常用成语典故集锦 英汉对照PDF电子书下载

安步当车　Stroll over instead of riding in a carriage 1

安然无恙　Safe and sound 4

哀兵必胜　An army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win 5

拔苗助长　Plucking up a crop to help it grow 6

白云苍狗　White clouds change into gray dogs 8

百废俱兴　All neglected tasks are being undertaken 9

百闻不如一见　Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times 11

班门弄斧 Show off one's proficiency with axe before Lu Ban 13

半途而废 Give up halfway 15

抱薪救火　Carry faggots to put out a fire 16

别开生面　Create a new form 18

不痴不聋，不做家翁　It's difficult to be the head of a family unless you appear to be stupid and deaf 20

不寒而栗　Shiver all over though not cold 22

不合时宜　Be incompatible with present needs 23

不教而诛　Punish without prior warning 25

不拘一格 Not stick to one pattern 27

不平则鸣 Injustice provokes outcry 29

不入虎穴，焉得虎子 You can't catch the tiger's cub unless you enter its lair 31

不为五斗米折腰 Don't bend for five dou of grain 33

不远千里而来 Come though it is a thousand miles away 35

布衣之交 Friends in days of simple life 37

兵贵神速 Speed is precious in war 39

兵无常势 There are no constant conditions in warfare 41

沧海一粟 A drop in the ocean 42

草木皆兵 Every bush and tree looks like an enemy 44

车水马龙 An incessant stream of horses and carriages 45

成也萧何 败也萧何 The success or failure of the affair is all due to Xiao He 47

尺短寸长 Sometimes a foot may prove short while an inch may prove long 49

冲锋陷阵 Charge and shatter enemy positions 51

出尔反尔 Promise and then deny in succession 54

出其不意 Appear where you are not expected 56

出人头地 Rise head and shoulders above others 57

出奇制胜 Defeat the opponent by a surprise move 59

出淤泥而不染 Grow up from the filthy mud without being polluted 60

春蚕到死丝方尽 The spring silkworm exhausts its silk till death 62

春城无处不飞花 Flowers come out everywhere in the spring city 63

打草惊蛇 Beat the grass and frighten away the snake 65

大腹便便 Big-bellied 67

大旱之望云霓 Long for a rain cloud during a drought 68

道听途说 Spread what is heard on the road 70

得过且过 Get by however one can 72

得心应手 The Hands Respond to the Heart 74

地利人和 Favourable geographical position and support of the people 76

点金成铁 Touch a gold and turn it into iron 78

东施效颦 Ugly woman trying to imitate a famous beauty knitting her brows 80

东食西宿 Eating at the western,while sleep at the eastern 82

对牛弹琴 Play the lute to a cow 83

对症下药　Suit the medicine to the illness 84

尔虞我诈　Each trying to cheat or outwit the other 86

发愤图强　Make a determined effort for the prosperity of the country 88

翻手为云 覆手为雨　The cloud changes into rain when the hand is turned over 90

返老还童　Recover one's youthful vigor 91

焚书坑儒 Burning books and burying alive Confucian scholars 93

风声鹤唳　Be scared at the whistling of winds and crying of 95

cranes 95

奉公如（守）法　Devoted to public and obey the law 98

负荆请罪　Carry a rod on one's back and ask for punishment 100

负隅顽抗　Fighting with one's back against a corner 102

覆水难收　Spilt water can't be gathered up 104

改过自新 Turn over a new leaf 106

高枕无忧 Shake up the pillow and have a good sleep without anxiety 108

各自为政 Each administers in his own way 110

功亏一篑 Fail to build a mound for want of one final basket of earth 112

姑息养奸　To tolerate evil is to encourage evildoers 114

瓜田李下　In a melon patch or under a plum tree 116

挂羊头，卖狗肉　Hang up a sheep's head and sell dog meat 118

海内存知己 天涯若比邻　We are good friends though we are far away from each other 119

韩信将兵　多多益善　The more the better,Han Xin said about the number of troops he could command 121

