中华文化博大精深，成语俗语都是智慧结晶，但翻译成英文如果表达不当，却容易引起误解。所以，一起来学学常见中文成语的英译很有必要！
01
爱屋及乌
Love me, love my dog.
02
百闻不如一见
One look is worth a thousand words.
Seeing is believing.
03
比上不足，比下有余
to fall short of the best, but be better than the worst
04
笨鸟先飞
A slow sparrow should make an early start.
05
不遗余力
spare no effort; go all out; do one's best
06
不打不成交
No discord, no concord.
07
拆东墙补西墙
rob Peter to pay Paul
08
辞旧迎新
bid farewell to the old and usher in the new
09
大事化小，小事化了
try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all
10
大开眼界
broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener
11
国泰民安
the country flourishes and people live in peace
12
过犹不及
going beyond the limit is as bad as falling short; excess is just as bad as deficiency;
too much is as bad as too little
13
好了伤疤忘了疼
once on shore, one prays no more
14
好事不出门，坏事传千里
Bad news travels fast.
15
和气生财
harmony brings wealth;
friendliness is conducive to business success
16
活到老学到老
never too old to learn
17
既往不咎
let bygones be bygones
18
金无足赤，人无完人
There are spots even on the sun.
19
金玉满堂
Treasures fill the home.
20
脚踏实地
be down-to-earth
21
脚踩两只船
sit on the fence; be a fence-sitter; have a foot in either camp
22
君子之交淡如水
A hedge between keeps friendship green.
23
老生常谈，陈词滥调
cut and dried; cliché
24
礼尚往来
Courtesy calls for reciprocity.
25
留得青山在，不怕没柴烧
Where there is life, there is hope.
26
马到成功
achieve immediate victory; win instant success
27
名利双收
gain both fame and wealth
28
茅塞顿开
be suddenly enlightened
29
没有规矩，不成方圆
Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards.
30
每逢佳节倍思亲
On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one's dear ones far away.
31
谋事在人，成事在天
Man proposes; God disposes.
32
弄巧成拙
make a fool of oneself in trying to be smart
33
赔了夫人又折兵
suffer a double loss; lose the bait along with the fish
34
抛砖引玉
a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale
35
破釜沉舟
cut off all means of retreat；burn one's own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end
36
抢得先机
take the preemptive opportunities
37
巧妇难为无米之炊
One can't make bricks without straw.
38
千里之行始于足下
a thousand-li journey begins with the first step--the highest eminence is to be gained step by step
39
前事不忘，后事之师
Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.
40
前怕狼，后怕虎
fear wolves ahead and tigers behind； hesitate in doing something
41
强龙难压地头蛇
The mighty dragon is no match for the native serpent.
42
瑞雪兆丰年
A fall of seasonal snow gives promise of a fruitful year
43
人逢喜事精神爽
People are in high spirits when involved in happy events.
44
世上无难事，只怕有心人
Where there is a will, there is a way.
45
世外桃源
a retreat away from the turmoil of the world
46
人之初，性本善
Humans are born good.
47
上有天堂，下有苏杭
Just as there is paradise in heaven, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth
48
塞翁失马，焉知非福
a blessing in disguise;
Every cloud has a silver lining.
49
三十而立
A man should be independent at the age of thirty. /At thirty, a man should be able to think for himself.
50
水涨船高
A ship rises with the tide
51
时不我待
Time and tide wait for no man.
52
杀鸡用牛刀
use a steam-hammer to crack nuts
53
实事求是
seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true to facts
54
说曹操，曹操到
speak of the devil
55
实话实说
speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is
56
实践是检验真理的唯一标准
Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.57
韬光养晦
hide one's capacities and bide one's time58
糖衣炮弹
sugar-coated bullets59
天有不测风云
Anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue60
团结就是力量
Unity is strength.
61
跳进黄河洗不清
Even if one jumped into the Yellow River, one can not wash oneself clean - there's nothing one can do to clear one's name
62
歪风邪气
unhealthy trends and vulgar practices
63
物以类聚，人以群分
Birds of a feather flock together.
64
望子成龙
hold high hopes for one's child
65
唯利是图
seek nothing but profits; be blind to all but one's own interests
66
无中生有
a sheer fabrication out of nothing; fabricate rumors out of thin air
67
无风不起浪
There are no waves without wind. Nothing comes of nothing.
68
徇私枉法
twist the law to suit one's own purpose
69
新官上任三把火
a new broom sweeps clean
70
蓄势待发
accumulate strength for a take-off
71
心想事成
May all your wish come true
72
心照不宣
have a tacit understanding; thoroughly understand each other, without having exchanged a word of explanation
73
先入为主
First impressions are firmly entrenched.
74
先下手为强
He who strikes first gains the advantage.
The best defense is offense.
75
热锅上的蚂蚁
ants on a hot pan
76
现身说法
warn people by taking oneself as an example
77
息事宁人
pour oil on troubled waters; patch up a quarrel and reconcile the parties concerned
78
循序渐进
proceed in an orderly way and step by step; advance gradually in due order
79
严以律己，宽以待人
be strict with oneself and lenient with others
80
有情人终成眷属
Jack shall have Jill, all shall be well.81
有钱能使鬼推磨
Money makes the mare go./ Money talks.82
有识之士
a man of insight83
有勇无谋
bold but not crafty84
有缘千里来相会
Separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by predestination.85
与时俱进
keep pace with the times86
以人为本
people-oriented
87
因材施教
teach students according to their aptitude
88
欲穷千里目，更上一层楼
to ascend another storey to see a thousand miles further; Ascend further, were you to look farther.
89
欲速则不达
Haste makes waste.
More haste, less speed.
90
优胜劣汰
survival of the fittest
91
英雄所见略同
Great minds think alike.
92
冤家宜解不宜结
Better make friends than make enemies.
93
冤假错案
cases in which people were unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged or sentenced; unjust, false or wrong cases
94
一言既出，驷马难追
A promise is a promise.
A real man never goes back on his words.
95
招财进宝
bring in wealth and treasure
96
债台高筑
become debt-ridden
97
众矢之的
target of public criticism
98
纸上谈兵
be an armchair strategist
99
纸包不住火
You can't wrap fire in paper.
What's done by night appears by day.
100
左右为难
caught in a dilemma; between the devil and the deep blue sea
