Category: Chinese Allegories

yă ba chī jiăo zi – xīn lĭ yŏu shù
哑巴吃饺子 – 心里有数
A dumb person eats dumplings. – (literally) He knows the number in his mind, although he cannot say it. Figuratively, it means somebody has a clear idea of the situation.

sān ge chòu pí jiang – dĭng ge zhū gĕ liàng
三个臭皮匠 – 顶个诸葛亮
Three cobblers with their wits combined equal the mastermind Zhuge Liang – Collective wisdom often proves superior; two heads are better than one.

tuó zi diē gēn tou – liăng tóu bù zhuó (luò) shí
驼子跌跟头 – 两头不着（落）实
Like a hunchback falling down with neither the head nor the feet touching the ground – fall between two stools

ǎi zi pá lóu tī – bù bù dēng gāo
矮子爬楼梯 – 步步登高
A dwarf climbing a ladder – becoming higher with each step

dà gū niang zuò huā jiào – tóu yī huí
大姑娘坐花轿 – 头一回
A girl sitting in a bridal sedan chair – the very first time (Traditionally, a bride was carried in a special sedan chair to the groom’s home, which was a first-time experience for every girl.)

jià chu qu de nǚ ér pō chu qu de shuĭ – shōu bù huí lái
嫁出去的女儿，泼出去的水 – 收不回来
A married daughter is like spilt water. – A married daughter is no longer a member of the family. Figuratively, it means something cannot be taken back.

bān mén nòng fŭ – zì bù liàng lì
班门弄斧 – 自不量力
Wield the axe before Lu Ban (the ancient master carpenter); display one’s learning or parade one’s skill in the presence of an expert – overestimate oneself or one’s strength; overrate oneself

kŏng fū zǐ jiāo sān zì jīng – mái mò rén cái
孔夫子教《三字经》 – 埋没人才
Confucius teaches  Three Character Classic  or  Three Character Primer. (The  Three Character Classic  refers to a three character textbook for beginners, which is said to be compiled by Wang Yinglin (王应麟) of the southern Song Dynasty.) – stifle real talents

lú gōu qiáo de shí shī zi – shǔ bù qīng
卢沟桥的石狮子 – 数不清
There are numerous stone lions on Lugou Bridge. (Lugou Bridge, also known as Macro Polo Bridge, was first built in 1187 to the southwest of today’s Beijing.) – a large amount