一失足成千古恨
yī shī zú chéng qiān gǔ hèn
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1 a single slip may cause everlasting sorrow (idiom)
一成不变
yī chéng bù biàn
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1 nothing much changes (idiom); always the same
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2 stuck in a rut
一语成谶
yī yǔ chéng chèn
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1 (idiom) to have one's words turn out to be (tragically) prophetic
一雨成秋
yī yǔ chéng qiū
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1 a sudden shower towards the end of summer brings an abrupt arrival of autumn (idiom)
三五成群
sān wǔ chéng qún
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1 in groups of three or four (idiom)
三人成虎
sān rén chéng hǔ
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1 three men talking makes a tiger (idiom); repeated rumor becomes a fact
三个臭皮匠,合成一个诸葛亮
sān gè chòu pí jiang , hé chéng yī gè Zhū gě Liàng
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1 lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom
不以规矩,不能成方圆
bù yǐ guī ju , bù néng chéng fāng yuán
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1 without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules
不成功便成仁
bù chéng gōng biàn chéng rén
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1 to succeed or die trying (idiom)
不成体统
bù chéng tǐ tǒng
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1 not according with decorum (idiom); scandalous
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2 bad form
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3 unacceptable behavior
不打不成器
bù dǎ bù chéng qì
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1 spare the rod and spoil the child (idiom)
不打不成才
bù dǎ bù chéng cái
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1 spare the rod and spoil the child (idiom)
不打不成相识
bù dǎ bù chéng xiāng shí
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1 don't fight, won't make friends (idiom); an exchange of blows may lead to friendship
不求有功,但求无过
bù qiú yǒu gōng , dàn qiú wú guò
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1 lit. not aiming to achieve the best possible result, but rather trying to avoid making mistakes (idiom)
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2 fig. to take a risk-averse approach
久病成良医
jiǔ bìng chéng liáng yī
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1 long illness makes the patient into a good doctor (idiom)
事半功倍
shì bàn gōng bèi
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1 half the work, twice the effect (idiom); the right approach saves effort and leads to better results
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2 a stitch in time saves nine
偷鸡不成蚀把米
tōu jī bù chéng shí bǎ mǐ
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1 lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)
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2 fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off
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3 to go for wool and come back shorn
出口成章
chū kǒu chéng zhāng
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1 (idiom) (of one's speech) eloquent
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2 articulate
前功尽弃
qián gōng jìn qì
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1 to waste all one's previous efforts (idiom)
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2 all that has been achieved goes down the drain
功不可没
gōng bù kě mò
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1 one's contributions cannot go unnoticed (idiom)