偷工减料
tōu gōng jiǎn liào
-
1 to skimp on the job and stint on materials (idiom)
-
2 jerry-building
-
3 sloppy work
加官进位
jiā guān jìn wèi
-
1 promotion in official post and salary raise (idiom)
加官进爵
jiā guān jìn jué
-
1 promotion to the nobility (idiom)
加官进禄
jiā guān jìn lù
-
1 promotion in official post and salary raise (idiom)
工欲善其事,必先利其器
gōng yù shàn qí shì , bì xiān lì qí qì
-
1 To do a good job, an artisan needs the best tools (idiom). Good tools are prerequisite to the successful execution of a job
年功加俸
nián gōng jiā fèng
-
1 increase in salary according to one's service record for the year (idiom)
快马加鞭
kuài mǎ jiā biān
-
1 to spur the horse to full speed (idiom)
-
2 to go as fast as possible
悔恨交加
huǐ hèn jiāo jiā
-
1 to feel remorse and shame (idiom)
文不加点
wén bù jiā diǎn
-
1 to write a flawless essay in one go (idiom)
-
2 to be quick-witted and skilled at writing compositions
有则改之,无则加勉
yǒu zé gǎi zhī , wú zé jiā miǎn
-
1 correct any mistakes you made, but maintain your good record if you did not make them (idiom)
欲加之罪,何患无辞
yù jiā zhī zuì , hé huàn wú cí
-
1 If you want to condemn sb, don't worry about the pretext (idiom, from Zuozhuan 左傳|左传); one can always trump up a charge against sb
-
2 Give a dog a bad name, then hang him.
添砖加瓦
tiān zhuān jiā wǎ
-
1 lit. contribute bricks and tiles for a building (idiom)
-
2 fig. to do one's bit to help
火上加油
huǒ shàng jiā yóu
-
1 to add oil to the fire (idiom); fig. to aggravate a situation
-
2 to enrage people and make matters worse
无以复加
wú yǐ fù jiā
-
1 in the extreme (idiom)
-
2 incapable of further increase
异曲同工
yì qǔ tóng gōng
-
1 different tunes played with equal skill (idiom)
-
2 different methods leading to the same result
-
3 different approach but equally satisfactory outcome
磨刀不误砍柴工
mó dāo bù wù kǎn chái gōng
-
1 lit. sharpening the axe won't make the wood-splitting take longer (idiom)
-
2 fig. time invested in preparations is not lost
-
3 a beard well lathered is half shaved
神工鬼斧
shén gōng guǐ fǔ
-
1 supernaturally fine craft (idiom); the work of the Gods
-
2 uncanny workmanship
-
3 superlative craftsmanship
精诚所加,金石为开
jīng chéng suǒ jiā , jīn shí wèi kāi
-
1 lit. sincerity splits open metal and metal (idiom); if you put your heart to it, you can break up metal and rocks
-
2 With a will, you can achieve anything.
良工心苦
liáng gōng xīn kǔ
-
1 expert craft from hard practice (idiom); hard-won skill
-
2 A masterpiece demands suffering.
变本加厉
biàn běn jiā lì
-
1 lit. change to more severe (idiom); to become more intense (esp. of shortcoming)
-
2 to aggravate
-
3 to intensify