閣

ㄕㄨˋ ㄓ ㄍㄠ ㄍㄜˊ

/ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ kɤ³⁵/

/t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ kɔːk̚³/

/ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ kɤ³⁵/

/t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ kɔːk̚³/

If we have a correct theory but merely prate about it, pigeonhole it and do not put it into practice, then that theory, however good, is of no significance.

1937, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《實踐論》 (On Practice), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

Rúguǒ yǒu le zhèngquè de lǐlùn, zhǐshì bǎ tā kōngtán yīzhèn, shùzhīgāogé, bìngbù shíxíng, nàme, zhè zhǒng lǐlùn zài hǎo yě shì méiyǒu yìyì de.

如果有了正確的理論，只是把它空談一陣，束之高閣，並不實行，那末，這種理論再好也是沒有意義的。

如果有了正确的理论，只是把它空谈一阵，束之高阁，并不实行，那末，这种理论再好也是没有意义的。

tied up in a bundle on a high shelf; to put something on the back burner


義憤填膺

ㄧˋ ㄈㄣˋ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄥ

/i⁵¹⁻⁵³ fən⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ iŋ⁵⁵/

/jiː²² fɐn¹³ tʰiːn²¹ jɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ hun²¹⁻⁵³ tʰiɛn²⁴⁻²² iɪŋ⁴⁴/

/ɡi⁴¹⁻²² hun⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tʰiɛn²⁴⁻²² iɪŋ³³/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ hun²¹⁻⁵³ tʰiɛn¹³⁻²² iɪŋ⁴⁴/

/ɡi³³⁻¹¹ hun¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ iɪŋ⁴⁴/

/ɡi³³⁻²¹ hun²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰiɛn²³⁻³³ iɪŋ⁴⁴/

/i⁵¹⁻⁵³ fən⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ iŋ⁵⁵/

/jiː²² fɐn¹³ tʰiːn²¹ jɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ hun²¹⁻⁵³ tʰiɛn²⁴⁻²² iɪŋ⁴⁴/

/ɡi⁴¹⁻²² hun⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tʰiɛn²⁴⁻²² iɪŋ³³/

/ɡi²²⁻²¹ hun²¹⁻⁵³ tʰiɛn¹³⁻²² iɪŋ⁴⁴/

/ɡi³³⁻¹¹ hun¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ iɪŋ⁴⁴/

/ɡi³³⁻²¹ hun²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰiɛn²³⁻³³ iɪŋ⁴⁴/

Kàn wán diànshì xīnwén suǒ bàodǎo de nüèdài dòngwù àn, dàjiā bùjiào dì yìfèntiányīng.

看完電視新聞所報導的虐待動物案，大家不覺地義憤填膺。

看完电视新闻所报导的虐待动物案，大家不觉地义愤填膺。


螳臂當車

→ Japanese: 蟷螂の斧

ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤ ㄔㄜ

ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤˇ ㄔㄜ

/tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/

/tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/

/tʰɔːŋ²¹ pei̯³³ tɔːŋ³⁵ kɵy̯⁵⁵/

/tɔŋ²⁴⁻²² pi²¹⁻⁵³ tɔŋ²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰia⁴⁴/

/tɔŋ²³⁻³³ pi²¹⁻⁴¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ki⁴⁴/

/tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ pi¹¹⁻⁵³ tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ku⁴⁴/

/tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/

/tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/

/tʰɔːŋ²¹ pei̯³³ tɔːŋ³⁵ kɵy̯⁵⁵/

/tɔŋ²⁴⁻²² pi²¹⁻⁵³ tɔŋ²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰia⁴⁴/

/tɔŋ²³⁻³³ pi²¹⁻⁴¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ki⁴⁴/

/tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ pi¹¹⁻⁵³ tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ku⁴⁴/

Do you not know the praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms, to block the car tracks, unconscious of its inability for such a task, but showing how much it thinks of its own powers.

Zhuangzi, circa 3ʳᵈ – 2ⁿᵈ centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Rǔ bùzhī fú tángláng hū? Nù qí bì yǐ dāng chēzhé, bùzhī qí bù shēngrèn yě, shì qí cái zhī měi zhě yě.

汝不知夫螳蜋乎？怒其臂以當車轍，不知其不勝任也，是其才之美者也。

汝不知夫螳蜋乎？怒其臂以当车辙，不知其不胜任也，是其才之美者也。

a mantis blocking a vehicle with its arms

稍有常識的人都會看出，如果我們的鐵騎繼續前進，這個螳臂當車的歹徒，難道能夠阻擋得了嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
稍有常识的人都会看出，如果我们的铁骑继续前进，这个螳臂当车的歹徒，难道能够阻挡得了吗？ [MSC, simp.]
Shāo yǒu chángshí de rén dōuhuì kànchū, rúguǒ wǒmen de tiěqí jìxù qiánjìn, zhège tángbìdāngchē de dǎitú, nándào nénggòu zǔdǎng de liǎo ma? [Pinyin]

Everyone with some common sense can see that if our tanks continued to move forward, how can this ruffian with no knowledge in his ability resist?

(figurative) to overrate oneself and attempt something impossible


ఈ బస్సు ఎక్కడికి పోతుంది

head

ఈ బస్సు ఎక్కడికి పోతుంది • (ī bassu ekkaḍiki pōtundi)

where does this bus go
where does this bus go

en-ఈ_బస్సు_ఎక్కడికి_పోతుంది-te-phrase-UMl5Kp~-


一語成讖

ㄧ ㄩˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄔㄣˋ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰən⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ jyː¹³ sɪŋ²¹ t͡sʰaːm³³/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰən⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ jyː¹³ sɪŋ²¹ t͡sʰaːm³³/

one's careless words (inauspiciously) turned out to be a prophecy


予取予求

ㄩˊ ㄑㄩˇ ㄩˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ

/y³⁵ t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵/

/u²⁴⁻²² t͡sʰu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u²⁴⁻²² kiu²⁴/

/u²⁴⁻²² t͡sʰu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ u²⁴⁻²² kiu²⁴/

/u¹³⁻²² t͡sʰu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u¹³⁻²² kiu¹³/

/u²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u²⁴⁻¹¹ kiu²⁴/

/u²³⁻³³ t͡sʰu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ u²³⁻³³ kiu²³/

/y³⁵ t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵/

/u²⁴⁻²² t͡sʰu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u²⁴⁻²² kiu²⁴/

/u²⁴⁻²² t͡sʰu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ u²⁴⁻²² kiu²⁴/

/u¹³⁻²² t͡sʰu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u¹³⁻²² kiu¹³/

/u²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u²⁴⁻¹¹ kiu²⁴/

/u²³⁻³³ t͡sʰu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ u²³⁻³³ kiu²³/

(literally) to seek and ask (something) of me

(figurative) to make unlimited demands; to demand everything


干將莫邪

ㄍㄢ ㄐㄧㄤ ㄇㄛˋ ㄧㄝˊ

/kän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ jɛ³⁵/

/kän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ jɛ³⁵/


quién quita

Quién quita y hoy encuentras a tu media naranja…

You never know, maybe you’ll find your significant other tonight?

(Latin America) you never know, who knows


飢腸轆轆

ㄐㄧ ㄔㄤˊ ㄌㄨˋ ㄌㄨˋ

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ lu⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹/

/kei̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ lʊk̚⁵ lʊk̚⁵/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ lu⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹/

/kei̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ lʊk̚⁵ lʊk̚⁵/


ech hunn dech gär

[əɕ(h)un dəʑ ɡɛə̯]


not one's first rodeo

(informal, idiomatic) Not the first time one has been in a particular situation; used to indicate past experience.

ei ole ensimmäinen kerta

not the first time one has been in a situation


吃飯了嗎

ㄔ ㄈㄢˋ ˙ㄌㄜ ˙ㄇㄚ

чифань лэ ма

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ fän⁵¹ lə¹ mä¹/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ fän⁵¹ lə¹ mä¹/

你吃飯了嗎？

你吃饭了吗？


白河夜船

ja-pos

白(しら)河(かわ)夜(よ)船(ふね) • (shirakawa yofune) ^(←しらかはよふね (sirakafayofune)?)

白河夜船 (canonical)
shirakawa yofune (romanization)
sirakafayofune (romanization)
しらかはよふね (hiragana historical)

[ɕiɾa̠ka̠β̞a̠ jo̞ɸɯ̟ne̞]

Daijirin
Daijisen
Kyōsuke Kindaichi
ja:松村明

From a folk story in which someone who pretended to have visited Kyōto was asked about Shirakawa (白河/白川), misinterpreted it as the name of a river, and answered that he or she didn't know because he or she crossed it on a night boat.

being fast asleep, dead to the world when sleeping

pretending to know everything, a know-it-all manner


白河夜船

白(しら)河(かわ)夜(よ)船(ぶね) • (shirakawa yobune) ^(←しらかはよぶね (sirakafayobune)?)

白河夜船 (canonical)
shirakawa yobune (romanization)
sirakafayobune (romanization)
しらかはよぶね (hiragana historical)

/ɕirakawa yofune/ → /ɕirakawa yobune/
Shift in reading for the 夜船 portion. The fune changes to bune as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Alternative form of 白河夜船 (shirakawa yofune)


e c.

Abbreviation of e ceteri or e cetere: etc.


齊大非偶

ㄑㄧˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄈㄟ ㄡˇ

/t͡ɕʰi³⁵ tä⁵¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ ˀoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡ɕʰi³⁵ tä⁵¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ ˀoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

(of someone from a humble background) to decline a marriage proposal from a rich family as one dare not aspire to such an honour


千錘百煉

ㄑㄧㄢ ㄔㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄌㄧㄢˋ

цяньчуйбайлянь

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɛn⁵¹/

/t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ paːk̚³ liːn²²/

/t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ paːk̚³ liːn²²/


朝秦暮楚

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (朝秦暮楚):
* → Korean: 조진모초(朝秦暮楚) (jojinmocho)

in the morning, Qin; in the evening, Chu

ㄓㄠ ㄑㄧㄣˊ ㄇㄨˋ ㄔㄨˇ

чжаоциньмучу

/ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵ mu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵn²¹ mou̯²² t͡sʰɔː³⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵ mu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵn²¹ mou̯²² t͡sʰɔː³⁵/

(figurative) to be quick to switch sides


𐌹𐌽𐌿𐌷𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽

𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽#Gothic

Compound of 𐌹𐌽- (in-)+ the clitic -𐌿𐌷 (-uh)+ 𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 (sandidēdun).


