Want to sound sophisticated? Learn some Chinese idioms! Chinese idioms (chéngyǔ – 成语) are not the same as proverbs (yànyǔ – 谚语). Idioms usually consist of four characters, whereas proverbs are usually longer. Find out more about proverbs in Hitomi Honda’s article. There are about 5,000 idioms in the Chinese language. These idioms are regularly taught to students in school, and they play an immense role in Chinese conversations. Let’s take a look at a few:
脚踏实地 (jiǎo tà shí dì) to step on solid ground
This idiom means to work hard and focus on fundamentals in order to proceed steadily and stably.
一见钟情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng) love at first sight
This idiom is typically used to define when a person falls in love very suddenly.
半途而废 (bàn tú ér fèi) to start doing something and then give up halfway
This idiom is used to explain when someone gives up doing a task when they are halfway in. 做事情千万不要半途而废 (zuò shì qíng qiān wàn bù yào bàn tú ér fèi) — this sentence means to never give up on a task. Always complete it.
乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) a total mess
This idiom is often used to illustrate tangible things such as a school bag, room, house, etc… It can also be used to describe someone’s life, mood, etc…
不可思议 (bù kě sī yì) amazing; unbelievable
This idiom is typically used to describe unexpected things. 这个人简直不可思议 (zhè ge rén jiǎn zhí bù kě sī yì) — this sentence means that this person is incredible.
白手起家 (bái shǒu qǐ jiā) to start from scratch
This idiom is often used to refer to someone’s business. If this person is a 白手起家, then that means he started his business with bare hands, or in other words, he was the first-generation of this business/company
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I love these articles about Chinese idioms! These sayings are so interesting. Furthermore, they say a lot about Chinese culture, which is fascinating. They can help a person become more fluent in Chinese. A misused Chinese idiom can be worse than having said nothing at all. Great article!
Wow! This article taught me a lot about Chinese idioms. I only knew a few idioms before this. Now I know six more than before! Thanks for sharing!
Interesting article! My mom has a dictionary full of these and she tried to teach me some, but they’re hard to remember. From your article I learned a few more idioms, such as 一见钟情, which is used when a person falls in love very suddenly. Thank you for sharing!
Interesting article! I never knew about the differences between Chinese idioms and proverbs. It’s interesting how Chinese idioms usually consist of four characters. It’s also fascinating to learn the Chinese versions of phrases that are also popular in western culture, such as love at first sight. I’d love to learn more Chinese idioms in the future.
I always thought chinese idioms were interesting. I never knew any idioms though. My friend used to always tells me chinese idioms and I always love to learn them. It is an interesting part of the culture that I want to be more involved with. Thanks for sharing!
I like idioms. I never knew there were Chinese idioms. They are very funny. I will say them now. Cool!
Interesting article! I always thought Chinese idioms were interesting. It is an interesting part of the culture that I want to be more involved with. They are very funny.
This is a very good article! I was able to clear up some confusion in the difference between proverbs and idioms. Also, some of these idioms remind me of somewhat similar idioms in English. For instance, the idiom bái shǒu qǐ jiā reminds me of the idiom back to square one. The idiom luàn qī bā zāo reminds me of the oxymoron fine mess. I also learned that the idiom to step on solid ground meant to work hard and focus on fundamentals in order to proceed steadily and stably.
This article is very informative. I never new that there was Chinese Idioms. I didn’t know that Idioms we only made up by 4 words. I didn’t know that there are 5,000 idioms in the Chinese language. I didn’t know that idioms were taught to students.
I didn’t know that China had idioms like America. It was interesting to read through all the Chinese idioms. I hope we will be able to learn more about Chinese idioms.
I didn’t know that China had idioms like America. It was interesting to learn how idioms are created and used for. I hope we will be able to learn more idioms during class time.
Really cool article! I didn’t know China also had idioms the way the English language does. My favorite has to be “乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) a total mess.” I would use this all the time. I wonder what other idioms exist.
Cool article! I was unaware of the creativity behind these Chinese idioms. Prior to this, I only knew of a few idioms. Now, I know six more than before! Thanks!
I feel that idioms are very important and I didn’t know that Chinese idioms say a lot in Chinese culture and that it can make a person more fluent in Chinese and a misused idiom is worse then saying nothing at all. There fore idioms in Chinese are very important and also Chinese has as much or even more idioms than English does
Cool article! I’m always looking for ways to improve my Chinese. Those are very interesting phrases. I’m glad they don’t seem as weird as some American idioms. I might start using some of these.
Thanks for sharing! I am always trying to become more fluent. These idioms will definitely make me sound more like a native speaker. I’ll try to incorporate them into my speaking in the future.
I never knew Chinese had idioms! My favorite idiom is 一见钟情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng) love at first sight. I will start using some of these to sound more fluent. Thank you!
5,000 idioms in the Chinese language????? I never knew of this. I never there were idioms in the Chinese language. The idioms were interesting read and I’ll start using some of them. Thanks!
These idioms are very interesting, probably because i never knew there were chinese idioms in the first place! im gonna use these idioms when i speak now