As you may or may not know, I really like learning chengyu. After a while, I started to notice patterns and similar structures, and I got curious. What are the common patterns for chengyu?
There are a lot of chengyu, and I’m not that ambitious. I decided to just focus on the chengyu I know. Fortunately, pretty much all the chengyu I know are in Anki, so I was able to export them for analysis! I identified 16 of the most common patterns. Let’s take a look~
不可_ _
不可思议 bùkěsīyì - inconceivable / unimaginable / unfathomable 不可理喻 bùkělǐyù - to be impervious to reason / unreasonable 不可避免 bùkěbìmiǎn - unavoidably 不可或缺 bùkěhuòquē - necessary / must have 不可救药 bùkějiùyào - incurable / incorrigible / beyond cure / hopeless
无所_ _
无所畏惧 wúsuǒwèijù - fearless 无所不有 wúsuǒbùyǒu - to have everything 无所顾忌 wúsuǒgùjì - to have no misgivings / to stop at nothing 无所事事 wúsuǒshìshì - to have nothing to do / to idle one’s time away 无所不谈 wúsuǒbùtán - to talk about everything
不_不_
不折不扣 bùzhébúkòu - a hundred percent / to the letter / out-and-out 不屈不挠 bùqūbùnáo - unyielding / indomitable 不理不睬 bùlǐbùcǎi - to completely ignore / to pay no attention to / not to be in the least concerned about 不言不语 bùyánbùyǔ - to not say a word / to keep silent 不闻不问 bùwénbúwèn - not to hear, not to question / to show no interest in sth / uncritical / not in the least concerned
A lot of these contain words within them: 折扣、屈挠、理睬、言语、闻问 are all words!
一_不_
一丝不苟 yìsībùgǒu - strictly according to the rules / meticulous (lit. not one thread loose) 一成不变 yìchéngbúbiàn - nothing much changes / always the same 一尘不染 yìchénbùrǎn - selfless and incorruptible / spotless (lit. untainted by even a speck of dust) 一蹶不振 yìjuébúzhèn - a setback leading to total collapse / unable to recover after a minor hitch (lit. one stumble, unable to rise) 一丝不挂 yìsībúguà - absolutely naked / without a stitch of clothing (lit. not wearing one thread)
无_无_
无影无踪 wúyǐngwúzōng - to disappear without trace 无穷无尽 wúqióngwújìn - endless / boundless / infinite 无声无息 wúshēngwúxī - silent / unknown (lit. not a sound nor breath) 无边无际 wúbiānwújì - boundless / limitless 无忧无虑 wúyōuwúlǜ - carefree and without worries
A lot of these also contain words within them: 影踪、穷尽、声息、边际、忧虑 are all words!
一_一_
一心一意 yìxīnyíyì - concentrating one’s thoughts and efforts / single-minded / bent on / intently 一言一行 yìyányìxíng - every word and action 一举一动 yìjǔyídòng - every movement / each and every move 一朝一夕 yìzhāoyìxī - in a short period of time / overnight (lit. one morning and one evening) 一生一世 yìshēngyíshì - a whole lifetime all my life
Once again, we have some words: 心意、言行、举动、朝夕、生世 are all words!
