100个常用成语汉英对照翻译

100个常用成语汉英对照翻译

哀鸿遍野 disaster victims moaning everywhere

挨家挨户 go from house to house

唉声叹气 heave deep signs (of grief, worry oranguish)

爱不释手 be so fond of sth. that one will not letit out of one’s

hand

爱莫能助 be willing to help but unable to do so

爱屋及乌 love me, love my dog

爱憎分明 understand what to love and what tohate

碍手碍脚 be in the way

安邦定国 bring peace and stability to the country

安步当车 stroll over instead of riding in acarriage

安居乐业 live and work in peace and contentment

安如泰山 as solid as Mount Tai

安之若素 bear with equanimity

按兵不动 take no action

网课代上

按部就班 keep to conventional ways of doing things

按劳分配 distribution according to work

按图索骥 deal with a matter in a mechanicalway

按需分配 distribution according to need

暗渡陈仓 enter into a secret liaison

暗送秋波 make eyes at sb.

昂首阔步 stride proudly ahead

八九不离十 pretty close

八面玲珑 be smooth and slick

八面威风 an aura of awesome might

八仙过海各显神通 like the Eight Immortals crossing the

sea,each one showing his or her special people

拔刀相助 take up the cudgels against aninjustice

拔苗助长 spoil things by excessive enthusiasm

跋山涉水 scale mountains and ford streams

白璧微瑕 a slight defect in a person of integrity

白驹过隙 the time is fleeting

白日做梦 build castles in the air

白手起家 start from scratch

百尺竿头更进一步 further improve one’s work

百发百中 shoot with unfailing accuracy

百废俱兴 all that was left undone is now beingundertaken

百花齐放百家争鸣 let a hundred flowers blossom and

ahundred schools of thoughts contend

百里挑一 one in a hundred; cream of the crop

百闻不如一见 seeing for oneself is better than hearingfrom

others

百折不挠 keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks

稗官野史 books of anecdotes

班门弄斧 display one’s slight skill before anexpert

半斤八两 two of a kind

半老徐娘 woman of fading charms

半路出家 switch to a job one was not trained for

宝刀不老 he is still at the height of his powers

饱经风霜 having had one’s fill of hardships

抱残守缺 be an anachronism

抱佛脚 make a hasty last-minute effort

抱头痛哭 cry on each other’s shoulders

暴殄天物 a reckless waste of the products of nature

暴跳如雷 fly into a rage

爆冷门 a dark horse bobbing up

背道而驰 run counter to

背水一战 fight to win or die

背信弃义 break faith with sb.

笨鸟先飞 the slow need to start early

比比皆是 such is the case everywhere

彼一时此一时 times have changed

敝帚自珍 cherish sth. of little value simplybecause it is one’s

own

避重就轻 avoid the important and dwell on thetrivial

鞭长莫及 beyond the reach of one’s power

遍体鳞伤 be beaten black and blue

标新立异 create sth. new and original

别出心裁 try to be different

别具一格 have a style of one’s own

别有用心 have an axe to grind

宾至如归 a home from home

兵败如山倒 an army in flight is like a landslide

秉烛夜游 make merry while one may

并驾齐驱 keep abreast of sb. ; keep pace with sb.

拨乱反正 restore things to order

博闻强记 have encyclopaedic knowledge

捕风捉影 speak or act on hearsay evidence

不卑不亢 neither overbearing nor servile

不出所料 as expected

不辞而别 leave without saying goodbye

不打不相识 no discord, no concord

不打自招 give oneself away

不到黄河心不死 refuse to give up until all rope is gone

不二法门 the one and only way

不费吹灰之力 as easy as falling off a log

不分青红皂白 make no distinction between right andwrong

不寒而栗 tremble with fear

不即不离 keep sb. at arm’s length

不胫而走 spread like wildfire

不可名状 be beyond description

不可同日而语 there is no comparison between them

声势汹汹不可一世 bluster and swagger like a conquering hero

不了了之 end up with nothing definite

不期而遇 have a chance encounter

不入虎穴焉得虎子 nothing venture, nothing gain

不三不四 neither fish nor fowl

不速之客 gate-crasher

不同凡响 out of the common run

不闻不问 be indifferent to sth.

