absentminded; preoccupied; inattentive; one's thoughts are elsewhere or wandering.

to mention something without elaborating; to be too sketchy or vague in one's explanation

Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in Xinjiang

Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken? (figuratively) small matters do not require large effort or great talent; don't use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

There is no crime more serious than this; the crime is extreme.

To be so used to a situation or practice that one no longer notices its problems or peculiarities

Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang; located in central Xinjiang on the northwest shore of Lake Bosten.

Why use a meat cleaver to kill a chicken; used to describe wasting a lot of effort on a small matter or using a great talent for a trivial task.

Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang

well-known Confucian saying from the Analects implying that whenever three people walk together, there is always someone among them who can serve as a teacher from whom one can learn

the superior class or the best grade of things; often used to describe high-quality or top-tier items in contrast to inferior ones

The second class or an inferior grade of things; often used in contrast to [[上焉者|上焉者|shang4 yan1 zhe3]]

How do you catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair? This idiom means that one cannot achieve great success or victory without being willing to take risks and face danger.

Characterizes the way words become corrupted through repeated copying; refers to how the characters [[乌|烏|wu1]], [[焉|焉|yan1]], and [[马|馬|ma3]] look similar and are easily confused.

(literary) then; at this point; in this place; same as [[于是|於是|yu2 shi4]]

(idiom) no greater contribution or achievement has been made than this

listless or spiritless; appearing disappointed or in low spirits

the old man from the frontier lost his horse, how could one know it would not be a blessing; a setback may turn out to be a lucky break in the end

the old man lost his horse, but it turned out for the best; a setback may prove to be a blessing in disguise

(literary) after a short while; in a moment

To feel surprised or astonished by something.

to be deeply moved or touched by what someone has said or done because it resonates with one's own feelings

Literally meaning "I still have sons, don't I?"; used to express that future generations will continue one's work or legacy.

(literary) how can one possibly; how could it be that; used to express a rhetorical question in formal writing

Mountain in Gansu province, China; historically famous as a source of rouge and for its strategic location between the Qilian and Longshou mountains. One theory suggests the name is a transliteration of the title for the wife of a [[匈奴|匈奴|xiong1 nu2]] chieftain.

(literary) used in rhetorical questions to mean "how could anyone know" or "who's to say"; often used in the idiom [[塞翁失马，焉知非福|塞翁失馬，焉知非福|sai4 weng1 shi1 ma3 yan1 zhi1 fei1 fu2]]

Yanqi basin in the northeast of the Tarim basin

(literary) how can one possibly; used in rhetorical questions to suggest something is impossible

Literally "how can a sparrow know the will of a great swan"; used to mean that common people cannot possibly understand the lofty goals or ambitions of a great person.

Literally "if the hide is gone, where will the hair attach?"; used as a metaphor meaning that if the foundation of a thing is lost, the thing itself cannot exist (from the [[左传|左傳|zuo3 zhuan4]])

if one can change after making a mistake, there is nothing better; used as an idiom to encourage self-improvement and the correction of errors