1 lit. either the fish dies or the net gets torn (idiom)
2 fig. it's a life-and-death struggle
3 it's either him or me
人为刀俎，我为鱼肉
rén wéi dāo zǔ , wǒ wéi yú ròu
1 lit. to be the meat on sb's chopping block (idiom)
2 fig. to be at sb's mercy
以虚带实
yǐ xū dài shí
1 to let correct ideology guide practical work (idiom)
任凭风浪起，稳坐钓鱼台
rèn píng fēng làng qǐ , wěn zuò diào yú tái
1 lit. sitting at ease in a fishing boat despite wind and storm (idiom); to stay calm during tense situation
2 a cool head in a crisis
冰炭不言，冷热自明
bīng tàn bù yán , lěng rè zì míng
1 ice or coals, whether hot or cold goes without saying (idiom); fig. sincerity is not expressed in words
冷嘲热讽
lěng cháo rè fěng
1 frigid irony and scorching satire (idiom); to mock and ridicule
城门失火，殃及池鱼
chéng mén shī huǒ , yāng jí chí yú
1 a fire in the city gates is also a calamity for the fish in the moat (idiom); the bystander will also suffer
2 fig. you can't escape responsibility for your actions
3 ask not for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee
太公钓鱼，愿者上钩
tài gōng diào yú , yuàn zhě shàng gōu
1 Jiang Ziya is fishing, if you want take the hook (idiom, refers to early sage 姜子牙 fishing with no bait and the hook above the water); to put one's head in the noose
如鱼得水
rú yú dé shuǐ
1 like a fish back in water (idiom); glad to be back in one's proper surroundings
姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩
Jiāng tài gōng diào yú , yuàn zhě shàng gōu
1 Jiang Ziya is fishing, if you want it, take the hook (idiom, refers to early sage 姜子牙 fishing with no bait and the hook above the water); to put one's head in the noose
守株待兔，缘木求鱼
shǒu zhū dài tù , yuán mù qiú yú
1 to guard a tree-stump, waiting for rabbits, and climb a tree to catch fish (idiom); without any practical course of action
峨冠博带
é guān bó dài
1 official class
2 intellectual class (idiom)
带牛佩犊
dài niú pèi dú
1 to abandon armed struggle and return to raising cattle (idiom)
得鱼忘筌
dé yú wàng quán
1 lit. catch fish then forget the trap (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); fig. to take help for granted
心急吃不了热豆腐
xīn jí chī bu liǎo rè dòu fu
1 hasty men don't get to eat hot tofu (idiom)
2 one just has to be patient
3 haste will ruin everything
打得火热
dǎ de huǒ rè
1 to carry on intimately with (idiom); ardent relationship (esp. between lovers)
2 billing and cooing
拉家带口
lā jiā dài kǒu
1 to bear the burden of a household (idiom); encumbered by a family
2 tied down by family obligations
授之以鱼不如授之以渔
shòu zhī yǐ yú bù rú shòu zhī yǐ yú
1 give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime (idiom)
携家带口
xié jiā dài kǒu
1 to take all one's family along (idiom); encumbered by a family
2 tied down by family obligations
携家带眷
xié jiā dài juàn
1 to take all one's family along (idiom); encumbered by a family