Idiom and Proverb

 

Chinese idioms (chéng yŭ 成语) and proverbs (yàn yŭ 谚语) are unique forms of Chinese language, and are regarded as priceless legacies with over 4,000 years civilized history. They are deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture, making Chinese language more powerful and fascinating. Chinese idioms express fixed semantics with fixed phrases, and often with historical stories and philosophical significance. Most of the Chinese idioms consist of four characters with profound implications and meaning. Learning Chinese idioms are important part of Chinese language learning, since the judicious use of Chinese idioms and proverbs in Chinese language is regarded as a sign of good education.

This website contains most commonly used 50 Chinese idioms with illustrations, pronunciations, direct translations and English interpretations as well as their historical stories. There are also 50 common Chinese proverbs and 40 Chinese idiom pictionary riddles for fun learning. All idioms and proverbs are arranged alphabetically by their pinyin transcription. Click icons below for details.

 

                    Chinese idioms Chinese idiom stories                                   

                                                             Chinese idiom riddles Chinese idiom and proverb

 

For self-directed learning, you can learn Chinese Pinyin, 100 most common Chinese characters with 40 common phrases in flash. Or, you can download 2500 Chinese characters flash, and learn at ease through 10 interactive Chinese movies, with active participation in watching, listening, speaking, reading, and even writing simultaneously.