Read, apply, check
Compare meaning and tone, practise sentences and check story references against the source actually consulted.
Choose the task that fits what you are trying to understand. Each resource includes an explanation, practical examples and references. For an exercise sheet, try the questions before opening the solutions.
画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) criticizes an unnecessary addition that makes the result worse. 锦上添花 (jǐn shàng tiān huā) describes making something already good even better, or adding another happy development. The shared character 添 means “add,” but the speaker’s judgment of the result is different. Choose by that judgment, not simply by the amount of extra work.
按图索骥 (àn tú suǒ jì) can mean following clues to find something, or criticize following an established pattern too rigidly. 照本宣科 (zhào běn xuān kē) focuses on mechanically reading prepared text without using it flexibly. They can overlap, but they are not opposites and do not criticize every use of a map, manual or script.
亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) emphasizes timely correction after a mistake or loss. 未雨绸缪 (wèi yǔ chóu móu) emphasizes preparation before a relevant later difficulty. Identify the event your sentence focuses on: the same checklist can correct last time’s weakness and prepare for next time’s risk.
Both idioms can describe a benefit following a setback. 塞翁失马 adds the lost-horse allusion; 因祸得福 states the bad-to-good connection directly. Check what has actually happened, mark uncertain outcomes explicitly and choose wording that fits the listener.
Try twelve original sentence repairs for six Chinese idioms. Check the action, sentence position, particle and meaning, then compare a corrected Chinese sentence, pinyin, English and the reason for the change.
Separate a story source, a complete idiom attestation and a modern retelling. Two checked dictionary entries, short Chinese excerpts with original English renderings, a citation table, a downloadable record and six explained cases show how to keep the evidence traceable.
不一而足 says there are many similar things or occurrences. After examples, it leaves the inventory open. It does not supply a count or describe an everyday shortage.
振振有詞 foregrounds a speaker’s self-assured justification, not proof that the argument is sound. The consulted MOE entry records 振振有辭 and the 詞 variant together.
自相矛盾 describes words or actions that conflict with one another. Before using it, put the two claims side by side and check whether they concern the same situation. Different dates, different conditions or a clearly announced revision can explain an apparent conflict.
愚公移山 commonly evokes determined effort against a large difficulty. The dictionary also records a critical use about inefficient effort. Read the surrounding sentence before deciding whether the speaker is praising persistence or questioning the method.
朝三暮四 can describe changing the labels while the substance stays the same, or, in a later common use, repeatedly changing one’s mind or conduct. The surrounding sentence decides the reading. A clearly explained revision after new information is not automatically fickleness.
纸上谈兵 / 紙上談兵 describes discussion that is detached from practical realities. It is a criticism of the gap between talk and what can be carried out. A written plan, a theory lesson or a necessary proposal is not automatically an example of it.
三人成虎 warns that a rumour repeated by several people may come to be believed. Repetition changes the impression of a claim; it does not make the claim true. The “three people” belong to the literary scene, not a fixed threshold for belief or a measured probability. Compare the related saying 一人传虚，万人传实 on the same source-checking path.
望梅止渴 describes finding comfort in an imagined or unavailable satisfaction. Its plum story supplies the image; the modern sentence usually concerns a wish, not actual fruit or drinking water. It can be self-mocking or critical, so identify the speaker’s attitude and what remains unavailable.
画饼充饥 / 畫餅充飢 criticises a substitute that looks or sounds useful but does not supply the substance needed. Its consulted source compares reputation without demonstrated usefulness to a drawn cake that cannot be eaten. Later use also concerns empty imagining or promises.
买椟还珠 / 買櫝還珠 criticises keeping an attractive secondary thing while giving up the main value one was meant to obtain. The pearl-and-box story supplies the image. It does not mean that every preference for presentation, craft or packaging is a bad choice.
雪中送炭 praises help that arrives when someone faces a pressing difficulty. The crucial details are the need, timing and useful assistance. Compare it with 锦上添花, an addition to something already good, and keep the dictionary’s uncertain origin separate from a confident modern meaning.
爱屋及乌 / 愛屋及烏 describes affection extending to people or things associated with someone already loved or respected. It differs from mutual sincerity: the connection carries the affection onward. The sentence may sound warm or may question partiality, depending on what that affection affects.
乘风破浪 / 乘風破浪 can describe sailing forward through wind and waves, or ambitious, courageous advance despite difficulty. The consulted Zong Que passage expresses a wish, so the image should not be converted into proof of a completed voyage or a guarantee that a modern plan will succeed.
安步当车 / 安步當車 describes composed walking in place of riding, with an older association with a simple life. Baidu Hanyu gives ān bù dàng chē; Taiwan’s Education Ministry idiom dictionary gives ān bù dāng jū. Name the dictionary convention rather than declaring one reading universally wrong.
