CYChengyu Dictionary

Chengyu lookup

Chinese Chengyu Dictionary for English Speakers

Search first, then decide whether the phrase fits your sentence. Each entry opens with source, meaning, examples, tone, and mistakes before the longer story.

These rows show the page rhythm: Hanzi, pinyin, short meaning, then the full entry for source, labels, examples, story, and misuse checks.

马马虎虎so-so, careless, or just passable depending on contextmǎ mǎ hū hūRead entry守株待兔to wait idly for luck instead of workingshǒu zhū dài tùRead entry亡羊补牢to repair the pen after losing sheep; better late than neverwáng yáng bǔ láoRead entry画蛇添足to ruin something by adding what is unnecessaryhuà shé tiān zúRead entry

Choose the Path by What You Know

A chengyu lookup is usually one of three jobs: find the phrase, choose between phrases, or practice the sentence before using it.

  1. Meaning firstUse search or A-Z browsing when you need the source line, plain answer, pinyin, and examples for one phrase.
  2. Comparison secondUse compare pages when two phrases share a topic but differ in tone, object, cause, or social force.
  3. Practice lastUse the quiz after reading, so the wrong answer becomes a near-miss review rather than a guess.

Use Guides and Stories When One Entry Is Not Enough

Articles gather several entries around a learner problem. Story pages explain the source image, then hand you back to usage.

Learning guidesOpen article paths for the most confused chengyu, precise praise, fair criticism, effort, preparation, and study workflow.Story libraryBrowse source-bounded story pages, then return to the full entry before writing your own modern sentence.

Browse by Situation

Use a theme when the sentence idea is clear but the exact Chinese phrase is not.

74 entriesChengyu for Learning Chinese

Idioms that help learners talk about practice, mistakes, correction, and steady improvement.

49 entriesChengyu About Effort and Discipline

Positive and cautionary idioms for practice, persistence, over-pressure, and commitment.

57 entriesCautionary Chengyu

Story-driven warnings about passivity, rigidity, overdoing, wrong direction, and premature judgment.

79 entriesStrategy Chengyu

Idioms for plans, direction, commitment, preparation, and decisions under pressure.