好好先生 Good and good gentleman 122

好逸恶劳 Love leisure and hate labor 124

河东狮子吼 In the east of the river the lion is gnarling 126

侯门似海 The gate of a noble house is like the sea 127

后来居上 Later comers become the first 129

后起之秀 An upcoming youngster 131

囫囵吞枣 Swallow a date whole 133

狐假虎威 The fox assuming the majesty of the tiger 134

虎口余生 Escape from the tiger's mouth 136

花言巧语 Flowery words and cunning statements 137

华而不实 Blossom but bear no fruit 139

画龙点睛 Bring the painted dragon to life by putting in the pupils of its eyes 140

画蛇添足 Gilding the lily 142

讳疾忌医 Hide one's sickness for fear of treatment 144

鸡鸣狗盗 Ability to crow like a cock and snatch like a dog 146

家喻户晓 Known to every household 149

兼听则明，偏信则暗 Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened,heed only one side and you will bebenighted 151

箭在弦上，不得不发 An arrow fitted on the bow-string can't avoid being discharged 152

竭泽而渔 Drain the pond to catch all the fish 154

金戈铁马 Golden dagger-axe and armoured horses 156

惊弓之鸟 A bird that starts at the twang of a bowstring 158

井底之蛙 A frog in a well 160

鞠躬尽瘁，死而后已 Bend one's back to the task until one's dying day 161

橘生淮南则为橘，橘生淮北则为枳 An orange tree planted in the south of Huai River produces oranges,but if it gets transplanted to the north of Huai River,it produces trifoliate oranges only 162

