Idioms and Their Stories (Cheng Yu Gu Shi, 成語故事 – 成语故事):
I have studied the Chinese language on and off for a little more than 3 years now, mostly from watching Wuxia, historical, or historical fiction dramas, and learning the characters through both Chinese and English subtitles. As of the start of this blog, I know a fair number of basic characters (which I estimate to be around 500 total), and this includes both reading and writing them. My speaking is nonexistent, however, and that is something I’ll need to practice more on. I hope by 1/2 way through this project (and it’ll be very slow), I’ll be able to read, recognize, and write the most common characters fluently, and understand the text without too much effort.
My source for these Chinese idioms is from this site. A similar site in simplified characters can be found here. I also consult with this site when the meaning is not clear from the above two sites. If the Chinese source material does not come from the first link, I will cite the correct source in the post itself. The first part of the title indicates traditional text, whereas the second part indicates simplified text. A Pinyin transcription appears next, and the English description appears last.
01_001: 哀鴻遍野 – 哀鸿遍野 (Āi hóng biàn yě) – Grief-stricken Eastern Bean Geese filling up the land
01_002: 愛屋及烏 – 爱屋及乌 (Ài wū jí wū) – Love the house and its crow
01_003: 安步當車 – 安步当车 (Ān bù dàng chē) – A carefree stroll is the same as riding in a chariot.
01_004: 安居樂業 – 安居乐业 (Ān jū lè yè) – To live in peace and work happily
01_005: 安然無恙 – 安然无恙 (Ān rán wú yàng) – Safe and sound
01_006: 安如泰山 – 安如泰山 (Ān rú TàiShān) – As secure as Mount Tai
01_007: 暗渡陳倉 – 暗渡陈仓 (Àn dù Chéncāng) – Secretly crossing the Wei River at Chencang
01_008: 暗箭傷人 – 暗箭伤人 (Àn jiàn shāng rén) – Injuring others with an arrow in the back
01_009: 按圖索驥 – 按图索骥 (Àn tú suǒ jì) – Looking for a fine horse using only a picture
01_010: 八面威風 – 八面威风 (Bā miàn wēi fēng) – Aura of awesome might
01_011: 八仙過海 – 八仙过海 (Bā xiān guò hǎi) – Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea
01_012: 百步穿楊 – 百步穿杨 (Bǎi bù chuān yáng) – Hitting a willow leaf from one hundred paces away
01_013: 百尺竿頭 – 百尺竿头 (Bǎi chǐ gān tóu) – The one-hundred foot pole
01_014: 百川歸海 – 百川归海 (Bǎi chuān guī hǎi) – Hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea
01_015: 百發百中 – 百发百中 (Bǎi fā bǎi zhòng) – One hundred shots, one hundred hits
01_016: 百聞不如一見 – 百闻不如一见 (Bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn) – Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times
01_017: 百折不撓 – 百折不挠 (Bǎi zhé bù náo) – To keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks
01_018: 班門弄斧 – 班门弄斧 (Bān mén nòng fǔ) – Showing off the axe at [Lu] Ban’s gate
01_019: 半途而廢 – 半途而废 (Bàn tú ér fèi) – To Give Up Halfway
01_020: 背水一戰 – 背水一战 (Bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) – Fighting With One’s Back To The River
01_021: 必恭必敬 – 必恭必敬 (Bì gōng bì jìng) – Being Reverent And Respectful
01_022: 賓至如歸 – 宾至如归 (Bīn zhì rú guī) – Make Guests Feel At Home
01_023: 伯樂相馬 – 伯乐相马 (Bó Lè xiāng mǎ) – Bo Le Physiognomizing Horses
01_024: 不恥下問 – 不耻下问 (Bù chǐ xià wèn) – Not Ashamed In Asking and Learning From One’s Inferiors
01_025: 不打不相識 – 不打不相识 (Bù dǎ bù xiāng shí) – A Fight Leading To Friendship
01_026: 不寒而栗 – 不寒而栗 (Bù hán ér lì) – Shiver All Over Though Not Cold
01_027: 不合時宜 – 不合时宜 (Bù hé shí yí) – Untimely Endeavors
01_028: 不可同日而語 – 不可同日而语 (Bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ) – Must Not Be Mentioned On The Same Day
01_029: 不屈不撓 – 不屈不挠 (Bù qū bù náo) – Unyielding and Indomitable
01_030: 不入虎穴, 不得虎子 (Bù rù hǔ xué, bù dé hǔ zǐ) – How does one catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger’s lair?
