一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草绳 Once bitten, twice shy.

一言既出，驷马难追 A word spoken is past recalling.

一见钟情 to fall in love at first sight

一箭双雕/一举两得 Kill two birds with one stone.

一寸光阴一寸金 Time is money.

一失足成千古恨 The error committed on impulse may turn out to be the sorrow of a whole life.

一将功名万古枯 What millions died that Caesar might be great.

一年之计在於春，一日之计在於晨 Plan your year in spring and your day at dawn.

一人难称百人意 You cannot please everyone.

一气呵成 Never make two bites of a cherry.

一白遮三丑 A white complexion is powerful enough to hide seven faults.

一知半解 A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

一心一意 John is a person who always works with undivided attention.

一丘之貉 These people are cut from the same cloth./are tarred with the same brush.

一目了然 His words just leapt to the eye. Do you need me to explain it?

一帆风顺 His business has gone off without a hitch.

一刻千金 You have to make good use of time. After all, every time counts.

一事无成 I am happy to know that all have ended in smoke about him.

一败涂地 The outcome of the election just bit the dust.

一针见血 His comment on the current affairs always hits the right nail on the head.

一清二楚 The accounts don t seem to be as clear as crystal.

一意孤行 That boy is always going her own way. He won t listen to his parents advice.

一落千丈 My son s schoolwork has gone to pot. He really lets me down.

一鸣惊人 His performance at school really comes as a bombshell.

一诺千金 He never goes back on his word. He is as good as his word.

一时兴起 Don t always do things by fits and snatches.

一蹴可及 You should know that it is impossible to make it at one stroke.

一筹莫展 I really have no idea what to do. Now I am at my wit s end.

一览无遗 If you stand here looking down at the city. The wonderful scene will be in full view.

一窍不通 What you said is all Greek to me.

2划

九死一生 to have a hair-breadth escape

九牛一毛 Compared with mine, his was simply a drop in the bucket.

人生如梦 Life is but a dream.

人生自古谁无死 Death comes to all men.

人生百岁古来稀 It is seldom that a man lives to be a hundred years old.

人定胜天 Man can conquer nature.

人不可貌相 Appearances are often deceptive./ Never judge a look by its cover.

人生而平等 All men are created equal.

人山人海 How many people are there in the stadium? Believe it or not, a sea of faces

人之常情 It s hamun nature for me to help those who need help.

人云亦云 Don t echo others words. Sometimes you ve got to find out the truth.

人去楼空 Regretful to say, when the master was absent, his mansion was dead.

人面兽心 He is cruel enought to kill that girl; he s really a wolf in sheep s clothing.

人言可畏 Always remember what I say to you. Opinion rules the world. (Fling dirt enought and some will stick.)

十年风水轮流转 Every dog has its day.

十全十美 The show just leaves nothing to be desired.

十拿九稳 We have winning the game in the bag.

十万火急 I am writing in hot haste to let you know that I will be there on time.

了无瓜葛 That politician claimed that he had nothing to do with that scandal.

力不从心 A:Can you do me a favor? B:Sorry, my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.

力挽狂澜 He tried to stem the tide, but in vain.

入境随俗 Do in Rome as the Romans do.

入木三分 It actually gave a vivid picture of cut the quick. (leave an indelible impression)

七上八下 Don t talk to me now because I am greatly upse now. (with one s heart going pitapat)

七窍生烟 He was in a great fury (fuming with anger; ina great rage; terribly furious) and swore to get even with the opposite(跟对方报復).

七零八落 After the quake, the buildings went to rock and ruin.

八面玲珑 In fact, she dances and sings all weathers. (her mill goes with all winds.)

3划

三思而后行 Look before you leap.

三句不离本行 to talk shop

三个臭皮匠胜过一个诸葛亮 Two heads are better than one.

三番两次 This guy is at me(找我碴) time after time.(time and again; time and time again.)

三缄其口 You d better hold your peace, or you ll ask for trouble.

千钧一发 to hang by a hair thread

大智若愚 He who canot play the fool is not a wise man.

大器晚成 Rome was not built in a day.

大海捞针 Finding your lost contact lens is just like looking for a needle in a haystack.

山穷水尽 at the end of one s resources

山中无老虎，猴子称大王 Among the blind the one-eyed is king./When the cat s away, the mice will pay.

小题大做 Make a mountain out of a molehill.

小洞不补，大来吃苦 A stitch in time saves nine.

小不忍则乱大谋 Patience is a virtue.

工欲善其事，必先利其器 You cannot make bricks without straw.

