Chinese Idioms

  • 愚公移山

    愚公移山

    At 90 years old, Yugong convinced his family to move the mountain that had made it difficult to reach the city. How did he do it?

  • 世外桃源

    世外桃源

    If there is a paradise on earth, what would it look like to you?

  • 门当户对

    门当户对

    What if you could tell a household’s social and economic status based on the decoration placed in front of the house? This “what if” existed in ancient China.

  • 拔苗助长

    拔苗助长

    When you see your seedlings grow so slowly, why not give it a pull? Or should you? Read this Chinese idiom story to see what the farmer did.

  • 塞翁失马

    塞翁失马

    A series of misfortunes were happening to an old man, how he reacted surprised his neighbors.

  • 天和地

    天和地

    The sky and the earth have always been a fascinating topic, even in language learning. What are some Chinese idioms that you know that involve the sky and the earth?

  • 画蛇添足

    画蛇添足

    Circa 200 B.C., a wealthy family hired helpers to help out with a big ceremony to worship their ancestors, the helpers ran into a problem.