一盘散沙
yī pán sǎn shā
-
1 lit. like a sheet of loose sand
-
2 fig. unable to cooperate (idiom)
一着不慎,满盘皆输
yī zhāo bù shèn , mǎn pán jiē shū
-
1 One careless move and the whole game is lost. (idiom)
一点水一个泡
yī diǎn shuǐ yī gè pào
-
1 honest and trustworthy (idiom)
上不得台盘
shàng bù dé tái pán
-
1 too uncouth to appear in public (idiom)
-
2 unfit for a public role
心有灵犀一点通
xīn yǒu líng xī yī diǎn tōng
-
1 hearts linked as one, just as the proverbial rhinoceros communicates emotion telepathically through his single horn (idiom); fig. two hearts beat as one
打小算盘
dǎ xiǎo suàn pán
-
1 lit. to count on a narrow abacus (idiom); petty and scheming selfishly
-
2 concerned with petty interests
-
3 selfish and uncaring of the interests of others
-
4 bean counter
指点江山
zhǐ diǎn jiāng shān
-
1 to talk idly about important matters (idiom)
-
2 to set the world to rights
-
3 to pass judgment on everything
文不加点
wén bù jiā diǎn
-
1 to write a flawless essay in one go (idiom)
-
2 to be quick-witted and skilled at writing compositions
杯盘狼藉
bēi pán láng jí
-
1 cups and dishes in complete disorder (idiom); after a riotous drinking party
沙盘推演
shā pán tuī yǎn
-
1 to plan a military mission on a sand table (idiom)
-
2 to rehearse a planned action or activity
-
3 to conduct a dry run
画龙点睛
huà lóng diǎn jīng
-
1 to paint a dragon and dot in the eyes (idiom); fig. to add the vital finishing touch
-
2 the crucial point that brings the subject to life
-
3 a few words to clinch the point
盘旋曲折
pán xuán qū zhé
-
1 lit. windy and circuitous
-
2 difficult (idiom)
盘根问底
pán gēn wèn dǐ
-
1 lit. to examine roots and inquire at the base (idiom); to get to the bottom of sth
盘根究底
pán gēn jiū dǐ
-
1 lit. to examine roots and inquire at the base (idiom); to get to the bottom of sth
盘根错节
pán gēn cuò jié
-
1 twisted roots and intertwined joints (idiom); complicated and very tricky
-
2 knotty and deeply-rooted difficulties
盘龙卧虎
pán lóng wò hǔ
-
1 lit. coiled dragon, crouching tiger (idiom)
-
2 fig. talented individuals in hiding
-
3 concealed talent
虎踞龙盘
hǔ jù lóng pán
-
1 lit. where tigers crouch and dragons coil (idiom); fig. forbidding terrain
蜻蜓点水
qīng tíng diǎn shuǐ
-
1 lit. the dragonfly touches the water lightly
-
2 superficial contact (idiom)
装点门面
zhuāng diǎn mén miàn
-
1 lit. to decorate the front of one's store (idiom)
-
2 fig. to embellish (one's CV, etc)
-
3 to keep up appearances
-
4 to put up a front
雷声大,雨点小
léi shēng dà , yǔ diǎn xiǎo
-
1 loud thunder, but only tiny drops of rain (idiom); a lot of talk, but no action
-
2 action speaks louder than words
-
3 his bite is worse than his bark