1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南征北战
nán zhēng běi zhàn
1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南征北讨
nán zhēng běi tǎo
1 war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
南箕北斗
nán jī běi dǒu
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
1 to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
寿比南山
shòu bǐ Nán Shān
1 Live as long as the Zhongnan Mountains! (idiom)
2 Long may you live!
大江南北
Dà jiāng nán běi
1 north and south sides of the Yangtze River (idiom)
2 (fig.) all over China
强扭的瓜不甜
qiǎng niǔ de guā bù tián
1 lit. if you have to use force to break a melon off the vine, it won't taste sweet (because it's only when the melon is ripe that it can be removed with just a slight twist) (idiom)
2 fig. if sth is not meant to be, it's no use trying to force it to happen
捡了芝麻丢了西瓜
jiǎn le zhī ma diū le xī guā
1 to let go of the big prize while grabbing at trifles (idiom)
滚瓜烂熟
gǔn guā làn shú
1 lit. ripe as a melon that rolls from its vine (idiom); fig. to know fluently
2 to know sth inside out
3 to know sth by heart
王婆卖瓜，自卖自夸
wáng pó mài guā , zì mài zì kuā
1 every potter praises his own pot (idiom)
2 all one's geese are swans
瓜熟蒂落
guā shú dì luò
1 when the melon is ripe, it falls (idiom); problems sort themselves out in the fullness of time
瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠
guā tián bù nà lu:3 , lǐ xià bù zhěng guān
1 lit. don't tie your shoelaces in a melon patch, and don't adjust your hat under a plum tree (idiom)
2 fig. don't do anything that might arouse suspicion
3 innocent acts may be misconstrued
种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆
zhòng guā dé guā , zhòng dòu dé dòu
1 lit. Sow melon and you get melon, sow beans and you get beans (idiom); fig. As you sow, so shall you reap.
2 One must live with the consequences of one's actions.
3 You've made your bed, now must lie on it.
终南捷径
zhōng nán jié jìng
1 lit. Mt Zhongnan is a shortcut to a ministerial job (idiom); fig. to take a shortcut to promotion