01_031: 不學無術 – 不学无术 (Bù xué wú shù) – Without Learning Nor Skills
01_032: 不遠千里 – 不远千里 (Bù yuǎn qiān lǐ) – To Make Light of Traveling A Thousand Li’s
01_033: 不自量力 – 不自量力 (Bù zì liàng lì) – To Not Properly Gauge One’s Own Strength
01_034: 才高八斗 – 才高八斗 (Cái gāo bā dǒu) – Eight-dou (Great) Talent
01_035: 滄海桑田 – 沧海桑田 (Cāng hǎi sāng tián) – The Blue Sea Turned Into Mulberry Fields
01_036: 曹衝稱象 – 曹冲称象 (Cáo chōng chēng xiàng) – Cao Chong Weighing An Elephant
01_037: 草船借箭 – 草船借箭 (Cǎo chuán jiè jiàn) – Using Straw Boats To Borrow Arrows
01_038: 草木皆兵 – 草木皆兵 (Cǎo mù jiē bīng) – Every Tree or Bush Is Like An Enemy Soldier
01_039: 車水馬龍 – 车水马龙 (Chē shuǐ mǎ lóng) – Endless Stream of Horses and Carriages
01_040: 乘風破浪 – 乘风破浪 (Chéng fēng pò làng) – To Brave The Wind And Break The Waves
01_041: 唇亡齒寒 – 唇亡齿寒 (Chún wáng chǐ hán) – Without The Lips, The Teeth Feel Cold
01_042: 此地無銀三百兩 – 此地无银三百两 (Cǐ dì wú yín sān bǎi liǎng) – 300 Silver Taels Not Hidden Here
01_043: 成也蕭何敗也蕭何 – 成也萧何败也萧何 (Chéng yě Xiāo Hé, bài yě Xiāo Hé) – Raised Up By Xiao He, Cast Down By Xiao He
01_044: 打草驚蛇 – 打草惊蛇 (Dǎ cǎo jīng shé) – Beat The Grass To Scare The Snake
01_045: 大材小用 – 大材小用 (Dà cái xiǎo yòng) – Using A Talented Person In An Insignificant Position
01_046: 大公無私 – 大公无私 (Dà gōng wú sī) – Being Impartial Without [Any] Prejudice
01_047: 大逆不道 – 大逆不道 (Dà nì bù dào) – Disgraceful (of behavior that is unfilial, rebellious or otherwise in grave breach of the norms of society)
01_048: 大器晚成 – 大器晚成 (Dà qì wǎn chéng) – A Great Talent Matures Slowly
01_049: 大義滅親 – 大义灭亲 (Dà yì miè qīn) – To Place Righteousness Before Family
01_050: 當務之急 – 当务之急 (Dāng wù zhī jí) – A Matter Of Vital Importance
01_051: 得過且過 – 得过且过 (Dé guò qiě guò) – Being Satisfied Just To Get Through
01_052: 東施效顰 – 东施效颦 (Dōng Shī xiào pín) – Dong Shi Imitates Xi Shi’s Frown
01_053: 惡貫滿盈 – 恶贯满盈 (È guàn mǎn yíng) – Strung Through And Filled With Evil
01_054: 返老還童 – 返老还童 (Fǎn lǎo huán tóng) – To Recover One’s Youthful Vigor
01_055: 防微杜漸 – 防微杜渐 (Fáng wēi dù jiàn) – To Nip At The Bud
01_056: 分道揚鑣 – 分道扬镳 (Fēn dào yáng biāo) – To Take Different Roads And Urge The Horses On
01_057: 奮不顧身 – 奋不顾身 (Fèn bù gù shēn) – To Dash On Bravely With No Thought For One’s Personal Safety
01_058: 覆水難收 – 覆水难收 (Fù shuǐ nán shōu) – Spilled Water Is Difficult To Retrieve
01_059: 負荊請罪 – 负荆请罪 (Fù jīng qǐng zuì) – To Bear A Bramble And Ask For Punishment
01_060: 負隅頑抗 – 负隅顽抗 (Fù yú wán kàng) – To use the terrain [to one’s advantage] and put up a stubborn resistance
September 2022: So I got through that first page of idioms, and am already working through the second page now. I believe I have made significant improvement in the last year, being able to read through a short story without too much trouble. Of course there are many characters that I still do not know, but my bag of words has expanded, and I now can guess the pronunciation, or the meaning of many words by analyzing their composition. The classical Chinese (e.g. the source where these idioms were directly taken from) still poses significant challenge for me, where I think I’d need a separate learning course to tackle that =) Furthermore, since I’m also learning the Hán Việt (Vietnamese pronunciation) of these characters, it takes a bit longer than had I only focused on learning the Pinyin only. But hopefully once I get these down, learning Japanese and Korean will be significantly easier =D All right, on to the 2nd page of idioms!