_天_地
惊天动地 jīngtiāndòngdì - world-shaking 铺天盖地 pūtiāngàidì - everywhere / coming with great momentum (lit. hiding the sky and covering the earth) 开天辟地 kāitiānpìdì - to split heaven and earth apart 冰天雪地 bīngtiānxuědì - a world of ice and snow 欢天喜地 huāntiānxǐdì - delighted / with great joy / in high spirits
_言_语
千言万语 qiānyánwànyǔ - thousands of words / having a lot of things to say 自言自语 zìyánzìyǔ - to talk to oneself / to think aloud / to soliloquize 不言不语 bùyánbùyǔ - to not say a word / to keep silent 花言巧语 huāyánqiǎoyǔ - flowery speech / elegant but insincere words / dishonest rhetoric 流言蜚语 liúyánfēiyǔ - rumors and slanders / gossip / lies and slanders
_心_意
三心二意 sānxīnèryì - in two minds about sth / hesitant / indecisive 真心实意 zhēnxīnshíyì - genuine and sincere / wholehearted 粗心大意 cūxīndàyì - negligent / careless / inadvertent 专心一意 zhuānxīnyíyì - to concentrate on 全心全意 quánxīnquányì - heart and soul / wholeheartedly
AABB
兢兢业业 jīngjīngyèyè - conscientious / assiduous 形形色色 xíngxíngsèsè - all kinds of / all sorts of / every different kind of 踏踏实实 tātāshíshí - steady / steadfast 轰轰烈烈 hōnghōnglièliè - strong / vigorous / large-scale 鬼鬼祟祟 guǐguǐsuìsuì - sneaky / secretive / furtive
ABCC
兴致勃勃 xìngzhìbóbó - to become exhilarated / in high spirits / full of zest 小心翼翼 xiǎoxīnyìyì - cautious and solemn / very carefully / prudent / gently and cautiously 忧心忡忡 yōuxīnchōngchōng - deeply worried and sick at heart 怒气冲冲 nùqìchōngchōng - spitting anger / in a rage 气喘吁吁 qìchuǎnxūxū - to pant / to gasp for breath
ABAC
善有善报 shànyǒushànbào - virtue has its rewards / one good turn deserves another 土生土长 tǔshēngtǔzhǎng - locally born and bred / indigenous / home-grown 相亲相爱 xiāngqīnxiāngài - to be kind and love one another / bound by deep emotions 蹑手蹑脚 nièshǒunièjiǎo - to walk quietly on tiptoe 难舍难分 nánshěnánfēn - loath to part / emotionally close and unwilling to separate
ABCB
人云亦云 rényúnyìyún - to say what everyone says / to conform to what one perceives to be the majority view / to follow the herd 大错特错 dàcuòtècuò - to be gravely mistaken 将错就错 jiāngcuòjiùcuò - to make the best after a mistake / to accept an error and adapt to it (lit. if it’s wrong, it’s wrong) 得过且过 déguòqiěguò - satisfied just to get through / to muddle through / without high ambitions, but getting by 讨价还价 tǎojiàhuánjià - to haggle over price / to bargain
AABC
井井有条 jǐngjǐngyǒutiáo - everything clear and orderly / neat and tidy 摇摇欲坠 yáoyáoyùzhuì - tottering / on the verge of collapse 栩栩如生 xǔxǔrúshēng - vivid and lifelike / true to life / realistic 格格不入 gégébúrù - inharmonious / incompatible 默默无闻 mòmòwúwén - obscure and unknown / an outsider without any reputation / a nobody
Split Words
There are other chengyu containing words that don’t fit any of the above patterns. I wanted to include them as well :)
不言而喻 bùyán'éryù - it goes without saying / it is self-evident -> 言喻 有缘无分 yǒuyuánwúfèn - destined to meet but not fated to be together -> 缘分 有条有理 yǒutiáoyǒulǐ everything clear and orderly / neat and tidy -> 条理 挑三拣四 tiāosānjiǎnsì - to be picky / to be choosy -> 挑拣 取而代之 qǔ'érdàizhī - to substitute for sb / to remove and replace -> 取代
Interspersed Words
Some chengyu actually contain two words interspersed. These ones are really cool!
功成名就 gōngchéngmíngjiù - to win success and recognition -> 功名、成就 胡思乱想 húsīluànxiǎng - to indulge in flights of fancy / to let one’s imagination run wild -> 胡乱、思想 生儿育女 shēng'éryùnǚ - to bear and raise children -> 生育、儿女 通情达理 tōngqíngdálǐ - fair and reasonable / sensible / standing to reason -> 通达、情理 门当户对 méndānghùduì - the families are well-matched in terms of social status / (of a prospective marriage partner) an appropriate match -> 门户、当对
Today I’m sharing 13 成语 that each contain all 4 tones (not counting the neutral tone). I just find them really cool for some reason. I either learned these 成语 in class or have encountered them online independently. Example sentences from Pleco.
