一人得道，鸡犬升天
yī rén dé dào , jī quǎn shēng tiān
-
1 lit. when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven (idiom)
-
2 fig. to ride on sb else's success
-
3 Once one man gets a government position, all his cronies get in too
-
4 Once sb has cracked the problem, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do it
一个天南，一个地北
yī ge tiān nán , yī ge dì běi
-
1 to live miles apart (idiom)
一柱擎天
yī zhù qíng tiān
-
1 lit. to support the sky as a single pillar (idiom)
-
2 fig. to take a crucial responsibility upon one's shoulders
一步登天
yī bù dēng tiān
-
1 reaching heaven in a single bound (idiom); (esp. with negative: don't expect) instant success
一波未平，一波又起
yī bō wèi píng , yī bō yòu qǐ
-
1 before the first wave subsides, a new wave rises (idiom); a new problem arises before the old is solved
-
2 many twists and turns to a story
-
3 one thing after another
一碗水端平
yī wǎn shuǐ duān píng
-
1 lit. to hold a bowl of water level (idiom)
-
2 fig. to be impartial
一马平川
yī mǎ píng chuān
-
1 flat land one could gallop straight across (idiom); wide expanse of flat country
三天不打，上房揭瓦
sān tiān bù dǎ , shàng fáng jiē wǎ
-
1 three days without a beating, and a child will scale the roof to rip the tiles (idiom)
-
2 spare the rod, spoil the child
三天两头
sān tiān liǎng tóu
-
1 lit. twice every three days (idiom); practically every day
-
2 frequently
上天入地
shàng tiān rù dì
-
1 lit. to go up to heaven or down to Hades (idiom)
-
2 fig. to go to great lengths
-
3 to search heaven and earth
上天无路，入地无门
shàng tiān wú lù , rù dì wú mén
-
1 lit. there is no road to the sky, nor door into the earth (idiom)
-
2 fig. to be at the end of one's rope
-
3 to be trapped in a hopeless situation
上有天堂，下有苏杭
shàng yǒu tiān táng , xià yǒu Sū Háng
-
1 lit. there is heaven above, and there is 蘇杭|苏杭[Sū Háng] below (idiom)
-
2 fig. the beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou is comparable with heaven
不啻天渊
bù chì tiān yuān
-
1 no less than from heaven to the abyss (idiom); differing widely
-
2 worlds apart
-
3 the gap couldn't be bigger
不终天年
bù zhōng tiān nián
-
1 to die before one's allotted lifespan has run its course (idiom)
不见天日
bù jiàn tiān rì
-
1 all black, no daylight (idiom); a world without justice
九天揽月
jiǔ tiān lǎn yuè
-
1 to reach for the stars (idiom)
人命关天
rén mìng guān tiān
-
1 human life is beyond value (idiom)
人外有人，天外有天
rén wài yǒu rén , tiān wài yǒu tiān
-
1 in the wider world there are people more talented than oneself (idiom)
人定胜天
rén dìng shèng tiān
-
1 man can conquer nature (idiom); human wisdom can prevail over nature
做一天和尚撞一天钟
zuò yī tiān hé shang zhuàng yī tiān zhōng
-
1 lit. as a monk for today, toll today's bell (idiom)
-
2 fig. to do one's job mechanically
-
3 to hold a position passively