Chinese idioms Chengyu

26 Chinese Idioms with Numbers

In Chinese Idioms by Angel Huang

Some of the most interesting Chinese idioms include numbers.

In today's lesson we explore the meanings of these idioms and learn how they're used in daily speech!

Chinese Idioms with Numbers

 yī xīn yī yì 一心一意

yī 一:one  /  single

xīn 心:heart  /  mind

yī 一:one  /  single

yì 意:thought

yī xīn yī yì 一心一意:To do something wholeheartedly.

Example:

tā zhǐ xiǎng yī xīn yī yì zhǔn bèi qī mò kǎo shì.

他只想一心一意准备期末考试。

He just wants to prepare for the final exam wholeheartedly.

 sān xīn èr yì 三心二意

sān 三:three

xīn heart  / mind

èr two

yì thought

sān xīn èr yì 三心二意:It's used to indicate the state of wanting to do multiple things 

at the same time, but ending up with nothing done well, and can also be translated as 

“half-heartedly”.

Example:

tā quán shén guàn zhù yú gōng zuò,cóng bù sān xīn èr yì.

她全神贯注于工作,从不三心二意

She's completely focused on her work and never does things half-heartedly.

 liǎng quán qí měi 两全其美

liǎng 两:two / both

quán all / whole

qí his / her / its

měi satisfactory /beautiful

liǎng quán qí měi 两全其美:It can be translated as "to get the best of both worlds" or "to satisfy both sides."

Example:

tā de gōng zuò gōng zī yòu gāo, gōng zuò shí jiān yòu duǎn. zhēn shì liǎng quán qí měi.

他的工作工资又高,工作时间又短。真是两全其美

His job pays well and the hours are short. It's really the best of both worlds.

 sì tōng bā dá 四通八达

sì 四: four

tōng go through / connect

bā eight

dá reach / communicate 

sì tōng bā dá 四通八达It is commonly used to describe a place which is accessible from all directions.

Example:

shēn zhèn shì gè sì tōng bā dá de chéng shì.

深圳是个四通八达的城市。

The city of Shenzhen is accessible from all directions.

 wǔ tǐ tóu dì 五体投地

wǔ 五:five

tǐ 体body

tóu place oneself into the hands of

dì ground

wǔ tǐ tóu dì 五体投地It means to fully admire someone.

Example:

wǒ gē ge jīng tōng bā guó yǔ yán, wǒ duì tā pèi fú de wǔ tǐ tóu dì.

我哥哥精通八国语言,我对他佩服地五体投地

My elder brother is proficient in eight languages, and I am full of admiration for him.

 liù shén wú zhǔ 六神无主

liù 六:six

shén god

wú not have

zhǔ owner / master

liù shén wú zhǔ 六神无主It's used to describe someone who is in a state of emotional shock. You feel stunned.

Example:

tīng dào tā bà b chū chē huò de xiāo xi, tā dùn shí jué de liù shén wú zhǔ.

到她爸爸出车祸的消息,她顿时觉得六神无主

Hearing the news of her father's car accident, she suddenly felt stunned.

 qī zuǐ bā shé 七嘴八舌

qī 七: seven

zuǐ mouth

bā eight

shé tongue

qī zuǐ bā shé 七嘴八舌It means "All talk at the same time". It’s used to indicate that everyone is trying to express their opinions and say what they want to say on a topic.

Example:

 yī tīng dào tā lí hūn de xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu qī zuǐ bā shé de tǎo lùn le qǐ lái.

 一听到她离婚的消息,大家都七嘴八舌地讨论了起来。

Upon hearing that she got divorced, everyone tried to express their own opinions simultaneously.

 bā miàn líng lóng 八面玲珑

bā 八:eight

miàn face / side

líng lóng 玲珑clever / nimble

bā miàn líng lóng 八面玲珑It means "all things to all people" and is used to describe a person who is smooth and slick in establishing social relations, and can make people feel good. 

Example:

wǒ de lǎo bǎn shì yī gè zài jiàn lì shè huì guān xì fāng miàn hěn bā miàn líng lóng de rén.

我的老板是一个在建立社会关系方面很八面玲珑的人。

My boss is a person that is smooth and slick in establishing social relations.

 jiǔ niú yī máo 九牛一毛

jiǔ 九:nine

niú ox

yī one

máo hair

jiǔ niú yī máo 九牛一毛It literally means "one hair from nine oxen". It can be translated as "a drop in the ocean" and is used to refer to something that is a tiny part (or amount) of something bigger.

