Speaking good Chinese not only requires good pronunciation, but some local slang, new modern words (like Internet slang), and the famous chengyu (成语 chéngyǔ, idioms) You really can make a good impression if, while talking to Chinese person, you use just one. But, they’re kind of messy to sift through on your own. So, we’ve gotten it down to our top 4 usable chengyu. Before too long, you’ll be making your Chinese friends 吃惊 (chījīng – be amazed, surprised).

1. 九牛一毛(jiǔ niú yì máo) Top 10 Commom and Usable Chinese Idioms
九牛一毛 literally means “9 cows and 1 strand of cow hair.” It indicates something that’s so small that it’s like one strand of cow hair among 9 cows. Here’s an example: “电子商务的盈利在中国整体商业环境中简直是九牛一毛。”  “diàn zǐ shāng wù de yíng lì zài zhōng guó zhěng tǐ shāng yè huán jìng zhōng jiǎn zhí shì jiǔ niú yì máo.” “In the entire Chinese commercial environment, the profits from E-commerce are simply just a drop in the bucket.”

2. 说曹操曹操到(shuō cáo cāo cáo cāo dào)

Top 10 Commom and Usable Chinese Idioms
Literally: speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives, figurative: speak of the devil and he shall appear.
The story behind this idiom comes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Han Xiandi (an emperor in the Han dynasty) was attacked by Li Cui and Guo Si. At that time, someone recommended him get help and get out of the woods. Han Xiandi agreed and ordered a person to send a message to Cao Cao. But before Cao Cao could receive the message, he had ordered his understrapper Xia Houdun to come to save Han Xiandi. As a result, Li Cui and Guo Si were destroyed by Cao Cao, who was conferred a higher title because of the victory. Since then, the use of “说曹操,曹操到” has been widespread.

Example: 刚才聊到小美,她就来了,真是说曹操,曹操到。

3. 一见钟情(yí jiàn zhōng qíng)

Top 10 Commom and Usable Chinese Idioms
一见钟情 means “love at first sight.” It’s generally used for people, but you can also use it for other physical objects. Here’s an example: “她就是我的一见钟情” “tā jiù shì wǒ de yí jiàn zhōng qíng” “She is my love at first sight.”

4. 拔苗助长(bá miáo zhù zhǎng)

Top 10 Commom and Usable Chinese Idioms
Spoil things with excessive enthusiasm.
There once was a farmer. He wanted his shoots to grow faster so badly that he decided to help them by pulling them up a little bit. When he came home that day, he told his son and wife about what he’d done. His son got excited and ran over to the field to see, but when he arrived there, all he found were dead plants. So now people say: “pull the shoots up to help them grow” when someone spoils things by getting too excited.

Example: 用这种方法教育下一代无异于拔苗助长。

5. 吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸(Chī bù dào pútáo shuō pú tao suān)
Sour grapes.

This is exactly the same as the English saying and story! Just like Aesop, one day a foz saw a delicious bunch of grapes growing. But, when he tried to reach them, he couldn’t. He jumped and jumped but still couldn’t grab them. Finally, he fox got angry and decided the grapes must be sour. Then he left.

Example: 他说自己反正不想娶她,那不过是吃不到葡萄反而说葡萄酸罢了。

6. 抛砖引玉(pāo zhuān yǐn yù)
抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) basically means you’re “just tossing an idea out there.” It literally means “to cast a brick to attract jade.” You’re basically saying, “this idea I’m tossing out there is garbage, but perhaps it will lead one of you to make a better contribution.” It’s a humble way to contribute to a conversation. Here’s an example: “我的建议还不够成熟,算是抛砖引玉吧” “wǒ de jiàn yì hái bú gòu chéng shú, suàn shì pāo zhuān yǐn yù ba ” “My suggestion is still half-baked – you could see it as just me tossing an idea out there”

7. 津津有味(jīn jīn yǒu wèi)

Top 10 Commom and Usable Chinese Idioms
津津有味 means to eat something deliciously. Also, it can be used for activities beyond just eating, as long as the person doing the activity finds it engaging. It’s not something that people typically use to describe themselves, but you can liberally use it on your friends as it has a positive tone. Here’s an expressive example: “津津有味地看报” “jīnjīnyǒuwèi de kànbào” “to devour the newspaper”.

8. 画蛇添足(huà shé tiān zú)

Top 10 Commom and Usable Chinese Idioms
To spoil something by overdoing it; ruin the effect by adding something superfluous.

In the country of Chu during the Warring States Period, a man gave his servants a jar of wine after a ceremony. They didn’t think there was enough wine, so the servants decided to have a competition to see who would get to drink it all.

Whoever drew a snake the fastest would win the whole jar of wine. One of the servants was finished before anyone else, but he saw everyone else still working and he wanted to draw a beautiful snake too, but he also added feet to show off his drawing skills. Just then, another servant finished drawing his snake and snatched the jar. He began drinking and said, “How can a snake have feet? I win and you lose.”

Example: 当有人过分做事有破坏一个东西的危险的时候,中国人就会说”画蛇添足”了。

9. 全力以赴(quán lì yǐ fù)

Top 10 Commom and Usable Chinese Idioms
全力以赴 basically means to give it your all (literally “exert all your strength”) for a goal. It has a positive tone, and is somewhat formal but can still be used in everyday speech. It’s important to note that 全力以赴 is typically used for actions that haven’t finished yet, rather than actions that have already been completed. Here’s an example: “无论考生的笔试成绩如何,都要全力以赴准备面试” “wúlùn kǎoshēng de bǐshì chéngjì rúhé ,dōuyào quánlìyǐfù zhǔnbèi miànshì” “No matter how the student’s written test score is, he/she needs to give 100% to prepare for the interview”

10. 乱七八糟(luàn qī bā zāo)

乱七八糟 means that something is a total mess. You can use it to describe tangible things like messy rooms, or more abstract things, like a messed up life. For example: 是谁弄得乱七八糟的?  “shì shéi nòng de luàn qī bā zāo de?” “who made this mess?”

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