卧薪尝胆 / 臥薪嘗膽 describes determined self-discipline and renewed effort, often after a setback or humiliation. The familiar image combines lying on firewood and tasting bitterness, but the consulted Shiji excerpt explicitly records the bitter substance without an explicit firewood bed. Separate the source’s wording from the later compressed image.
乐不思蜀 / 樂不思蜀 can criticise attachment to a new place at the expense of returning home, or lightly describe enjoying somewhere so much that one forgets to leave. The Liu Shan story explains the allusion; the modern sentence decides how strong the judgment is.
完璧归赵 / 完璧歸趙 refers to returning something to its original owner, with the intact-jade image of Lin Xiangru’s story. Ordinary borrowed objects can fit. Merely completing a project, returning a different item or making a future promise does not establish the same completed return.
打草惊蛇 / 打草驚蛇 often describes an action that alerts a counterpart before an intended step, giving them time to react. It differs from fearful misperception: someone has noticed a cue. The consulted dictionary records more than one textual route, so a single certain origin story would overstate the evidence.
郑人买履 / 鄭人買履 criticises trusting a prepared rule or measurement while ignoring the actual situation. The shoe buyer can test the fit with his own foot but goes back for his recorded measurement. Learn the original Hanfeizi passage, two usable Chinese sentences and the boundary between useful standards and rigid application.
围魏救赵 / 圍魏救趙 describes relieving pressure at one place by threatening another place the opposing force must protect. The Shiji account has Tian Ji following Sun Bin’s advice to move toward Daliang, drawing Wei away from Zhao. Keep that causal link visible in modern figurative examples.
一叶障目 / 一葉障目 criticises allowing a limited or temporary part to hide the full issue. The longer form is 一葉障目，不見泰山, with 一葉蔽目，不見泰山 also recorded. An accurate detail can still be an inadequate basis for a claim about the whole; focused work alone is not the mistake.
走马观花 / 走馬觀花 describes a hurried or superficial look that does not reach the details. The consulted dictionary maps it to the second sense of 走馬看花, whose entry also records an older enjoyable riding-and-flower-viewing sense. Distinguish those senses and match the required depth to the actual task.
一石二鸟 / 一石二鳥 describes one action producing two effects. 一石两鸟 / 一石兩鳥 is a recorded alternative. Learn the two readings, original Chinese examples, a one-action/two-results check and the difference from 两全其美.
一目十行 describes rapid reading. 行 is háng, a line of text. Learn the recorded source wording, original examples and the difference between reading speed, superficial viewing and demonstrated understanding.
一目了然 means clear to understand at a glance. The recorded alternative is 一目瞭然. Learn original Chinese examples, a before-and-after layout using identical facts and the boundary between clarity and verification.
一本正经 / 一本正經 describes a serious, solemn manner. Learn original Chinese examples, how narration can contrast that manner with playful content, and why an earnest expression does not by itself prove sincerity or accuracy.
一日千里 uses the image of a swift horse and describes rapid progress or development. Learn the recorded classical wording, original Chinese examples and the difference between pace, steady persistence and actually reaching a goal.
一刀两断 / 一刀兩斷 can concern literal cutting, severing a relationship or acting decisively. 一刀两段 / 一刀兩段 is a recorded variant. Use original examples and a sense-selection table to distinguish the contexts, then compare a clean break with 破镜重圆.
一五一十 can describe counting in fives and tens or recounting an event in detail from beginning to end. Learn the two recorded meanings, original Chinese sentences and a report exercise separating detail, exact quotation and verified facts.
一心一意 describes single-minded intention or focus. Learn original individual and group examples, compare focus with 锲而不舍 and 一心一德, and avoid turning one observed action into a claim about someone’s entire private intention.
一心一德 describes being united in purpose. 一德一心 is a recorded alternative. Learn original group examples, distinguish a shared aim from merely being together, and compare shared purpose with focus and 风雨同舟.
一文不名 describes extreme poverty, lacking even a coin. It concerns money possessed, not fame or a person’s worth. Learn original Chinese examples, compare 一文不值 and practise separating an owner’s funds from the value of their work.
一孔之见 / 一孔之見 describes a narrow, partial view. Learn original critical and self-limiting Chinese sentences, compare 一叶障目, and decide whether a task needs a wider view before criticising a deliberately focused observation.
一毛不拔 criticises extreme stinginess or selfishness. Learn the short Mencius citation as an attributed account, original Chinese examples and a context table distinguishing unwillingness to contribute from a stated lack of resources.
一文不值 describes a strong judgment that something has no value. 不值一钱, 不值一文 and 一钱不值 are recorded alternatives. Learn original Chinese examples, separate value from the owner’s money, and keep a fictional character’s criticism distinct from an independent appraisal.
一日三秋 expresses intense longing: a short separation feels long. Learn 一日不见，如隔三秋 alongside it, read the short Shijing citation, and use original Chinese examples to separate felt time from a calendar interval.
