中国成语&短语的英文翻译

英语中常见的

123

个中国成语

1.

爱屋及乌

Love me, love my dog.

2.

百闻不如一见（眼见为实）

Seeing is believing.

3.

比上不足比下有余

worse off than some, better off than many; to fall

short of the best, but be better than the worst.

4.

笨鸟先飞

A slow sparrow should make an early start.

5.

不眠之夜

white night

6.

不以物喜不以己悲

not pleased by external gains, not saddened by

personnal losses

7.

不遗余力

spare no effort; go all out; do one's best

8.

不打不成交

No discord, no concord.

9.

拆东墙补西墙

rob Peter to pay Paul

10.

辞旧迎新

bid farewell to the old and usher in the new; ring out the

old year and ring in the new

11.

大事化小小事化了

try first to make their mistake sound less serious

and then to reduce it to nothing at all

12.

大开眼界

open one's eyes; broaden one's horizon; be an eye- opener

13.

国泰民安

The country flourishes and people live in peace

14.

过犹不及

going too far is as bad as not going far enough; beyond is

as wrong as falling short; too much is as bad as too little

15.

功夫不负有心人

Everything comes to him who waits.

16.

好了伤疤忘了疼

once on shore, one prays no more

17.

好事不出门恶事传千里

Good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad

news spread far and wide.

18.

和气生财

Harmony brings wealth.

19.

活到老学到老

One is never too old to learn.

20.

既往不咎

let bygones be bygones

21.

金无足赤人无完人

Gold can't be pure and man can't be perfect.

22.

金玉满堂

Treasures fill the home.

23.

脚踏实地

be down- to-earth

24.

脚踩两只船

sit on the fence

25.

君子之交淡如水

the

friendship

between

gentlemen

is

as

pure

as

crystal;

a hedge between keeps friendship green

26.

老生常谈陈词滥调

cut and dried, clich

é

27.

礼尚往来

Courtesy calls for reciprocity.

28.

留得青山在不怕没柴烧

Where there is life, there is hope.

29.

马到成功

achieve immediate victory; win instant success

30.

名利双收

gain in both fame and wealth

31.

茅塞顿开

be suddenly enlightened

32.

没有规矩不成方圆

Nothing can be accomplished without norms or

standards. 33.

每逢佳节倍思亲

On festive occasions more than ever one

thinks of one's dear ones far is on the festival occasions when

one misses his dear most.

34.

谋事在人成事在天

The

planning

lies

with

man,

the

outcome

with

Heaven.

Man proposes, God disposes.

35.

弄巧成拙

be too smart by half; Cunning outwits itself

36.

拿手好戏

masterpiece

37.

赔了夫人又折兵

throw good money after bad

38.

抛砖引玉

a

modest

spur

to

induce

others

to

come

forward

with

valuable

contributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale

39.

破釜沉舟

cut

off

all

means

of

retreat

；

burn

one

‘

s

own

way

of

retreat

and be determined to fight to the end

40.

抢得先机

take the preemptive opportunities

41.

巧妇难为无米之炊

If

you

have

no

hand

you

can't

make

a

fist.

One

can't

make bricks without straw.

42.

千里之行始于足下

a thousand-li journey begins with the first

step--the highest eminence is to be gained step by step

43.

前事不忘后事之师

Past

experience,

if

not

forgotten,

is

a

guide

for

the

future. 44.

前人栽树后人乘凉

One generation plants the trees in whose

shade another generation sows and another reaps.

45.

前怕狼后怕虎

fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind hesitate in

doing something

46.

强龙难压地头蛇

Even a dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to

control a snake in its old haunt - Powerful outsiders can hardly afford

to neglect local bullies.

47.

强强联手

win-win co-operation

48.

瑞雪兆丰年

A timely snow promises a good harvest.

49.

人之初性本善

Man's nature at birth is good.

50.

人逢喜事精神爽

Joy puts heart into a man.

51.

人海战术

huge- crowd strategy

52.

世上无难事只要肯攀登

Where there is a will, there is a way.

53.

世外桃源

a

fictitious

land

of

peace

away

from

the

turmoil

of

the

world;

54.

死而后已

until my heart stops beating

55.

岁岁平安

Peace all year round.

56.

上有天堂下有苏杭

Just

as

there

is

paradise

in

heaven,

ther

are

Suzhou

and Hangzhou on earth

57.

塞翁失马焉知非福

Misfortune may be an actual blessing.

58.

三十而立

A man should be independent at the age of thirty,

a man should be able to think for himself.

59.

升级换代

updating and upgrading (of products)

60.

四十不惑

Life begins at forty.

61.

谁言寸草心报得三春晖

Such kindness of warm sun, can't be repaid by

grass. 62.

水涨船高

When the river rises, the boat floats high.

63.

时不我待

Time and tide wait for no man.

64.

杀鸡用牛刀

break a butterfly on the wheel

65.

实事求是

seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true

to facts

66.

说曹操

,

曹操到

Tal k of the devil and he comes.

67.

实话实说

speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it

is

68.

实践是检验真理的唯一标准

Practice is the sole criterion for testing

truth.

69.

山不在高，有仙则名

'No matter how high the mountain is, its name will

spread far and wide if there is a fairy; '

70.

韬光养晦

hide one's capacities and bide one's time

71.

糖衣炮弹

sugar- coated bullets

72.

天有不测风云

Anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue

73.

团结就是力量

Unity is strength.

74.

“跳进黄河洗不清”

'eve if one jumped into the Yellow River, one can

not wash oneself clean--there's nothing one can do to clear one's name

'

75.

歪风邪气

unhealthy practices and evil phenomena

76.

物以类聚，人以群分

Birds of a feather flock together.

77.

往事如风

'The

past

has

vanished

(from

memory)

like

wind.;

What

in

past,

is pas

78.

望子成龙

hold high hopes for one's child

79.

屋漏又逢连阴雨

Misfortunes

never

come

singly.

When

it

rains

it

pours.

80.

文韬武略

military expertise; military strategy

81.

唯利是图

draw water to one's mill

82.

无源之水

,

无本之木

water without a source, and a tree wiithout roots

83.

无中生有

make create something out of nothing

84.

无风不起浪

There are no waves without wind. There's no smoke without

fire. 85.

徇私枉法

bend the law for the benefit of relatives or friends

86.

新官上任三把火

a new broom sweeps clean

87.

,

骄傲使人落后

Modesty helps one go forward, whereas

conceit makes one lag behind.

88.

蓄势而发

accumulate strength for a take-off

89.

心想事成

May all your wish come true

90.

心照不宣

have a tacit understanding; give tacit consent; tacit

understanding 91.

先入为主

First impressions are firmly entrenched.

92.

先下手为强

catch the ball before the bound