Usage of the character 十

the Thirteen Confucian Classics, namely: Book of Songs 詩經／诗经 ( Shījīng), Book of History 尚書／尚书 ( Shàngshū), Rites of Zhou 周禮／周礼 ( Zhōulǐ), Rites and Ceremonies 儀禮／仪礼 ( Yílǐ), Classic of Rites 禮記／礼记 ( Lǐjì), Book of Changes 易經／易经 ( Yìjīng), Mr Zuo's Annals 左傳／左传 ( Zuǒ Zhuàn), Mr Gongyang's Annals 公羊傳／公羊传 ( Gōngyáng Zhuàn), Mr Guliang's Annals 穀梁傳／谷梁传 ( Gǔliáng Zhuàn), The Analects 論語／论语 ( Lúnyǔ), Erya 爾雅／尔雅 ( Eryǎ), Classic of Filial Piety 孝經／孝经 ( Xiàojīng), Mencius 孟子 ( Mèngzǐ)

shí'èrjīng

十二经

[十二經]

twelve channels of TCM

shísānzhāng

十三张

[十三張]

Chinese poker

èrshíduō

二十多

[二十多]

over 20

huàshízì

划十字

[劃十字]

variant of 畫十字／画十字 (huàshízì)

shízìsī

十字丝

[十字絲]

crosshairs

shítiāngān

十天干

[十天干]

the ten Heavenly Stems 甲 (jiǎ), 乙 (yǐ), 丙 (bǐng), 丁 (dīng), 戊 (wù), 己 (jǐ), 庚 (gēng), 辛 (xīn), 壬 (rén), 癸 (guǐ) (used cyclically in the calendar and as ordinal number like Roman I, II, III)

shísānrì

十三日

[十三日]

thirteenth day of a month

shíwànwèi

十万位

[十萬位]

the hundred thousands place (or column) in the decimal system

shíbiānxíng

十边形

[十邊形]

decagon

Wǔshílíng

五十铃

[五十鈴]

Isuzu

Hóngshízì

红十字

[紅十字]

Red Cross

shízìxíng

十字形

[十字形]

cruciform
cross shape

Shuāngshíjié

双十节

[雙十節]

Double Tenth, the anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising 武昌起義／武昌起义 ( Wǔchāng Qǐyì) of October 10th, 1911
(Tw) National Day

shíyuèfèn

十月份

[十月份]

October

shí'èrgōng

十二宫

[十二宮]

the twelve equatorial constellations or signs of the zodiac in Western astronomy and astrology, namely: Aries 白羊 ( Báiyáng), Taurus 金牛 ( Jìnniú), Gemini 雙子／双子 ( Shuāngzǐ), Cancer 巨蟹 ( Jùxiè), Leo 獅子／狮子 ( Shīzǐ), Virgo 室女 ( Shìnü), Libra 天秤 ( Tiānchèng), Scorpio 天蠍／天蝎 ( Tiānxiē), Sagittarius 人馬／人马 ( Rénmǎ), Capricorn 摩羯 ( Mójié), Aquarius 寶瓶／宝瓶 ( Bǎopíng), Pisces 雙魚／双鱼 ( Shuāngyú)

shíchángshì

十常侍

[十常侍]

Ten Permanent Functionaries at the end of Han, a byword for corruption

shízhībājiǔ

十之八九

[十之八九]

most likely
mostly (in 8 or 9 cases out of 10)
vast majority

yīpùshíhán

一曝十寒

[一曝十寒]

one day's sun, ten days' frost (idiom, from Mencius); fig. to work for a bit then skimp
sporadic effort
lack of sticking power
short attention span

shíwànhuǒjí

十万火急

[十萬火急]

most urgent
posthaste
express

shí'èryuèfèn

十二月份

[十二月份]

December

qīshíniándài

七十年代

[七十年代]

the seventies; the 1970s

liùshíniándài

六十年代

[六十年代]

the sixties
the 1960s

shí'èrdìzhī

十二地支

[十二地支]

the 12 earthly branches 子 (zǐ), 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥 (used cyclically in the calendar and as ordinal numbers)

shíjìnwèifǎ

十进位法

[十進位法]

decimal system

shí'èrshíchen

十二时辰

[十二時辰]

twelve divisions of the day of early Chinese and Babylonian timekeeping and astronomy

bǎi'érbāshí

百儿八十

[百兒八十]

about a hundred
a hundred or so

sānshíliùjì

三十六计

[三十六計]

