一个天南,一个地北
yī ge tiān nán , yī ge dì běi
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1 to live miles apart (idiom)
一瓶子不响,半瓶子晃荡
yī píng zi bù xiǎng , bàn píng zi huàng dang
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1 lit. a full bottle makes no sound; a half-filled bottle sloshes (idiom)
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2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
一知半解
yī zhī bàn jiě
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1 lit. to know one and understand half (idiom); a smattering of knowledge
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2 dilettante
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3 amateur
一鳞半爪
yī lín bàn zhuǎ
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1 lit. one scale and half a claw (idiom); only odd bits and pieces
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
北叟失马
běi sǒu shī mǎ
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1 lit. the old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best (idiom)
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2 fig. a blessing in disguise
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3 it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
半推半就
bàn tuī bàn jiù
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1 half willing and half unwilling (idiom); to yield after making a show of resistance
半瓶水响叮当
bàn píng shuǐ xiǎng dīng dāng
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1 lit. if you tap a half-empty bottle it makes a sound (idiom)
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2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
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3 one who has a little knowledge likes to show off, but one who is truly knowledgeable is modest
半真半假
bàn zhēn bàn jiǎ
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1 (idiom) half true and half false
半途而废
bàn tú ér fèi
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1 to give up halfway (idiom); leave sth unfinished
半通不通
bàn tōng bù tōng
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1 to not fully understand (idiom)
南征北伐
nán zhēng běi fá
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1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南征北战
nán zhēng běi zhàn
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1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南征北讨
nán zhēng běi tǎo
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1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南箕北斗
nán jī běi dǒu
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1 the Winnowing Basket in the southern sky, and the Big Dipper in the north (idiom); sth which, despite its name, is of no practical use
南辕北辙
nán yuán běi zhé
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1 to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
喝西北风
hē xī běi fēng
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1 lit. drink the northwest wind (idiom); cold and hungry
大江南北
Dà jiāng nán běi
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1 north and south sides of the Yangtze River (idiom)
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2 (fig.) all over China
少女露笑脸,婚事半成全
shào nu:3 lù xiào liǎn , hūn shì bàn chéng quán
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1 When the girl smiles, the matchmaker's job is half done. (idiom)
泰山北斗
Tài shān Běi dǒu
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1 as weighty as Mt Tai, as brilliant as the Big Dipper (idiom); a giant among men