Chinese Idioms & Sayings 成语
Four characters, a thousand years of wisdom. A growing repository of Chinese idioms, proverbs and sayings — each with pinyin, audio, its classical origin story, and how to actually use it.
What are Chinese idioms and sayings?
Chinese idioms — most famously the four-character chengyu (成语) — are compact phrases that fold a whole story or proverb into a handful of characters. Most trace back to a specific classical text or historical event, so learning one means picking up a piece of Chinese history, philosophy and humour at the same time.
Alongside chengyu sit everyday proverbs (谚语) and the witty two-part sayings called xiehouyu (歇后语). Together they are the soul of the language — native speakers reach for them constantly, and using even a few will transform how natural your Mandarin sounds.
This is a growing, hand-built library of the Chinese idioms worth knowing, each with its pinyin, native-speaker audio, the original story behind it, and how to use it today. For a scholarly overview of the form, see Wikipedia’s guide to chengyu.
塞翁失马 — a blessing in disguise
The old man of the frontier lost his horse — but who could say it wasn’t good fortune? A parable on how luck and misfortune turn into one another.
Browse the idioms
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Curated collections
20 Essential Idioms Every Learner Should Know
The canonical chengyu you’ll meet again and again — the perfect place to start.
20 idioms →Idioms from the Three Kingdoms
Strategy, loyalty and cunning — the sayings born from China’s most storied era.
Collection →Animal Idioms
Horses, tigers, frogs and cranes — the creatures that carry Chinese wisdom.
Collection →Idioms about Perseverance
Moving mountains and tasting gall — sayings for grit and the long game.
Collection →Explore more of Chinese
From idioms to fluency
Idioms are the soul of Mandarin. Learn to use them naturally in 1-on-1 online lessons with a native speaker.
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