俯首帖耳
fǔ shǒu tiē ěr
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1 bowed head and ears glued (idiom); docile and obedient
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2 at sb's beck and call
充耳不闻
chōng ěr bù wén
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1 to block one's ears and not listen (idiom); to turn a deaf ear
刀不磨要生锈,人不学要落后
dāo bù mó yào shēng xiù , rén bù xué yào luò hòu
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1 a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study (idiom)
切磋琢磨
qiē cuō zhuó mó
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1 lit. cutting and polishing (idiom)
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2 fig. to learn by exchanging ideas or experiences
卸磨杀驴
xiè mò shā lu:2
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1 lit. to kill the donkey when the grinding is done (idiom)
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2 to get rid of sb once he has ceased to be useful
只要功夫深,铁杵磨成针
zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn , tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn
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1 If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.
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2 cf idiom 磨杵成針|磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task
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3 to study diligently
好事多磨
hǎo shì duō mó
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1 the road to happiness is strewn with setbacks (idiom)
如雷贯耳
rú léi guàn ěr
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1 lit. like thunder piercing the ear
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2 a well-known reputation (idiom)
忠言逆耳
zhōng yán nì ěr
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1 loyal advice jars on the ears (idiom)
抓耳挠腮
zhuā ěr náo sāi
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1 to tweak one's ears and scratch one's cheeks (as an expression of anxiety, delight, frustration etc) (idiom)
掩人耳目
yǎn rén ěr mù
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1 to fool people (idiom)
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2 to pull the wool over people's eyes
掩耳盗铃
yǎn ěr dào líng
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1 lit. to cover one's ears whilst stealing a bell
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2 to deceive oneself
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3 to bury one's head in the sand (idiom)
有钱能使鬼推磨
yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuī mò
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1 lit. money will make the Devil turn millstones (idiom)
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2 fig. with money, you can do anything you like
眼瞎耳聋
yǎn xiā ěr lóng
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1 to be deaf and blind (idiom)
眼见为实,耳听为虚
yǎn jiàn wéi shí , ěr tīng wéi xū
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1 to believe what one sees, not what one hears (idiom). Don't believe what people tell you until you see if for yourself.
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2 It ain't necessarily so.
眼观六路耳听八方
yǎn guān liù lù ěr tīng bā fāng
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1 lit. the eyes watch six roads and the ears listen in all directions
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2 to be observant and alert (idiom)
眼观四面,耳听八方
yǎn guān sì miàn , ěr tīng bā fāng
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1 lit. the eyes observe all sides and the ears listen in all directions (idiom)
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2 fig. to be observant and alert
磨刀不误砍柴工
mó dāo bù wù kǎn chái gōng
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1 lit. sharpening the axe won't make the wood-splitting take longer (idiom)
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2 fig. time invested in preparations is not lost
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3 a beard well lathered is half shaved
磨刀霍霍
mó dāo huò huò
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1 lit. to sharpen one's sword (idiom)
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2 fig. to prepare to attack
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3 to be getting ready for battle
磨嘴皮子
mó zuǐ pí zi
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1 to wear out the skin of one's teeth (idiom); pointlessly blather
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2 to talk incessant nonsense
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3 blah blah