Chinese allegories
歇后語
Two-part allegorical saying (of which the first part, always stated, is descriptive, while the second part, often unstated, carries the message)
fēng chuī qiáng tóu c?o – li?ng biān d?o
風吹墻頭草 – 兩邊倒
The grass on top of a wall blows either way with the wind – someone who sits on the fence will end up going along with the crowd; to sit on the fence
d? zhǒng li?n chōng pàng zi – s? yào miàn zi
打腫臉充胖子 – 死要面子
Try to look fat by slapping one's face till it's swollen – to try to look impressive; be keen on face-saving
māo kū hào zi – ji? cí bēi
貓哭耗子 – 假慈悲
A cat crying over a mouse's death – hypocritical show of sorrow or sympathy; shedding crocodile tears
l?o h? zu? li bá yá – zh?o s?
老虎嘴里拔牙 – 找死
Pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth – seeking death; dare the greatest danger; beard the lion in his den
jī dàn pèng shí tou – zì bù liàng lì
雞蛋碰石頭 – 自不量力
Like an egg striking a rock – attacking somebody far stronger than oneself; overestimating oneself or one's strength; overrating oneself
ji?n le zhī ma diū le xī guā – tān xi?o shī dà
撿了芝麻丟了西瓜 – 貪小失大
Pick up the sesame seeds but overlook the watermelons – covet a little and lose a lot; seek small gains but incur big losses; be penny-wise and pound-foolish
méi mao hú zi yī b? zhuā – zh? cì bù fēn
眉毛胡子一把抓 – 主次不分
Try to grasp the eyebrows and the beard all at the same time – try to attend to everything at once irrespective of priority; confuse the primary with the secondary
wáng pó mài guā – zì mài zì kuā
王婆賣瓜 – 自賣自夸
Wang Po keeps praising his melons while selling them. – ring one's own bell; blow one's own trumpet
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