Example:

wǔ shí wàn duì tā lái shuō shì jiǔ niú yī máo.

五十万对他来说是九牛一毛

¥500,000 is a drop in the bucket for him.

#10

 shí quán shí měi 十全十美

shí 十:ten

quán all / complete

shí ten

měi beautiful / good

shí quán shí měi 十全十美It means "to be perfect in every way" and is used to describe something that is complete, beautiful and good.

Example:

tā yǒu yī gè shí quán shí měi de jiā tíng.

他有一个十全十美的家庭。

He has a perfect family.

#11

 bǎi fā bǎi zhòng 百发百中

bǎi 百:hundred

fā shots

bǎi hundred

zhòng to hit (the mark) 

bǎi fā bǎi zhòng 百发百中It literally means “a hundred shots, a hundred hits” and is 

used to describe a person who carries out a task with great precision and does it successfully.

Example:

tā shè jī bǎi fā bǎi zhòng.

他射击百发百中

He hits every shot he takes.

#12

 qiān jūn yī fà 千钧一发

qiān 千:thousand

jūn an ancient measure classifier for weight, 1钧 jūn is 15 kilogram.

yī one / single

fà hair

qiān jūn yī fà 千钧一发It literally means "a thousand jun (15000kg) hangs by a single hair" and describes a very risky situation. It is similar to "hanging by a thread".

Example:

zài zhè gè qiān jūn yī fà de shí kè, xiāo fáng duì yuán chōng jìn huǒ hǎi jiù rén.

在这个千钧一发的时刻,消防队员冲进火海救人。

At this precarious moment, firefighters rushed into the fire to save lives.

#13

 wàn zhòng yī xīn 万众一心

wàn 万:ten thousand / a great number

zhòng 众:people

yī  one

xīn heart / mind

wàn zhòng yī xīn 万众一心It means "millions of people all of one mind" or "one heart for all". It's used to describe that people are united.

Example:

zài ài hù yě shēng dòng wù zhè jiàn shì shàng, wǒ men wàn zhòng yī xīn.

在爱护野生动物这件事上,我们万众一心

We are united to protect wildlife.

#14

 yī luò qiān zhàng 一落千丈

yī 一:one

luò fall

qiān thousand

zhàng measure of length, Chinese feet

yī luò qiān zhàng 一落千丈 It literally means "One fall, a thousand Chinese feet." This idiom is used to describe that one mistake or fault can result in disastrous consequences.

Example:

zì cóng tā chén mí yú wǎng luò yóu xì hòu, tā de xué xí chéng jì jiù yī luò qiān zhàng.

自从他沉迷于网络游戏后,他的学习成绩就一落千丈

Since he became addicted to online games, his academic performance has plummeted.

#15

 èr huà bù shuō 二话不说

èr 二:second / two

huà words

bù not

shuō 说  say / speak

èr huà bù shuō 二话不说It literally means "Second word, not to say. "This idiom is used to describe someone who acts quickly without saying another word. Basically, without delay or without further ado.

Example:

kàn le dà jiā de hǎo píng, tā èr huà bù shuō jiù xià dān mǎi le zhè gè bāo.

看了大家的好评,她二话不说就下单买了这个包。

After reading everyone's good reviews, she ordered this bag without saying another word.

#16

 sì miàn bā fāng 四面八方

sì four

miàn  sides

bā eight

fāng directions

sì miàn bā fāng 四面八方It literally means "four sides, eight directions". It means in all directions, from all around, or from far and near. It can be translated as  "four corners of the Earth."

Example:

wǒ hūn lǐ nà tiān, qīn péng hǎo yǒu men cóng sì miàn bā fāng guò lái wèi wǒ qìng zhù.

我婚礼那天,亲朋好友们从四面八方过来为我庆祝。

On my wedding day, friends and family came from all over to celebrate.

#17

 wǔ yán liù sè 五颜六色

wǔ 五:five

yán colour

liù six

sè colour

wǔ yán liù sè 五颜六色It literally means "Five colors, six colors." This idiom is used to describe something as being very colorful.

Example:

shèng dàn shù shàng guà mǎn le wǔ yán liù sè de zhuāng shì.