不相上下 almost on a par

不遗余力 do one’s utmost

不择手段 by hook or by crook

不折不扣 out-and-out

不知所措 be at a loss

步入后尘 follow in sb.’s footsteps

残花败柳 fallen women

沧海一粟 a drop in the ocean

察言观 watch a person’s every mood

长吁短叹 moan and groan

陈词滥调 clichés

乘风破浪 brave the wind and the waves

趁人之危 take advantage of sb.’s precariousposition

吃喝玩乐 idle away one’s time in pleasure-seeking

吃一堑长一智 a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit

出尔反尔 contradict oneself

出类拔萃 be out of the common run

出其不意 catch sb. unawares

出人头地 stand out among one’s fellows

出人意料 beyond all expectations

初生牛犊不怕虎 young people are fearless

唇舌剑 engage in a battle of words

唇亡齿寒 if one falls, the other is in danger

词不达意 the words fails to convey the idea

此地无银三百两 a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure

从长计议 take one’s time in reaching a decision

寸步不让 not budge an inch

打肿脸充胖子 puff oneself up to one’s own cost

大吹大擂 make a big noise

大红大紫 be very much in the spotlight

大惊小怪 make a fuss about nothing

大器晚成 great minds mature slowly

大失所望 to one’s great disappointment

大同小异 alike except for slight differences

大显身手 give full play to one’s abilities

大言不惭 talk big

大有文章 there’s more to this than meet theeye

单刀直入 speak out without beating about the bush

殚精竭虑 rack one’s brains

当机立断 make a prompt decision

当局者迷旁观者清 the onlooker sees most of the game

当之无愧 be worthy of

倒打一耙 put the blame on one’s victim

道高一尺魔高一丈 the more illumination, the more temptation

得不偿失 the game is not worth the candle

得寸进尺 give him an inch and he’ll take a yard

颠来倒去 over and over

对牛弹琴 address the wrong audience

自食恶果 sow the wind and reap the whirlwind

恩威并施 use the carrot and the sticksimultaneously

尔虞我诈 each trying to cheat the other

发人深省 stir up one’s soul

反败为胜 turn the tide

返璞归真 go back to nature

防微杜渐 check at the outset

飞蛾扑火 seekone’s own doom

纷至沓来 keeppouring in

焚膏继晷 stayup late and work hard

风靡一时 be allthe rage at the time

釜底抽薪 takedrastic measures to deal with an emergency

俯拾即是 befound everywhere

腹背受敌 beattacked front and rear

覆水难收 whatis done can not be undone

改邪归正 turnover a new leaf

改头换面 dishup the same old stuff in a new form

干打雷不下雨 muchnoise but no action

纲举目张 oncethe key link is grasped, everything falls into

place

格格不入 like asquare peg in a round hole

各得其所 eachhas a role to play

各有千秋 eachhas his own strong points

狗急跳墙 acornered beast will do sth. desperate

狗拿耗子多管闲事poke one’s nose into other people’s

business

孤掌难鸣 it’shard to succeed without support

孤注一掷 putall one’s eggs in one basket

骨瘦如柴 a bagof bones

故伎重演 playthe same old trick

故作姿态 put onairs

顾名思义 justas its name implies; as the term suggests

拐弯抹角 beatabout the bush

归根结底 in thefinal analysis

裹足不前hesitate to move forward

过河拆桥 kickdown the ladder

海底捞针 lookfor a needle in a haystack

害之马 ablack sheep

好事多磨 theroad to happiness is strewn with setbacks

好为人师 begiven to laying down the law

恨之入骨 bear abitter hatred for sb.

