Chinese idioms · 81 idioms
Chinese idioms with animals
Chengyu written with animals, each with pinyin, meaning and sound.
- 天马行空tiānmǎ-xíngkōngunrestrained
- 走马观花zǒumǎ-guānhuāto gain a superficial understanding from a hurried look
- 青梅竹马qīngméi-zhúmǎchildhood sweethearts
- 生龙活虎shēnglóng-huóhǔfull of life and energy
- 鱼龙混杂yúlóng-hùnzáa motley mix of good and bad people
- 虎视眈眈hǔshì-dāndānto eye covetously
- 如虎添翼rúhǔ-tiānyìlike a tiger that has grown wings
- 鹅毛大雪émáo-dàxuěheavy snow in big flakes
- 龙飞凤舞lóngfēi-fèngwǔlively and vigorous (of calligraphy)
- 蛛丝马迹zhūsī-mǎjìclues
- 群雄逐鹿qúnxióng-zhúlùrival powers vying for supremacy
- 如鱼得水rúyú-déshuǐlike a fish in water
- 牛鬼蛇神niúguǐ-shéshénevil people
- 泥牛入海níniú-rùhǎigone without a trace
- 鬼哭狼嚎guǐkū-lángháoto wail and howl
- 浑水摸鱼húnshuǐ-mōyúto fish in troubled waters
- 鸟语花香niǎoyǔ-huāxiāngbirds singing and flowers fragrant
- 如狼似虎rúláng-sìhǔferocious
- 钻牛角尖zuānniú-jiǎojiānto split hairs
- 打草惊蛇dǎcǎo-jīngshéto alert the enemy by a careless act
- 多如牛毛duōrú-niúmáocountless
- 虎头蛇尾hǔtóu-shéwěia strong start and a weak finish
- 九牛一毛jiǔniú-yīmáoa drop in the ocean
- 马马虎虎mǎmǎ-hǔhǔvery 马虎 (vivid)
- 鸡犬升天jīquǎn-shēngtiān(fig.) when a man rises, his relatives and hangers-on rise with him
- 金戈铁马jīngē-tiěmǎwarfare
- 偷鸡摸狗tōujī-mōgǒuto have illicit affairs
- 羊肠小道yángcháng-xiǎodàonarrow winding path
- 车水马龙chēshuǐ-mǎlóngheavy traffic
- 缚鸡之力fùjī-zhīlìthe strength to truss a chicken (usu. negated: utterly feeble)
- 狐狸尾巴húli-wěiba(fig.) telltale sign of one's true nature
- 马不停蹄mǎbù-tíngtíwithout a pause
- 藏龙卧虎cánglóng-wòhǔhidden talents
- 黄雀在后huángquè-zàihòuthe oriole behind (as in 螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后)
- 鸡飞蛋打jīfēi-dàndǎto lose everything
- 龙争虎斗lóngzhēng-hǔdòufierce struggle between evenly matched rivals
- 悬崖勒马xuányá-lèmǎto rein in at the edge of the precipice
- 真龙天子zhēnlóng-tiānzǐthe true emperor
- 单枪匹马dānqiāng-pǐmǎsingle-handed
- 快马加鞭kuàimǎ-jiābiānto speed up
- 狼狈为奸lángbèi-wéijiānto collude
- 引狼入室yǐnláng-rùshìto let the wolf into the house
- 招兵买马zhāobīng-mǎimǎto recruit staff
- 狐假虎威hújiǎ-hǔwēito borrow someone's power to intimidate others
- 欢呼雀跃huānhū-quèyuèto jump for joy
- 鸡毛蒜皮jīmáo-suànpítrivial matters
- 狼狈不堪lángbèi-bùkānin a sorry state
- 望子成龙wàngzǐ-chénglóngto hope one's child will succeed
- 险象环生xiǎnxiàng-huánshēngdangers everywhere
- 兵荒马乱bīnghuāng-mǎluànturmoil and chaos of war
- 豺狼虎豹cháiláng-hǔbàowild beasts
- 狗皮膏药gǒupí-gāoyàoquack remedy
- 虎背熊腰hǔbèi-xióngyāostrong and burly
- 狼子野心lángzǐ-yěxīnwild ambition
- 声名狼藉shēngmíng-lángjídisreputable
- 鼠目寸光shǔmù-cùnguāngshortsighted
- 万象更新wànxiàng-gēngxīneverything takes on a new look
- 卧虎藏龙wòhǔ-cánglónghidden talents
- 心猿意马xīnyuán-yìmǎrestless
- 信马由缰xìnmǎ-yóujiāngto ride with loose reins
- 一马当先yīmǎ-dāngxiānto take the lead
- 一石二鸟yīshí-èrniǎoto kill two birds with one stone
- 鱼跃龙门yúyuè-lóngméncarp leaping over the dragon gate
- 直捣黄龙zhídǎo-huánglóngto strike straight at the enemy's heart
- 鞍前马后ānqián-mǎhòuto serve faithfully
- 过街老鼠guòjiē-lǎoshǔ(fig.) someone hated by everyone
- 虎口拔牙hǔkǒu-báyáto pull a tooth from a tiger's mouth (extremely dangerous)
- 鸡飞狗跳jīfēi-gǒutiàochaos
- 龙凤呈祥lóngfèng-chéngxiángdragon and phoenix bring good fortune (wedding wish)
- 龙行虎步lóngxíng-hǔbùimposing gait
- 鹿死谁手lùsǐ-shéishǒuwho will win the prize
- 马到成功mǎdào-chénggōngto win instant success
- 群龙无首qúnlóng-wúshǒuleaderless group
- 万马奔腾wànmǎ-bēnténga surging advance
- 蝇营狗苟yíngyíng-gǒugǒuto go to any lengths for personal gain
- 鱼贯而入yúguàn-érrùto file in
- 鱼目混珠yúmù-hùnzhūto pass off fakes as genuine
- 鱼水深情yúshuǐ-shēnqíngclose bond like fish and water
- 鱼死网破yúsǐ-wǎngpòfight to the death
- 贼眉鼠眼zéiméi-shǔyǎnshifty-eyed
- 逐鹿中原zhúlù-zhōngyuánto fight for supremacy
What is a Chinese idiom with animals?
天马行空 (tiānmǎ-xíngkōng): unrestrained. It is the most common of the 81 on this page.
What is a chengyu?
A set phrase, nearly always four characters, that packs a story or an image into a few words: 画蛇添足, “drawing legs on a snake”, means spoiling something by overdoing it. Chinese speakers use them in writing, speeches and everyday talk.
More free tools
Chengyu from the Xinhua idiom list; meanings from our own dictionary. Open one for its characters and real sentences.