画蛇添足 畫蛇添足
huàshé-tiānzúㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄗㄨˊ
to ruin it by overdoing; to gild the lily — literally “draw a snake and add feet”
The improvement spoils the thing — stop while ahead.
守株待兔
shǒuzhū-dàitùㄕㄡˇ ㄓㄨ ㄉㄞˋ ㄊㄨˋ
to wait for windfalls instead of working — literally “guard the stump waiting for rabbits”
A farmer got one free rabbit and farmed no more.
亡羊补牢 亡羊補牢
wángyáng-bǔláoㄨㄤˊ ㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˇ ㄌㄠˊ
better late than never; fix it after the loss — literally “lose the sheep, then mend the pen”
Still useful — do the fix now.
刻舟求剑 刻舟求劍
kèzhōu-qiújiànㄎㄜˋ ㄓㄡ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
to cling to a plan that no longer fits — literally “mark the boat where the sword fell in”
The river moved; the mark did not.
狐假虎威
hújiǎ-hǔwēiㄏㄨˊ ㄐㄧㄚˇ ㄏㄨˇ ㄨㄟ
to bully people using borrowed authority — literally “the fox exploits the tiger’s ferocity”
Everyone fears the tiger behind him, not him.
掩耳盗铃 掩耳盜鈴
yǎněr-dàolíngㄧㄢˇ ㄦˇ ㄉㄠˋ ㄌㄧㄥˊ
to deceive only oneself — literally “cover your own ears to steal a bell”
The bell still rings for everyone else.
拔苗助长 拔苗助長
bámiáo-zhùzhǎngㄅㄚˊ ㄇㄧㄠˊ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄤˇ
to ruin progress by rushing it — literally “pull the sprouts to help them grow”
Haste kills the crop. Also 揠苗助长 yàmiáo-.
塞翁失马 塞翁失馬
sàiwēng-shīmǎㄙㄞˋ ㄨㄥ ㄕ ㄇㄚˇ
a blessing in disguise; loss can be luck — literally “the old frontiersman lost his horse”
焉知非福 — who knows if it’s not fortune?
对牛弹琴 對牛彈琴
duìniú-tánqínㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄊㄢˊ ㄑㄧㄣˊ
to waste fine words on the wrong audience — literally “play the lute to a cow”
Choose your audience; it’s not the cow’s fault.
井底之蛙
jǐngdǐ-zhīwāㄐㄧㄥˇ ㄉㄧˇ ㄓ ㄨㄚ
a person with a very narrow worldview — literally “a frog at the bottom of a well”
The well is its whole sky.
班门弄斧 班門弄斧
bānmén-nòngfǔㄅㄢ ㄇㄣˊ ㄋㄨㄥˋ ㄈㄨˇ
to show off a minor skill before a master — literally “wield your axe at the carpenter-god’s door”
Luban is the legendary carpenter.
愚公移山
yúgōng-yíshānㄩˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄧˊ ㄕㄢ
persistence can move mountains — literally “the foolish old man moves the mountain”
Two mountains, one stubborn nonagenarian.
精卫填海 精衛填海
jīngwèi-tiánhǎiㄐㄧㄥ ㄨㄟˋ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄞˇ
tireless, impossible-seeming determination — literally “the Jingwei bird fills the sea”
A drowned princess-bird drops pebbles forever.
卧薪尝胆 臥薪嘗膽
wòxīn-chángdǎnㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄢˇ
to endure hardship for a long-planned comeback — literally “sleep on brushwood and taste gall”
King Goujian’s twenty-year revenge.