Chinese idioms 151 - 200

擦: "to brush"/肩: "shoulder"/ 而: "yet"/ 过: "to pass by"

It lit. means "to brush shoulders and pass by". It refers to when we miss a chance for a matter of few seconds, we were really close to seize it.

得: "to obtain"/ 寸: a Chinese measure that corresponds to 3 cm/ 进: "to advance"/ 尺: Chinese measure that corresponds to 1/3 meter

It lit. means "to obtain 3 cm and advance 1/3 meter". It describes someone who’s so greedy that if you give them a little bit, they'll come right back and ask for much more. It indicates big greediness.

津津: saliva/ 有: "to have"/ 味: from 味道, "flavour"

It lit. means "the saliva has flavour". It is used to describe a really tasty food that you are extremely happy to eat.

入: "to enter"/ 乡: "village"/ 随: from 随着 " to get along with"/ 俗: from 风俗, "customs".

It lit. means "when you enter a village follow the customs". It refers to the act of doing what the locals do when you visit a new place.

狼: "walf"/ 吞: "to swallow"/ 虎: "tiger"/ 咽: "to swallow"

It lit. means "swallow like a wolf and a tiger". It refers to someone who devours his/ her food.

东施: Dongshi, name of a person/ 效: "to imitate", "copy"/ "颦: "to knit the brows"

It lit. means "Dongshi imitates and knits the brows". It refers to a story of an ugly woman who was trying to imitate a beautiful woman praised by everyone. She tried to imitate the beautiful woman, but nobody looked at her.

望洋: "to gaze at the air"/ 兴叹: "to lament", "to have a sigh"

It lit. means "to gate in the air and have a sigh". It refers to the feeling of being helpless, powerless and incompetent.