圣诞树上挂满了五颜六色的装饰。 

The Christmas tree is decorated with colorful decorations.

#18

 liù gēn qīng jìng 六根清净

liù six

gēn roots

qīng jìng 清净peaceful

liù gēn qīng jìng 六根清净It literally means "Six roots, peaceful" and describes state of peacefulness, free of desires. (The six roots refer to the mind, eyes, nose, ears, tongue & body in Buddhism)

Example:

míng xiǎng ràng wǒ liù gēn qīng jìng.

冥想让我六根清净

Meditation makes me feel peaceful and free.

#19

 bǎi nián hǎo hé 百年好合

bǎi hundred

nián years

hǎo good

hé together

bǎi nián hǎo hé 百年好合It is a really common wedding greeting. It means "may you live a long and happy life together".

Example:

yuàn nǐ liǎ bǎi nián hǎo hézǎo shēng guì zi

愿你俩百年好合早生贵子

May the two of you live a long and happy life together and give birth to a precious son soon!

#20

 qiān zhēn wàn què 千真万确

qiān thousand

zhēn real

wàn ten thousand

què true

qiān zhēn wàn què 千真万确It is used to emphasize that something is absolutely true. 

Example:

tā xiě de měi yī tiáo xīn wén dōu shì qiān zhēn wàn què de.

她写的每一条新闻都是千真万确的。 

Every piece of news she wrote is absolutely true.

#21

 wàn wú yī shī 万无一失

wàn 万:ten thousand

wú no

yī one / single

shī失 failure

wàn wú yī shī 万无一失 It means "absolutely safe". It's used to express that you are very confident that there is no way something will go wrong or fail. The idea is that even if something would happen ten thousand times, there wouldn’t be a single failure or mistake.

Example:

zhè cì miàn shì, wǒ zuò le chōng fēn zhǔn bèi, wàn wú yī shī.

这次面试,我做了充分准备,万无一失

I was fully prepared and "absolutely safe" for this interview.

#22

 dú yī wú èr 独一无二

dú 独:only

yī one / single

wú no

èr two

dú yī wú èr 独一无二It means unique and unmatched, the one and only, one of a kind.

Example:

tā de fáng zi shì dú yī wú èr de.

她的房子是独一无二的。 

Her house is one of a kind.

#23

 shǔ yī shǔ èr 数一数二

shǔ 数:to count as 

yī one

shǔ to count as 

èr two

shǔ yī shǔ èr 数一数二It means reckoned to be first or second best, count as one of the very best. 

Example:

zhè jiā jiǔ diàn shì shàng hǎi shǔ yī shǔ èr de wǔ xīng jiǔ diàn.

这家酒店是上海数一数二的五星酒店。 

This hotel is one of the best five-star hotels in Shanghai.

#24

 luàn qī bā zāo 乱七八糟

luàn 乱:disorder

qī 七 seven

bā eight

zāo mess

luàn qī bā zāo 乱七八糟 It describes a situation or a place where everything is in disorder or in a mess. This expression is similar to the English "At sixes and sevens". 

Example:

nǐ de fáng jiān luàn qī bā zāo de. nǐ yīng gāi hǎo hǎo zhěng lǐ nǐ de fáng jiān.

你的房间乱七八糟的。你应该好好整理你的房间。

Your room is a mess. You should tidy up your room.

#25

 qī shàng bā xià 七上八下 

qī 七:seven

shàng up

bā eight

xià down

qī shàng bā xià 七上八下 It means "an unsettled/confused state of mind" and can be used to describe a person or group in a similar way to the English expression "at sixes and sevens".

Example:

wǒ dì yī cì shàng tái yǎn jiǎng shí, xīn lǐ qī shàng bā xià.

我第一次上台演讲时,心里七上八下

When I gave a speech for the first time, I was at sixes and sevens.

#26

 qiān fāng bǎi jì 千方百计

qiān 千:thousand

fāng way / method

bǎi hundred

jì plan

qiān fāng bǎi jì 千方百计 It literally means "a thousand ways, a hundred plans". You use many different ways to ensure you achieve what you want.

Example:

nǐ yīng gāi qiān fāng bǎi jì de qù shí xiàn nǐ de mèng xiǎng.

你应该千方百计地去实现你的梦想。 

You should do everything possible to make your dreams come true.

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