02_061: 感恩圖報 – 感恩图报 (Gǎn ēn tú bào) – Being grateful and seeking to repay the kindness
02_062: 高山流水 – 高山流水 (Gāo shān liú shuǐ) – High mountains and flowing streams
02_063: 高枕無憂 – 高枕无忧 (Gāo zhěn wú yōu) – To rest one’s head high on a pillow without any worries
02_064: 各得其所 – 各得其所 (Gè dé qí suǒ ) – Each in the correct place
02_065: 過河拆橋 – 过河拆桥 (Guò hé chāi qiáo) – To destroy the bridge after crossing the river
02_066: 邯鄲學步 – 邯郸学步 (Hán dān xué bù) – To imitate the way people walk in Handan
02_067: 汗流浹背 – 汗流浹背 (Hàn liú jiā bèi) – Sweat drenching one’s back
02_068: 後來居上 – 後来居上 (Hòu lái jū shàng) – Late-comer lives above
02_069: 後起之秀 – 後起之秀 (Hòu qǐ zhī xiù) – An up-and-coming [talented] youngster
02_070: 後生可畏 – 後生可畏 (Hòu shēng kě wèi) – The younger generations will surpass us in time
02_071: 囫圇吞棗 – 囫囵吞枣 (Hú lún tūn zǎo) – To swallow in one gulp
02_072: 狐假虎威 – 狐假虎威 (Hú jiǎ hǔ wēi) – The fox exploits the tiger’s might
02_073: 華而不實 – 华而不实 (Huá ér bù shí) – Flower but no fruit
02_074: 畫餅充饑 – 画饼充饥 (Huà bǐng chōng jī) – Draw a cake to satisfy the hunger
02_075: 雞鳴狗盜 – 鸡鸣狗盗 (Jī míng gǒu dào) – Crowing like a cock and stealing like a dog
02_076: 紀昌學射 – 纪昌学射 (Jì Chāng xué shè) – Ji Chang learning to shoot [bow and arrows]
02_077: 江郎才盡 – 江郎才尽 (Jiāng láng cái jìn) – Jiang Yan has exhausted his talent
02_078: 精衛填海 – 精卫填海 (Jīng wèi tián hǎi) – Mythical bird Jingwei tries to fill the ocean with stones
02_079: 井底之蛙 – 井底之蛙 (Jǐng dǐ zhī wā) – The frog at the bottom of the well
02_080: 九牛一毛 – 九牛一毛 (Jiǔ niú yī máo) – One hair from nine oxen
02_081: 舉一反三 – 举一反三 (Jǔ yī fǎn sān) – To raise one and infer three
02_082: 開誠布公 – 开诚布公 (Kāi chéng bù gōng) – To deal sincerely and fairly
02_083: 開卷有益 – 开卷有益 (Kāi juàn yǒu yì) – Opening a book is beneficial
02_084: 口蜜腹劍 – 口蜜腹剑 (Kǒu mì fù jiàn) – Mouth with honeyed words, belly hiding a sword
02_085: 口若懸河 – 口若悬河 (Kǒu ruò xuán hé) – Mouth like a torrent
02_086: 老馬識途 – 老马识途 (Lǎo mǎ shí tú) – An old horse knows the way
02_087: 老生常談 – 老生常谈 (Lǎo shēng cháng tán) – Banal talks from old men
02_088: 力不從心 – 力不从心 (Lì bù cóng xīn) – The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
02_089: 論功行賞 – 论功行赏 (Lùn gōng xíng shǎng) – To reward people based on their merits and achievements
02_090: 洛陽紙貴 – 洛阳纸贵 (Luò yáng zhǐ guì) – Paper has become expensive in Luoyang
02_091: 馬首是瞻 – 马首是瞻 (Mǎ shǒu shì zhān) – To (blindly) follow the lead horse
02_092: 買櫝還珠 – 买椟还珠 (Mǎi dú huán zhū) – To buy a wooden box and return the pearls inside
