一门心思
yī mén xīn si
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1 to set one's heart on sth (idiom)
上天无路，入地无门
shàng tiān wú lù , rù dì wú mén
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1 lit. there is no road to the sky, nor door into the earth (idiom)
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2 fig. to be at the end of one's rope
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3 to be trapped in a hopeless situation
不是一家人不进一家门
bù shì yī jiā rén bù jìn yī jiā mén
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1 people who don't belong together, don't get to live together (idiom)
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2 marriages are predestined
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3 people marry because they share common traits
事到临头
shì dào lín tóu
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1 when things come to a head (idiom)
侯门似海
hóu mén sì hǎi
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1 lit. the gate of a noble house is like the sea
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2 there is a wide gap between the nobility and the common people (idiom)
光耀门楣
guāng yào mén méi
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1 splendor shines on the family's door (idiom)
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2 fig. to bring honor to one's family
兵临城下
bīng lín chéng xià
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1 soldiers at the city walls (idiom); fig. at a critical juncture
前门打虎，后门打狼
qián mén dǎ hǔ , hòu mén dǎ láng
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1 to beat a tiger from the front door, only to have a wolf come in at the back (idiom); fig. facing one problem after another
前门拒虎，后门进狼
qián mén jù hǔ , hòu mén jìn láng
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1 to beat a tiger from the front door, only to have a wolf come in at the back (idiom); fig. facing one problem after another
吃闭门羹
chī bì mén gēng
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1 to be refused entrance (idiom)
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2 to find the door closed
各人自扫门前雪，莫管他家瓦上霜
gè rén zì sǎo mén qián xuě , mò guǎn tā jiā wǎ shàng shuāng
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1 sweep the snow from your own door step, don't worry about the frost on your neighbor's roof (idiom)
名门望族
míng mén wàng zú
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1 offspring a famous family (idiom); good breeding
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2 blue blood
在家千日好，出门一时难
zài jiā qiān rì hǎo , chū mén yī shí nán
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1 lit. at home, one can spend a thousand days in comfort, but spending a day away from home can be challenging (idiom)
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2 fig. there's no place like home
在家靠父母，出门靠朋友
zài jiā kào fù mǔ , chū mén kào péng you
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1 one depends on one's parents when at home, and on one's friends when away from home (idiom)
城门失火，殃及池鱼
chéng mén shī huǒ , yāng jí chí yú
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1 a fire in the city gates is also a calamity for the fish in the moat (idiom); the bystander will also suffer
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2 fig. you can't escape responsibility for your actions
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3 ask not for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee
大限临头
dà xiàn lín tóu
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1 facing the end (idiom); at the end of one's life
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2 with one foot in the grave
夺门而出
duó mén ér chū
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1 to rush out through a door (idiom)
好事不出门，恶事传千里
hǎo shì bù chū mén , è shì chuán qiān lǐ
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1 lit. good deeds do not go beyond the door, evil deeds spread a thousand miles
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2 a good deed goes unnoticed, but scandal spreads fast (idiom)
居高临下
jū gāo lín xià
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1 to live high and look down (idiom)
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2 to overlook
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3 to tower above
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4 to occupy the high ground
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5 fig. arrogance based on one's social position
平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚
píng shí bù shāo xiāng , lín shí bào fó jiǎo
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1 lit. to clasp the Buddha's feet when danger arises (idiom); fig. to profess devotion only when in trouble
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2 doing things at the last minute
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3 to make a hasty last-minute effort (often refers to cramming for exams)