横七竖八higgledy-piggledy

红光满面 in thepink

虎头蛇尾 inlike a lion, out like a lamb

try toplease the public with claptrap

化干戈为玉帛 burythe hatchet

化为乌有 cometo naught

化险为夷 headoff a disaster

画蛇添足 ruinthe effect by adding sth. superfluous

换汤不换药 thesame old stuff with a different label

焕然一新 lookbrand-new

患得患失 be swayedby considerations of loss and gain

挥金如土 spendmoney like water

回心转意 have achange of heart

毁于一旦 bedestroyed in a moment

浑然一体 anintegral whole

混水摸鱼 fishin troubled waters

魂不守舍 havelost one’s mind

火中取栗 be acat’s paw

货真价实dyed-in-the-wool

祸不单行 it neverrains but it pours

机不可失失不再来opportunity knocks but once

积少成多 many alittle makes a mickle

积重难返ingrained habits are hard to change

以其人之道还治其人之身pay a person back in his own coin

集思广益 poolthe wisdom of the masses

几次三番 timeand again

己所不欲勿施于人 donot unto others as you would not have

them do unto you

计日程功 havethe completion of a project in sight

既往不咎 notcensure sb. for his past misdeeds

家家有本难念的经every family has its own hard nut to crack

家喻户晓 widelyknown

戛然而止 cometo an abrupt end

简而言之 to putit in a nutshell

见仁见智different people, different views

箭在弦上不得不发one has reached the point of no return

江河日下 be onthe decline

将计就计 beatsb. at his own game

将心比心 putoneself in sb.’s shoes

姜还是老的辣veterans are abler than recruits

绞尽脑汁 rackone’s brains

脚踏两只船 siton the fence

矫枉过正over-correct

街谈巷议 streetgossip

结党营私 bandtogether for selfish purposes

捷足先登 theearly bird catches the worm

涸泽而渔 killthe goose that lays the golden eggs

金口玉言utterances that carry great weight

金玉其外败絮其中fair without, foul within

井水不犯河水 I’ll mind my own business, you mind yours

敬而远之 stayat a respectful distance from sb.

