一五一十
yī wǔ yī shí
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1 lit. count by fives and tens (idiom); to narrate systematically and in full detail
一倡三叹
yī chàng sān tàn
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1 (of literature, music) deeply moving (idiom)
一哭二闹三上吊
yī kū èr nào sān shàng diào
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1 to make a terrible scene (idiom)
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2 to throw a tantrum
一问三不知
yī wèn sān bù zhī
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1 lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)
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2 fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on
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3 complete ignorance
一失足成千古恨
yī shī zú chéng qiān gǔ hèn
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1 a single slip may cause everlasting sorrow (idiom)
一成不变
yī chéng bù biàn
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1 nothing much changes (idiom); always the same
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2 stuck in a rut
一日三秋
yī rì sān qiū
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1 a single day apart seems like three seasons (idiom)
一日不见,如隔三秋
yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū
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1 one day apart seems like three years (idiom)
一板三眼
yī bǎn sān yǎn
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1 lit. one strong beat and three weak beats in a measure of music (four beats in the bar) (idiom); fig. scrupulous attention to detail
一语成谶
yī yǔ chéng chèn
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1 (idiom) to have one's words turn out to be (tragically) prophetic
一雨成秋
yī yǔ chéng qiū
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1 a sudden shower towards the end of summer brings an abrupt arrival of autumn (idiom)
三七二十一
sān qī èr shí yī
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1 three sevens are twenty-one (idiom)
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2 the facts of the matter
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3 the actual situation
三下两下
sān xià liǎng xià
-
1 quickly and effortlessly (idiom)
三五成群
sān wǔ chéng qún
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1 in groups of three or four (idiom)
三人成虎
sān rén chéng hǔ
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1 three men talking makes a tiger (idiom); repeated rumor becomes a fact
三人行,必有我师
sān rén xíng , bì yǒu wǒ shī
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1 lit. if three walk together, one can be my teacher (idiom, from the Analects of Confucius)
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2 you have sth to learn from everyone
三令五申
sān lìng wǔ shēn
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1 to order again and again (idiom)
三个和尚没水喝
sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē
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1 lit. three monks have no water to drink (idiom)
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2 fig. everybody's business is nobody's business
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3 (If there is one monk, he will fetch water for himself. If there are two, they will fetch water together. But if there are three or more, none will take it upon himself to fetch water.)
三个女人一台戏
sān ge nu:3 rén yī tái xì
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1 three women are enough for a drama (idiom)
三个臭皮匠,合成一个诸葛亮
sān gè chòu pí jiang , hé chéng yī gè Zhū gě Liàng
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1 lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom