20 Actually Useful Chengyu (成语)

Most advanced learners, I think, have a love-hate relationship with chengyu (成语), those pesky, mostly four-character idioms taken from classical China. Sure, you get learners who are obsessed with them and endeavour to memorise one hundred a month only to find their practical usage is hazy to say the least. (It’s also very difficult at times to discertain their true register, not to mention their grammatical usage.) You also get learners (like myself) who have, through the years, avoided them like the plague and have only bothered to absorb those that have actually come up in written texts or conversation. But are chengyu useful for learners and, if so, which ones are the best to learn?

Unfortunately, there are few resources – both on the web or in print – that actually tell you which chengyu are worth remembering. This is actually an important question considering that there are tens of thousands of them. Most textbooks simply give you a list of 100 or so and expect you to memorise them all, without actually telling you how they fit into a modern context. The worst are those massive lists you find on the Internet, often sourced from Chinese schools. These are merely lists of idioms that Chinese students are expected to learn at school and, whilst many of them may be well-known, native speakers simply don’t use them as often as you would expect.

Thus I’ve carefully crafted this list to help intermediate and advanced learners become more aware of chengyu that are actually useful. It does not purport to be an exhaustive list of the most useful chengyu – indeed, I’ve left many out, simply because they are too context-specific. Nor is it a list of the most common chengyu – there are other resources for that. Note also that I haven’t included the detailed stories for all of them (some of them are quite complicated); what is more important, I think, is to understand the logic of their composition. If you happen to know the history behind it, though, then that’s surely a bonus. If you’re curious, Baidu will certainly help you out.

But why learn them at all? Well, first and foremost, they’re interesting and – at times – unusual, so they do help spice up your language a little bit. They also offer a little gem of Chinese wisdom, which is great for enhancing your cultural understanding of the language. Moreover, from time to time they help with your comprehension of classical Chinese by learning the odd character in an idiomatic context. This can come in handy when you see the same character used in again in a different context. The main thing, though, is to have fun with them and try to use them with your friends – it’s always good fun to see their reaction, and it can be an important learning experience too.

1. 脱颖而出 tuōyǐng’érchū

Baidu Hits: 51,100,000 Google Hits: 32,100,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “the grain sheds its husk and comes forth.”
Translation (翻译): To fully expose one’s talent.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To come to the fore.
Example (例子): 他在比赛中脱颖而出。Tā zài bǐsài zhōng tuōyǐngérchū. — He came to the fore in the competition.

2. 一丝不苟 yīsībùgǒu

Baidu Hits: 25,000,000 Google Hits: 12,800,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “一丝 [even] a little bit 不苟 not careless – to attend to every thread.”
Translation (翻译): To be meticulous; to attend to every detail.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To cross one’s T’s
Example (例子): 他做事从来都是一丝不苟。Tā zuòshì cónglái dōu shì yīsībùgǒu. — He’s always meticulous in everything he does.

3. 司空见惯 sīkōngjiànguàn

Baidu Hits: 14,400,000 Google Hits: 8,570,000
Explanation (解释): Long story short – 司空 comes from the title of “the Minister of Construction” in ancient China who commented on “sing-song girls” during a feast as 见惯 (“a common sight”).
Translation (翻译): To be an everyday occurrence; nothing unusual.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): None (unless you can think of one).
Example (例子): 在中国,闯红灯是司空见惯的事。Zài Zhōngguó, chuǎnghóngdēng shì sīkōngjiànguàn de shì. — In China, people running red lights is a common sight.

4. 半途而废 bàntú’érfèi

Baidu Hits: 13,400,000 Google Hits: 8,360,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “半途 half-way 而 yet 废 is given up/is wasted.”
Translation (翻译): To give up halfway; to leave something unfinished.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To throw the towel in (sort of).
Example (例子): 小时候我学钢琴半途而废。Xiǎoshíhou wǒ xué gāngqín bàntúérfèi. — When I was little I tried to learn how to play the piano but gave up.

5. 不可思议 bùkěsīyì

Baidu Hits: 100,000,000 Google Hits: 7,930,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “不可 cannot be 思议 conceived.”
Translation (翻译): To be inconceivable; unbelievable.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): None (off the top of my head).
Example (例子): 对我来说,吃狗肉是不可思议的事情。Duì wǒ lái shuō, chī gǒuròu shì bùkěsīyì de shìqíng. — The way I see it, eating dog is inconceivable.

6. 一鸣惊人 yīmíngjīngrén

Baidu Hits: 11,600,000 Google Hits: 7,760,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “one chirp [which] surprises people”, a metaphor for someone suddenly displaying talent.
Translation (翻译): To become famous overnight.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To set the world on fire.
Example (例子): 李玉春一鸣惊人。Lǐ Yǔchūn yīmíngjīngrén. — Li Yuchun became famous overnight.

7. 一窍不通 yīqiàobùtōng

Baidu Hits: 11,900,000 Google Hits: 7,570,000
Explanation (解释): 一 (“all”) 窍 (the [seven] orifices”) 不通 (“not linked up”).
Translation (翻译): To be completely ignorant about something; to be out of one’s depth.
Similar English Expressions (类似英文成语): To not know one’s arse from one’s elbow (hah!); to be “all Greek” to someone.
Example (例子): 他对电脑一窍不通。Tā duì diànnǎo yīqiàobùtōng. — He doesn’t know the first thing about computers.

8. 谈何容易 tánhéróngyì

Baidu Hits: 11,600,000 Google Hits: 7,420,000
Explanation (解释): 谈 (“to speak”) + 何 (classical Chinese, meaning “什么” [what]) + 容易 (“easy”); “in what way is it easy?”
Translation (翻译): To be no means easy; difficult to do.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): Easier said than done.
Example (例子): 我跟他分手谈何容易。Wǒ gēn tā fēnshǒu tánhéróngyì. — Breaking up with him is easier said than done.

9. 自由自在 zìyóuzìzài

Baidu Hits: 31,400,000 Google Hits: 6,160,000
Explanation (解释): 自由 (“free”) + 自在 (“lacking restrictions”)
Translation (翻译): To be carefree; to be peaceful and relaxed.
Similar English Expressions (类似英文成语): To not have a care in the world; to be footloose and fancy-free; to be man or woman of leisure.
Example (例子): 我想自由自在的生活。Wǒ xiǎng zìyóuzìzài de shēnghuó. — I want a carefree life.

10. 乱七八糟 luànqībāzāo

Baidu Hits: 59,300,000 Google Hits: 4,200,000
Explanation (解释): 乱 (“chaotic”) + 七 (“seven”) + 八 (“eight”) + 糟 (“rotten; in a wretched state”)
Translation (翻译): To be in a huge mess.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To be at sixes and sevens.
Example (例子): 这个公司的管理乱七八糟。Zhè ge gōngsī de guǎnlǐ luànqībāzāo. — This company’s administration is a complete mess.

11. 一见钟情 yījiànzhōngqíng

Baidu Hits: 37,200,000 Google Hits: 3,850,000
Explanation (解释): 一见 (“upon first seeing”) + 钟情 (“to fall deeply in love”)
Translation (翻译): To fall in love at first sight.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): Same as above.
Example (例子): 我跟我的男朋友一见钟情。Wǒ gēn wǒ de nán péngyǒu yījiànzhōngqíng. — I fell in love with my bofriend at first sight.

12. 爱不释手 àibùshìshǒu

Baidu Hits: 24,500,000 Google Hits: 2,460,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “to love and not let go of.”
Translation (翻译): To love something too much to part with it.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): None (that I can think of).
Example (例子): 我对我的新玩具爱不释手!Wǒ duì wǒ de xīn wánjù àibùshìshǒu! — I simply can’t put down my new toy!

13. 一无所有 yīwúsuǒyǒu

Baidu Hits: 29,500,000 Google Hits: 2,220,000
Explanation (解释): 一 (in classical Chinese it means 全 or 都 [“everything”]) + 无 (“not”) + 所有 (“have”)
Translation (翻译): To not own a thing in the world.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To not have a thing to one’s name.
Example (例子): 如果你离开了我,我就一无所有。Rúguǒ nǐ líkāi le wǒ, wǒ jiù yīwúsuǒyǒu. — If you leave me, I’ll have nothing left.