九牛一毛 a dropin the ocean

九死一生survival after many hazards

就事论事 dealwith a matter on its merits

具体而微miniature

据理力争 arguestrongly on just grounds

聚精会神concentrate one’s attention

卷土重来 stagea comeback

开诚相见 befrank and open

见风使舵 trimone’s sails

慷慨就义 die amartyr’s death

孔孟之道 thedoctrine of Confucius and Mencius

口蜜腹剑 honeyon one’s lips and murder in one’s heart

哭丧着脸 goaround with a long face

苦不堪言 themisery or hardship is beyond words

快刀斩乱麻 cutthe Gordian knot

快马加鞭 whipand spur

脍炙人口 enjoygreat popularity

喟然长叹 heavea deep sigh

困兽犹斗 beastsat bay will fight back

老奸巨猾 an oldhand at trickery and deception

老马识途 an oldhand is a good guide

乐极生悲extreme joy begets sorrow

雷声大雨点小 muchtalk, little action

累死累活 workoneself to death

冷若冰霜 havean icy manner

冷眼旁观 lookon with a cold eye

礼轻情意重 it’snothing much, but it’s the thought that

counts

理所当然 as amatter of course

力挽狂澜 makevigorous efforts to turn the tide

力争上游 strivefor first place

利欲熏心 beblinded by greed

量入为出 cutone’s coat according to one’s cloth

了如指掌 havesth. at one’s fingertips

临渴掘井 makean eleventh-hour attempt

临渊羡鱼 oneshould take practical steps to achieve one’s

aims

琳琅满目 afeast for the eyes

令人发指 makeone bristle with anger

溜须拍马 licksb.’s boots

溜之大吉 makeoneself scarce

露马脚 let thecat out of the bag

碌碌无为 lead avain and humdrum life

戮力同心 makeconcerted efforts

每况愈下 gofrom bad to worse

美中不足 ablemish in a thing of beauty

蒙在鼓里 bekept in the dark

明媒正娶 belegally and formally married

冥思苦想 rackone’s brains

墨守成规 stayin a rut

漠不关心 indifferent;unconcerned

囊中羞涩 beshort of money

恼羞成怒 flyinto a rage from shame

能者多劳 theabler one is, the more one should do

呕心沥血 workone’s heart out

拍马屁 lick sb’sboots

攀龙附凤 putoneself under the patronage of a bigwig

旁征博引 bewell documented

赔了夫人又折兵instead of making a gain, suffer a double loss

疲于奔命 bekept constantly on the run

平步青云 have ameteoric rise

平起平坐 be onan equal footing

破釜沉舟 burnone’s boats

起死回生 snatcha patient from the jaws of death

牵肠挂肚 be ontenterhooks

前事不忘后事之师lessons learned from the past can guide

one in the future

青出于蓝而胜于蓝the pupil surpasses the master

晴天霹雳 a boltfrom the blue

穷途末路 havecome to a dead end

趋炎附势 curryfavour with the powerful

曲高和寡 toohighbrow to be popular

全心全意 heartand soul

热锅上的蚂蚁 acat on a hot tin roof

热火朝天 infull swing

人定胜天 manwill triumph over nature

仁者见仁智者见智different people have different views

如坐针毡 be onpins and needles

乳臭未干 be wetbehind the ears

入不敷出 unableto make ends meet

入乡随俗 whenin Rome do as the Romans do

三寸不烂之舌 asilver tongue

三句话不离本行 canhardly open one’s mouth without talking

shop

三思而行 lookbefore you leap

三心二意shilly-shally

丧家之犬 astray cur

搔首弄姿posture and preen oneself

杀鸡取卵 killthe goose that lays the golden eggs

山穷水尽 at theend of one’s rope

煽风点火 stirup trouble

少壮不努力老大徒伤悲laziness in youth spells regret in old age

舍本逐末 attendto trifles and neglect essentials

舍生取义 laydown one’s life for a just cause

神气十足putting on grand airs

生米煮成熟饭 what’sdone can’t be undone

盛极一时 be allthe rage

识时务者为俊杰 awise man submits to circumstances

时不待我 timeand tide wait for no man

势如破竹 like ahot knife cutting through butter

事实胜于雄辩facts speak louder than words

视死如归 lookdeath calmly in the face

首屈一指 besecond to none

熟视无睹 turn ablind eye to

鼠目寸光 seeonly what is under one’s nose

水滴石穿 littlestrokes fell great oaks

水泄不通 bewatertight

说曹操曹操到speak of the devil and he will appear

说到做到 matchone’s deeds to one’s words

说一不二 standby one’s word

说时迟那时快 inthe twinkling of an eye

死里逃生 escapeby the skin of one’s teeth；have a narrow

escape

死心塌地 behellbent

四脚朝天 fallon one’s back

搜肠刮肚 rackone’s brain

追本溯源 traceback to the source

随声附和 chimein with others

所向披靡 sweepaway all obstacles

贪生怕死 carefor nothing but saving one’s skin

贪小失大 seek smallgains but incur big losses

探囊取物 aseasy as falling off a log

逃之夭夭 show aclean pair of heels

特立独行independent in mind and action

提心吊胆 haveone’s heart in one’s mouth

天方夜谭 acock-and-bull story

条分缕析 make acareful and detailed analysis

听而不闻 turn adeaf ear to

铤而走险 make areckless move

同归于尽 end upin common ruin

同呼吸共命运throw in one’s lot with sb.