不要厚此薄彼 Don t make fish of one and flesh of another.

不畏艰难 Take the bull by the horns.

不要不自量力 Don t put a quarter into a pint pot.

己所不欲勿施於人 Do unto others as you would be done.

仁者无敌 The benevolent have no enemy.

工欲善其事必先利器 You cannot make bricks without straw.

亡羊补牢 Better late than never./ It s never too late to mend.

上气不接下气 I got out of breath when I climbed those stairs.

4划

不告而别 to take French leave

不要不自量力 Don t put a quarter into a pint pot.

不要厚此薄彼 Don t make fish of one and flesh of another.

不畏艰难 Take the bull by the horns.

不战而屈人之兵 The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

不入虎穴焉得虎子 How can one obtain tiger-cubs without entering the tiger s lair.

不经一事，不长一智 Experience is the mother of wisdom.

不舍画夜(24小时) Some convenience stores offer around the clock service.

不胜其烦 Your little brother is a pain in the neck.

少年老成 to have an old head on young shoulders

少不更事 Although she is 20, she was still wet behind the ears in some ways.

天无绝人之路 God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.

天下乌鸦一般黑 Crows are black all over the world.

天无绝人之路 God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb./ When one door shuts another opens.

天助自助者 Heaven helps those who help themselves.

天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福 It is the unexpected that always happens.

毛遂自荐 to recommend one s own person

心正不怕雷打 A good conscience is a soft pillow.

心满意足 The little boy sat there smiling, as happy as a clam.

化干戈为玉帛 Bury the tomahwak(hatchet).

仁者无敌 The benevolent have no enemy.

今日事今日毕 Never put off till tomorrow what may be done today.

文胜於武 The pen is mightier than the sword.

5划

以身作则 to practice what one practices

以毒攻毒 to set a thief to catch a thief

以怨报德 to bite the hand that feeds one

以逸待劳 To wait at ease till the enemy is exhausted.

以寡敌众 to fight against longer odds

以德报怨 to render good for evil

以其人之道还治其人之身 Set a thief to catch a thief.

以子之矛，攻子之盾 to turn a person s battery against himself

四大皆空 All is vanity.

四海之内皆兄弟 All are brothers within the four seas.

未雨绸繆 Keep some extra money for a fainy day.

目不识丁 not know A from B

失败为成功之母 Failure is the mother of success.

失之毫厘，差之千里 A miss is as good as a mile.

只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针 Little strokes fell great oaks.

毛遂自荐 to recommend one s own person

打落水狗 to hit a person when he s down

打铁趁热 Strike while the iron is hot.

犯错是人之常情，宽恕是超凡的 To err is human; to forgive divine.

只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针 Little strokes fell great oaks.

白费唇舌 to waste your breath on him

生於忧患，死於安乐 Adversity spurs vitality, while comfort breeds sloth .

6划

任劳任怨 to bear hardship without complaint

自作自受 As you make your bed so you must lie on it.

自讨苦吃 to make a rod for one s own back

自力更生 to shift for oneself

自扫门前雪 After us the deluge.

回头浪子 the return of a prodigal

先下手为强 Offence is the best defence.

同甘共苦 to share one s joys and sorrows

因地制宜 act according to circumstances

有勇无谋 more brave than wise

有备无患 Good watch prevents misfortune.

有志者事竟成 Where there is a will, there is a way.

有钱能使鬼推磨 Money makes the world go around. /Money talks.

有其父必有其子 Like father, like son.

江山易改本性难移 The child is father of the man.

江山易改本性难移 A leopard cannot change it s spots.

百无一失 Not a single miss in a hundred times.

百依百顺 She expects us to jump through hoops for her.

百闻不如一见 To see is to believe. (Seeing is believing.)

吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 If you wish to be the best man, you must be prepared to suffer the bitterest of the bitter.

每人一生中皆有得意之日 Every dog has his day.

色是假，美是空 Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty.

吉人自有天相 The good are protected by Heaven. / All s wel that ends well.

如愿以偿 The mayor finally got his way with the city council.

如人饮水冷暖自知 Only the wearer knows where the shoes pain.

吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 No gain without pain.

早起的鸟儿有虫吃 The early bird catches the worm.

7划

弄巧成拙 Overreach oneself; overshoot oneself; overshoot the mark

忍无可忍 to be at the end of one s patience

忍一时之气免百日之忧 patience for a moment; comfort for many years

忘恩负义 to kick down the ladder

走马看花 a flying visit

防患於未然 to nip a thing in the bud

佛要金装，人要衣装 Fine feathers make fine birds.

