Powered by CC-CEDICT
- to be (followed by substantives only)
- correct; right; true
- (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well
- (adverb for emphatic assertion)
- (before an adjective, to indicate superlative degree) the most ...
- (literary) what exemplifies this particular quality to the highest degree is ...
- (formal) very; quite; deeply (usu. followed by a two-syllable adjective or verb)
- exactly; precisely
- only; simply; just
- (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if
- (emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated)
- precisely
- exactly
- even
- if
- just like
- in the same way as
- (TCM) ashi point: a tender spot that is not a standard acupuncture point
- (as a complete expression, or followed by 啦[la5]) (coll.) Yeah, right! As if!
Trad. 是味兒
- (of food) to have the right taste
- (of people) to feel at ease
Trad. 如是我聞
- so I have heard (idiom)
- the beginning clause of Buddha's quotations as recorded by his disciple, Ananda (Buddhism)
Trad. 實事求是
- lit. to seek truth from facts (idiom)
- fig. to be practical and realistic
- each one does what he thinks is right (idiom)
- each goes his own way
Trad. 顛倒是非
- (idiom) to distort right and wrong; to deliberately mislead
Trad. 獨行其是
- to go one's own way (idiom); to act independently without asking others
- apparently right but actually wrong; specious (idiom)
Trad. 唯利是圖
- (idiom) to be bent solely on profit; to put profit before everything else
Trad. 馬首是瞻
- to follow blindly (idiom)
- to take as one's only guide
Trad. 自以為是
- to believe oneself infallible (idiom)
- to be opinionated
- Keysight Technologies (instrumentation company)
- unable to distinguish right and wrong (idiom)
- to incite a quarrel (idiom); to sow discord between people
- to tell tales
- to make mischief
- lit. right and wrong, crooked and straight (idiom); fig. merits and demerits
- pros and cons
- unable to distinguish right and wrong (idiom)
- (idiom) the place is unchanged, but the faces are different
Trad. 也就是說
- in other words
- that is to say
- so
- thus
- to act as one thinks fit
- to have one's own way
- to stir up trouble
- to provoke angry exchange
Trad. 一無是處
- (idiom) not one good point; everything about it is wrong
Trad. 惟利是圖
- variant of 唯利是圖|唯利是图[wei2 li4 shi4 tu2]
Trad. 惟命是聽
- see 唯命是從|唯命是从[wei2 ming4 shi4 cong2]
- unable to reach a decision (idiom); cannot agree on the right choice
- no unanimous decision
- still a matter of discussion
Trad. 見風是雨
- lit. see the wind and assume it will rain (idiom); fig. gullible
- to believe whatever people suggest
- lit. so numerous that one could just bend down and pick them up (idiom)
- fig. extremely common; easily available
Trad. 積非成是
- a wrong repeated becomes right (idiom); a lie or an error passed on for a long time may be taken for the truth
Trad. 不是味兒
- not the right flavor
- not quite right
- a bit off
- fishy
- queer
- amiss
- feel bad
- be upset
Trad. 挑撥是非
- to incite a quarrel (idiom); to sow discord between people
- to tell tales
- to make mischief
Trad. 不是東西
- (derog.) to be a good-for-nothing
- worthless nobody
- no-good
Trad. 聽風就是雨
- lit. to believe in the rain on hearing the wind (idiom)
- to believe rumors
- to be credulous
Trad. 螞蚱也是肉
- lit. even a locust provides some nourishment (idiom)
- fig. it's better than nothing
Trad. 薑是老的辣
- see 薑還是老的辣|姜还是老的辣[jiang1 hai2 shi4 lao3 de5 la4]
- lit. whoever provides milk is your mother (idiom)
- fig. to follow whoever is feeding you
- to put one's loyalties where one's interests lie
- see 有奶便是娘[you3 nai3 bian4 shi4 niang2]
Trad. 是藥三分毒
- every medicine has its side effect
- (Internet slang) I can't even...
- Are you kidding me!
- OMG!
- not to be trifled with
- to be reckoned with
Trad. 聽見風就是雨
- lit. on hearing wind, to say rain
- to agree uncritically with whatever people say
- to parrot other people's words
- to chime in with others
Trad. 姓蔣還是姓汪
- friend or foe? (quote from 沙家浜[Sha1 jia1 bang1]) (蔣|蒋[Jiang3] here refers to Chiang Kai-shek 蔣介石|蒋介石[Jiang3 Jie4 shi2] and 汪[Wang1] refers to Wang Jingwei 汪精衛|汪精卫[Wang1 Jing1 wei4])
Trad. 薑還是老的辣
- ginger gets spicier as it gets older (idiom)
- the older, the wiser
Trad. 人是鐵飯是鋼
- one can't function properly on an empty stomach (idiom)
- an empty sack cannot stand upright
Trad. 是非自有公論
- to determine right and wrong based on public opinion (idiom)
- Public opinion will judge what's right and wrong.
Trad. 團結就是力量
- unity is strength (revolutionary slogan and popular song of 1943)
- lit. to keep ding (the fourth heavenly stem) distinct from mao (the fourth earthly branch) (idiom)
- fig. meticulous
- conscientious
- unambiguous
Trad. 釘是釘，鉚是鉚
- lit. a nail is a nail and a rivet is a rivet (idiom)
- fig. meticulous
- conscientious
- unambiguous
Trad. 時間是把殺豬刀
- lit. time is a butcher's knife
- fig. time marches on, relentless and unforgiving
- nothing gold can stay
- lit. even a mosquito, though tiny, provides some nourishment (idiom)
- fig. it's better than nothing
Trad. 撿到籃裡就是菜
- all is grist that comes to the mill (idiom)
Trad. 失敗是成功之母
- Failure is the mother of success.
- lit. one is one, two is two (idiom)
- fig. things are (or ought to be) perfectly clear-cut
- unequivocal
Trad. 需要是發明之母
- Necessity is the mother of invention (European proverb).
- five hundred years ago we were the same family (saying) (said of persons with the same surname)
Trad. 女子無才便是德
- a woman's virtue is to have no talent (idiom)
- lit. both the palm and the back of the hand are made of flesh (idiom)
- fig. to both be of equal importance
- to value both equally
Trad. 不是冤家不聚頭
- destiny will make enemies meet (idiom)
- (often said about lovers who have a disagreement)
- if this can be tolerated, what cannot? (idiom)
- enough is enough
Trad. 身體是革命的本錢
- lit. the body is the revolution's capital
- fig. good health is a prerequisite for work (Mao Zedong's saying)
Trad. 不是魚死就是網破
- lit. either the fish dies or the net gets torn (idiom)
- fig. it's a life-and-death struggle
- it's either him or me
Trad. 苦海無邊，回頭是岸
- The sea of bitterness has no bounds, turn your head to see the shore (idiom). Only Buddhist enlightenment can allow one to shed off the abyss of worldly suffering.
- Repent and ye shall be saved!
Trad. 葫蘆裡賣的是什麼藥
- what has (he) got up (his) sleeve?
- what's going on?
- being anti-American is the job, but life is in America (jocular comment made about public figures who are brazenly xenophobic but whose family live abroad)
Trad. 科學技術是第一生產力
- science and technology is the number one productive force (from a 1978 speech by Deng Xiaoping 鄧小平|邓小平[Deng4 Xiao3 ping2] introducing the Four Modernizations 四個現代化|四个现代化[si4 ge5 xian4 dai4 hua4])
Trad. 不是一家人不進一家門
- people who don't belong together, don't get to live together (idiom)
- marriages are predestined
- people marry because they share common traits