14. 自相矛盾 zìxiāngmáodùn

Baidu Hits: 9,270,000 Google Hits: 747,000
Explanation (解释): 自相 (“self-”) + 矛盾 (“contradictory”), from the famous story about the man who bragged he could sell a spear (矛) that could pierce anything in the world and a shield (盾) that was impenetrable to any spear, an obvious paradox.
Translation (翻译): To contradict oneself.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): None (I’m guessing).
Example (例子): 你说的话自相矛盾。Nǐ shuō de huà zìxiāngmáodùn. — You’re contradicting yourself.

15. 倾盆大雨 qīngpéndàyǔ

Baidu Hits: 6,680,000 Google Hits: 468,000
Explanation (解释): 倾盆 (“pouring hard”) + 大雨 (“heavy rain”)
Translation (翻译): Heavy rain; downpour.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To rain cats and dogs.
Example (例子): 今 天上午突然下起了倾盆大雨,所以比赛临时取消了。Jīntiān shàngwǔ tūrán xiàqǐ  le qīngpéndàyǔ, suǒyǐ bǐsài línshí qǔxiāo le. — The competition was postponed this morning because of the sudden downpour.

16. 画蛇添足 huàshétiānzú

Baidu Hits: 6,340,000 Google Hits: 447,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “[when] drawing [a] snake, add [a] foot”.
Translation (翻译): To ruin the effect my adding something superfluous.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To gild the lily (old-fashioned).
Example (例子): 发明这两个多余的电钮纯粹是画蛇添足。Fāmíng zhè liǎng gè duōyú de diànniǔ chúncuì shì huàshétiānzú — The two extra buttons on this invention is really overdoing it.

17. 守口如瓶 shǒukǒurúpíng

Baidu Hits: 5,220,000 Google Hits: 438,000
Explanation (解释): Literally,”to keep [one’s] mouth shut, like [a] bottle.”
Translation (翻译): To keep one’s mouth shut; to not breathe a word.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To keep one’s lips sealed.
Example (例子): 总理对这个问题守口如瓶。Zǒnglǐ duì zhège wèntí shǒukǒurúpíng. — The president was tight-lipped about this issue.

18. 塞翁失马 sàiwēngshīmǎ

Baidu Hits: 4,800,000 Google Hits: 319,000
Explanation (解释): 塞翁失马:  ”When the old man from the frontier lost his horse…”, often followed by the second part 焉知非福:  ”How could one have known that it would not be fortuitous?” You can read more about the story in both English and Chinese at Wiktionary.
Translation (翻译): A setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): A blessing in disguise; every cloud has a silver lining.
Example (例子): 我 不小心摔倒了,碰伤了自己,但却在地板上发现了一张50元的纸币,真是塞翁失马 啊!Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn shuāi dǎo le, pèng shāng le zìjǐ, dàn què zài dìbǎn shàng fāxiàn le yī zhāng wǔ shí yuán de zhǐbì, zhēnshi sàiwēngshīmǎ a— I fell over and hurt myself, but on the floor I found a fifty dollar note – what a blessing in disguise!

19. 对牛弹琴 duìniútánqín

Baidu Hits: 4,400,000 Google Hits: 276,000
Explanation (解释): “To play a qin (a traditional Chinese musical instrument) to a cow.”
Translation (翻译): To address the wrong listener.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): To cast pearls before swine. (old-fashioned)
Example (例子): 跟一个不讲道理的人讲道理是对牛弹琴。Gēn yīgè bù jiǎng dàolǐ de rén jiǎng dàolǐ shì duìniútánqín. — Trying to talk sense to an irrational person is like casting pearls before swine.

20. 九牛一毛 jiǔniúyīmáo

Baidu Hits: 3,190,000 Google Hits: 225,000
Explanation (解释): Literally, “nine cows, one hair.”
Translation (翻译): An insignificant number in the midst of an enormous quantity.
Similar English Expression (类似英文成语): A drop in the ocean; a drop in a bucket.
Example (例子): 一块钱对一个大款来说是九牛一毛。Yīkuài qián duì yīgè dàkuǎn lái shuō shì jiǔniúyīmáo. — One dollar to a millionaire is a drop in the ocean.

Disclaimer: Although example sentences are original and checked for smoothness, don’t forget that chengyu are, by their nature, formal/literary constructions and so are not commonly used in conversation (unless you want to sound highly educated). Thus this stuff is most useful for diary entries, stories, websites and other written documents. Be sure to check your own constructed sentences with a native speaker before memorising them!