重男轻女 zhòngnánqīngnǚ - lit. to value males and belittle females (idiom) 中国 我们不应该有重男轻女的观念。
异口同声 yìkǒutóngshēng - different mouths, same voice / to speak in unison (idiom) “没问题。”同学们异口同声地回答。
班门弄斧 bānménnòngfǔ - to display one’s slight skill before an expert (idiom) 在你面前班门弄斧，太不好意思了。
刻骨铭心 kègǔmíngxīn - lit. carved in bones and engraved in the heart (idiom) / fig. etched in one’s memory / unforgettable 父母对子女的爱，是如此的刻骨铭心。
装聋作哑 zhuānglóngzuòyǎ - to play deaf-mute / to feign ignorance 他装聋作哑，说他一点也不知道。
南腔北调 nánqiāngběidiào - to speak with a mixed accent 他讲话南腔北调的。
胡思乱想 húsīluànxiǎng - to indulge in flights of fancy (idiom); to let one’s imagination run wild 你要是以为自己可以获胜的话，一定是在胡思乱想！
海枯石烂 hǎikūshílàn - lit. when the seas run dry and the stones go soft (idiom) / fig. forever / until the end of time 我爱你到海枯石烂。
寒风刺骨 hánfēngcìgǔ - bone chilling wind (idiom) 在寒风刺骨的夜里，街上安安静静的。
生儿育女 shēng'éryùnǚ - to bear and raise children 他们决定开始生儿育女。
言之有物 yánzhīyǒuwù - (of one’s words) to have substance 这篇文章言之有物。
举足轻重 jǔzúqīngzhòng - a foot’s move sways the balance (idiom); to hold the balance of power / to play the decisive role 她在政府中的作用举足轻重。
以防万一 yǐfángwànyī - to guard against the unexpected (idiom); just in case / prepared for any eventualities 也许不会下雨，不过还是带把伞，以防万一。
I wanted to update this post with some additional 成语. Some of them have been featured on my blog before (mostly from one of my 50 成语 posts hereandhere), but I thought it would be nice to have them collected altogether.
多管闲事 duōguǎnxiánshì - meddling in other people’s business 现在我了解情况了，真希望自己当初没去多管闲事。
步履蹒跚 bùlǚpánshān | bùlǚmánshān - to walk haltingly / to hobble along 那位老太太步履蹒跚地走下楼梯。 My Chinese teacher said this chengyu can also be pronounced bùlǚmánshān.
淡然处之 dànránchǔzhī - to treat indifferently or coolly 面对困难，他淡然处之。
无懈可击 wúxièkějī | wúxièkějí - invulnerable 需要更多证人让案子无懈可击。 In Taiwan, 击 is pronounced jí, so this 成语 wouldn’t fit the all 4 tones requirement.
庸人自扰 yōngrénzìrǎo - to get upset over nothing / to make problems for oneself 事情已经解决，你就别庸人自扰了。
举世无双 jǔshìwúshuāng - unrivaled / world number one / unique / unequaled 他表演的冰上舞蹈真是举世无双。
明目张胆 míngmùzhāngdǎn - openly and without fear / brazenly 小偷明目张胆地开偷来的车。
火上加油 huǒshàngjiāyóu - to add oil to the fire / to aggravate a situation / to enrage people and make matters worse 他心情不好，别火上加油。
提心吊胆 tíxīndiàodǎn - to be very scared and on edge 我对考试结果感到提心吊胆的。
天旋地转 tiānxuándìzhuàn | tiānxuándìzhuǎn - the sky spins and the earth goes round / giddy with one’s head spinning / huge changes in the world 我一站起身就觉得天旋地转。 This 成语 can be pronounced with zhuàn (Mainland) or zhuǎn (Taiwan). Obviously it only contains all 4 tones with zhuǎn.
倾盆大雨 qīngpéndàyǔ - a downpour / rain bucketing down / to be overwhelmed 倾盆大雨让地面湿透了。
I thought it was very interesting that 1243 led by quite a bit! I totally did not notice as I was drafting this post. But this is just a small sample, so it isn’t necessarily representative of all 成语.
I had been thinking about how wordle works well for english because it has consonant clusters and a wide variety of possible syllables that make it interesting but also narrow-down-able, whereas mandarin decidedly Does Not. I guess to get around that this uses four character phrases. Tricky but at least you might learn a new chengyu regardless :)
