Powered by CC-CEDICT
Trad. 潰不成軍
- (idiom) (of troops) to be utterly routed and dispersed
Trad. 不成樣子
- shapeless
- deformed
- ruined
- beyond recognition
- (of a person) reduced to a shadow
Trad. 不成體統
- not according with decorum (idiom); scandalous
- bad form
- unacceptable behavior
Trad. 獨木不成林
- a lone tree does not make a forest (idiom)
- one cannot accomplish much on one's own
Trad. 恨鐵不成鋼
- lit. disappointed that iron does not turn into steel (idiom)
- fig. frustrated with sb who has failed to meet one's expectations
Trad. 無巧不成書
- curious coincidence
- spare the rod and spoil the child (idiom)
- spare the rod and spoil the child (idiom)
- can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one
- to succeed or die trying (idiom)
Trad. 不打不成相識
- don't fight, won't make friends (idiom); an exchange of blows may lead to friendship
Trad. 畫虎不成反類犬
- to try to draw a tiger but end up with a likeness of a dog (idiom)
- to try to do sth overambitious and end up botching it
Trad. 偷雞不成蝕把米
- lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom)
- fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off
- to go for wool and come back shorn
- lit. you cannot get fat with only one mouthful (proverb)
- fig. any significant achievement requires time, effort and persistence
Trad. 沒有規矩，不成方圓
- without rules, nothing can be done (idiom); one must follow some rules