兵精不必多 Too many cooks spoil the broth.

身在福中不知福 The worth of a thing is best known by the want of it.

你敬我一尺，我回你一丈 You scratch my back, and I will sratch yours.

别狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心 Don t bite the hand that feeds you.

志在千里 Hitch your wagon to a star.

初出茅庐/一窍不通 He was a babe in the woods (/ a total green horn) regarding politics.

否极泰来 After a storm comes a calm.

8划

奇装异服 a fantastic garb

忠言逆耳 Honest advice is unpleasant to the ear

明辨是非 to distinguish right from wrong

知足常乐 Happy is he who is content

知足者富 He who feels contented is rich

知人知面不知心 It s easy to know men s faces, but not their hearts.

知己知彼百战百胜 Know your enemy and know yourself.

空中楼阁 castles in the air

金科玉律 the gold rule

奇装异服 a fantastic garb

明辨事非 to distinguish right fromwrong

雨后春笋 like bamboo shoots after a spring shower

雨过天青 After a storm comes a calm.

秀才不出门能知天下事 A scholor does not step outside his gate, yet he knows the happenings under the sun.

事实胜於雄辩 Facts are most convincing.

来得容易去得快 Easy come, easy go.

金玉其外败絮其中 All that glitters is not gold.

兔子不吃窝边草 The fox preys farthest from his hole.

若要人不知除非己莫为 If you would not be known to do anything, never do it.

没有笑脸不出门 A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.

虎父无虎子 Like father, like son.

往者不可谏，来者犹可追 A mill cannot grind with the water that is past.

见异思迁 Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

物竞天择 "Survival of the fittest," describes the runners finishing the marathon races.

物以类聚 Birds of a feather flock together.

夜以继日 The nurse was with the patient day and night.

英雄所见略同 Great minds think alike.

於事无补 Complaining is of little(no) avail. It is better for you to take action now.

9划

姻缘天注定 Marriages are made in heaven.

逆来顺受 to make the best of a bad bargain

流芳百世 a niche in the temple of fame

为虎作倀 to act as guide to a tiger

孤注一掷 to put all one s egg in one basket

勇者不惧 A brave man will not shrink from dangers.

洗心革面 to turn over a new leaf

美中不足 a fly in the ointment

背道而驰 to run counter

走汤蹈火 to go through fire and water

风烛残年 to have one foot in the grave

风声鹤唳，草木皆兵 to apprehend danger in every sound

活到老学到老 It s never too late to learn./ Live and learn.

前事不忘后事之师 Remember the past and it will guide your future.

星星之火可以燎原 A single spark can start a prairie fire.

待人宽容如待己 Live and let live.

按部就班 Learn to walk before you run.

南辕北辙 The salesmen were working at cross purposes with their supervisor.

10划

病从口入祸从口出 Illness comes in by mouth and comes out by it.

笑里藏刀 a smile to hide one s hate

留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 Where there s life there s hope

海底捞月 to fish in the air

海底捞针 to look for a needle in a bundle of hay

差之毫厘失之千里 A miss is as good as a mile

既往不咎 Let the dead bury their dead.

杀身成仁 to sacrifice one s life to preserve one s virtue complete

杀鸡焉用牛刀 Take not a musket to kill a butterfly

饥不择食 A good appetite is a good sauce.

害群之马 black sheep

家丑不可外扬 Don t wash your dirty linen in public.

恩威并济 alternate weakness with severity

旁观者清 The outside sees the best of the game.

时运不济 to have a bad time

殊途同归 All roads lead to Rome.

众志成城/团结就是力量 Union is strenth.

疾风知劲草 Adversity reveals genius.

旁观者清，当局者迷 Lookers-on see most of the game.

莫在太岁头上动土 Let sleeping dogs lie.

11划

得意忘形 to leap out of one s skin

捷足先登 The early bird catches the worm.

欲速则不达 Haste makes waste

欲速则不达 More haste, less speed.

欲加之罪，何患无辞 Give a dog a bad/an ill name and hang him.

混水摸鱼 to fish in troubled waters

贪小失大 penny-wise and poundfoolish

习惯成自然 once a use forever a custom

掛羊头卖狗肉 cry up wine and sell vinegar

贫无立锥之地 as poor as a church mouse

雪中送炭真君子/患难见真情 A friend in need is a friend indeed.

异想天开 to give loose to one s fancy

集思广义 Two heads are better than one.