罪行累累

ㄗㄨㄟˋ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄟˇ

цзуйсинлэйлэй

/t͡su̯eɪ̯⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵ leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


怙惡不悛

ㄏㄨˋ ㄜˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄩㄢ

/xu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/wuː²² ɔːk̚³ pɐt̚⁵ syːn⁵⁵/

/xu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/wuː²² ɔːk̚³ pɐt̚⁵ syːn⁵⁵/

to keep doing evil without a sense of repentance


餓殍遍野

ㄜˋ ㄆㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄧㄝˇ

/ˀɤ⁵¹ pʰi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛn⁵¹ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ŋɔː²² pʰiːu̯¹³ pʰiːn³³ jɛː¹³/

/ŋɔː²² pʰiːu̯¹³ pʰiːn³³ jɛː¹³/

strewn with corpses of victims of starvation


畏葸不前

ㄨㄟˋ ㄒㄧˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄢˊ

/weɪ̯⁵¹ ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵/

/weɪ̯⁵¹ ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵/


呶呶不休

ㄋㄠˊ ㄋㄠˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄡ

/nɑʊ̯³⁵ nɑʊ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/

/naːu̯²¹ naːu̯²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jɐu̯⁵⁵/

/nɑʊ̯³⁵ nɑʊ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/

/naːu̯²¹ naːu̯²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jɐu̯⁵⁵/


厝火積薪

ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧ ㄒㄧㄣ

/t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰou̯³³ fɔː³⁵ t͡sɪk̚⁵ sɐn⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰou̯³³ fɔː³⁵ t͡sɪk̚⁵ sɐn⁵⁵/


稗官野史

ㄅㄞˋ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄧㄝˇ ㄕˇ

/paɪ̯⁵¹ ku̯än⁵⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːi̯²² kuːn⁵⁵ jɛː¹³ siː³⁵/

/paɪ̯⁵¹ ku̯än⁵⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːi̯²² kuːn⁵⁵ jɛː¹³ siː³⁵/

anecdotal history; romances; books of anecdotes


博聞強識

博闻强识
博聞彊識
博聞強志/博聞彊志/博闻强志

ㄅㄛˊ ㄨㄣˊ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄓˋ

бовэньцянчжи

/pu̯ɔ³⁵ wən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/pu̯ɔ³⁵ wən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/


載歌載舞

ㄗㄞˋ ㄍㄜ ㄗㄞˋ ㄨˇ

/t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ kɤ⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sɔːi̯³³ kɔː⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯³³ mou̯¹³/

/t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ kɤ⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sɔːi̯³³ kɔː⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯³³ mou̯¹³/

singing and dancing; festive celebrations


前倨後恭

ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄩˋ ㄏㄡˋ ㄍㄨㄥ

цяньцзюйхоугун

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰiːn²¹ kɵy̯³³ hɐu̯²² kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰiːn²¹ kɵy̯³³ hɐu̯²² kʊŋ⁵⁵/

Quoted from Su Qin, where he was ridiculng his sister-in-law for her attitude after he became famous

Su Qin smiled and said to his sister-in-law, “Why were you so arrogant in the past but so respectful to me now?”

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

Sū Qín xiào wèi qí sǎo yuē: “Hé qián jù ér hòu gōng yě?”

蘇秦笑謂其嫂曰：「何前倨而後恭也？」

苏秦笑谓其嫂曰：「何前倨而后恭也？」

to change from arrogance to humility (describing behaviour of snobbish people)


拾級而上

ㄕㄜˋ ㄐㄧˊ ㄦˊ ㄕㄤˋ

/ʂɤ⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

/ʂɤ⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

From the Book of Rites, Book 1 (《禮記·曲禮上》)

They then offer to each other the precedence in going up, but the host commences first, followed (immediately) by the other. They bring their feet together on every step, thus ascending by successive paces.

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

Zhǔrén yǔ kè ràng dēng, zhǔrén xiān dēng, kè cóng zhī, shèjí jùzú, lián bù yǐ shàng.

主人與客讓登，主人先登，客從之，拾級聚足，連步以上。

主人与客让登，主人先登，客从之，拾级聚足，连步以上。


椎心泣血

ㄔㄨㄟˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄑㄧˋ ㄒㄩㄝˋ

ㄓㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄑㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄝˇ

чуйсиньцисюэ

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹/

чжуйсиньцисе

/ʈ͡ʂu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹/


量體裁衣

ㄌㄧㄤˋ ㄊㄧˇ ㄘㄞˊ ㄧ

ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄊㄧˇ ㄘㄞˊ ㄧ

/li̯ɑŋ⁵¹ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵/

/li̯ɑŋ³⁵ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵/

/li̯ɑŋ⁵¹ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵/

/li̯ɑŋ³⁵ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵/

to act according to actual circumstances


相形見絀

ㄒㄧㄤ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄔㄨˋ

сянсинцзяньчу

/ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹/

/sœːŋ⁵⁵ jɪŋ²¹ kiːn³³ t͡syːt̚³/

/ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹/

/sœːŋ⁵⁵ jɪŋ²¹ kiːn³³ t͡syːt̚³/

Then Richardson's Pamela was taught. It's an epistolary novel popular at the time. However, The Sorrows of Young Werther, which I had read before, made it pale by comparison.

2016, Xu Yuanchong, Dreams and Truths, Henan Literature and Art Publishing House (March 2017), page 109

Jiēzhe jiǎng Lǐcháxùn de “Pàmónà”, zhè shì dāngshí fēngxíng de Lúsuō shūxìn tǐ xiǎoshuō, dànshì bǐqǐ wǒ dúguo de “Shàonián Wéitè Zhī Fánnǎo” lái, yòu xiàngxíngjiànchù le.

接著講理查遜的《帕摩娜》，這是當時風行的盧梭書信體小說，但是比起我讀過的《少年維特之煩惱》來，又相形見絀了。

接著讲理查逊的《帕摩娜》，这是当时风行的卢梭书信体小说，但是比起我读过的《少年维特之烦恼》来，又相形见绌了。


佶屈聱牙

ㄐㄧˊ ㄑㄩ ㄠˊ ㄧㄚˊ

/t͡ɕi³⁵ t͡ɕʰy⁵⁵ ˀɑʊ̯³⁵ jä³⁵/

/kiːt̚² wɐt̚⁵ ŋou̯²¹ ŋaː²¹/

/t͡ɕi³⁵ t͡ɕʰy⁵⁵ ˀɑʊ̯³⁵ jä³⁵/

/kiːt̚² wɐt̚⁵ ŋou̯²¹ ŋaː²¹/

The Announcements of Zhou and Pan Geng of Yin, with their unpronounceable phonology crooked and rough on the teeth.

c. 813, Han Yu, "On Advancing Scholarship" (《進學解》)

周誥殷盤，佶屈聱牙。

周诰殷盘，佶屈聱牙。

(of a text) difficult to read and understand


虛與委蛇

/ɕy⁵⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ i³⁵/

/hɵy̯⁵⁵ jyː¹³ wɐi̯⁵⁵ jiː²¹/

/ɕy⁵⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ i³⁵/

/hɵy̯⁵⁵ jyː¹³ wɐi̯⁵⁵ jiː²¹/

I was showing him myself after the pattern of what was before I began to come from my author. I confronted him with pure vacancy, and an easy indifference.

Xiàng wú shì zhī yǐ wèi shǐ chū wú zōng, wú yǔ zhī xū ér wēiyí.

鄉吾示之以未始出吾宗，吾與之虛而委蛇。

乡吾示之以未始出吾宗，吾与之虚而委蛇。

sham politeness and compliance; courtesy without sincerity; false civility


叱吒風雲

ㄔˋ ㄓㄚˋ ㄈㄥ ㄩㄣˊ

ㄔˋ ㄔㄚˋ ㄈㄥ ㄩㄣˊ

чичжа фэнъюнь

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂä⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵/

чича фэнъюнь

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰä⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵/

/t͡sʰɪk̚⁵ t͡saː⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɐn²¹/

/t͡sʰɪk̚⁵ t͡sʰaːk̚⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɐn²¹/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂä⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰä⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵/

/t͡sʰɪk̚⁵ t͡saː⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɐn²¹/

/t͡sʰɪk̚⁵ t͡sʰaːk̚⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɐn²¹/


呼天搶地

ㄏㄨ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄑㄧㄤ ㄉㄧˋ

/xu⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹/

/fuː⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵ tei̯²²/

/fuː⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ³⁵ tei̯²²/

/xu⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹/

/fuː⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵ tei̯²²/

/fuː⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ³⁵ tei̯²²/

to cry bitterly and loudly in excessive grief


一曝十寒

ㄧ ㄆㄨˋ ㄕˊ ㄏㄢˊ

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pʰu⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ xän³⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pʰu⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ xän³⁵/

(figurative) to work for a bit then skimp


便宜行事

ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄧˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄕˋ

/pi̯ɛn⁵¹ i³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/piːn²² jiː²¹ hɐŋ²¹ siː²²/

/pi̯ɛn⁵¹ i³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/piːn²² jiː²¹ hɐŋ²¹ siː²²/


官運亨通

ㄍㄨㄢ ㄩㄣˋ ㄏㄥ ㄊㄨㄥ

гуаньюньхэнтун

/ku̯än⁵⁵ yn⁵¹ xɤŋ⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/

/kuːn⁵⁵ wɐn²² hɐŋ⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/

/ku̯än⁵⁵ yn⁵¹ xɤŋ⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/

/kuːn⁵⁵ wɐn²² hɐŋ⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/

(of a political career) everything is going smoothly


暴虎馮河

ㄅㄠˋ ㄏㄨˇ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄏㄜˊ

/pɑʊ̯⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ xɤ³⁵/

/pɑʊ̯⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ xɤ³⁵/

The earliest reference was attested in the Classic of Poetry, poem 195 (《詩經·小雅·小旻》), in the negative :
:
The literal meaning was also commented upon in the Erya, likely quoting from Kong Anguo's commentary on the Analects.

lang

(《詩經·小雅·小旻》)

(《詩經·小雅·小旻》)

They dare not without weapons attack a tiger;
They dare not without a boat cross the He.

不敢暴虎，不敢馮河。

不敢暴虎，不敢冯河。

to fight tiger bare-handed and wade rivers

He who will unarmed attack a tiger, or cross a river without a boat, dying without any regret, I would not have act with me.

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

Bàohǔpínghé, sǐ ér wúhuǐ zhě, wú bù yǔ yě.

