Chinese Common Phrases Dictionary

Author: Editor-in-Chief: Wen Duanzheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-11-01
Features:
Fragment: Shoulder-to-shoulder (also written as "shoulder-to-shoulder")
Meaning: Close to each other. Rub against each other. Describes a crowded scene where shoulders rub against one another. From The Stories of Qingping Mountain Hall: "That day, people from all over the city knew, men and women—shoulder-to-shoulder, countless, all gathered to watch."
"Being near gold, one becomes like gold; being near jade, one becomes like jade" (Proverb)
Meaning: A good environment can make a person's behavior better. From The Heroic Deeds of the Son and Daughter: "As the saying goes: 'Being near gold, one becomes like gold; being near jade, one becomes like jade.' Now, the wife of the newlyweds' talk has greatly changed from before. Once she became part of the official family, good fortune came to her, and she accidentally spoke in an official manner, hitting the right notes."
Sighing in sorrow (idiom)
Meaning: To sigh due to distress and sorrow. From Wu Han's Biography of Zhu Yuanzhang: "The elderly in the local area were all frowning and sighing, saying they had lived for so many years and had never seen such a year, this life was unbearable."
Getting a hidden blow (colloquial)
Also written as "getting a hidden punch." Means to be secretly struck and left clueless. From He Yue's After the Battle of the Three Armies: "Red Dad, it was as if he had been struck by countless blows from the sky, his eyes darkened, his ears became deaf, and his hands and feet were numb."
Getting beaten and snoring—pretending not to know (joke)
Snoring: Snoring. Refers to being clearly struck or knowing something but pretending not to. From Wang Shuo's Half a Flame, Half a Sea: "Getting beaten and snoring—pretending not to know. You say you don't care, you don't care now, but what about in the future?"
Difficulty standing out under a low eaves (proverb)
Meaning: Being restricted by others, making it hard to rise above one's circumstances. From Tian Han's Lin Chong: "Brother, as the saying goes: 'Fear the official more than the ruler,' difficulty standing out under a low eaves. Teeth clenched, fists softened, he had to let him go for now."
A dwarf watching a play—seeing others praise, he praises too (joke)
Also written as "A dwarf watching a play—following others." A dwarf in the crowd can't see the stage clearly and just echoes others. Means to agree without independent thought. From The Discourses of Zhu Xi: "Those who know someone's poetry is good or bad, simply follow what others have said before and echo it, like a dwarf watching a play—seeing others praise, he praises too."
Picking a general from dwarfs (colloquial)
Also written as "picking a general from a dwarf team." Means to select someone outstanding from an average or inferior group. From The Little Five Righteousness: "As the saying goes: 'Picking a general from dwarfs.' Even if his abilities are limited, when fighting against the thugs, his skills are far superior to theirs."
A dwarf climbing stairs—rising step by step (joke)
Means a person's status, abilities, or living standards are continuously improving. From Ye Yonglie's The Case of the National Treasure: "Lin Ping said to Ma Dan, 'Not bad, not bad, much progress since going abroad!' Xiao Bao said, 'Dad's flattering Mom! Mom is a dwarf climbing stairs—rising step by step!'"
Loving something so much you can't let go (idiom)
Also written as "loving something so much you can't part with it." Means being extremely fond of something and unwilling to let it go. From The Heroic Deeds of the Son and Daughter: "He saw it and knew he couldn't let it go, without adding any annotations, he just pasted a note."
Loving money as if it were life (idiom)
Also written as "loving money as if it were life." Means loving money as much as one loves their own life. Describes someone who is extremely stingy and petty. From The Heroic Women of Eastern Europe: "I think in recent times, no matter how heroic or brave, they all love money as if it were life. How can one who is in court avoid dealing with those corrupt officials? Money is essential."
Loving someone means knowing their faults; hating someone means knowing their strengths (principle)
Means knowing a person's flaws when you love them and knowing their strengths when you hate them. Refers to not letting emotions limit one's objective view of others. From The Rites of Zhou: "Respect the wise, be close to them, fear them, and love them. Loving someone means knowing their faults; hating someone means knowing their strengths."
A crying child gets more milk (same as "a noisy child gets more milk")
Loving the people as one's own children (idiom)
Means caring for the people as parents care for their children. An old praise for emperors and officials. From The Complete Story of Yue Fei: "This county magistrate has served for nine years here, ruling with integrity, truly 'wearing two sleeves of wind, loving the people as one's own children.'"
Unable to help despite loving (idiom)
"" means "not." From The Book of Songs: "I planned it, but only Zhong Shanfu could carry it out. Loving but unable to help." Although one feels sympathy and appreciation, they cannot help due to limitations in resources or conditions. From Lu Xun's Dragon Boat Festival: "Since the government office couldn't give a salary, and the school didn't pay wages, it was truly 'loving but unable to help,' and he was sent away empty-handed."
Rewarding the loved one without bias, punishing the hated one without bias (principle)
Means rewarding someone you love without favoritism, and punishing someone you hate without bias. Refers to fair rewards and punishments without personal feelings. From The Governance of the State: "Rewarding the loved one without bias, punishing the hated one without bias. Setting standards and methods, judging with measures, this is the way of the superior ruler."
Respecting the loved one without flattery, hating the one without harm (principle)
Means respecting someone without fawning over them, and hating someone without plotting harm against them. Refers to maintaining integrity in both love and hate. From The Book of Shang: "Respecting the loved one without flattery, hating the one without harm. Each should follow the proper way, this is the ultimate principle of governance."