一本万利
yī běn wàn lì
-
1 small capital, huge profit (idiom); to put in a little and get a lot out
三句话不离本行
sān jù huà bù lí běn háng
-
1 to talk shop all the time (idiom)
勤俭为服务之本
qín jiǎn wéi fú wù zhī běn
-
1 hardwork and thriftiness are the foundations of service (idiom)
报本反始
bào běn fǎn shǐ
-
1 ensure that you pay debts of gratitude (idiom)
家家有本难念的经
jiā jiā yǒu běn nán niàn de jīng
-
1 Every family goes through its problems. (idiom)
慈悲为本
cí bēi wéi běn
-
1 mercy as the guiding principle (idiom); the Buddhist teaching that nothing is valid except compassion
舍本逐末
shě běn zhú mò
-
1 to neglect the root and pursue the tip (idiom)
-
2 to neglect fundamentals and concentrate on details
本性难移
běn xìng nán yí
-
1 It is hard to change one's essential nature (idiom). You can't change who you are.
-
2 Can the leopard change his spots? (Jeremiah 13:23)
本末倒置
běn mò dào zhì
-
1 lit. to invert root and branch (idiom); fig. confusing cause and effect
-
2 to stress the incidental over the fundamental
-
3 to put the cart before the horse
江山易改，本性难移
jiāng shān yì gǎi , běn xìng nán yí
-
1 it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom)
-
2 you can't change who you are
-
3 Can the leopard change his spots?
血本无归
xuè běn wú guī
-
1 to lose everything one invested (idiom)
-
2 to lose one's shirt
变本加厉
biàn běn jiā lì
-
1 lit. change to more severe (idiom); to become more intense (esp. of shortcoming)
-
2 to aggravate
-
3 to intensify