35 Comments to "20 Actually Useful Chengyu (成语)"

  1. Chris's Gravatar Chris
    27/04/2011 - 1:44 pm | Permalink

    While I’m not sure it qualifies as chengyu (a Chinese teacher at my school said it was one), another ‘actually useful’ chengyu I’ve found is “全神贯注”. E.g. “他对赚钱全神贯注”.

  2. 马有才's Gravatar 马有才
    20/06/2011 - 6:18 pm | Permalink

    Great articles on your site!

    • 新加坡小孩儿!'s Gravatar 新加坡小孩儿!
      07/02/2015 - 3:11 pm | Permalink

      I am twelve and was taught all the idoims last year. These are easy. Look for proverbs. It will make you seem more sophisticated than a P6 girl. Or go learn higher Chinese. Watch 9 o’clock chinese shows. They will make you feel like an idiot. Unless, like me, you started watching these shows at 4. Go watch 《你也可以是天使》Learn medical terms in Chinese. People need to be more exposed to the language. 现在连红帽人都会说和讲华语了,别忘了!也有讲华语的印度人噢!

      • 小六的女生's Gravatar 小六的女生
        06/05/2015 - 10:10 pm | Permalink

        wow, you learnt those last year? I’m surprised… I only know these now… BTW I’m in higher Chinese and we don’t learn idioms, we only learn phrases for compo. I don’t think I’m an idiot for learning these now. I started watching channel 8’s shows since I was 3 and the show you mentioned is really really really boring. Try 虎妈来了 the first few episodes consists of many idioms and proverbs.
        本小姐正在学韩文,开始学别的语言后才发现原来话文是最难写,最难读的。

      • Justin's Gravatar Justin
        05/08/2015 - 9:51 am | Permalink

        夸夸其谈

      • Itzel quah's Gravatar Itzel quah
        19/03/2016 - 6:39 pm | Permalink

        I am 11 and all the idioms were taught by my primary 4 teacher.

      • Mat's Gravatar Mat
        24/02/2017 - 6:22 am | Permalink

        I’m 7 months old and I was taught all of these before I came out of the womb. By 5 months I had all of the Analects down by heart.

        • Sperm #525's Gravatar Sperm #525
          01/10/2017 - 11:41 pm | Permalink

          I’m a sperm and I learnt these idioms when my carrier was a small boy. Hence, even as an undeveloped sperm cell, I already had all of the analects memorized.

          • The fucking idiom book who approves of the man who made this blog's Gravatar The fucking idiom book who approves of the man who made this blog
            07/11/2017 - 5:59 pm | Permalink

            Before I was reincarnated, I was a idiom book. So don’t brag about how good you are or how young you were when you learnt this phrases. This man is just trying to contribute. So, if you don’t like it, don’t bother trying to act big.

  3. 何宝利's Gravatar 何宝利
    27/12/2011 - 9:22 pm | Permalink

    I’ve just got hold of “500 Common Chinese Idioms: An Annotated Frequency Dictionary” published in 2011 by Routledge. Both the meaning and usage of the most common chengyu are well explained, with examples given.

  4. sonic's Gravatar sonic
    14/03/2012 - 3:39 am | Permalink

    a drop in the ocean more feels more like 沧海一粟cang hai yi su. 九牛一毛:I would like to just translate as “nothing”, one dollar means nothing to a millionaire. what do you think ?

  5. 02/06/2012 - 7:02 pm | Permalink

    Its a very good selection of chengyu’s… very happy for this website!! 🙂 <3

  6. 26/03/2013 - 7:16 pm | Permalink

    Thank you for sharing, it is very informative. I love 塞翁失马 most, because in life, we will meet setbacks, but the most important is to make positive use of our setbacks.

  7. 17/04/2013 - 4:52 pm | Permalink

    Another chengyu (or duanyu) quite similar to 塞翁失马 is 焉知非福 which means, who knows if it’s a good or bad thing.

    • guest's Gravatar guest
      25/09/2013 - 7:40 pm | Permalink

      you can say that. 塞翁失马 and 焉知非福 are actually referring to the same story, they have the consistent relationship.