02_093: 門庭若市 – 门庭若市 (Mén tíng ruò shì) – The front yard is as busy as a marketplace
02_094: 名落孫山 – 名落孙山 (Míng luò Sūn Shān) – Name comes after Sun Shan
02_095: 南柯一夢 – 南柯一夢 (Nán kē yī mèng) – A dream of Nanke
02_096: 弄巧成拙 – 弄巧成拙 (Nòng qiǎo chéng zhuō) – Trying to be clever and ends up failing
02_097: 內助之賢 – 内助之贤 (Nèi zhù zhī xián) – A virtuous spouse
02_098: 匹夫之勇 – 匹夫之勇 (Pǐ fū zhī yǒng) – The valor of an ordinary man
02_099: 披荊斬棘 – 披荆斩棘 (Pī jīng zhǎn jí) – To cut one’s way through thistles and thorns
02_100: 破釜沉舟 – 破釜沉舟 (Pò fǔ chén zhōu) – To break the cauldrons and sink the boats
02_101: 杞人憂天 – 杞人忧天 (Qǐ rén yōu tiān) – Man from Qǐ fears the sky is falling down
02_102: 氣壯山河 – 气壮山河 (Qì zhuàng shān hé) – One’s spirit is as inspiring as mountains and rivers
02_103: 千變萬化 – 千变万化 (Qiān biàn wàn huà) – Thousand changes, ten-thousand transformations
02_104: 千金買鄰 – 千金买邻 (Qiān jīn mǎi lín) – One thousand gold taels to buy a neighbor
02_105: 千里送鵝毛 – 千里送鹅毛 (Qiān lǐ sòng é máo) – Swan feather sent from afar
02_106: 千載難逢 – 千载难逢 (Qiān zǎi nán féng) – Hard to encounter in a thousand years
02_107: 巧取豪奪 – 巧取豪夺 (Qiǎo qǔ háo duó) – Skilled thievery and forceful robbery
02_108: 請君入甕 – 請君入瓮 (Qǐng jūn rù wèng) – Sir, please enter the boiling pot
02_109: 人非聖賢孰能無過 – 人非圣贤孰能无过 (Rén fēi shèng xián shú néng wú guò) – Men are not saints, who among us doesn’t have any faults
02_110: 人傑地靈 – 人杰地灵 (Rén jié dì líng) – A place derives glory from an illustrious son
02_111: 人心如面 – 人心如面 (Rén xīn rú miàn) – Someone’s mind is like his appearance, no one is alike
02_112: 人言可畏 – 人言可畏 (Rén yán kě wèi) – Gossip is a fearful thing
02_113: 如火如荼 – 如火如荼 (Rú huǒ rú tú) – Like wildfire, like thistles
02_114: 如釋重負 – 如释重负 (Rú shì zhòng fù) – as if relieved from a burden
02_115: 如魚得水 – 如鱼得水 (Rú yú dé shuǐ) – Like a fish back in water
02_116: 入吾彀中 – 入吾彀中 (Rù wú gòu zhōng) – Enter my snare
02_117: 塞翁失馬 – 塞翁失马 (Sài wēng shī mǎ) – The old man from the frontier lost his horse
02_118: 三顧茅廬 – 三顾茅庐 (Sān gù máo lú) – Three humble visits to a thatched cottage
02_119: 三令五申 – 三令五申 (Sān lìng wǔ shēn) – Thrice ordered, five times explained
02_120: 三生有幸 – 三生有幸 (Sān shēng yǒu xìng) – The blessing of three lifetimes
Everything up until this point has been done a while back, but I’m only indexing them here today (Thanksgiving 2024) due to the many things that had been happening in my family. I think I’m definitely progressing, and can slowly read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms with the help of my Kindle.