The Thirty-Six Stratagems, a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics, war, and in civil interaction
all the possible schemes and stratagems

shíyìwèiyuán

十亿位元

[十億位元]

gigabit

shíná-jiǔwěn

十拿九稳

[十拿九穩]

to be a cinch; in the bag
(of a person) confident of success

Shíyuè Gémìng

十月革命

[十月革命]

October Revolution

mùxiàshíháng

目下十行

[目下十行]

see 一目十行 (yīmùshíháng)

Xuānyuánshísì

轩辕十四

[軒轅十四]

Regulus (constellation)

shífēnwèishù

十分位数

[十分位數]

decile (statistics)

shíliùwèiyuán

十六位元

[十六位元]

16-bit (computing)

sānshí'èrxiàng

三十二相

[三十二相]

the thirty-two physical characteristics of Buddha

yīpùshíhán

一暴十寒

[一暴十寒]

one day's sun, ten days' frost (idiom, from Mencius); fig. to work for a bit then skimp
sporadic effort
short attention span

zhūzǐshíjiā

诸子十家

[諸子十家]

various sages and ten schools of thought
refers to the classical schools of thought, e.g. Confucianism 儒 (rú) represented by Confucius 孔子 ( Kǒngzǐ) and Mencius 孟子 ( Mèngzǐ), Daoism 道 (dào) by Laozi 老子 ( Lǎozǐ) and Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ), Mohism 墨 (mò) by Mozi 墨子 ( Mòzǐ), Legalism 法 (fǎ) by Sunzi 孫子／孙子 ( Sūnzǐ) and Han Feizi 韓非子／韩非子 ( Hán Fēizǐ), and numerous others

èrshíwǔshǐ

二十五史

[二十五史]

twenty four dynastic histories (or 25 or 26 in modern editions)

èrshímiàntǐ

二十面体

[二十面體]

icosahedron

shífēnzhīyī

十分之一

[十分之一]

one tenth

Ershísì Shǐ

二十四史

[二十四史]

the Twenty-Four Histories (25 or 26 in modern editions), collection of books on Chinese dynastic history from 3000 BC till 17th century
fig. a long and complicated story

shídàshénshòu

十大神兽

[十大神獸]

the Baidu 10 mythical creatures (a set of hoax animals and puns linked to PRC Internet censorship)

èrshíyīdiǎn

二十一点

[二十一點]

blackjack (card game)

shísìhángshī

十四行诗

[十四行詩]

sonnet

liùshísìguà

六十四卦

[六十四卦]

the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes (I Ching or Yi Jing) 易經／易经

shíliùzìjué

十六字诀

[十六字訣]

16-character formula, esp. Mao Zedong's mantra on guerrilla warfare: 敵進我退，敵駐我擾，敵疲我打，敵退我追／敌进我退，敌驻我扰，敌疲我打，敌退我追 (díjìnwǒtuì,dízhùwǒrǎo,dípíwǒdǎ,dítuìwǒzhuī) when the enemy advances we retreat; when the enemy makes camp we harass; when the enemy is exhausted we fight; and when the enemy retreats we pursue

yīmùshíháng

一目十行

[一目十行]

ten lines at a glance (idiom)
to read very rapidly

shíliùwánzhí

十六烷值

[十六烷值]

cetane number (quality of light diesel fuel, measured by its ignition delay)

shíxiàngquánnéng

十项全能

[十項全能]

decathlon

xīngxiāngshízú

星相十足

[星相十足]

(coll.) to look every bit the big star

wényīzhīshí

闻一知十

[聞一知十]

lit. to hear one and know ten (idiom); fig. explain one thing and (he) understands everything
a word to the wise

Wǔdài Shíguó

五代十国

[五代十國]

Five Dynasties (907-960) and Ten Kingdoms (902-979), period of political turmoil in ancient China

wǔguāng-shísè

五光十色

[五光十色]

(idiom) bright and multicolored; of rich variety; dazzling; glitzy

Nánshízìzuò

南十字座

[南十字座]