一介不取 praises not taking anything improperly, even a trivial amount. Learn the short Mencius condition, original Chinese examples, and the difference between integrity, poverty, stinginess and receiving a legitimate payment.
一手包办 means one person independently handles the whole stated task. Learn 一手包揽 and 一手承运 beside it, use original contrasting examples, and distinguish execution responsibility from gathering ideas or manipulating power.
一片冰心 uses an ice-heart image for pure, tranquil and unworldly character. Read the two quoted Wang Changling lines, practise original Chinese sentences, and distinguish the literary image from coldheartedness or physical temperature.
一反常态 describes a condition or attitude completely different from the usual one. Use original Chinese examples and a baseline table to distinguish a change, an improvement and a claim that someone will behave differently forever.
一元复始 refers to the old year giving way to a new year. Learn the short Gongyang citation, original annual greetings and a comparison of a year boundary, an ordinary restart and deep change over time.
一手遮天 is a strong accusation of manipulating power and deceiving people above and below. Read the cited Cao Ye image, use original fictional examples, and compare sole task handling and borrowing another person’s authority.
一木难支 describes a demanding undertaking that one person cannot support alone. Keep 独木难支 and 一木难扶 beside it, practise original workload examples, and distinguish task requirements from a judgment of someone’s worth.
一丘之貉 judges people or things as similarly bad, rather than merely similar. Learn 貉 as hé in the consulted expression, read the short cited record, and practise original examples distinguishing a shared fault from a neutral shared trait.
一以贯之 describes one principle connecting different matters. Read the short Analects citation, practise original Chinese examples, and use a comparison table to distinguish a consistent criterion from an identical procedure or 知行合一.
一了百了 describes a main matter being settled and its related matters settling with it. Learn why both 了 are liǎo, read the short Zhuzi citation, and practise an original dependency example that preserves unrelated unfinished work.
一之谓甚 says one occurrence is already excessive and a second should not happen. 一之为甚 is a recorded variant, with wéi rather than wèi. Learn the short Zuo Zhuan quotation, original Chinese examples and the pronunciation contrast.
一去不复返 / 一去不復返 describes leaving without returning; later use also concerns someone gone without news or something vanished. 一去不返 is a recorded shorter form. Keep the wording of a poem, the facts of a narrative and a prediction about the future separate.
一寸光阴一寸金 / 一寸光陰一寸金 is a proverb comparing precious time with gold. The extended saying 寸金难买寸光阴 stresses that elapsed time cannot simply be bought back. The image expresses value, rather than a currency rate or an instruction to rush every activity.
一日之长 / 一日之長 has two pronunciation records in the consulted dictionary: yī rì zhī cháng and yī rì zhī zhǎng. Both displayed entries give the same slightly-older meaning and its extension to seniority or experience. Keep those actual records together rather than inventing separate senses from the tone change.
一人得道，鸡犬升天 / 一人得道，雞犬升天 is a proverb used figuratively when someone gains office or power and people connected with them benefit too. Identify the advantage and its connection, rather than treating affection, independent achievement or simultaneous success as the same idea.
Return to Chinese Chengyu Dictionary
Read an idiom meaning, follow the story source or compare two expressions using a specific situation. Each revised guide includes examples, a reading schematic and an optional blank practice record.
Start with the difference your sentence needs to express. Are you describing a useful repair, a possible benefit, an addition’s effect or the way someone uses prepared information? Choose a focused comparison, or use the pair directory when you already know the two idioms.
塞翁失马 describes or considers a beneficial turn after a setback. 亡羊补牢 describes useful corrective action after a mistake. Ask whether your sentence explains how events turned out or what someone did to address the weakness; those are different claims.
塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ) invokes the old man’s lost horse to describe a setback that turns beneficial or to put changing fortune in perspective. It can fit a benefit already known. When the result is still open, preserve that uncertainty in the sentence.
The lost-horse story follows a family near the frontier through several reversals: a horse escapes, returns with fine horses, the son is injured while riding, and the injury later affects his survival during fighting. It asks readers to look beyond an immediate judgment.
In the snake-drawing contest, the first person finishes a snake but begins adding feet. Another completes a snake and takes the wine. The unnecessary addition costs the first finisher the reward: that sequence explains 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú).
守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) criticizes relying on chance while failing to take initiative. 亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) values a correction after a mistake. Both may appear in advice, but one describes idle waiting and the other describes an actual remedy.
亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) means making a useful correction after a mistake or loss. Literally, it is repairing the sheep enclosure after sheep are lost. The point is that fixing the weakness can still matter; the idiom does not say the earlier loss will be recovered.
The sheep-pen proverb in 亡羊补牢 is connected with Zhuang Xin’s advice to King Xiang of Chu in Zhanguo Ce, “Chu Strategies IV.” A familiar tale about an owner and a neighbor illustrates the same remedy, but should be labeled as a classroom retelling.