拒人于千里之外 Keep people at a distance of 1000 li 165

决一雌雄 Fight to see who is the stronger 166

开卷有益 Reading is always profitable 168

开诚布公 Speak frankly and sincerely 169

刻舟求剑 Nick the boat to seek the sword 171

脍炙人口 Win universal praise 172

滥竽充数 Pass oneself off as one of the players in an ensemble 174

狼狈为奸 Work in collusion with somebody for some evil purpose 175

劳思逸淫 Thinking follows labor while lewdness follows comfort 176

老生常谈 A commonplace talk of an old scholar 178

厉兵秣马 Feed the horses and sharpen the weapons 180

乐不思蜀 Have much enjoyment and forget to go back home to Kingdom Shu 182

梨园子弟 Old students of pear garden 183

连理枝 Trees whose branches interlock or join together 185

梁上君子 A gentleman on the beam 186

量体裁衣 Cut the dress according to one's figure 188

临渴掘井 Not dig a well until one is thirsty 190

临危（难）不惧 Be brave in a dangerous situation 192

令行禁止 Every order is executed without fail 193

流芳百世 Leave a good name for a hundred generations 195

流水落花春去也 The spring passed with flowing water and fallen flowers 197

马革裹尸 Die on the battlefield 199

买椟还珠 Keeping the glittering caskets and give back the pearls 201

门可罗雀 Birds can be caught by a net at the door 203

门庭若市 The courtyard is like a fair market 204

孟母三迁 Mencius' mother had moved her house for three times 207

民不聊生 The people are destitute 208

民以食为天 Food is the first necessity of the people 210

名不副实 Be more in name than in reality 212

名列前茅 Come out in front 214

名落孙山 Fall behind Sun Shan 216

名正言顺 Be perfectly justifiable 218

模棱两可 Equivocal 220

南辕北辙 Try to go south by driving the chariot northward 221

鸟尽弓藏 The bows and arrows are put away when there are no birds to shoot 223

呕心沥血 Work with might and main 225

匹夫之勇 Reckless Courage 228

平易近人 Amiable and easy of approach 230

萍水相逢 Strangers meet by chance 232

破镜重圆 A broken mirror joined together 234

剖腹藏珠 Cut one's belly to hide a pearl 236

扑朔迷离 Bewildering and confusing 237

七步之才 A talent who can write a poem in seven steps 239

奇货可居 A rare commodity worth hoarding to corner the market 240

杞人忧天 A man of Qi who was haunted by the fear that the sky might fall 242

起死回生 Make the dead come back to life and health 244

千里送鹅毛 A goose feather sent from a thousand li away 246

千虑一得 Even a fool may sometimes have a good idea 247

前度刘郎 The young master Liu of those days 249

钱可通神 Money can move the gods 252

黔驴技穷 The Guizhou Donkey Has Exhausted Its Tricks 253

巧夺天工 Wonderful workmanship surpassing nature 255

锲而不舍 Work with perseverance 256

亲者痛 仇者快 Sadden one's friends and gladden one's enemies 258

清风两袖 Remain uncorrupted 259

请君莫奏前朝曲 Please don'tsing the song of the late dynasty 262

请君入瓮 Please step into the jar 263

穷则思变 Poverty gives rise to a desire for change 265

曲高和寡　Elegant songs find few singers 266

曲突徙薪　Bend the chimneyand remove the fuel to prevent a possible fire 268

人面桃花　The girl's face and the peach flowers 270

人鼠之叹　Sigh about people and mice 271

日薄西山　The sun is setting beyond the western hills 273

如嚼鸡肋　As if chewing chicken ribs 275

孺子牛　Willing ox 277

塞翁失马　The old frontiersman lost his horse 279

三顾茅庐　Make three calls at the thatched cottage 281

三令五申　Have order repeated time and again 283

三十六计（策），走为上计（策）Of the thirty-six stratagems,the best is to get away 284

三思而行　Think thrice before acting 287

杀一儆百　Execute one man as a warning to a hundred 289

伤风败俗　Corrupt public morals 291

上行下效　The inferiors imitate the superiors 293

身价十倍　The selling price had suddenly shot up tenfold 295

身先士卒　Charging in the front of armies 297

神机妙算　Clever strategy and shrewd tactics 298

生于忧患，死于安乐 Thrive in calamity and perish in soft living 300

师出无名 Dispatch troops without just cause 302

十年树木，百年树人 It takes ten years to growtrees but a hundred years to rear people 304

食言而肥 Go back on one's word 305

丹心史策 A loyal heart in history 307

守株待兔 Stand by a stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it 309

熟能生巧 Skill comes from practice 310

树倒猢狲散 Once the tree falls,the monkeys on it will scatter 312

水滴石穿 Dripping water wears through rock 314

水清无鱼　When the water is too clean,there is no fish 315

司空见惯 A common sight to the official surnamed Sikong 317

死灰复燃 Dying cinders glowing again 319

四海为家 Make one's home everywhere 320

四海之内皆兄弟也 Within the four seas all men are brothers 322

四面楚歌 Be besieged on all sides 324

四知金 Gold that was known by all 325

螳臂挡车 A mantis tries to obstruct a chariot 327

天经地义 The principle of heaven and earth 328

天若有情天亦老 If heavens had a feeling heart,it too must grow old 330

天下兴亡 匹夫有责 Every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country 333

天要下雨，娘要嫁人 If Heaven whishes/wants it to rain or your mother to remarry,there is no way to stop them 335