捅马蜂窝 bringa hornet’s nest about one’s ears

偷鸡不成蚀把米 gofor wool and come back shorn

头面人物 a bigshot

突飞猛进advance with seven-league strides

徒费唇舌 wasteone’s breath

推波助澜 addfuel to the flames

唾手可得extremely easy to obtain

万变不离其宗change time and again, yet stay much the same

玩世不恭 thumbone’s nose at the world

万金油 Jack ofall trades and master of none

望梅止渴 feedon fancies

文过饰非 glossover wrongs

文如其人 thestyle is the man

稳住阵脚 holdone’s ground

我行我素 stickto one’s old way of doing things

无风不起浪 there’sno smoke without fire

无毒不丈夫 allgreat men are ruthless

无地自容 lookfor a hole to crawl into

无所事事 idleaway one’s time

无米之炊 makebricks without straw

无隙可乘 nochink in one’s armour

五十步笑百步 thepot calls the kettle black

物以类聚人以分birds of a feather flock together

洗心革面 turnover a new leaf

习惯成自然 habitbecomes second nature

先声夺人overawe people by displaying one’s strength

相形见绌 beoutshone

相提并论 placeon a par

想入非非daydream

销声匿迹disappear from the scene

逍遥法外 be atlarge

笑掉大牙 laughone’s head off

心有余而力不足 thespirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

心绪不宁 in aflutter

休戚与共 sharethe same fate

雄心壮志 loftyaspirations and high ideals

秀可餐 beautyto feast one’s eyes on

虚张声势 bluffand bluster

虚怀若谷 beopen-minded

喧宾夺主 anoisy guest steals the host’s thunder

雪泥鸿爪 tracesof bygone days

学无止境 there’sno limit to knowledge

言为心声 whatthe heart thinks the tongue speaks

言而无信 goback on one’s word

言不由衷 speakwith one’s tongue in one’s cheek

揠苗助长 spoilthings by excessive enthusiasm

掩耳盗铃 buryone’s head in the sand

眼中钉肉中刺 athorn in one’s flesh

扬眉吐气 feelproud and elated

养尊处优 livein clover

夜以继日 roundthe clock

一不做二不休 infor a penny, in for a pound

一触即发 be onthe verge of breaking out

一分钱一分货 whatprice, what goods

一个萝卜一个坑each has his own task, and nobody is

despensable

一鼓作气 getsth. done in one sustained effort

一哄而散 breakup in a hubbub

一回生二回熟difficult the first time, easy the second

一见如故 hit itoff well right from the start

一见钟情 fallin love at first sight

一刻千金 timeis gold

一箭双雕 killtwo birds with one stone

一模一样 aslike as two peas

一鸣惊人 setthe world on fire

一丘之貉 birdsof a feather

一失足成千古恨 asingle slip may cause lasting sorrow

一手交钱一手交货cash on delivery

一往情深 behead over heels in love

一网打尽 roundup the whole gang at one fell swoop

一厢情愿 one’sown wishful thinking

一物降一物everything has its superior

一无所有 nothave a thing to one’s name

一言不发 keepone’s mouth shut

一言难尽 it’s along story

一衣带水 anarrow strip of water

一跃而起 jumpto one’s feet

一针见血 hit thenail on the head

衣不蔽体 havenothing but rags on one’s back

以权谋私 abusepower for personal gain

以其人之道还治其人之身pay sb. back in his own coin

以德报怨 repayevil with good

疑神疑鬼 beeven afraid of one’s own shadow

因材施教 suitthe instruction to the student’s level

因小失大 pennywise and pound foolish

引以为荣 takeit as an honor

应运而生 emergeas the times demand

优胜劣汰 selectthe superior and eliminate the inferior

有碍观瞻 be aneyesore

有福同享有难同当share weal and woe

有机可乘 there’sa loophole that can be used

有其父必有其子like father, like son

有眼不识泰山entertain an angel unawares

有志者事竟成where there’s a will there’s a way

与时俱进 keeppace with the times

与世无争 holdoneself aloof from the world

与众不同different from the common run

欲壑难填avarice knows no bounds

欲擒故纵 allowsb. more latitude first to keep a tighter rein on

him afterwards

欲速则不达 morehaste, less speed

远走高飞 fleeto faraway places

怨天尤人 blameeveryone and everything but oneself

跃跃欲试 itchto have a go

越俎代庖 takesb. else’sjob into one’s own hands

砸锅卖铁 giveaway all one has

再接再厉continue to exert oneself

责无旁贷 beduty-bound

债台高筑 be upto one’s ears in debt

沾亲带故 haveties of kinship or friendship

张口结舌 be ata loss for words

张三李四 anyTom, Dick or Harry

仗势欺人 abuseone’s power and bully people

照本宣科 repeatwhat the book says

这山望着那山高always think the grass is greener on the other

side of the hill

真知灼见penetrating judgement

正中下怀 fit inexactly with one’s wishes

只争朝夕 seizethe day, seize the hour

指日可待 bejust round the corner

趾高气昂 beswollen with arrogance

智穷才尽 at one’swits’ end

智者千虑必有一失even the wise are not free from error

装模作样 put onan act

自卖自夸 blowone’s own trumpet

自食其力 earnone’s own living

自讨没趣 courta rebuff

自投罗网 bitethe hook

自作自受 stewin one’s own juice

罪有应得 thepunishment fits the crime

左右为难 in adilemma

坐吃山空 sitidle and eat, and in time your whole fortune will

be used up

坐收渔人之利 reapthe spoils of victory without lifting a finger

坐享其成 reapwhere one has not sown

坐以待毙 awaitone’s doom

作壁上观 be anonlooker

作茧自缚 getenmeshed in a web of one’s own spinning

作威作福 actlike a tyrant