Chinese Idioms – Chinese sayings can be divided into two categories: proverbs (yan yu, see information on proverbs below), and idioms, (cheng yu). Chinese chengyu are very compact, generally consisting of four Chinese characters. Mostly they come from ancient stories, folklore, and history. Much like English idioms, unless you know the context of background and history, they can be difficult to impossible to understand. Students in China are required to study these old Chinese idioms, but find the task overwhelming as Chinese idiom dictionaries list between 5,000 and 20,000 cheng yu. Most Chinese people today don’t know nearly all of the idioms that are listed in the dictionary. In the Chinese idioms list below we have some of the most common Chinese idioms used today.

Chinese calligraphy artists often make use of old Chinese proverbs in their paintings. It is common to see paintings with a beautiful landscape background with mountains, pine trees, bamboo, flowers, or water and a Chinese idiom or proverb in calligraphy in the foreground. This kind of Oriental art is an excellent way to add beauty and wisdom to your home. The words of wisdom can be a reminder to be virtuous, honest, and diligent, and the attractive calligraphy paintings is a way to take this wisdom into your heart. After you study the idioms on this page, be sure to view our calligraphy proverb scrolls. You can choose your favorite proverb from the Chinese proverbs list below for a custom scroll.

Whether you just want to have a look at some of the more famous sayings, or are serious about learning them, you have come to the right place! If you are a foreigner and want to impress your Chinese friends with your language skills, speak a few idioms and they will be awed.

Below we have Chinese idiom characters, pin yin, English translation, and audio of the pronunciation so you can learn how to to speak them yourself! The Chinese symbols were saved in picture format because many computers have not been set to read Chinese.