得过且过 to live from hand to mouth

情人眼里出西施 Love is blind.

情有独钟 All the girls liked Kevin, but he had eyes only for Mary.

冤家宜解不宜结 Better remove enmity than contract it.

眼不见为净 Out of sight, out of mind.

脱口而出 A slip of the tongue can sometimes land you in trouble.

设身处地 Sometimes you have to learn to be in my shoes.

12划

智者千虑，必有一失 Homer sometimes nods.

胜不骄败不馁 to be not elated by success nor disturbed by failure

富贵在天 Riches and honors come from heaven.

智者不惑 A wise man is free from perplexities.

无风不起浪 There is no smoke without fire. (Where there is smoke, there is fire.)

画蛇添足 to paint the lily

趁火打劫 to fish in troubled waters

量入为出 to cut one s coat according to one s cloth/ make both ends meet

阳奉阴违 ostensible obedience

跑了和尚跑不了庙 The monk may run away, but the temple can t run with him.

万物之灵 the lords of creation

万事开头难 Everything is difficult at the start

万无一失 not a single miss in a thousand times.

落井下石 to hit a person when he s down

隔墙有耳 Pitchers have ears; walls have ears.

开夜车/挑灯夜战 Burn the midnight oil.

开诚佈公 He always opens his heart to his spouse when he has a problem.

盗亦有道 Dog does not eat dog.

善有善报 One kindness is the price of another.

13划

损人利己 to enrich oneself at others expense

置之死地而后生 Put the troops in death ground and they will live.

道高一尺魔高一丈 While the priest climbs a foot, the devil climbs ten.

预防胜於治疗 Prevention is better than cure.

新官上任三把火 New brooms sweep clean.

塞翁失马焉知非福 Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise.

路遥知马力日久见人心 A distant journey tests the strength of a horse and a long task proves the character of a man.

沧海一栗 a drop in the bucket

盖棺论定 Judge none blessed before his death.

岁月不饶人 Time and tide wait for no man.

经验即良师 Experience is the teacher.

微不足道 The police crackdown on speeding is just a drop in the ocean in solving Taiwan s traffic problems.

勤能补拙 Diligence can make up for lack of intelligence.

14划

寿终正寝 to die a natural death (to die in one s bed)

寡不击众 There is no contending against odds.

对牛弹琴 to cast pearls before swine

祸不单行 Misfortunes never come single.

饱食终日无所事事 to eat the bread of idleness

慷他人之慨 to be free with other s money

远亲不如近邻 Distant kinsmen mean less than close neighbors. / A near neighbor is better than a distant cousin.

种瓜得瓜种豆得豆 You must reap what you have sown. / As you sow, so shall you reap.

乐极生悲 After joy comes sadness.

说曹操到曹操就到 Talk of the devil and the devil comes.

团结就是力量 Union is strength.

需要为发明之母 Necessity is the mother of invention.

满招损，谦受益 Haughtiness invites ruin; humility receives benefits.

15划

恶有恶报 He that does evil shall find evil.

恶事传千里 Bad news travels quickly.

熟能生巧 Practice makes perfect.

缓兵之计 a fabian policy

缘木求鱼 to get water from a flint

适者生存 the survival of the fittest

穷寇莫追 A cornered animal is a dangerous foe.

16划

积少成多 Every little makes a mickle.

积少成多 Every little helps.

钱可通神 Money can move even the gods.

谋事在人成事在天 Man proposes and God disposes.

学问无捷径 There is no royal road/shortcut to learning.

机不可失 Opportunity seldo knocks twice.

17划

优胜劣败 The weakest goes to the wall.

声东击西 to look one way and row another

脍炙人口 in everyone s mouth

螳臂挡车 to kick against the pricks

鞠躬尽瘁 to give the last measure of devotion

聪明反被聪明误 to suffer for one s wisdom

旧调重谈 to harp on the same string

礼尚往来 Courtesy on one side cannot last long.

礼多必诈 full of courtesy, full of craft

声嘶力竭 He was talking at the top of his voice.

18划

覆水难收 What s done cannot be undone./There is no use crying over spilt milk.

转石不生苔 A rolling stone gathers no moss.

转败为胜 to convert defeat into victory

鞭长莫及 beyond one s grasp

关公门前耍大刀 There s no need to teach a fish to swim.

20划

严以责己宽以待人 to be severe with oneself and lenient with others

21划

铁石心肠 a heart of steel

22划

听天由命 to be guided by destiny

骄者必败 Pride goes before a fall.