  8. Tyrone's Gravatar Tyrone
    13/08/2013 - 7:06 pm | Permalink

    很使用!

  9. hola's Gravatar hola
    13/10/2013 - 3:25 pm | Permalink

    Another useful one would be 入乡随俗 – when in rome ( do as romans do).

  10. April's Gravatar April
    08/12/2013 - 4:06 pm | Permalink

    I had more fun thinking of English equivalents 🙂

    (2)To go over with a fine tooth com
    (3)It’s par for the course
    (10) It’s a circus
    (12) I can’t put it down / it hasn’t left my side
    (13) To not have a pot to piss in 🙂
    (19) You’re preaching to the choir / You’re preaching to the converted

  11. Sky lover's Gravatar Sky lover
    13/02/2014 - 6:26 pm | Permalink

    Thanks for the phrases. It really helped me in my Chinese composition.

  12. 05/04/2014 - 11:06 pm | Permalink

    事实上,以上所列举的都是高度口语化的固定短语
    跟真正报纸文章所用的成语相比 这些都是小儿科

    要是你能把很多我们中国人都容易用错的成语搞懂,那才厉害

    比如:高​考​高​频​常​考​易​错​成​语​分​类​汇​编​大​全

    http://wenku.baidu.com/view/2d0bfdff910ef12d2af9e78e.html

  13. Darlene's Gravatar Darlene
    06/06/2014 - 3:01 pm | Permalink

    Thanks, I love the effort you put into these 成語, with clear explanations. They’re really interesting!

  14. BlueFinBlues's Gravatar BlueFinBlues
    28/12/2014 - 2:19 am | Permalink

    1. I am very impressed with the work you have done to put together this blog.
    2. This page is very useful
    3. Unfortunately, I do not like ChengYu, and never have.
    4. Hopefully, with a bit of study, my dislike will turn to admiration.

  15. Julia's Gravatar Julia
    08/01/2015 - 8:30 am | Permalink

    Fantastic post! Some really great ones here. I personally think the meaning for 对牛弹琴 is closer to “preaching to deaf ears” or relegating someone with something they really have no capacity to understand.

    • BlueFinBlues's Gravatar BlueFinBlues
      12/02/2015 - 3:09 pm | Permalink

      “regaling” might be more reflective of what you were saying, but relegating needs to be rethought.
      But, good interpretation of the ChengYu.
      In other words, the one doing the regaling is speaking to an audience that cannot appreciate his or her efforts.
      Language is an endlessly fascinating invention.

      • 01/06/2015 - 7:14 pm | Permalink

        I think both are possible according to the context. The chengyu is very popularly used to mean ” what is a waste of precious time and energy” because of the lack of attention or interest from the audience, or some times in a less respecteful manner it does engage the quality of the audience.

  16. kaiden's Gravatar kaiden
    20/02/2015 - 4:28 am | Permalink

    新年快乐

  17. 易略's Gravatar 易略
    22/05/2015 - 3:31 pm | Permalink

    An English equivalent of “不可思議” might be “beyond the pale”

  18. 06/06/2015 - 4:25 pm | Permalink

    I like cheng yu. To me, it’s a kind of wisdom words. Sometime, I find it’s amazing that how a simple cheng yu can have so much meaning with so little words.

  19. chengyu's Gravatar chengyu
    27/10/2015 - 11:50 pm | Permalink

    hey man … i mean the carlgene… cool website i used this in my chinese compo and scored high marks…. i am a 11 year old and this can help me prepare me in this PSLE

    Thanks carlgene please update this and put more chengyu pls

    Regards
    Mysterious GUY

  20. Luo Yu's Gravatar Luo Yu
    21/05/2016 - 6:13 am | Permalink

    Thanks for posting this! After checking out the article, I think I’ll return to this site. Good content!

  21. 14/07/2016 - 7:25 am | Permalink

    How about 此地无银三百两 ? Does this class as an (entry level) idiom?

  22. Stefan's Gravatar Stefan
    19/05/2017 - 7:59 pm | Permalink

    Studying or learning Chinese for eight years now. I fluent long ago, now I think it’s the time for some more chengyus. Your excellent summary saves me a lot of work, because i never knew which ones I actually should learn. Top 500 chengyu book? Come on, seriously? I have more things to do in life! 😀

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