to act against one's will / to have no alternative but to / to have to / to have no choice / must
毕业证书
bì yè zhèng shū
(PRC) (since 1985) graduation certificate, which certifies that the student has graduated, but not necessarily met all requirements to be awarded a degree certificate 學位證書|学位证书[xue2 wei4 zheng4 shu1] / (1981-1985) graduation certificate, which certified that the student graduated, and, if it included a final sentence indicating a degree type, also certified that the student met all the requirements for a degree
力不从心
lì bù cóng xīn
less capable than desirable (idiom) / not as strong as one would wish / the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Diaoyu Islands, claimed by China but controlled by Japan as the Senkaku Islands, also called the Pinnacle Islands
鲜为人知
xiǎn wéi rén zhī
rarely known to anyone (idiom) / almost unknown / secret to all but a few
名堂
míng tang
item (in a program of entertainments) / trick (act of mischief) / worthwhile result / accomplishment / sth significant but not immediately apparent / sth more than meets the eye
Tang and Song dynasty provincial governor, in Tang times having military and civil authority, but only civil authority in Song
异曲同工
yì qǔ tóng gōng
different tunes played with equal skill (idiom) / different methods leading to the same result / different approach but equally satisfactory outcome
钓鱼台
Diào yú tái
Diaoyu Islands, located between Taiwan and Okinawa, controlled by Japan &ndash / which calls them the Senkaku Islands &ndash / but claimed by China as part of its territory
求之不得
qiú zhī bù dé
lit. seek but fail to get (idiom) / fig. exactly what one’s been looking for
臭豆腐
chòu dòu fu
stinky tofu / strong-smelling preserved beancurd / fig. rough exterior but lovable person
lit. doesn't hurt, doesn't tickle (idiom) / sth is wrong, but not quite sure what / fig. not getting to any matter of substance / scratching the surface / superficial / perfunctory
倒贴
dào tiē
to lose money instead of being paid (i.e. sb should pay me, but is actually taking my money)
擦边球
cā biān qiú
(table tennis) edge ball / (fig.) actions that are technically legal but perhaps not respectable
可遇不可求
kě yù bù kě qiú
can be discovered but not sought (idiom) / one can only come across such things serendipitously
得过且过
dé guò qiě guò
satisfied just to get through (idiom) / to muddle through / without high ambitions, but getting by
虎头蛇尾
hǔ tóu shé wěi
lit. tiger's head, snake's tail (idiom) / fig. a strong start but weak finish
心有余而力不足
xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú
the will is there, but not the strength (idiom) / the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
好吃懒做
hào chī lǎn zuò
happy to partake but not prepared to do any work (idiom) / all take and no give
楚辞
Chǔ cí
Chu Ci, the Songs of Chu (ancient book of poems, collected during Han but esp. from country of Chu c. 500 BC)
闷骚
mēn sāo
(coll.) outwardly cold or retiring but deep and passionate inside
有名无实
yǒu míng wú shí
lit. has a name but no reality (idiom) / exists only in name / nominal
to steal sb's valuable item and substitute a similar-looking but worthless item / to sell a fake for the genuine article / to palm off
貌合神离
mào hé shén lí
the appearance of unity, but divided at heart (idiom) / seeming harmony belies underlying disagreement
旁系
páng xì
collateral relative (descended from a common ancestor but through different lines)
东施效颦
dōng shī xiào pín
lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiom) / fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself
万变不离其宗
wàn biàn bù lí qí zōng
many superficial changes but no departure from the original stand (idiom) / plus ça change, plus ça reste la mème chose
天网恢恢
tiān wǎng huī huī
lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73) / fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape / you can't run from the long arm of the law
花拳绣腿
huā quán xiù tuǐ
flowery of fist with fancy footwork (idiom) / highly embellished and ineffectual / fancy but impractical skills / all show and no go / pugilistic wankery
looks impressive but is worthless (idiom) / not as good as it looks / a reputation with no substance
宝刀未老
bǎo dāo wèi lǎo
treasure knife does not age (idiom) / old but still vigorous
半老徐娘
bàn lǎo xú niáng
middle-aged but still attractive woman / lady of a certain age
高不成低不就
gāo bù chéng dī bù jiù
can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom) / not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one
唱高调
chàng gāo diào
to sing the high part / to speak fine sounding but empty words (idiom)
大而无当
dà ér wú dàng
grandiose but impractical (idiom) / large but of no real use
有始无终
yǒu shǐ wú zhōng
to start but not finish (idiom) / to fail to carry things through / lack of sticking power / short attention span
敢怒而不敢言
gǎn nù ér bù gǎn yán
angry, but not daring to speak out (idiom) / obliged to remain silent about one's resentment / unable to voice objections
有口无心
yǒu kǒu wú xīn
to speak harshly but without any bad intent (idiom)
照猫画虎
zhào māo huà hǔ
lit. drawing a tiger using a cat as a model (idiom) / fig. to follow a model and get things more or less right but without capturing the spirit of the subject / uninspired imitation
因陋就简
yīn lòu jiù jiǎn
crude but simple methods (idiom) / use whatever methods you can / to do things simply and thriftily / It's not pretty but it works.
bù guò