(astronomy) the Southern Cross

yīwǔyīshí

一五一十

[一五一十]

lit. count by fives and tens (idiom); to narrate systematically and in full detail

sānshí'érlì

三十而立

[三十而立]

thirty years old and therefore independent (idiom, from Confucius)

shí'èrjīngmài

十二经脉

[十二經脈]

twelve channels of TCM

shí'èbùshè

十恶不赦

[十惡不赦]

wicked beyond redemption (idiom)
heinous

shízìlùkǒu

十字路口

[十字路口]

crossroads
intersection

shíyīyuèfèn

十一月份

[十一月份]

November

shízìhuākē

十字花科

[十字花科]

Cruciferae or Brassicaceae (taxonomic family including Brassica etc whose flowers have a cross of 4 petals)

dàniánsānshí

大年三十

[大年三十]

last day of the lunar year
Chinese New Year's Eve

shíjìnsuànshù

十进算术

[十進算術]

decimal calculation

shíliùjìnzhì

十六进制

[十六進制]

hexadecimal

shíquánshíměi

十全十美

[十全十美]

complete and beautiful
to be perfect (idiom)

shí'èrzhǐcháng

十二指肠

[十二指腸]

duodenum

shí'èrbiānxíng

十二边形

[十二邊形]

dodecagon

shí'èrmiàntǐ

十二面体

[十二面體]

dodecahedron

shízìzhuànmén

十字转门

[十字轉門]

turnstile

Shíqīkǒng Qiáo

十七孔桥

[十七孔橋]

Seventeen-Arch Bridge in the Summer Palace 頤和園／颐和园 ( Yíhéyuán), Beijing

èrshíbāxiù

二十八宿

[二十八宿]

the twenty-eight constellations

qīlǎobāshí

七老八十

[七老八十]

in one's seventies (age)
very old (of people)

shí'èrxīngzuò

十二星座

[十二星座]

the twelve signs of the zodiac

Shíguó Chūnqiū

十国春秋

[十國春秋]

History of Ten States of South China (1669) by Wu Renchen 吳任臣／吴任臣 ( Wú Rènchén), 114 scrolls

shízìjiàxíng

十字架刑

[十字架刑]

crucifiction

shíyǒubājiǔ

十有八九

[十有八九]

most likely
mostly (in 8 or 9 cases out of 10)
vast majority

shídǔjiǔshū

十赌九输

[十賭九輸]

lit. in gambling, nine times out of ten you lose (idiom)
fig. gambling is a mug's game

shídòngránjù

十动然拒

[十動然拒]

to reject sb after being deeply touched by them (Internet slang)

Shímiàn Máifú

十面埋伏

[十面埋伏]

Ambush from Ten Sides (pipa solo piece)
House of Flying Daggers (2004 movie by Zhang Yimou 張藝謀／张艺谋 ( Zhāng Yìmóu))

èrshíshìjì

二十世纪

[二十世紀]

20th century

jiǎyīpéishí

假一赔十

[假一賠十]

lit. if one is fake, I shall compensate you for ten of them
fig. (of goods) 100% genuine

shí'èrjiǎoxíng

十二角形

[十二角形]

dodecagon

Ershísì Xiào

二十四孝

[二十四孝]

the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, classic Confucian text on filial piety from Yuan dynasty

shílǐyángchǎng

十里洋场

[十里洋場]

the Shanghai of old, with its foreign settlements
(fig.) a bustling, cosmopolitan city

Ershíyī Tiáo

二十一条

[二十一條]

the Japanese Twenty-One Demands of 1915

shíchéng-jiǔwěn

十成九稳

[十成九穩]

see 十拿九穩／十拿九稳 (shiná-jiuwén)

Míngshísānlíng

明十三陵

[明十三陵]

the Ming tombs (mausoleum park of the Ming emperors in Changping district of Beijing)

Sìshí'èr Zhāngjīng

四十二章经

[四十二章經]

The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha, the first Chinese Buddhist text, translated in 67 AD by Kasyapa-Matanga 迦葉摩騰／迦叶摩腾 ( Jiāyè Móténg) and Gobharana 竺法蘭／竺法兰 ( Zhúfǎlán) (Dharmaraksha)

shízìjūnyuǎnzhēng

十字军远征

[十字軍遠征]

the Crusades

Wǔhú Shíliùguó

五胡十六国

[五胡十六國]