天衣无缝 A seamless heavenly robe 337

天真烂漫 Childlike innocence 339

天诛地灭、男盗女娼 Stand condemned by God;behave like thieves and prostitutes 341

铁杵磨成针 Grind an iron rod into a needle 343

同仇敌忾 Share a bitter hatred of the enemy 344

同舟共济 The people in the same boat should help each other 345

屠龙之技 The skill of slaughtering dragons 347

土崩瓦解 Collapse like a house of cards 349

推敲 Weigh one's words 351

外举不避仇，内举不避亲 Recommend the right no matter they are our relatives or enemies 353

外强中干 Be outwardly strong and inwardly weak 354

完璧归赵 Return the jade intact to the State of Zhao 356

万里长城 The Great Wall 358

万事俱备，只欠东风 Everything is ready,and all that we need is east wind 361

亡羊补牢 Mend the fold after a sheep is lost 363

网开三面 Leave three sides of a net open 365

妄自尊大 Be too big for one's boots 367

望梅止渴 Look at plums to quench thirsty 369

望洋兴叹 Lament one's littleness before the vast ocean 370

危如累卵 Be as dangerous as eggs piled one on the other 372

为富不仁 Be rich and cruel 375

为他人做嫁 Sewing somebody else's trousseau 377

尾大不掉 Leadership rendered ineffectual by recalcitrant subordinates 379

无敌于天下 Unmatched anywhere in the world 381

无法无天 Defy human and divine laws 383

无功就是有过 No contribution is wrong 384

无颜见江东父老 Can't bear to see again the elders east of the river 385

物腐虫生 Worms breed in decaying matter 387

洗耳恭听 Listen with respectful attention 389

徙宅忘妻 One moves with his wife left behind 391

削足适履 Cut the feet to fit the shoes 392

笑里藏刀 Hiding a dragger behind smiling 394

心有灵犀一点通 Our heart closely linked to beat in a harmony 396

兴利除弊 Promote what is beneficial and abolish what is harmful 398

兴师动众 Move troops about and stir up the people 400

行百里者半九十 Ninety miles is only half of a hundred-miles journey 402

行尸走肉 A walking skeleton 405

胸有成竹 Have a well-thought-out plan 406

休戚相关 Be bound by a common cause 408

言必信 行必果 Promise must be kept and action must be resolute 411

掩耳盗铃 Plug one's ears when stealing a bell 413

洋洋自得 Be proud and pleased with oneself 414

野火烧不尽 春风吹又生 Not being destroyed by fire,coming to life with the vernal breeze 416

业精于勤 Efficiency comes from diligence 418

叶公好龙 Lord Ye's love of dragons 420

一笔勾销 Cancel all by a stroke of pen 422

一寸丹心 A loyalty heart 424

一饭千金 One meal worth of thousands of pieces of gold 425

一夫当关 万夫莫开 If one man guards the pass,ten thousand are unable to get through 427

一鼓作气 Get something done at the first drum 428

一劳永逸 To win eternal ease by one supreme effort 430

一毛不拔 Too stingy to pull out a hair 431

一鸣惊人 Surprise the people with one's first cry 433

一窍不通 Be utterly ignorant 435

一厢情愿 Only one part is willing 437

一言九鼎 One's word is as heavy as nine tripods 438

一言为重百金轻 A word is more important than a hundred gold 440

一意孤行 Act in disregard of other people's opinions 442

一枕黄粱 Golden Millet Dream 444

一字之师 Teacher of a word 445

依样画葫芦 Draw a gourd according to the model 447

移风易俗 Change prevailing habits and customs 448

以火救火 Try to put out a fire with fire 450

以貌取人 Judge people by appearance 452

因材施教 Teach students according to their aptitude 454

因势利导 Guide a matter along the course of development 456

因噎废食 Giving up eating for fear of choking 459

饮鸩止渴 Drink poison to quench thirst 461

迎刃而解 Splits off as it meets the edge of knife 463

用兵如神 Direct military operations with miraculous skill 465

有恃无恐 Have something secure to rely on 467

有志竟成 Where there is a will,there is a way 469

与虎谋皮 Ask a tiger for its skin 471

欲加之罪 何患无辞 If you are out to condemn somebody,you can always trump up a charge 472

鹬蚌相争 渔翁得利 When the snipe and the clam grapple,it's the fisherman who profits 473

月下老人 The old man found in moonlight in charge of making matches by tying a red thread on boys and girls 475

运筹帷幄 Sit within a command tent and devise strategies that will assure victory one thousand miles away 477

糟糠之妻不下堂　The wife of one's"chaff and husks" days should never be cast aside 479

凿壁偷光 Bore a hole in the wall in order to get some light from the neighbor's house 481

枕戈待旦 Sleep with weapon as pillow 482

只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯 The magistrates are free to burn down houses while the common people are forbidden even to light lamps 484

纸上谈兵 To engage in idle theorizing 486

指鹿为马 Call a deer a horse 488

中流砥柱 The firm pillar in midstream 489

众怒难犯 An aroused public is difficult to tackle 490

众志成城 Joint efforts construct an insumountable wall 492

助桀为虐 Aid King Jie in his tyrannical rule 494

自给自足 Self-sufficiency 496

自相矛盾 His spear against his shield 498

嘴尖皮厚腹中空 The mouth is caustic;the skin is thick but the belly is empty 499

坐山观虎斗 Sit on top of the mountain to watch the tigers fight 501