Chinese idioms (chengyu) by level and topic

What is a chengyu?

A chengyu (成语, chéngyǔ, "set phrase") is a fixed idiom, almost always four characters long, that packs a story, an image or a piece of classical wisdom into a single expression. Many come from ancient texts — a fable in the Zhanguo Ce, a line of Confucius, a Tang poem — which is why their grammar is often classical and their meaning is rarely the sum of the characters: 画蛇添足 literally says "draw snake add feet", but it means ruining something by overdoing it.

There are tens of thousands of chengyu, but educated speakers actively use a few hundred, and those are what you find here. They are everywhere: in newspaper headlines, business emails, television dramas and everyday conversation. Using a chengyu correctly is one of the clearest signals that your Chinese has moved beyond the textbook.

How to learn chengyu without drowning in them

1. Start with the transparent ones. The beginner level contains idioms like 一模一样 ("exactly the same") and 乱七八糟 ("a complete mess") whose meaning follows from the characters. They give you the rhythm and confidence of four-character phrases.
2. Learn the story, not just the gloss. For idioms with a fable behind them (井底之蛙, 守株待兔, 亡羊补牢) the story is the memory hook. Each detail page tells it in two sentences.
3. Learn by topic. Idioms about the same theme reinforce each other: study a handful about effort (熟能生巧, 半途而废, 锲而不舍) in one sitting and you will remember all three.
4. Check the usage note. Chengyu have a grammatical role and a tone. Some are only used negatively, some only of oneself, some are humorous. Copy the example sentence pattern rather than inventing your own at first.
5. Add them to your deck. Press 📚 on a chengyu to add it to Interval Study; spaced repetition brings it back just before you forget it. Practise the whole set as flashcards by level or topic.
6. Use one a week. Pick one chengyu and use it in a message or conversation. Native speakers notice, and you will never forget an idiom you have used yourself.

Chengyu and the HSK exam

HSK 4 introduces a handful of idioms, HSK 5 expects you to understand common ones in reading passages, and HSK 6 tests them actively in the reading and writing sections. Our three levels follow that curve: beginner ≈ HSK 3–4, intermediate ≈ HSK 5, advanced ≈ HSK 6 and beyond. Each example sentence stays within the vocabulary of its level, so you can read it with what you already know.