暴虎馮河，死而無悔者，吾不與也。

暴虎冯河，死而无悔者，吾不与也。

Analects
Classic of Poetry
Erya
Kong Anguo


開花結果

ㄎㄞ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄍㄨㄛˇ

ㄎㄞ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄍㄨㄛˇ

/kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

ㄎㄞ ㄏㄨㄚㄦ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄍㄨㄛˇㄦ

кайхуарцзегор

/kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ɑɻ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ku̯ɔɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/hɔːi̯⁵⁵ faː⁵⁵ kiːt̚³ kʷɔː³⁵/

/kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/hɔːi̯⁵⁵ faː⁵⁵ kiːt̚³ kʷɔː³⁵/


審時度勢

ㄕㄣˇ ㄕˊ ㄉㄨㄛˊ ㄕˋ

ㄕㄣˇ ㄕˊ ㄉㄨㄛˋ ㄕˋ

/ʂən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ tu̯ɔ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/ʂən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/sɐm³⁵ siː²¹ tɔːk̚² sɐi̯³³/

/ʂən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ tu̯ɔ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/ʂən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/sɐm³⁵ siː²¹ tɔːk̚² sɐi̯³³/

to judge the hour and size up the situation; to take stock


縱橫捭闔

ㄗㄨㄥˋ ㄏㄥˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄏㄜˊ

ㄗㄨㄥ ㄏㄥˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄏㄜˊ

цзунхэнбайхэ

/t͡sʊŋ⁵¹ xɤŋ³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵/

/t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ xɤŋ³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵/

/t͡sʊŋ⁵¹ xɤŋ³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵/

/t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ xɤŋ³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵/

(figurative) to manoeuvre amongst various countries or political groupings in order to unite or divide


歃血為盟

ㄕㄚˋ ㄒㄩㄝˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄇㄥˊ

ㄕㄚˋ ㄒㄩㄝˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄇㄥˊ

ㄕㄚˋ ㄒㄧㄝˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄇㄥˊ

/ʂä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ mɤŋ³⁵/

/ʂä⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ mɤŋ³⁵/

/ʂä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ mɤŋ³⁵/

/saːp̚³ hyːt̚³ wɐi̯²¹ mɐŋ²¹/

/sap̚³²⁻⁴ hiɛt̚³²⁻⁴ ui²⁴⁻²² biɪŋ²⁴/

/ʂä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ mɤŋ³⁵/

/ʂä⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ mɤŋ³⁵/

/ʂä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ mɤŋ³⁵/

/saːp̚³ hyːt̚³ wɐi̯²¹ mɐŋ²¹/

/sap̚³²⁻⁴ hiɛt̚³²⁻⁴ ui²⁴⁻²² biɪŋ²⁴/

to smear the lips with blood when taking an oath


不蔓不枝

neitherspreading about nor branching out

ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ män⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ maːn²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵/

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ män⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ maːn²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵/

(figurative) succinct and to the point; written in a pithy and smooth style; concise (of an article, speech, etc.)


揠苗助長

ㄧㄚˋ ㄇㄧㄠˊ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄤˇ

/jä⁵¹ mi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

ㄧㄚˋ ㄇㄧㄠˊㄦ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄤˇ

ямяорчжучжан

/jä⁵¹ mi̯aʊ̯ɻʷ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/aːt̚³ miːu̯²¹ t͡sɔː²² t͡sœːŋ³⁵/

/at̚³²⁻⁴ biau²⁴⁻²² t͡sɔ²²⁻²¹ tiɔŋ⁵³/

/jä⁵¹ mi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jä⁵¹ mi̯aʊ̯ɻʷ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/aːt̚³ miːu̯²¹ t͡sɔː²² t͡sœːŋ³⁵/

/at̚³²⁻⁴ biau²⁴⁻²² t͡sɔ²²⁻²¹ tiɔŋ⁵³/

There was a man of Song, who was grieved that his growing corn was not longer, and so he pulled it up. Having done this, he returned home, looking very troubled, and said to his people, “I am tired today. I have been helping the corn to grow long.” His son ran to look at it, and found the corn all withered.

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

Sòng rén yǒu mǐn qí miáo zhī bù zhǎng ér yà zhī zhě, mángmángrán guī. Wèi qí rén yuē: “Jīnrì bìng yǐ, yú zhù miáo zhǎng yǐ.” Qí zǐ qū ér wǎng shì zhī, miáo zé gǎo yǐ.

宋人有閔其苗之不長而揠之者，芒芒然歸。謂其人曰：「今日病矣，予助苗長矣。」其子趨而往視之，苗則槁矣。

宋人有闵其苗之不长而揠之者，芒芒然归。谓其人曰：「今日病矣，予助苗长矣。」其子趋而往视之，苗则槁矣。

(figurative) to be hasty and use inappropriate methods in order to achieve a goal quickly, but by doing so ruin things instead and fail in the end


自怨自艾

ㄗˋ ㄩㄢˋ ㄗˋ ㄧˋ

/t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɥɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹/

/t͡siː²² jyːn³³ t͡siː²² ŋaːi̯²²/

/t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɥɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹/

/t͡siː²² jyːn³³ t͡siː²² ŋaːi̯²²/


獨樂樂不如眾樂樂

ㄉㄨˊ ㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄜˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄜˋ

duk⁶ ngok⁶ lok⁶ bat¹ jyu⁴ zung³ ngok⁶ lok⁶

ду юэ лэ бужу чжун юэ лэ

/tu³⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɥɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɤ⁵¹/

duk⁹ ngok⁹ lok⁹ bat⁷ jy⁴ dzung³ ngok⁹ lok⁹

dug⁶ ngog⁶ log⁶ bed¹ yu⁴ zung³ ngog⁶ log⁶

/tʊk̚² ŋɔːk̚² lɔːk̚² pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ t͡sʊŋ³³ ŋɔːk̚² lɔːk̚²/

Mencius asked, "Which is the more pleasant - to enjoy music by yourself alone, or to enjoy it with others?" "To enjoy it with others," was the reply.
"And which is the more pleasant - to enjoy music with a few, or to enjoy it with many?" "To enjoy it with many."

Yuē: “Dú yuè lè, yǔ rén yuè lè, shú lè?” Yuē: “Bùruò yǔ rén.”
Yuē: “Yǔ shǎo yuè lè, yǔ zhòng yuè lè, shú lè?” Yuē: “Bùruò yǔ zhòng.”

曰：「獨樂樂，與人樂樂，孰樂？」曰：「不若與人。」
曰：「與少樂樂，與眾樂樂，孰樂？」曰：「不若與眾。」

曰：「独乐乐，与人乐乐，孰乐？」曰：「不若与人。」
曰：「与少乐乐，与众乐乐，孰乐？」曰：「不若与众。」

the joy of playing music alone is not as good as the joy of playing music together

It is much more joyful to share the joy than enjoy alone.


磊磊落落

ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ

/leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/lɵy̯¹³ lɵy̯¹³ lɔːk̚² lɔːk̚²/

/lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴/

/lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ lɔk̚¹²¹/

/lui⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lui⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lɔk̚²⁴⁻² lɔk̚²⁴/

/lɵy̯¹³ lɵy̯¹³ lɔːk̚² lɔːk̚²/

/lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴/

/lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lui⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ lɔk̚¹²¹/

/lui⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lui⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lɔk̚²⁴⁻² lɔk̚²⁴/


家徒四壁

there is nothing in the house except four bare walls

ㄐㄧㄚ ㄊㄨˊ ㄙˋ ㄅㄧˋ

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ tʰu³⁵ sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/

/kaː⁵⁵ tʰou̯²¹ sei̯³³ pɪk̚⁵/

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ tʰu³⁵ sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/

/kaː⁵⁵ tʰou̯²¹ sei̯³³ pɪk̚⁵/


故弄玄虛

ㄍㄨˋ ㄋㄨㄥˋ ㄒㄩㄢˊ ㄒㄩ

гунунсюаньсюй

/ku⁵¹⁻⁵³ nʊŋ⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛn³⁵ ɕy⁵⁵/

/kuː³³ lʊŋ²² jyːn²¹ hɵy̯⁵⁵/

/ku⁵¹⁻⁵³ nʊŋ⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛn³⁵ ɕy⁵⁵/

/kuː³³ lʊŋ²² jyːn²¹ hɵy̯⁵⁵/

deliberately mystifying; to make something unnecessarily mysterious


有名無實

ㄧㄡˇ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨˊ ㄕˊ

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ miŋ³⁵ u³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/jɐu̯¹³ mɪŋ²¹ mou̯²¹ sɐt̚²/

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ miŋ³⁵ u³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/jɐu̯¹³ mɪŋ²¹ mou̯²¹ sɐt̚²/


一衣帶水

ㄧ ㄧ ㄉㄞˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ i⁵⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiː⁵⁵ taːi̯³³ sɵy̯³⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ i⁵⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiː⁵⁵ taːi̯³³ sɵy̯³⁵/

China and Japan are neighbouring countries separated only by a narrow strip of water.

Zhōngguó hé Rìběn shì yīyīdàishuǐ de línbāng.

中國和日本是一衣帶水的鄰邦。

中国和日本是一衣带水的邻邦。


近朱者赤，近墨者黑

Proximity to cinnabar makes one red, to pitch makes one black.

ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄓㄨ ㄓㄜˇ ㄔˋ

ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄇㄛˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄏㄟ

chin⁴ chu¹ chê³ chʻih⁴, chin⁴ mo⁴ chê³ hei¹

цзинь чжу чжэ чи

цзинь мо чжэ хэй

czinʹ čžu čžɛ či

/t͡ɕin⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xeɪ̯⁵⁵/

gan⁶ dzy¹ dze² tsek⁸, gan⁶ mak⁹ dze² hak⁷

/kɐn²² t͡syː⁵⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ t͡sʰɛːk̚³ kɐn²² mɐk̚² t͡sɛː³⁵ hɐk̚⁵/

Different environments provide different influences; who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl


平分秋色

ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄈㄣ ㄑㄧㄡ ㄙㄜˋ

/pʰiŋ³⁵ fən⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/pʰɪŋ²¹ fɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵/

/pʰiŋ³⁵ fən⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/pʰɪŋ²¹ fɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵/


跳進黃河洗不清

cannot wash oneself clean after jumping into the (muddy)Yellow River

ㄊㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄒㄧˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄥ

tʻiao⁴ chin⁴ Huang² Ho² hsi³ pu⁴ chʻing¹

тяо цзинь Хуан Хэ си бу цин

/tʰi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰiːu̯³³ t͡sɵn³³ wɔːŋ²¹ hɔː²¹ sɐi̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵/

to have a wrongful accusation that is unable to be got rid of


莘莘學子

ㄕㄣ ㄕㄣ ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄗˇ

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄗˇ

шэньшэньсюэцзы

/ʂən⁵⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

синьсиньсюэцзы

/ɕin⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn⁵⁵ sɐn⁵⁵ hɔːk̚² t͡siː³⁵/

/ʂən⁵⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɕin⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn⁵⁵ sɐn⁵⁵ hɔːk̚² t͡siː³⁵/


火中取栗

ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄑㄩˇ ㄌㄧˋ

/xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ li⁵¹/

/xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ li⁵¹/

to pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire; to be someone's cat's-paw


螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後

ㄊㄤˊ ㄌㄤˊ ㄅㄨˇ ㄔㄢˊ

ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄝˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄏㄡˋ

tong⁴ long⁴ bou⁶ sim⁴, wong⁴ zoek³ zoi⁶ hau⁶

танлан бу чань

хуанцюэ цзай хоу

/tʰɑŋ³⁵ lɑŋ³⁵ pu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰän³⁵ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹/

tòhng lòhng bouh sìhm, wòhng jeuk joih hauh

tong⁴ long⁴ bou⁶ sim⁴, wong⁴ dzoek⁸ dzoi⁶ hau⁶

tong⁴ long⁴ bou⁶ xim⁴, wong⁴ zêg³ zoi⁶ heo⁶

/tʰɔːŋ²¹ lɔːŋ²¹ pou̯²² siːm²¹ wɔːŋ²¹ t͡sœːk̚³ t͡sɔːi̯²² hɐu̯²²/

The king of Wu wanted to subdue the Chu state, and told the ministers: "whoever dares to remonstrate dies!" A young man wished to remonstrate with the king but did not dare. He had hidden a projectile in his bosom with a slingshot in hand, and when wandering in the backyard, the dew wet his clothes for a few days like this. The king of Wu asked “how did you wet your clothes hard like this?"
 The young man replied: "there is a tree in the garden with a cicada on the tree. The cicada was standing at a high place wailing and drinking dew, ignorant of a praying mantis behind it; the praying mantis curled up close to the branch, bent its forelimbs, attempting to grab the cicada, ignorant of a siskin next to it; the siskin extended its neck to peck the mantis, ignorant of the slingshot and projectile underneath it. All three of them chased after their immediate benefits without considering the hidden dangers behind them."
The king of Wu said "good!”, thus suspending his plan of conquest.

Wú wáng yù fá jīng, gào qí zuǒyòu yuē: “Gǎn yǒu jiàn zhě sǐ!” Shè rén yǒu shào rúzǐ yù jiàn bùgǎn, zé huái wán cāo dàn, yóu yú hòu yuán, lù zhān qí yī, rú shì zhě zài sān. Wú wáng yuē: “Zǐ lái, hé kǔ zhān yī rúcǐ!”,
Duì yuē: “Yuán zhōng yǒu shù, qí shàng yǒu chán, chán gāo jū bēimíng, yǐn lù, bùzhī tángláng zài qí hòu yě; tángláng wěi shēn qū fù, yù qǔ chán, bùzhī huángquè zài qí páng yě; huángquè yán jǐng, yù zhuó tángláng, ér bùzhī dàn wán zài qí xià yě. Cǐ sān zhě jiē wù yù dé qí qián lì, ér bùgù qí hòu zhī yǒu huàn yě.”
Wú wáng yuē: “Shàn zāi!” Nǎi bà qí bīng.

吳王欲伐荊，告其左右曰：「敢有諫者死！」舍人有少孺子欲諫不敢，則懷丸操彈，游於後園，露沾其衣，如是者再三。吳王曰：「子來，何苦沾衣如此！」，
對曰：「園中有樹，其上有蟬，蟬高居悲鳴、飲露，不知螳螂在其後也；螳螂委身曲附，欲取蟬，不知黃雀在其旁也；黃雀延頸，欲啄螳螂，而不知彈丸在其下也。此三者皆務欲得其前利，而不顧其後之有患也。」
吳王曰：「善哉！」乃罷其兵。

吴王欲伐荆，告其左右曰：「敢有谏者死！」舍人有少孺子欲谏不敢，则怀丸操弹，游于后园，露沾其衣，如是者再三。吴王曰：「子来，何苦沾衣如此！」，
对曰：「园中有树，其上有蝉，蝉高居悲鸣、饮露，不知螳螂在其后也；螳螂委身曲附，欲取蝉，不知黄雀在其旁也；黄雀延颈，欲啄螳螂，而不知弹丸在其下也。此三者皆务欲得其前利，而不顾其后之有患也。」
吴王曰：「善哉！」乃罢其兵。

the mantis catches the cicada, unaware of thesiskin behind

to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger


IDST

(UK, slang, used in graffiti) Initialism of if destroyed still true.


虛懷若谷

ㄒㄩ ㄏㄨㄞˊ ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨˇ

/ɕy⁵⁵ xu̯aɪ̯³⁵ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɕy⁵⁵ xu̯aɪ̯³⁵ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

From Tao Te Ching Chapter 15 "敦兮其若樸，曠兮其若谷".


見怪不怪

ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄞˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄨㄞˋ

цзяньгуайбугуай

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹/

to keep one's calm in the face of the unexpected; to not wonder at strange sights


no jodas

no way; fuck off (expression of disbelief, often used ironically)


下不為例

ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄌㄧˋ

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ li⁵¹/

/haː²² pɐt̚⁵ wɐi̯²¹ lɐi̯²²/

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ li⁵¹/

/haː²² pɐt̚⁵ wɐi̯²¹ lɐi̯²²/


金童玉女

ㄐㄧㄣ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄩˋ ㄋㄩˇ

цзиньтунъюйнюй

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵ y⁵¹ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kɐm⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ jʊk̚² nɵy̯¹³/

/kɐm⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ jʊk̚² nɵy̯¹³⁻³⁵/

/kim²⁴ tʰuŋ¹¹ ŋi̯uk̚⁵ ŋ̍³¹/

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ³⁵ y⁵¹ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kɐm⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ jʊk̚² nɵy̯¹³/

/kɐm⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ jʊk̚² nɵy̯¹³⁻³⁵/

/kim²⁴ tʰuŋ¹¹ ŋi̯uk̚⁵ ŋ̍³¹/

(Taoism) child attendants of the immortals

Jīntóngyùnǚ yì tóujī, cáizǐjiārén shì hǎn xī.

金童玉女意投機，才子佳人世罕稀。

金童玉女意投机，才子佳人世罕稀。

(figurative) innocent and lovely young children

(figurative) talented and good-looking couple; lovely young couple


力不從心

ㄌㄧˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ

/li⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/lɪk̚² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐm⁵⁵/

/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ sim⁴⁴/

/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻²² sim⁴⁴/

/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²³⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/

/li⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/lɪk̚² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐm⁵⁵/

/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ sim⁴⁴/

/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻²² sim⁴⁴/

/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²³⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/

to lack the ability to do what one wants; one's strength does not match one's ambitions; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak


not for nothing

The construction predates the 20th century. Its use as a disjunct is common in the 21st century but was either rare or absent before that.

Not for nothing did he wait until a moment when Mommy wasn't home to ask for Daddy's permission to watch an R-rated movie.

Not for nothing is it called the World Wide Wait. Not for nothing has a Dilbert cartoon appeared noting that all the time saved through automation and computers in the last fifty years has been entirely outweighed by people sitting in front of pc's waiting for web pages to load.

1999, Suzanne Bakker, Libraries without Limits, →ISBN:

It is not for nothing that linguistics began with morphology and for a couple of centuries was practically nothing more than morphology.

2006, Igor Mel'cuk, David Beck, Aspects of the Theory of Morphology, →ISBN, page 563:

But not for nothing had Hopkins trailed Grant from Wigmore Street to the Orient offices, and from the Orient offices to the Temple, and from the Temple to the Yard. Not for nothing had he cooled his heels round the corner while his paid henchman kept watch on the Yard and gave him the sign when Grant left. Not for nothing had he followed him all the way to Westover.

2012, Josephine Tey, A Shilling for Candles, →ISBN, page 96:

"It is not for nothing that airlines recommend keeping seat belts loosely fastened throughout a flight be it long or short," he added.

2024 May 21, Joel Guinto, Simon Fraser, quoting John Strickland, “One dead as London-Singapore flight hit by turbulence”, in BBC News:

Not for no reason; not without reason; (often) for a good reason.

A: It's ridiculous how much they charge for insurance premiums around here. B: Not for nothing, when one out of four homeowners in an area has filed a claim within the past five years, premiums aren't gonna be cheap.

Listen, dawg, not for nothing, but I'm just horsing around with you when I say stuff like that.

2011, Stephen J. Cannell, Vigilante: A Shane Scully Novel, →ISBN:

And not for nothing, but I think you might want to talk to the doctor about a better diet. I suggest more fruits and salads.

2012, Dayton Ward, Vanguard: In Tempest's Wake, →ISBN:

And not for nothing, but have you thought about going the indy-pub route, as I have with this book?

2013, John Vorhaus, Comedy Writing 4 Life:

en:softener prefacing a worthwhile point

(as a disjunct) Used to soften the impact of what is said next, implying that it is worthwhile or important.

ei millään pahalla

used to soften the impact of what is said next

Why did he keep writing all those years for nothing? Not for nothing. For him.

2010, F. J. Bradley, A Natural Place To Hide, →ISBN:

Then, let us make sure that her death was not for nothing.

2013, Mike Bird, Iskandar: And the Immortal King of Iona, →ISBN, page 238:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see not, for, nothing.


好花插在牛糞上

Pleasant flowers stuck into a pile of cow dung

ㄏㄠˇ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄔㄚ ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄈㄣˋ ㄕㄤˋ

хао хуа чацзай нюфэнь шан

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰä⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ fən⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

一朵鮮花插在牛糞上 一朵鮮花插在牛糞上#Chinese

一朵鲜花插在牛粪上 一朵鲜花插在牛粪上#Chinese

Synonym of 一朵鮮花插在牛糞上／一朵鲜花插在牛粪上 (yī duǒ xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng)


DTM

(textiles) Initialism of dye(d) to match.


白山黑水

ㄅㄞˊ ㄕㄢ ㄏㄟ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

байшаньхэйшуй

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ xeɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːk̚² saːn⁵⁵ hɐk̚⁵ sɵy̯³⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ xeɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːk̚² saːn⁵⁵ hɐk̚⁵ sɵy̯³⁵/

白山 (Báishān, literally “white mountains”) refers to 長白山／长白山 (Chángbáishān, “Changbai Mountain”), while 黑水 (Hēishuǐ, literally “black waters”) refers to the Songhua (Sungari) River, historically referred to as 混同江. First attested in the History of Jin

zh-l

1344 CE, Toqto'a (lead editor), History of Jin

Shēngnǚzhí dì yǒu Hùntóngjiāng, Chángbáishān, Hùntóngjiāng yì hào Hēilóngjiāng, suǒwèi “báishān, hēishuǐ” shìyě.