Sixteen Kingdoms of Five non-Han people (ruling most of China 304-439)

bājiǔbùlíshí

八九不离十

[八九不離十]

pretty close
very near
about right

qiángwēishízìtuán

蔷薇十字团

[薔薇十字團]

the Rosicrucian order (masonic order)

nüdàshíbābiàn

女大十八变

[女大十八變]

lit. a girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood (idiom)
fig. a young woman is very different from the little girl she once was

èrshísìjiéqi

二十四节气

[二十四節氣]

the 24 solar terms, calculated from the position of the sun on the ecliptic, that divide the year into 24 equal periods

shí'èrpíngjūnlü

十二平均律

[十二平均律]

equal temperament

Shíliùguó Chūnqiū

十六国春秋

[十六國春秋]

history of the Sixteen Kingdoms 304-439 by Cui Hong 崔鴻／崔鸿, written towards the end of Wei of the Northern Dynasties 北魏, 100 scrolls

Běndǔ Shíliùshì

本笃十六世

[本篤十六世]

Pope Benedict XVI, original name Joseph Alois Ratzinger (1927-), pope 2005-2013

liùshísìwèiyuán

六十四位元

[六十四位元]

64-bit (computing)

huángdàoshí'èrgōng

黄道十二宫

[黃道十二宮]

see 十二宮／十二宫 (shí'èrgōng)

shízìtóuluódāo

十字头螺刀

[十字頭螺刀]

Phillips screwdriver (i.e. with cross slit)

Tàizǐshísānfēng

太子十三峰

[太子十三峰]

thirteen peaks of Meili Snow Mountains in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture 迪慶藏族自治州／迪庆藏族自治州 ( Díqìng Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu), Yunnan
also written 梅里雪山 ( Méilǐ Xuěshān)

sānshí'èrwèiyuán

三十二位元

[三十二位元]

32-bit (computing)

shíwànbāqiānlǐ

十万八千里

[十萬八千里]

light-years (apart)
a million miles (apart)
(i.e. indicates a huge difference or a huge distance)

èrshíyīshìjì

二十一世纪

[二十一世紀]

21st century

sānshíliùzìmǔ

三十六字母

[三十六字母]

thirty six initial consonants of Song phonetic theory

sānbǎiliùshíháng

三百六十行

[三百六十行]

all walks of life (idiom)
every trade

sānqī'èrshíyī

三七二十一

[三七二十一]

three sevens are twenty-one (idiom)
the facts of the matter
the actual situation

shízìjūndōngzhēng

十字军东征

[十字軍東征]

the Crusades
crusaders' eastern expedition

bǎnbǎnliùshísì

板板六十四

[板板六十四]

unaccommodating
rigid

Shānběn Wǔshíliù

山本五十六

[山本五十六]

YAMAMOTO Isoroku (1884-1943), Japanese admiral

sānshíbādùxiàn

三十八度线

[三十八度線]

38th parallel
dividing line agreed at Yalta between US and Soviet zones of influence in Korea, now the DMZ between North and South Korea

Xiānggǎng Hóng Shízìhuì

香港红十字会

[香港紅十字會]

Hong Kong Red Cross

wǔshíbùxiàobǎibù

五十步笑百步

[五十步笑百步]

lit. the one who has retreated 50 steps laughs at the one who has retreated 100 steps (idiom)
fig. the pot calls the kettle black

gèdǎwǔshídàbǎn

各打五十大板

[各打五十大板]

lit. to give each one a flogging of fifty strokes (idiom)
fig. to punish the guilty and the innocent alike
to put the blame on both parties

Qīshíqī Guó Jítuán

七十七国集团

[七十七國集團]

Group of 77, loose alliance of developing countries, founded in 1964

Bāshí Tiān Huányóu Dìqiú

八十天环游地球

[八十天環遊地球]

