25 Common Chinese Idioms You Should Know - Part 5

Welcome to our fifth and final Common Chinese Idioms post! In our previous blog posts you've learned 20 handy 成语 (chéng yǔ) - Chinese idioms - and in this one you'll find 5 more frequently used Chinese idioms taught and explained in long-form video, short-form video, image and text for your learning convenience! We hope you find them to be just as much fun to learn and just as useful!

21

qí xīn xié lì

齐心协力

to work as one

Characters

• 齐 (qí) - to bring together
• 心 (xīn) - heart, mind
• 协 (xié) - to join
• 力 (lì) - power, ability

Tips

齐心协力 (qí xīn xié lì) - is most commonly used when talking about team activities, such as completing a project or participating in a competition, and cannot be used to describe one individual's efforts.

Examples

You are playing in a basketball tournament and you say to your teammates:

zhǐ yào wǒ men qí xīn xié lì jiù yí dìng huì yíng dé zhè cì bǐ sài

只要我们齐心协力，就一定会赢得这次比赛！

As long as we work together as one, we'll definitely win this competition!

You're working on a team project and your team members are arguing you could say:

nǐ men bú yào zài chǎo le wǒ men xiàn zài xū yào de shì qí xīn xié lì

你们不要再吵了，我们现在需要的是齐心协力！

Don't argue you guys, what we need right now is to work together!

22

wú wēi bú zhì

无微不至

meticulously

Characters

• 无 (wú) - to not have
• 微 (wēi) - tiny
• 不 (bù) - not
• 至 (zhì) - to reach

Tips

无微不至 (wú wēi bú zhì) could be literally translated as "not even the tiniest part has not been reached", and is used similarly to how we use the word "meticulously" in English.

Examples

You are describing how carefully your spouse thought about or did things when taking care of you. You could say:

wǒ shēng bìng de zhè duàn shí jiān tā duì wǒ de zhào gù wú wēi bú zhì

我生病的这段时间，他对我的照顾无微不至。

As I've been sick for this period of time, his care for me has been meticulous.

You are talking about the kindness of the people when you visited China and you say:

wǒ zài zhōng guó de shí hou zhōng guó péng you men wú wēi bú zhì de guān xīn wǒ zhè ràng wǒ fēi cháng gǎn dòng

我在中国的时候，中国的朋友们无微不至地关心我，这让我非常感动。

When I was in China, my Chinese friends meticulously took care of me, it really touched me.

23

wēi bù zú dào

微不足道

insignificant, negligible

Characters

• 微 (wēi) - tiny
• 不 (bù) - not
• 足 (zú) - enough
• 道 (dào) - to mention

Tips

微不足道 (wēi bù zú dào) - has two main uses. The first is to politely respond to someone's expression of gratitude, similar to how in English we say "it was nothing". It can also be used to indicate that someone has little power or ability.

Examples

Your friend thanks you for helping them move and you say:

méi shén me méi shén me dōu shì wēi bù zú dào de xiǎo shì

没什么，没什么，都是微不足道的小事。

It was nothing, it really was such an insignificant thing.

You are watching a huge storm raging outside and you make the comment:

wǒ men měi ge rén zài dà zì rán miàn qián dōu shì wēi bù zú dào de

我们每个人在大自然面前都是微不足道的。

Each of us is insignificant in the presence of nature.

24

lǐ suǒ dāng rán

理所当然

obvious, naturally

Characters

• 理 (lǐ) - logic
• 所 (suǒ) - connects a noun to something that modifies it
• 当然 (dāng rán) - as it should be

Tips

理所当然 (lǐ suǒ dāng rán) is used to talk about universal rules, not specific situations. So given the situation in the first example below, it would be unnatural to say:

tā bāng zhù le nǐ, suǒ yǐ nǐ jiù yào gǎn xiè tā zhè shì lǐ suǒ dāng rán de shì qing

他帮助了你，所以你就要感谢他，这是理所当然的事情。

He helped you, so you need thank him, this is an obvious thing.

It can also be used in practically the same way we use "take it for granted" in English (see second example below).

Examples

Your son's classmate often helps him with his homework, but he never says thank you. You could tell him:

bié rén bāng zhù nǐ nǐ jiù yào gǎn xiè zhè shì lǐ suǒ dāng rán de shì qing

别人帮助你，你就要感谢，这是理所当然的事情。

If someone helps you, then you need to give thanks, this is an obvious thing.

Another way to remind your son to be grateful for the help he received on his homework is to say:

nǐ bié rèn wéi tóng xué bāng nǐ wán chéng zuò yè shì ge lǐ suǒ dāng rán de shì

你别认为同学帮你完成作业是个理所当然的事。

Don't think that classmates helping you do your homework is something you can take for granted.

25

lì suǒ néng jí

力所能及

to do everything in one's power

Characters

• 力 (lì) - power, ability
• 所 (suǒ) - connects a noun to something that modifies it
• 能 (néng) - to be able to
• 及 (jí) - to reach

Tips

力所能及 (lì suǒ néng jí) is typically used in situations when someone's limited abilities may be insufficient to achieve the desired result.

Examples

You're applying for a new job and you've done all you can to prepare. Here you could say:

wǒ yǐ jīng zuò le wǒ lì suǒ néng jí de néng fǒu chéng gōng jiù kàn yùn qi le

我已经做了我力所能及的，能否成功就看运气了！

I've already done everything in my power, whether or not I succeed is now just up to luck!

You're having a discussion about climate change. You could say:

wǒ men měi ɡe rén dōu yīnɡ ɡāi zuò zì jǐ lì suǒ nénɡ jí de shì lái bǎo hù dì qiú de huán jìng

我们每个人都应该做自己力所能及的事来保护地球的环境！

Each of us should do everything in our power to protect the Earth's environment!

Congratulations! You've just learned 25 of the most commonly used 成语 (chéng yǔ)! You're now better equipped to understand when Chinese speakers use their beloved idioms and hopefully find many opportunities to use them yourself to the great astonishment of your Chinese friends or family!