生女直地有混同江、長白山，混同江亦號黑龍江，所謂「白山、黑水」是也。

生女直地有混同江、长白山，混同江亦号黑龙江，所谓「白山、黑水」是也。


拔苗助長

ㄅㄚˊ ㄇㄧㄠˊ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄤˇ

бамяочжучжан

/pä³⁵ mi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

ㄅㄚˊ ㄇㄧㄠˊㄦ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄤˇ

бамяорчжучжан

/pä³⁵ mi̯aʊ̯ɻʷ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚² miːu̯²¹ t͡sɔː²² t͡sœːŋ³⁵/

/puat̚⁴⁻³² biau²⁴⁻²² t͡sɔ²²⁻²¹ tiɔŋ⁵³/

/pä³⁵ mi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pä³⁵ mi̯aʊ̯ɻʷ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚² miːu̯²¹ t͡sɔː²² t͡sœːŋ³⁵/

/puat̚⁴⁻³² biau²⁴⁻²² t͡sɔ²²⁻²¹ tiɔŋ⁵³/

揠苗助長／揠苗助长 (yàmiáozhùzhǎng)

to try to help the shoots grow by pulling them upward


九牛二虎之力

the strength of nine bulls and two tigers

ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄦˋ ㄏㄨˇ ㄓ ㄌㄧˋ

цзю ню эр ху чжи ли

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ li⁵¹/

/kɐu̯³⁵ ŋɐu̯²¹ jiː²² fuː³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ lɪk̚²/


YIMBY

YIMBY encompasses home composting, "grass cycling" and landscape alteration.

1993, BioCycle - Volume 34, Issues 1-6, page 34:

Buildings that actually boost local land value are, therefore, called "YIMBY" or "Yes In My Back Yard." These beneficial neighbors include Police Stations, Schools, Parks, etc.

2000, Greg Kramer, Sim City Three Thousand Unlimited:

YIMBY does not promise to eliminate risk; it simply spreads it among all those involved. Yesterday, we reiterated several times that equity is critical to any solution, and in this regard YIMBY provides a practical and equitable standard

1990, Thaddeus C. Trzyna, Ilze M. Gotelli, The Power of convening, page 46:

The concept of YIMBY, or "Yes-In-Many-Backyards," was introduced in the early 1980s in Southern California as a guiding principle to distribute unwanted hazardous waste facilities among all the counties participating in the Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Project (later transposed into a joint powers authority).

1991, Joseph F. DiMento, LeRoy Graymer, Confronting Regional Challenges: Approaches to LULUs, Growth, and Other Vexing Governance Problems:

In the early 1980s in southern California, the concept of YIMBY (yes in many backyards) was introduced as a guiding principle for distributing unwanted hazardous waste facilities among all the counties participating in the Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Project, which later was restructured into a joint powers authority. The YIMBY philosophy asked each county to take responsibility for its fair share of the waste problem, though not necessarily to manage all of its own wastes.

2019, Daniel Mazmanian, Beyond Superfailure: America's Toxics Policy For The 1990s:


金城湯池

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (金城湯池):
* → Japanese: 金(きん)城(じょう)湯(とう)池(ち) (kinjōtōchi)

[[[city]] with]metal walls and boiling moat

ㄐㄧㄣ ㄔㄥˊ ㄊㄤ ㄔˊ

цзиньчэнтанчи

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ tʰɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩³⁵/

/kɐm⁵⁵ sɪŋ²¹ tʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː²¹/

/*k(r)[ə]m [d]eŋ l̥aŋ|l̥ˤaŋ|r̥ˤaŋ Cə.lraj/

/*krɯm djeŋ l̥ʰaːŋ|l̥ʰaːŋs|hljaŋ l'aːl|l'al/

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ tʰɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩³⁵/

/kɐm⁵⁵ sɪŋ²¹ tʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː²¹/


想入非非

ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄖㄨˋ ㄈㄟ ㄈㄟ

/ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu⁵¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ feɪ̯⁵⁵/

/sœːŋ³⁵ jɐp̚² fei̯⁵⁵ fei̯⁵⁵/

/sĩõ³⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zip̚⁴⁻² hui³³⁻²³ hui³³/

/ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu⁵¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ feɪ̯⁵⁵/

/sœːŋ³⁵ jɐp̚² fei̯⁵⁵ fei̯⁵⁵/

/sĩõ³⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zip̚⁴⁻² hui³³⁻²³ hui³³/

to indulge in fantastical thoughts; to daydream


有恃無恐

ㄧㄡˇ ㄕˋ ㄨˊ ㄎㄨㄥˇ

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ u³⁵ kʰʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐu̯¹³ t͡sʰiː¹³ mou̯²¹ hʊŋ³⁵/

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ u³⁵ kʰʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐu̯¹³ t͡sʰiː¹³ mou̯²¹ hʊŋ³⁵/

Paraphrase of a story [634 BCE] from the Zuo Zhuan

In summer, Duke Xiao of Qi invaded our northern frontiers… "Are the people of Lu afraid?" asked the Duke of Qi. "The inferior are afraid indeed, but the superior ones are not," said Zhan Xi in reply. The Duke asks, "Your households suffer from such want like empty containers hang upside down, and not even green grass grow on your fields, let alone food. Whence your lack of fear?" "We rely on the indisputable and everlasting commandments of the Sovereign Forefather," said Xi. "… thus supported, we have nothing to fear."

Xià, Qí Xiàogōng fá wǒ běi bǐ... Qíhóu yuē: “Lǔrén kǒng hū?” Duì yuē: “Xiǎorén kǒng yǐ, jūnzǐ zé fǒu.” Qíhóu yuē: “Shì rú xuán qìng, yě wú qīngcǎo, héshì ér bùkǒng?” Duì yuē: “Shì xiānwáng zhī mìng.... Shì cǐ yǐ bùkǒng.”

夏，齊孝公伐我北鄙…齊侯曰：「魯人恐乎？」對曰：「小人恐矣，君子則否。」齊侯曰：「室如縣罄，野無青草，何恃而不恐？」對曰：「恃先王之命。…恃此以不恐。」

夏，齐孝公伐我北鄙…齐侯曰：「鲁人恐乎？」对曰：「小人恐矣，君子则否。」齐侯曰：「室如县罄，野无青草，何恃而不恐？」对曰：「恃先王之命。…恃此以不恐。」

Deprived, in a disturbance;
Possessed, how supercilious.

dé bùdào de yǒngyuǎn zài sāodòng, bèi piān'ài de dōu yǒushìwúkǒng

得不到的永遠在騷動 被偏愛的都有恃無恐

得不到的永远在骚动 被偏爱的都有恃无恐

to be emboldened in the knowledge that one has backing; to fear nothing with someone at one's back

Duke Xiao of Qi
King Cheng of Zhou
Zuo Zhuan


事到如今

ㄕˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄐㄧㄣ

шидаожуцзинь

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/siː²² tou̯³³ jyː²¹ kɐm⁵⁵/

/su³³⁻²¹ kau²¹⁻⁴¹ zu²³⁻³³ kim⁴⁴/

/su³³⁻¹¹ kau¹¹⁻⁵³ lu²⁴⁻¹¹ kim⁴⁴/

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/siː²² tou̯³³ jyː²¹ kɐm⁵⁵/

/su³³⁻²¹ kau²¹⁻⁴¹ zu²³⁻³³ kim⁴⁴/

/su³³⁻¹¹ kau¹¹⁻⁵³ lu²⁴⁻¹¹ kim⁴⁴/

What should I do at this point? I don't dare make a decision.

sū-kàu-lû-kim beh cháiⁿ-iūⁿ, gún iā m̄-káⁿ chòe chú-ì

事到如今要怎樣 阮也不敢做主意

事到如今要怎样 阮也不敢做主意

as things stand; currently; getting this far; up to this point


I see London, I see France

From a children's rhyme: "I see London, I see France, I can see your underpants".

“I see London, I see France!” a voice from behind Imo teased. She straightened up quickly to tug her dress down and turned to see Glennis.

2010, Julie Cannon, Mater Biscuit, page 239:

(humorous, informal) Indicates that a person's underwear is showing.


臨陣磨槍

ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄓㄣˋ ㄇㄛˊ ㄑㄧㄤ

линьчжэньмоцян

/lin³⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹ mu̯ɔ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/lɐm²¹ t͡sɐn²² mɔː²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵/

/lin³⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹ mu̯ɔ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/lɐm²¹ t͡sɐn²² mɔː²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵/


NAWALT

Initialism of not all women are like that.


back in the game

(idiomatic) Having recovered from a disadvantageous position.

(idiomatic) In sports, when a losing team regains chances for winning

(idiomatic) To return to a particular industry or discipline


不速之客

ㄅㄨˋ ㄙㄨˋ ㄓ ㄎㄜˋ

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ su⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ kʰɤ⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ haːk̚³/

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ su⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ kʰɤ⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ haːk̚³/

The topmost SIX, divided, shows its subject entered into the cavern. (But) there are three guests coming, without being urged, (to his help). If he receive them respectfully, there will be good fortune in the end.

I Ching, 11ᵗʰ – 8ᵗʰ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Shàng liù: rù yú xué, yǒu bùsù zhī kè sān rén lái, jìng zhī zhōng jí.

上六：入于穴，有不速之客三人來，敬之終吉。

上六：入于穴，有不速之客三人来，敬之终吉。

She was an uninvited guest at the party.

她是晚会上的不速之客。

List of hexagrams of the I Ching#Hexagram 5


飽經滄桑

ㄅㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄘㄤ ㄙㄤ

баоцзинцансан

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ sɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːu̯³⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵/

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ sɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːu̯³⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵/

to experience many vicissitudes; to have experienced many vicissitudes of life; to have lived through many changes


飽食終日

ㄅㄠˇ ㄕˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄖˋ

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹/

/paːu̯³⁵ sɪk̚² t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ jɐt̚²/

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹/

/paːu̯³⁵ sɪk̚² t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ jɐt̚²/

See 飽食終日，無所用心／饱食终日，无所用心 (bǎoshízhōngrì, wúsuǒyòngxīn).

zh-l

to spend the whole day eating (i.e. not doing any work)


報仇雪恥

ㄅㄠˋ ㄔㄡˊ ㄒㄩㄝˇ ㄔˇ

/pɑʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵ ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pou̯³³ sɐu̯²¹ syːt̚³ t͡sʰiː³⁵/

/pou̯³³ sɐu̯²¹ syːt̚³ t͡sʰiː³⁵/

to avenge a wrong and wipe out or erase humiliation; to take revenge for an insult


飽學之士

ㄅㄠˇ ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄓ ㄕˋ

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/paːu̯³⁵ hɔːk̚² t͡siː⁵⁵ siː²²/

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/paːu̯³⁵ hɔːk̚² t͡siː⁵⁵ siː²²/

erudite person; learned scholar; man of learning


飽以老拳

ㄅㄠˇ ㄧˇ ㄌㄠˇ ㄑㄩㄢˊ

баоилаоцюань

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/

/paːu̯³⁵ jiː¹³ lou̯¹³ kʰyːn²¹/

/paːu̯³⁵ jiː¹³ lou̯¹³ kʰyːn²¹/


報喜不報憂

ㄅㄠˋ ㄒㄧˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄅㄠˋ ㄧㄡ

bàoxǐ bù bàoyōu [Phonetic:bàoxǐ bú bàoyōu]

баоси бу баою

/pɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ pɑʊ̯⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵/

/pou̯³³ hei̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ pou̯³³ jɐu̯⁵⁵/

/pɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ pɑʊ̯⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵/

/pou̯³³ hei̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ pou̯³³ jɐu̯⁵⁵/

to report the good news but not the bad news; to report only what is good while withholding what is unpleasant


寶山空回

return empty-handed from a mountain of treasure

ㄅㄠˇ ㄕㄢ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄏㄨㄟˊ

баошанькунхуэй

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂän⁵⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵/

/pou̯³⁵ saːn⁵⁵ hʊŋ⁵⁵ wuːi̯²¹/

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂän⁵⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵/

/pou̯³⁵ saːn⁵⁵ hʊŋ⁵⁵ wuːi̯²¹/

to fail to benefit from a visit to a great master, a center of learning, etc.


飽經風霜

ㄅㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄈㄥ ㄕㄨㄤ

баоцзинфэншуан

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːu̯³⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵/

/pau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² sɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːu̯³⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵/

/pau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² sɔŋ⁴⁴/

weather-beaten; having had one's fill of hardships; having experienced the hardship of life


midt i blinken

Den skjorta er midt i blinken for Tor.

Å reise til Bodø er midt i blinken for min familie.

A trip to Bodø is perfect for my family.

(idiomatic) something suits a person or an occasion very well


PEDMAS

order of operations
order of operations#English

please excuse my dear Aunt Sally#English

(mathematics, mnemonic) An acronym used to help people remember the order of operations, in the PEDMAS order (cf. "please excuse my dear Aunt Sally").


包治百病

ㄅㄠ ㄓˋ ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄧㄥˋ

баочжибайбин

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː²² paːk̚³ pɛːŋ²²/

/pau³³⁻²³ ti¹¹ peʔ²⁻⁴ pẽ¹¹/

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː²² paːk̚³ pɛːŋ²²/

/pau³³⁻²³ ti¹¹ peʔ²⁻⁴ pẽ¹¹/

guaranteed to cure all illnesses; cure-all


包治百病

ㄅㄠ ㄓˋ ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄧㄥˋ

баочжибайбин

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː²² paːk̚³ pɛːŋ²²/

/pau³³⁻²³ ti¹¹ peʔ²⁻⁴ pẽ¹¹/

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː²² paːk̚³ pɛːŋ²²/

/pau³³⁻²³ ti¹¹ peʔ²⁻⁴ pẽ¹¹/

(neologism, humorous) bags can cure all unhappiness


少兒不宜

ㄕㄠˋ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˊ

/ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ i³⁵/

/ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ i³⁵/

(of a film etc.) unsuitable for minors; 18+


飽食終日，無所用心

ㄅㄠˇ ㄕˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄖˋ

ㄨˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄩㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄣ

baau² sik⁶ zung¹ jat⁶, mou⁴ so² jung⁶ sam¹

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ u³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ jʊŋ⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

baau² sik⁹ dzung¹ jat⁹, mou⁴ so² jung⁶ sam¹

bao² xig⁶ zung¹ yed⁶, mou⁴ so² yung⁶ sem¹

/paːu̯³⁵ sɪk̚² t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ jɐt̚² mou̯²¹ sɔː³⁵ jʊŋ²² sɐm⁵⁵/

The Master said, "Hard is it to deal with who will stuff himself with food the whole day, without applying his mind to anything good! Are there not gamesters and chess players? To be one of these would still be better than doing nothing at all."

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

Zǐyuē: “Bǎoshí zhōngrì, wú suǒ yòngxīn, nán yǐ zāi! Bù yǒu bóyì zhě hū, wéi zhī yóu xián hū yǐ.”

子曰：「飽食終日，無所用心，難矣哉！不有博弈者乎，為之猶賢乎已。」

子曰：「饱食终日，无所用心，难矣哉！不有博弈者乎，为之犹贤乎已。」

to eat all day without thinking; to eat three square meals a day and do no work; to be sated with food and lead an idle life


霸王硬上弓

ㄅㄚˋ ㄨㄤˊ ㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄤˋ ㄍㄨㄥ

баван ин шан гун

/pä⁵¹ wɑŋ³⁵ iŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/paː³³ wɔːŋ²¹ ŋaːŋ²² sœːŋ¹³ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/pä⁵¹ wɑŋ³⁵ iŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

/paː³³ wɔːŋ²¹ ŋaːŋ²² sœːŋ¹³ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

It is said that the mighty leader Xiang Yu could bend a bow and attach the string with only one hand.

Xiang Yu (the overlord) attaches the bowstring

(euphemistic) to force oneself upon; to rape


non foi sen tempo

Non foi sen tempo e agora con esta magna exposición da súa obra, pagamos unha débeda que a sociedade galega tiña contraída con Carlos Valcárcel

2003, Carlos Valcárcel, Carlos Valcárcel: fotografías (1962-2001): catálogo da exposición, 2003, →ISBN:

Too much time has passed (before now), but now, with this large scale exposition of his works, we repay a debt that the Galician society had with Carlos Valcárcel

(idiomatic) it's about time; used to express that something that has happened or it's going to happen has taken more time than that needed or expected


包辦代替

ㄅㄠ ㄅㄢˋ ㄉㄞˋ ㄊㄧˋ

баобань дайти

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ taɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰi⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ paːn²² tɔːi̯²² tʰɐi̯³³/

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ taɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰi⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ paːn²² tɔːi̯²² tʰɐi̯³³/

to take away somebody else's work; to run things all by oneself without consulting others


包攬詞訟

ㄅㄠ ㄌㄢˇ ㄘˊ ㄙㄨㄥˋ

баолань цысун

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ län²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ sʊŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ laːm¹³ t͡sʰiː²¹ t͡sʊŋ²²/

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ län²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ sʊŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ laːm¹³ t͡sʰiː²¹ t͡sʊŋ²²/

to pettifog; to engage in legal pettifoggery; to practice chicanery


半新不舊

ㄅㄢˋ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄡˋ

баньсинь буцзю

/pän⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

/puːn³³ sɐn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ kɐu̯²²/

/pän⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

/puːn³³ sɐn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ kɐu̯²²/

no longer new; showing signs of wear; worn


包藏禍心

ㄅㄠ ㄘㄤˊ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄣ

баоцанхосинь

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ³⁵ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ²¹ wɔː²² sɐm⁵⁵/

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ³⁵ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ²¹ wɔː²² sɐm⁵⁵/

Our small country has not done wrong; the only real fault of ours, if any, is that we have had no choice but to rely on others. If only our trust on your mighty country were enough to keep ourselves at peace! But are you not, with concealed malice, conspiring to take us over?

Xiǎoguó wúzuì, shì shí qí zuì. Jiāng shì dàguó zhī ānjìng jǐ, ér wúnǎi bāocánghuòxīn yǐ tú zhī.

小國無罪，恃實其罪。將恃大國之安靖己，而無乃包藏禍心以圖之。

小国无罪，恃实其罪。将恃大国之安靖己，而无乃包藏祸心以图之。

to harbor evil intentions; to conceal malice


飽漢不知餓漢飢

饱汉不知饿汉饥
飽漢不知餓漢饑

well-fed men do not know starving men's hunger

ㄅㄠˇ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄜˋ ㄏㄢˋ ㄐㄧ

бао хань бучжи э хань цзи

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xän⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ˀɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ xän⁵¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

/paːu̯³⁵ hɔːn³³ pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ ŋɔː²² hɔːn³³ kei̯⁵⁵/

the well-fed do not know how the starving suffer; to have no realization of how others feel; to be oblivious


包羅萬象

ㄅㄠ ㄌㄨㄛˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ

баолованьсян

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵ wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ lɔː²¹ maːn²² t͡sœːŋ²²/

/pau⁴⁴⁻²² lo²⁴⁻²² ban²²⁻²¹ siɔŋ²²/

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵ wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ lɔː²¹ maːn²² t͡sœːŋ²²/

/pau⁴⁴⁻²² lo²⁴⁻²² ban²²⁻²¹ siɔŋ²²/


半信半疑

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (半信半疑):
* → Japanese: 半(はん)信(しん)半(はん)疑(ぎ) (hanshinhangi)
* → Korean: 반신반의(半信半疑) (bansinbanui)
* → Vietnamese: bán tín bán nghi (半信半疑)

ㄅㄢˋ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄢˋ ㄧˊ

баньсиньбаньи

/pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ pän⁵¹ i³⁵/

/puːn³³ sɵn³³ puːn³³ jiː²¹/

/puan¹¹⁻⁵³ sin¹¹⁻⁵³ puan¹¹⁻⁵³ ɡi²⁴/

/puan²¹⁻⁴¹ sin²¹⁻⁴¹ puan²¹⁻⁴¹ ɡi²³/

/pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ pän⁵¹ i³⁵/

/puːn³³ sɵn³³ puːn³³ jiː²¹/

/puan¹¹⁻⁵³ sin¹¹⁻⁵³ puan¹¹⁻⁵³ ɡi²⁴/

/puan²¹⁻⁴¹ sin²¹⁻⁴¹ puan²¹⁻⁴¹ ɡi²³/

half-believing, half-doubting; not quite convinced


il.il.

Maannakkut misissussavavut oqaatsit -poq-mik, -voq-mik il.il. naggatillit oqaatsinit -paa-mik -vaa-mik il.il. naggatilinnit allaassutaat.

We will now consider the difference between words ending in -poq, -voq etc. and words ending in -paa, -vaa etc..

2000 - Grønland 2000. Kalaalliit Nunaat / Statistisk Årbog. Ukiumoortumik kisitsisitigut paasissutissat
Ilisimatusarfigineqartut killileruminaattarput tassami tunngaviusumik ilisimatusarnerit, ilisimatusarnerit atorneqartut, misissueqqissaarnerit, ilisimatusarnernik ataqatigiissaarinerit, atortorissaarutitigut ilisimatusarnikkullu sullissinerit ineriartortinneqarnerat il.il., ...