03_121: 傷風敗俗 – 伤风败俗 (Shāng fēng bài sú) – Offending public morals
03_122: 上行下傚 – 上行下效 (Shàng xíng xià xiào) – Subordinates follow the example of their superiors
03_123: 士別三日 – 士別三日 (Shì bié sān rì) – When scholars meet again after three day
03_124: 水落石出 – 水落石出 (Shuǐ luò shí chū) – As the water recedes, the rocks appear
03_125: 水深火熱 – 水深火热 (Shuǐ shēn huǒ rè) – Deep water and scorching fire
03_126: 勢如破竹 – 势如破竹 (Shì rú pò zhú) – Like the knife’s momentum in splitting bamboos
03_127: 守株待兔 – 守株待兔 (Shǒu zhū dài tù) – To guard a tree-stump waiting for rabbits
03_128: 雙管齊下 – 双管齐下 (Shuāng guǎn qí xià) – To paint holding two brushes
03_129: 司空見慣 – 司空见惯 (Sī kōng jiàn guàn) – The Minister of Works is used to seeing this
03_130: 四海之內皆兄弟 – 四海之内皆兄弟 (Sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōng dì) – Within the four seas all men are brothers
03_131: 四面楚歌 – 四面楚歌 (Sì miàn Chǔ gē) – Surrounded on all sides by the songs of Chu
03_132: 三人成虎 – 三人成虎 (Sān rén chéng hǔ) – Three men talking makes a tiger
03_133: 三折其肱 – 三折其肱 (Sān zhé qí gōng) – One’s arm had been broken three times
03_134: 尸位素餐 – 尸位素餐 (Shī wèi sù cān) – To hold a sinecure
03_135: 上下其手 – 上下其手 (Shàng xià qí shǒu) – To raise and lower one’s hand
03_136: 太公釣魚 – 太公钓鱼 (Tài gōng diào yú) – Grand Duke Jiang fishes
03_137: 天經地義 – 天经地义 (Tiān jīng dì yì) – Heaven’s law and earth’s principle
03_138: 天羅地網 – 天罗地网 (Tiān luó dì wǎng) – Heavenly nets and earthly trawls
03_139: 天涯海角 – 天涯海角 (Tiān yá hǎi jiǎo) – End of the sky, corner of the sea
03_140: 天下無雙 – 天下无双 (Tiān xià wú shuāng) – Second to none
03_141: 天衣無縫 – 天衣无缝 (Tiān yī wú fèng) – Seamless heavenly clothes
03_142: 天真爛漫 – 天真烂漫 (Tiān zhēn làn màn) – Innocent and unaffected
03_143: 同甘共苦 – 同甘共苦 (Tóng gān gòng kǔ) – Shared delights and common hardships
03_144: 鐵杵磨針 – 铁杵磨针 (Tiě chǔ mó zhēn) – Grinding an iron pestle to make an embroidery needle
03_145: 土崩瓦解 – 土崩瓦解 (Tǔ bēng wǎ jiě) – Earth crumbling and tiles breaking
03_146: 退避三舍 – 退避三舍 (Tuì bì sān shè) – To retreat [a distance of] three day’s march
03_147: 完璧歸趙 – 完璧归赵 (Wán bì guī Zhào) – Returning the jade to Zhao
03_148: 萬事俱備，只欠東風 – 万事俱备，只欠东风 (Wànshì jùbèi, zhǐ qiàn dōngfēng) – Everything is ready except for an east wind
03_149: 萬死不辭 – 万死不辞 (Wàn sǐ bù cí) – Ten thousand deaths will not prevent me [from doing so and so]
03_150: 亡羊補牢 – 亡羊補牢 (Wáng yáng bǔ láo) – To mend the pen after the sheep escaped
03_151: 妄自尊大 – 妄自尊大 (Wàng zì zūn dà) – Ridiculous self-importance
03_152: 望梅止渴 – 望梅止渴 (Wàng méi zhǐ kě) – To quench one’s thirst by thinking of plums
03_153: 望洋興嘆 – 望洋兴叹 (Wàng yáng xīng tàn) – To gaze at the ocean and lament one’s inadequacy
03_154: 聞雞起舞 – 闻鸡起舞 (Wén jī qǐ wǔ) – To start practicing at the first crow of the cock
03_155: 臥薪嚐膽 – 卧薪尝胆 (Wò xīn cháng dǎn) – To lie on firewood and taste gall
03_156: 先聲奪人 – 先声夺人 (Xiān shēng duó rén) – To seize at the first sound
03_157: 小心翼翼 – 小心翼翼 (Xiǎo xīn yì yì) – Cautious and solemn
03_158: 興高采烈 – 兴高采烈 (Xìng gāo cǎi liè) – Happy and excited
03_159: 胸有成竹 – 胸有成竹 (Xiōng yǒu chéng zhú) – Having the completed bamboos in one’s mind
03_160: 休戚相關 – 休戚相关 (Xiū qī xiāng guān) – To share the same interests
