The Top 200 Most Commonly Used Chinese Characters
Here you can learn the stroke orders, definitions, pronunciations, and phrases of the top 200 most commonly used Chinese characters.
Chinese Proverbs
This is a collection of Chinese proverbs (諺語 yànyŭ) and idioms (成語 chéngyŭ), given in and sorted by their pinyin transcription. Chinese proverbs and four-plus character idioms are developed from the formulaic or social dialect/saying/expression (歇後語 in pinyin: xièhòuyŭ) and historical story in Chinese.
Some proverbs are literary; that is, from a written source. (See the historical written language or the more modern written language.) Others originated among families, street vendors, and other commoners--all walks of life.
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滴(dī)水(shǔi)之(zhī)恩(ēn)當(dāng)以(yǐ)湧(yǒng)泉(quán)相(xiāng)報(bào)
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Literally: A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring.
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Meaning: Even if it was just a little help from others, you should return the favor with all you can when others are in need.
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福(fú)無(wú)重(chóng)至(zhì), 禍(huò)不(bú)單(dān)行(xíng)
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Literally: Fortune does not come twice. Misfortune does not come alone.
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Meaning: The emphasis is on "misfortune doesn't come alone". It's often used as an opener or exclamation, when people talk about coincidental events of misfortune.
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冰(bīng)凍(dòng)三(sān)尺(chǐ),非(fēi)一(yī)日(rì)之(zhī)寒(hán)(ice+freeze+three+units(~feet),not+one+day's(7th and 8th)+chill)
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Literally: A single day of sub-zero temperature is not enough to create three feet of ice.
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Moral: Great things cannot be accomplished in a short period of time.
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Compare: Rome was not built in a day (Roma non fu fatta in un giorno, Italian proverb).
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空(kōng)穴(xué)來(lái)風(fēng)未(wèi)必(bì)無(wú)因(yīn)(empty+cave+come+wind+not+surely+not+cause)
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Literally: If the wind comes from an empty cave, it's not without a reason.
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Meaning: Things don't happen for no reason; everything has a cause.
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Compare: Where there's smoke, there's fire.
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老(lǎo)驥(jì)伏(fú)枥(lì), 志(zhì)在(zài)千(qiān)里(lǐ)(old+thoroughbred+hidden+stable,determined+be+thousand+distance (unit))
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Literally: The old horse in the stable still yearns to run 1000 miles 1.
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Moral: Everybody, no matter the inexperience, yearns to achieve great deeds. Another one is "The older the ginger the hotter the spice".
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Note: "stable" and "li" rhyme in Mandarin
1 li: a Chinese unit of linear measure, corresponds to about 500 meters.
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路(lù)遙(yáo)知(zhī)馬(mǎ)力(lì), 日(rì)久( jiǔ)見(jiàn)人(rén)心(xīn)
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Literally: Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long period of time, you get to know what's in a person's heart.
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Moral: Character can be revealed by time.
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Usage: This can be used positively to praise a true friend, or negatively to criticize friends who could not stand a test.
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肉(ròu)包(bāo)子(zi)打(dǎ)狗(gǒu) (meat+bun(2nd and 3rd)+hit+dog)
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Literally: To hit a dog with a meat-bun.
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Interpretation: Punishment gives less incentive than a reward.
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Moral: Don't use the wrong method to approach a problem.
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Compare: You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
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