(please add an English translation of this quotation)

ilaalu ilanngullugit
ilaalu ilanngullugit#Greenlandic


金蘭之交

ㄐㄧㄣ ㄌㄢˊ ㄓ ㄐㄧㄠ

цзиньланьчжицзяо

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ län³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/kɐm⁵⁵ laːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ län³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/kɐm⁵⁵ laːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵/


八面光

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːt̚³ miːn²² kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵/

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːt̚³ miːn²² kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵/

smooth and slick (in making social contacts)


八面威風

ㄅㄚ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄨㄟ ㄈㄥ

бамяньвэйфэн

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵/

/paːt̚³ miːn²² wɐi̯⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵/

/pat̚² mi̯en⁵⁵ vi²⁴⁻¹¹ fuŋ²⁴/

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵/

/paːt̚³ miːn²² wɐi̯⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵/

/pat̚² mi̯en⁵⁵ vi²⁴⁻¹¹ fuŋ²⁴/

intimidating, commanding presence; aura of awesome might


八面見光

ㄅㄚ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄤ

бамянь цзяньгуан

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/


跋山涉水

ㄅㄚˊ ㄕㄢ ㄕㄜˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

/pä³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ ʂɤ⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚² saːn⁵⁵ siːp̚³ sɵy̯³⁵/

/puat̚⁴⁻³² san⁴⁴⁻²² siap̚⁴⁻³² sui⁵³/

/pä³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ ʂɤ⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚² saːn⁵⁵ siːp̚³ sɵy̯³⁵/

/puat̚⁴⁻³² san⁴⁴⁻²² siap̚⁴⁻³² sui⁵³/

to travel afar under difficult conditions; to travel over land and water


把水攪渾

ㄅㄚˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄏㄨㄣˊ

башуйцзяохунь

/pä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ən³⁵/

/paː³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ kaːu̯³⁵ wɐn²²/

/paː³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ kaːu̯³⁵ wɐn²²/


跋前疐後

ㄅㄚˊ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄓˋ ㄏㄡˋ

бацяньчжихоу

/pä³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹/

/pɐt̚² t͡sʰiːn²¹ t͡siː³³ hɐu̯²²/

/pä³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹/

/pɐt̚² t͡sʰiːn²¹ t͡siː³³ hɐu̯²²/

Originally from the Classic of Poetry (《詩》), 《豳風·狼跋》:
Han Yu wrote in the 9th century

The wolf springs forward on his dewlap,
Or trips back on his tail.

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

狼跋其胡，載疐其尾。

狼跋其胡，载疐其尾。

Yet you, in public affairs, fail to gain the trust of others. In private, none of your friends are willing to help you. You go forward and step on your dewlap, and step back only to trip on your tail. As soon as you move at all, you incur fault upon yourself.

c. 813, Han Yu, "On Encouraging Scholarship" (《進學解》)

Rán'ér gōng bù jiàn xìn yú rén, sī bù jiàn zhù yú yǒu, báqiánzhìhòu, dòngzhé dé jiù.

然而公不見信於人，私不見助於友，跋前疐後，動輒得咎。

然而公不见信于人，私不见助于友，跋前疐后，动辄得咎。

Tā zhèng chǔyú báqiánzhìhòu de gāngà júmiàn.

他正處於跋前疐後的尷尬局面。

他正处于跋前疐后的尴尬局面。

to encounter obstacles ahead and behind; to be beset with difficulties; to be surrounded by problems


白璧微瑕

ㄅㄞˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄚˊ

ㄅㄞˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄒㄧㄚˊ

/paɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä³⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ɕi̯ä³⁵/

/paːk̚² pɪk̚⁵ mei̯²¹ haː²¹/

/paɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä³⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ɕi̯ä³⁵/

/paːk̚² pɪk̚⁵ mei̯²¹ haː²¹/

minor blemish in a thing of beauty; slight defect in a person of integrity


八面玲瓏

ㄅㄚ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄌㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

бамяньлинлун

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ liŋ³⁵ lʊŋ³⁵/

/paːt̚³ miːn²² lɪŋ²¹ lʊŋ²¹/

/pä⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ liŋ³⁵ lʊŋ³⁵/

/paːt̚³ miːn²² lɪŋ²¹ lʊŋ²¹/


白手成家

ㄅㄞˊ ㄕㄡˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄚ

байшоучэнцзя

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² sɐu̯³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ kaː⁵⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² sɐu̯³⁵ sɪŋ²¹ kaː⁵⁵/

to build up from nothing; to start from scratch


白日做夢

ㄅㄞˊ ㄖˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄇㄥˋ

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ mɤŋ⁵¹/

/paːk̚² jɐt̚² t͡sou̯²² mʊŋ²²/

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ mɤŋ⁵¹/

/paːk̚² jɐt̚² t͡sou̯²² mʊŋ²²/

build castles in the air
build castles in the air

to spin daydreams; to indulge in wishful thinking; to build castles in the air


白衣戰士

ㄅㄞˊ ㄧ ㄓㄢˋ ㄕˋ

байи чжаньши

/paɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/paːk̚² jiː⁵⁵ t͡siːn³³ siː²²/

/paɪ̯³⁵ i⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/paːk̚² jiː⁵⁵ t͡siːn³³ siː²²/

(honorific, figurative) medical worker; doctor or nurse


白字連篇

ㄅㄞˊ ㄗˋ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄆㄧㄢ

байцзы ляньпянь

/paɪ̯³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ pʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² t͡siː²² liːn²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ pʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² t͡siː²² liːn²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵/

reams of wrong characters; full of mispronounced or wrong words (of speech or writing)


白面書生

ㄅㄞˊ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄕㄨ ㄕㄥ

баймяньшушэн

/paɪ̯³⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʂu⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² miːn²² syː⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

/pɛiʔ⁵⁻²¹ mieŋ²⁴²⁽⁻²¹⁾ ^((t͡s-))ʒy⁵⁵ ⁽ˢ⁻⁾lɛiŋ⁵⁵/

/piɪk̚⁴⁻³² bin³³⁻²¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

/piɪk̚⁴⁻³² bin³³⁻¹¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ bin³³⁻²¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ bin³³⁻¹¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

/paɪ̯³⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʂu⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² miːn²² syː⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

/piɪk̚⁴⁻³² bin³³⁻²¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

/piɪk̚⁴⁻³² bin³³⁻¹¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ bin³³⁻²¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ bin³³⁻¹¹ su⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ⁴⁴/

young scholar who is well-versed in academic theories but lacks real-life experience; young and inexperienced person without practical experience


白紙黑字

ㄅㄞˊ ㄓˇ ㄏㄟ ㄗˋ

байчжихэйцзы

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ xeɪ̯⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹/

/paːk̚² t͡siː³⁵ hɐk̚⁵ t͡siː²²/

/paɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ xeɪ̯⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹/

/paːk̚² t͡siː³⁵ hɐk̚⁵ t͡siː²²/


白璧無瑕

ㄅㄞˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄚˊ

/paɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹ u³⁵ ɕi̯ä³⁵/

/paːk̚² pɪk̚⁵ mou̯²¹ haː²¹/

/paɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹ u³⁵ ɕi̯ä³⁵/

/paːk̚² pɪk̚⁵ mou̯²¹ haː²¹/


白雲蒼狗

white clouds are so changeable in shape that they look now like white garments and now like grey hounds

ㄅㄞˊ ㄩㄣˊ ㄘㄤ ㄍㄡˇ

байюньцангоу

/paɪ̯³⁵ yn³⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːk̚² wɐn²¹ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ kɐu̯³⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ yn³⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːk̚² wɐn²¹ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ kɐu̯³⁵/

freakishness; changeable and strange; changes in human affairs often take freakish forms


百般刁難

ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄢ ㄉㄧㄠ ㄋㄢˋ

ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄢ ㄉㄧㄠ ㄋㄢˊ

байбань дяонань

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ nän⁵¹/

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ nän³⁵/

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ nän⁵¹/

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ nän³⁵/

to create innumerable obstacles; to make things difficult for; to create obstructions of every description


白費唇舌

ㄅㄞˊ ㄈㄟˋ ㄔㄨㄣˊ ㄕㄜˊ

байфэй чуньшэ

/paɪ̯³⁵ feɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən³⁵ ʂɤ³⁵/

/paːk̚² fɐi̯³³ sɵn²¹ siːt̚³/

/paɪ̯³⁵ feɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən³⁵ ʂɤ³⁵/

/paːk̚² fɐi̯³³ sɵn²¹ siːt̚³/


青靚白淨

/t͡sʰɛːŋ⁵⁵ lɛːŋ³³ paːk̚² t͡sɛːŋ²²/

/t͡sʰɛːŋ⁵⁵ lɛːŋ³³ paːk̚² t͡sɛːŋ²²/

(Cantonese, of young men) young and good-looking


白髮蒼蒼

ㄅㄞˊ ㄈㄚˋ ㄘㄤ ㄘㄤ

ㄅㄞˊ ㄈㄚˇ ㄘㄤ ㄘㄤ

байфа цанцан

/paɪ̯³⁵ fä⁵¹ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² faːt̚³ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ fä⁵¹ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paɪ̯³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵/

/paːk̚² faːt̚³ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵/


走過場

ㄗㄡˇ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄔㄤˇ

ㄗㄡˇ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄔㄤˊ

/t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵/

/t͡sɐu̯³⁵ kʷɔː³³ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

/t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵/

/t͡sɐu̯³⁵ kʷɔː³³ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

(theater, of an actor or actress) to walk from one end of the stage to the other without stopping

go through the motions
go through the motions

(figurative) to go through the motions; to do something as a mere formality


包辦替代

ㄅㄠ ㄅㄢˋ ㄊㄧˋ ㄉㄞˋ

баобань тидай

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ taɪ̯⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ paːn²² tʰɐi̯³³ tɔːi̯²²/

/pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ taɪ̯⁵¹/

/paːu̯⁵⁵ paːn²² tʰɐi̯³³ tɔːi̯²²/

包辦代替 包辦代替#Chinese

包办代替 包办代替#Chinese

Alternative form of 包辦代替／包办代替 (bāobàn dàitì)


the streets are paved with gold

En-au-the streets are paved with gold.ogg

Do you think it will be a place where the streets are paved with gold, similar to the Heaven of the Bible?

1995, Janet McClure, Prelude to Ascension: Tools for Transformation, →ISBN, unnumbered page:

It is in many ways our oldest and most enduring national myth, one that has taken many forms: the streets are paved with gold.

2011, Stephen Pimpare, A People s History of Poverty in America, →ISBN, page 193:

In and around the government lobbyist areas the streets are paved with gold!

2014, Patrick J. Fornari, Commoner Sense: The Working Person’s Guide to America, →ISBN, page 69:

(idiomatic) Used to describe a place where it is easy to become wealthy or live well.


