common idioms in Chinese - Chinese Vocabulary

常用中文俗语

Chinese speakers use idioms to express quite complex ideas in a very simple and memorable way. Here are some the most common idioms in Chinese.

Word	English	Pinyin
亡羊补牢，未为晚矣	It’s better to finish something late than to never do it at all.	wáng yáng bǔ láo， wèi wèi wǎn yǐ
有志者事竟成	When you have a strong will to reach a goal in life, you get that in future.	yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng
入乡随俗	It is advisable to follow the conventions of the area in which you are residing or visiting.	rù xiāng suí sú
说曹操，曹操到	The person we were just talking about showed up!	shuō cáo cāo， cáo cāo dào
千里之行，始于足下	You need to make your first step, if you hope to achieve a big thing.	qiān lǐ zhī xíng， shǐ yú zú xià
大海捞针	something impossible to do	dà hǎi lāo zhēn
煞费苦心	make all effort possible with much attention	shà fèi kǔ xīn
得寸进尺	When you give someone a small amount of power or freedom to do something, he or she may try to get a lot more.	dé cùn jìn chǐ
有其父必有其子	when a son is similar to his father	yǒu qí fù bì yǒu qí zǐ
血浓于水	relationships with family (or blood relatives) is stronger than other relationships	xuè nóng yú shuǐ
月是故乡明	you feel the best when at home	yuè shì gù xiāng míng
三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮	It’s easier to do something as a team than by yourself.	sān gè chòu pí jiàng， dǐng gè zhū gě liàng
十全十美	something perfect in every way	shí quán shí měi
数一数二	the top one or two	shǔ yī shǔ èr
功夫不负有心人	you have to work for what you want	gōng fū bù fù yǒu xīn rén