上贼船
shàng zéi chuán
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1 lit. to board a pirate ship (idiom)
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2 fig. to associate with criminals
乘人不备
chéng rén bù bèi
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1 to take advantage of sb in an unguarded moment (idiom)
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2 to take sb by surprise
乘虚而入
chéng xū ér rù
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1 to enter by exploiting a weak spot (idiom); to take advantage of a lapse
乘风破浪
chéng fēng pò làng
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1 to brave the wind and the billows (idiom); to have high ambitions
前人栽树,后人乘凉
qián rén zāi shù , hòu rén chéng liáng
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1 to enjoy the benefits of the hard work of one's predecessors. (idiom)
因利乘便
yīn lì chéng biàn
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1 (idiom) to rely on the most favorable method
大树底下好乘凉
dà shù dǐ xià hǎo chéng liáng
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1 lit. under a big tree the shade is plentiful (idiom)
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2 fig. to benefit by proximity to an influential person
有机可乘
yǒu jī kě chéng
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1 to have an opportunity that one can exploit (idiom)
水涨船高
shuǐ zhǎng chuán gāo
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1 the tide rises, the boat floats (idiom); fig. to change with the overall trend
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2 to develop according to the situation
脚踏两条船
jiǎo tà liǎng tiáo chuán
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1 lit. to stand with each foot in a different boat (idiom)
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2 fig. to have it both ways
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3 to run after two hares
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4 (especially) to have two lovers at the same time
船到桥门自会直
chuán dào qiáo mén zì huì zhí
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1 lit. when the ship arrives at the bridge we can deal with the problem
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2 no point in worrying about sth until it actually happens (idiom)
船到江心,补漏迟
chuán dào jiāng xīn , bǔ lòu chí
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1 It's too late to plug the leak once ship is in the middle of the river. (idiom)
船到码头,车到站
chuán dào mǎ tóu , chē dào zhàn
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1 The ship has docked, the carriage has reached the station.
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2 The job is over, it's time to relax. (idiom)
草船借箭
cǎo chuán jiè jiàn
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1 lit. using straw boats to borrow arrows (idiom, from 三國演義|三国演义[Sān guó Yǎn yì])
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2 fig. to use others' manpower and resources for one's own ends
车到山前必有路,船到桥头自然直
chē dào shān qián bì yǒu lù , chuán dào qiáo tóu zì rán zhí
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1 lit. When we get to the mountain, there'll be a way through and when the boat gets to the pier-head, it will go straight with the current. (idiom)
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2 fig. Everything will turn out for the best.
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3 Let's worry about it when it happens.
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4 It will be all right on the night.
阴沟里翻船
yīn gōu lǐ fān chuán
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1 to meet with unexpected failure (idiom)
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2 to fail miserably (where failure was not expected)