TranslationMedium
Chinese meaning
不作死就不会死
“No Zuo No Die”
Natural English
Stop digging your own grave — if you hadn't asked for it, none of this would have happened.
Funny expressions. Unexpected meanings. Better English.
166 expressions
Chinese meaning
不作死就不会死
“No Zuo No Die”
Natural English
Stop digging your own grave — if you hadn't asked for it, none of this would have happened.
Chinese meaning
人山人海
“People Mountain People Sea”
Natural English
A huge crowd; absolutely packed with people.
Chinese meaning
加油
“Add oil!”
Natural English
You can do it
Chinese meaning
画蛇添足
“Draw a snake and add feet.”
Natural English
Gild the lily / overdo it.
Chinese meaning
亡羊补牢
“After losing the sheep, mend the pen.”
Natural English
Better late than never / mend the fence after the loss.
Chinese meaning
百闻不如一见
“Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once.”
Natural English
Seeing is believing.
Chinese meaning
时间就是金钱
“Time is money.”
Natural English
Time is money.
Chinese meaning
她说话带刺儿
“She speaks with thorns.”
Natural English
She has a sharp tongue.
Chinese meaning
他要炒我鱿鱼
“He wants to fry my squid.”
Natural English
He's going to fire me.
Chinese meaning
这个项目是个烫手山芋
“This project is a hot-hand yam.”
Natural English
This project is a hot potato.
Chinese meaning
他是个纸老虎
“He is a paper tiger.”
Natural English
He's a paper tiger.
Chinese meaning
这件事让我一头雾水
“This matter makes my head full of fog.”
Natural English
This left me completely confused.
Chinese meaning
他是个墙头草
“He is grass on the wall.”
Natural English
He's a fence-sitter / blows with the wind.
Chinese meaning
这简直是对牛弹琴
“This is playing the lute to a cow.”
Natural English
This is casting pearls before swine.
Chinese meaning
她是个胸无点墨的人
“She is a person with no ink in her chest.”
Natural English
She is uneducated / not well-read.
Chinese meaning
他说话总是拐弯抹角
“He always speaks turning corners and wiping angles.”
Natural English
He always beats around the bush.
Chinese meaning
这件事八字还没一撇
“The character 'eight' isn't even written yet.”
Natural English
It's still up in the air / nothing is settled yet.
Chinese meaning
他是个铁公鸡
“He is an iron rooster.”
Natural English
He's a penny-pincher / a tightwad.
Chinese meaning
望子成龙
“Hope son becomes dragon.”
Natural English
Parents hope their children will succeed.
Chinese meaning
礼尚往来
“Ritual still comes and goes.”
Natural English
Courtesy requires reciprocity.