老夫老妻

ㄌㄠˇ ㄈㄨ ㄌㄠˇ ㄑㄧ

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/

/lou̯¹³ fuː⁵⁵ lou̯¹³ t͡sʰɐi̯⁵⁵/

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/

/lou̯¹³ fuː⁵⁵ lou̯¹³ t͡sʰɐi̯⁵⁵/


遍體鱗傷

ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄧˇ ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄕㄤ

бяньтилиньшан

/pi̯ɛn⁵¹ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lin³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

/pʰiːn³³ tʰɐi̯³⁵ lɵn²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵/

/pʰiɛn²¹⁻⁵³ tʰe⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴⁻²² siɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pʰiɛn⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tʰe⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lin²⁴⁻²² siɔŋ³³/

/pʰiɛn²¹⁻⁵³ tʰe⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin¹³⁻²² siɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pʰiɛn¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰe⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴⁻¹¹ siɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pʰiɛn²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰe⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lin²³⁻³³ siɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pi̯ɛn⁵¹ tʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lin³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

/pʰiːn³³ tʰɐi̯³⁵ lɵn²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵/

/pʰiɛn²¹⁻⁵³ tʰe⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴⁻²² siɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pʰiɛn⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tʰe⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lin²⁴⁻²² siɔŋ³³/

/pʰiɛn²¹⁻⁵³ tʰe⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin¹³⁻²² siɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pʰiɛn¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰe⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴⁻¹¹ siɔŋ⁴⁴/

/pʰiɛn²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰe⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lin²³⁻³³ siɔŋ⁴⁴/

2004 December 9, Xu Wei (lyrics and music), “曾經的你 [You in the Past]”, in 每一刻都是嶄新的 [Every Moment Is Completely New], performed by Xu Wei:

Love always made you eager and upset / It once made you seriously wounded

Àiqíng zǒng ràng nǐ kěwàng yòu gǎndào fánnǎo, Céng ràng nǐ biàntǐlínshāng

愛情總讓你渴望又感到煩惱 曾讓你遍體鱗傷

爱情总让你渴望又感到烦恼 曾让你遍体鳞伤

to be covered all over with cuts and bruises; to be seriously wounded


мен түсінбеймін

head

мен түсінбеймін

мен түсінбеймін • (men tüsınbeimın)


je van het

/ˈjə vɑn ˈɦɛt/

(idiomatic) the bee's knees, the very best, fantastic


's anderendaags

Partial univerbation of 's anderen daags, from des anderen daags, a genitive absolute.


क्या आप ठीक हैं

hi-phrase

क्या आप ठीक हैं?

کیا آپ ٹھیک ہیں

क्या आप ठीक हैं? • (kyā āp ṭhīk ha͠i?) (Urdu spelling کیا آپ ٹھیک ہیں)

kyā āp ṭhīk ha͠i? (romanization)
کیا آپ ٹھیک ہیں (Urdu)

/kjɑː ɑːp ʈʰiːk ɦɛ̃ː/

[kjäː‿äːp‿ʈʰiːk‿ɦɛ̃ː]


粗身大勢

/t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵ sɐn⁵⁵ taːi̯²² sɐi̯³³/

/t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵ sɐn⁵⁵ taːi̯²² sɐi̯³³/


有落

/jɐu̯¹³ lɔːk̚²/

/jɐu̯¹³ lɔːk̚²/

地鐵站有落。

地铁站有落。

(Cantonese) I want to get off (the minibus)


tyt

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


雞啄唔斷

someone would not stop, just like chicken poking

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ tœːŋ⁵⁵ m̩²¹ tʰyːn¹³/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ tœːŋ⁵⁵ m̩²¹ tʰyːn¹³/


chámalle burro ao cabalo

Literally, “let's say that the horse is a donkey”.

lit

(idiomatic) used to express that someone is more able than expected or suggested, and so, that he or she is comparable to a horse that is being taken for a donkey


三姑六婆

ㄙㄢ ㄍㄨ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄆㄛˊ

/sän⁵⁵ ku⁵⁵ li̯oʊ̯⁵¹ pʰu̯ɔ³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ kuː⁵⁵ lʊk̚² pʰɔː²¹/

/sam⁴⁴⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴ liɔk̚⁴⁻³² po²⁴/

/sã⁴⁴⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴ lak̚⁴⁻³² po²⁴/

/sän⁵⁵ ku⁵⁵ li̯oʊ̯⁵¹ pʰu̯ɔ³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ kuː⁵⁵ lʊk̚² pʰɔː²¹/

/sam⁴⁴⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴ liɔk̚⁴⁻³² po²⁴/

/sã⁴⁴⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴ lak̚⁴⁻³² po²⁴/

Refers to the three 姑 (gū):
* 尼姑 (nígū, “Buddhist nun”),
* 道姑 (dàogū, “Taoist nun”), and
* 卦姑 (guàgū, “female fortune teller”),
and the six 婆 (pó):
* 牙婆 (yápó, “female human trafficker”),
* 媒婆 (méipó, “female matchmaker”),
* 師婆／师婆 (shīpó, “sorceress”),
* 虔婆 (qiánpó, “female brothel keeper”),
* 藥婆／药婆 (yàopó, “female doctor”), and
* 穩婆／稳婆 (wěnpó, “female midwife”).
In ancient China, women of these occupations often swindled money from people and were not reputable.

women with disreputable or illegal professions


一天到晚

ㄧ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄉㄠˋ ㄨㄢˇ

итяньдаовань

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ wän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ tou̯³³ maːn¹³/

/iəʔ²⁻⁵⁴ tʰie¹¹ tau⁴⁵ væ̃⁵³/

/i²⁴ tʰi̯ẽ³³ tɒu̯⁴⁵ u̯an⁴¹/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ wän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ tou̯³³ maːn¹³/

/iəʔ²⁻⁵⁴ tʰie¹¹ tau⁴⁵ væ̃⁵³/

/i²⁴ tʰi̯ẽ³³ tɒu̯⁴⁵ u̯an⁴¹/


滄海桑田

ja-r

滄海桑田(そうかいそうでん) (sōkaisōden)

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (滄海桑田):
* → Japanese: 滄海桑田(そうかいそうでん) (sōkaisōden)
* → Korean: 창해상전(滄海桑田) (changhaesangjeon)
* → Vietnamese: thương hải tang điền (滄海桑田)

→ Vietnamese: bể dâu (calque)

ㄘㄤ ㄏㄞˇ ㄙㄤ ㄊㄧㄢˊ

цанхайсантянь

/t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵/

/t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹/

/t͡sʰaŋ³³⁻²³ hai⁵² sɯŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰaŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵/

/t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹/

/t͡sʰaŋ³³⁻²³ hai⁵² sɯŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰaŋ⁵⁵/

Originally 東海桑田／东海桑田 (literally “East China sea becoming mulberry fields”). From Shenxian Zhuan (神仙傳·麻姑)

zh-l

Magu said: "Since we met last time, I have seen the East China Sea turned into mulberry fields thrice. When I visited Penglai Island just now, I saw that the water was shallower than half of it was when we met. Is it going to turn into land again?"

Mágū zì shuō yún: “Jiēdài yǐlái, yǐ jiàn Dōnghǎi sān wèi sāngtián. Xiàng dào Pénglái, shuǐ yòu qiǎn yú wǎngzhě huì shí lüè bàn yě. Qǐ jiāng fùhái wèi líng lù hū.”

麻姑自說云：「接待以來，已見東海三為桑田。向到蓬萊，水又淺于往者會時略半也。豈將復還為陵陸乎。」

麻姑自说云：「接待以来，已见东海三为桑田。向到蓬莱，水又浅于往者会时略半也。岂将复还为陵陆乎。」

the vast sea (turned into) mulberry fields

time brings drastic changes to the world; the vicissitudes of life


滄海桑田

ja-pos

滄(そう)海(かい)桑(そう)田(でん) • (sōkaisōden) ^(←さうかいさうでん (saukaisauden)?)

滄海桑田 (canonical)
sōkaisōden (romanization)
saukaisauden (romanization)
さうかいさうでん (hiragana historical)

From 滄海 (“vast ocean”) + 桑田 (“mulberry plantations”).
Borrowed from Chinese 滄海桑田／沧海桑田 (cānghǎisāngtián), literally “the blue sea turned into mulberry fields”.

com

(figuratively) drastic changes in the world


kung na-s ka, just follow

Literally, “if you're envious, copy me”.

a phrase used to dismiss someone's criticisms of one's actions or attitude


七國咁亂

/t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ kʷɔːk̚³ kɐm³³ lyːn²²/

/t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ kʷɔːk̚³ kɐm³³ lyːn²²/

(Cantonese, simile) extremely messy; in total chaos


煩過梵蒂岡

/faːn²¹ kʷɔː³³ faːn²¹ tɐi̯³³ kɔːŋ⁵⁵/

/faːn²¹ kʷɔː³³ faːn²¹ tɐi̯³³ kɔːŋ⁵⁵/

A pun on the first syllable of 梵蒂岡, which is often homophonous to 煩.

having more trouble than the Vatican City

(Cantonese) very annoying; very troublesome; full of trouble


亂過黎巴嫩

/lyːn²² kʷɔː³³ lɐi̯²¹ paː⁵⁵ nyːn²²/

/lyːn²² kʷɔː³³ lɐi̯²¹ paː⁵⁵ nyːn²²/

A pun on the last syllable of 黎巴嫩 (lai⁴ baa¹ nyun⁶, “Lebanon”), which is a (near) homophone of 亂／乱 (lyun⁶, “messy; chaotic; disorderly”).

(Cantonese, simile) very messy; very chaotic


مافي

head

مافي • (māfi)

مافي أحد في الغرفة


مافي

مافي • (mā-fi)

ما (mā, “not”) + فيه (fī, “there is/are”).


年に一度

年に一度 (canonical)
nen ni ichido (romanization)

100年に一度の大雨

the heavy rain that happens once every 100 years


待ちに待った

待ちに待った (canonical)
machi ni matta (romanization)

みんなが待ちに待った花火大会

花火大会 はなびたいかい

the fireworks festival everyone has been waiting for


格殺勿論

Beat (someone) dead, and (the killer) will not be prosecuted.

ㄍㄜˊ ㄕㄚ ㄨˋ ㄌㄨㄣˋ

/kɤ³⁵ ʂä⁵⁵ u⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ən⁵¹/

/kaːk̚³ saːt̚³ mɐt̚² lɵn²²/

/kɤ³⁵ ʂä⁵⁵ u⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ən⁵¹/

/kaːk̚³ saːt̚³ mɐt̚² lɵn²²/

Use of deadly force authorized; it is permitted to kill (someone) without any legal consequence.


授受不親

ㄕㄡˋ ㄕㄡˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄣ

шоушоубуцинь

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰin⁵⁵/

/sɐu̯²² sɐu̯²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵/

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰin⁵⁵/

/sɐu̯²² sɐu̯²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵/

(of a man and woman) to not have direct contact when giving or receiving an item