03_161: 朽木不可雕也 – 朽木不可雕也 (Xiǔ mù bù kě diāo yě) – Rotten wood cannot be carved
03_162: 栩栩如生 – 栩栩如生 (Xǔ xǔ rú shēng) – Vivid and lifelike
03_163: 小時了了 – 小時了了 (Xiǎo shí liǎo liǎo) – Such and such at an early age
03_164: 掩耳盜鈴 – 掩耳盗铃 (Yǎn ěr dào líng) – To cover one’s ears whilst stealing a bell
03_165: 晏子使楚 – 晏子使楚 (Yànzi shǐ chǔ) – Yanzi visits Chu as an envoy
03_166: 有備無患 – 有备无患 (Yǒu bèi wú huàn) – Preparedness averts peril
03_167: 一敗塗地 – 一败涂地 (Yī bài tú dì) – Failed and wiped over the floor
03_168: 一代楷模 – 一代楷模 (Yī dài kǎi mó) – A role model for future generations
03_169: 千鈞一髮 – 千钧一发 (Qiān jūn yī fà) – A thousand pounds hangs by a thread
03_170: 一箭雙雕 – 一箭双雕 (Yī jiàn shuāng diāo) – Killing two hawks (condors) with one arrow
03_171: 一毛不拔 – 一毛不拔 (Yī máo bù bá) – To not pluck even one strand of hair
03_172: 一鳴驚人 – 一鸣惊人 (Yī míng jīng rén) – A cry that astonishes the world
03_173: 一諾千金 – 一诺千金 (Yī nuò qiān jīn) – A promise worth one thousand (pounds) in gold
03_174: 一錢不值 – 一钱不值 (Yī qián bù zhí) – Not worth a penny
03_175: 一竅不通 – 一窍不通 (Yī qiào bù tōng) – Not having even a clear aperture (of one’s head)
03_176: 一丘之貉 – 一丘之貉 (Yī qiū zhī hé) – Jackals of the same tribe
03_177: 一日千里 – 一日千里 (Yī rì qiān lǐ) – One day, a thousand miles
03_178: 一事無成 – 一事无成 (Yī shì wú chéng) – To have achieved nothing
03_179: 一絲不苟 – 一丝不苟 (Yī sī bù gǒu) – Not one thread loose
03_180: 一網打盡 – 一网打尽 (Yī wǎng dǎ jìn) – To catch everything in one net
This was done a while back, but I’m only having time to index this list today (Thanksgiving 2024). Still many words to learn, but I can see myself slowly progressing =)
04_181: 一問三不知 – 一問三不知 (Yī wèn sān bù zhī) – To reply “don’t know” whatever the question
04_182: 一葉障目 – 一叶障目 (Yī yè zhàng mù) – Eyes obscured by a single leaf
04_183: 一衣帶水 – 一衣带水 (Yī yī dài shuǐ) – A belt of water
04_184: 一意孤行 – 一意孤行 (Yī yì gū xíng) – Obstinately clinging to one’s course
04_185: 一字千金 – 一字千金 (Yī zì qiān jīn) – One word worth a thousand in gold
04_186: 一字之師 – 一字之师 (Yī zì zhī shī) – One-character master
04_187: 以卵擊石 – 以卵击石 (Yǐ luǎn jī shí) – To strike a stone with egg
04_188: 以貌取人 – 以貌取人 (Yǐ mào qǔ rén) – To judge sb by appearances
04_189: 以身試法 – 以身试法 (Yǐ shēn shì fǎ) – To personally test the law oneself
04_190: 異軍突起 – 异军突起 (Yì jūn tū qǐ) – To emerge as a new force to be reckoned with
04_191: 有名無實 – 有名无实 (Yǒu míng wú shí) – Having a title in name only
04_192: 有恃無恐 – 有恃无恐 (Yǒu shì wú kǒng) – Secure in the knowledge that one has backing
04_193: 有誌者事竟成 – 有志者事竟成 (Yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng) – A really determined person will find a solution
04_194: 羽毛未豐 – 羽毛未丰 (Yǔ máo wèi fēng) – Feathers Not Yet Fully Grown
04_195: 約法三章 – 约法三章 (Yuē fǎ sān zhāng) – To agree on three laws
04_196: 月下老人 – 月下老人 (Yuè xià lǎo rén) – Old man under the moon
04_197: 鑿壁偷光 – 凿壁偷光 (Záo bì tōu guāng) – To pierce the wall to steal a light
04_198: 之乎者也 – 之乎者也 (Zhī hū zhě yě) – Four common characters of classical Chinese
04_199: 指鹿為馬 – 指鹿为马 (Zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) – making a deer out to be a horse
04_200: 專心致志 – 专心致志 (Zhuān xīn zhì zhì) – With single-hearted devotion