一言九鼎
yī yán jiǔ dǐng
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1 one word worth nine sacred tripods (idiom); words of enormous weight
三下两下
sān xià liǎng xià
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1 quickly and effortlessly (idiom)
三旬九食
sān xún jiǔ shí
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1 lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom)
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2 fig. (of a family) on the brink of starvation
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3 in dire straits
上下其手
shàng xià qí shǒu
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1 to raise and lower one's hand (idiom); to signal as conspiratorial hint
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2 fig. conspiring to defraud
上有天堂,下有苏杭
shàng yǒu tiān táng , xià yǒu Sū Háng
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1 lit. there is heaven above, and there is 蘇杭|苏杭[Sū Háng] below (idiom)
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2 fig. the beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou is comparable with heaven
上有政策,下有对策
shàng yǒu zhèng cè , xià yǒu duì cè
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1 The higher ups have policies while the lower downs have their own ways of getting around them. (idiom)
上有老下有小
shàng yǒu lǎo xià yǒu xiǎo
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1 lit. above are the elderly, below are the young (idiom)
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2 fig. to have to take care of both one's aging parents and one's children
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3 sandwich generation
上梁不正下梁歪
shàng liáng bù zhèng xià liáng wāi
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1 lit. If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked (idiom); fig. subordinates imitate their superiors' vices
上气不接下气
shàng qì bù jiē xià qì
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1 out of breath (idiom)
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2 to gasp for air
上行下效
shàng xíng xià xiào
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1 subordinates follow the example of their superiors (idiom)
不愧下学
bù kuì xià xué
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1 not ashamed to learn from subordinates (idiom)
世风日下
shì fēng rì xià
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1 public morals are degenerating with each passing day (idiom)
九天揽月
jiǔ tiān lǎn yuè
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1 to reach for the stars (idiom)
九死一生
jiǔ sǐ yī shēng
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1 nine deaths and still alive (idiom); a narrow escape
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2 new lease of life
九牛一毛
jiǔ niú yī máo
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1 lit. one hair from nine oxen (idiom)
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2 fig. a drop in the ocean
九牛二虎之力
jiǔ niú èr hǔ zhī lì
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1 tremendous strength (idiom)
九霄云外
jiǔ xiāo yún wài
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1 beyond the topmost clouds (idiom)
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2 unimaginably far away
干打雷,不下雨
gān dǎ léi , bù xià yǔ
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1 all thunder but no rain (idiom)
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2 a lot of noise but no action
人往高处走,水往低处流
rén wǎng gāo chù zǒu , shuǐ wǎng dī chù liú
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1 man seeks his way up just as water seeks its way down (idiom)
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2 one should constantly strive to make progress
付之东流
fù zhī dōng liú
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1 to commit to the waters (idiom); to lose sth irrevocably