一人得道,鸡犬升天
yī rén dé dào , jī quǎn shēng tiān
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1 lit. when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven (idiom)
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2 fig. to ride on sb else's success
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3 Once one man gets a government position, all his cronies get in too
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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
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1 to live miles apart (idiom)
一语道破
yī yǔ dào pò
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1 one word says it all (idiom)
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2 to hit the nail on the head
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3 to be pithy and correct
不足为外人道
bù zú wéi wài rén dào
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1 no use to tell others
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2 let's keep this between ourselves (idiom)
人不可貌相,海水不可斗量
rén bù kě mào xiàng , hǎi shuǐ bù kě dǒu liáng
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1 you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)
仁义道德
rén yì dào dé
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1 compassion, duty, propriety and integrity (idiom); all the traditional virtues
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2 mainly used sarcastically, to mean hypocritical
以其人之道,还治其人之身
yǐ qí rén zhī dào , huán zhì qí rén zhī shēn
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1 to use an opponent's own methods to obtain retribution (idiom, from Song dynasty neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi 朱熹); to get revenge by playing sb back at his own game
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2 to give sb a taste of his own medicine
你走你的阳关道,我过我的独木桥
nǐ zǒu nǐ de Yáng guān Dào , wǒ guò wǒ de dú mù qiáo
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1 lit. you hit the high road, I'll cross the log bridge (idiom)
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2 fig. you go your way, I'll go mine
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3 you do it your way, I'll do it mine
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)
假道伐虢
jiǎ dào fá Guó
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1 to obtain safe passage to conquer the State of Guo
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2 to borrow the resources of an ally to attack a common enemy (idiom)
传道受业
chuán dào shòu yè
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1 to teach (idiom); lit. to give moral and practical instruction
八仙过海,各显神通
Bā xiān guò hǎi , gè xiǎn shén tōng
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1 lit. the Eight Immortals cross the sea, each showing his own special talent (idiom)
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2 fig. (of each individual in a group) to give full play to one's unique capabilities
刀山火海
dāo shān huǒ hǎi
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1 lit. mountains of daggers and seas of flames
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2 fig. extreme danger (idiom)
分道扬镳
fēn dào yáng biāo
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1 lit. to take different roads and urge the horses on (idiom)
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2 fig. to part ways
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
卑卑不足道
bēi bēi bù zú dào
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1 to be too petty or insignificant to mention
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2 to not be worth mentioning (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