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne 儒勒·凡爾納／儒勒·凡尔纳 ( Rúlè· Fán'ěrnà)

xíngbǎilǐzhěbànjiǔshí

行百里者半九十

[行百里者半九十]

lit. ninety li is merely a half of a hundred li journey (idiom)
fig. the closer one is to completing a task, the tougher it gets
a task is not done until it's done

Huángdì Bāshíyī Nànjīng

黄帝八十一难经

[黃帝八十一難經]

The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Eighty-one Difficulties, medical text, c. 1st century AD

qié'èrshíbāxīngpiáochóng

茄二十八星瓢虫

[茄二十八星瓢蟲]

28-spotted ladybird
hadda beetle
Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata

bùguǎnsānqī'èrshíyī

不管三七二十一

[不管三七二十一]

regardless of the consequences
recklessly relying on a hopelessly optimistic forecast

Lièshā Hóngsè Shíyuèhào

猎杀红色十月号

[獵殺紅色十月號]

"The Hunt for Red October", a novel by Tom Clancy

guǎntāsānqī'èrshíyī

管他三七二十一

[管他三七二十一]

who cares
no matter what
regardless of the consequences

yīchuánshí,shíchuánbǎi

一传十，十传百

[一傳十，十傳百]

(idiom) (of news etc) to spread like wildfire; to be disseminated far and wide

shízhǐbùzhānyángchūnshuǐ

十指不沾阳春水

[十指不沾陽春水]

to have no need to fend for oneself (idiom)
to lead a pampered life

Huánghuāgāngqīshí'èrlièshì

黄花岗七十二烈士

[黃花崗七十二烈士]

the seventy two martyrs of the Huanghuagang uprising of 23rd April 1911

shíniánshùmù,bǎiniánshùrén

十年树木，百年树人

[十年樹木，百年樹人]

(idiom) it takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to cultivate people

Ershí Nián Mùdǔzhī Guài Xiànzhuàng

二十年目睹之怪现状

[二十年目睹之怪現狀]

The Strange State of the World Witnessed Over 20 Years, novel by late Qing novelist Wu Jianren 吳趼人／吴趼人 ( Wú Jiǎnrén)

jūnzibàochóu,shíniánbùwǎn

君子报仇，十年不晚

[君子報仇，十年不晚]

lit. for a nobleman to take revenge, ten years is not too long (idiom)
fig. revenge is a dish best served cold

sānshíliùjì,zǒuwéishàngcè

三十六计，走为上策

[三十六計，走為上策]

of the thirty-six stratagems, the best option is to flee (idiom)
the best thing to do is leave

guāwúgǔnyuán,rénwúshíquán

瓜无滚圆，人无十全

[瓜無滾圓，人無十全]

no gourd is perfectly round, just as no man is perfect (proverb)

sānshíliùjì,zǒuwéishàngjì

三十六计，走为上计

[三十六計，走為上計]

see 三十六計，走為上策／三十六计，走为上策 (sānshíliùjì,zǒuwéishàngcè)

yīniánbèishéyǎoshíniánpàjǐngshéng

一年被蛇咬十年怕井绳

[一年被蛇咬十年怕井繩]

once bitten by a snake, one is scared all one's life at the mere sight of a rope (idiom)
fig. once bitten, twice shy

duǒguòchūyī,duǒbùguòshíwǔ

躲过初一，躲不过十五

[躲過初一，躲不過十五]

see 躲得過初一，躲不過十五／躲得过初一，躲不过十五 (duǒdeguòchūyī,duǒbùguòshíwǔ)

nìngchāishízuòmiào,bùhuǐyīzhuānghūn

宁拆十座庙，不毁一桩婚

[寧拆十座廟，不毀一樁婚]

rather destroy ten temples than a single marriage (idiom)

yīzhāobèishéyǎo,shíniánpàjǐngshéng

一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳

[一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井繩]

once bitten by a snake, ten years in fear of a well rope
once bitten, twice shy (idiom)

fànhòubǎibùzǒu,huódàojiǔshíjiǔ

饭后百步走，活到九十九

[飯後百步走，活到九十九]

walk a hundred steps after each meal and you will live a long life (proverb)

duǒdeguòchūyī,duǒbùguòshíwǔ

躲得过初一，躲不过十五

[躲得過初一，躲不過十五]

lit. you may go undetected during the new moon, but at full moon you'll be found out (idiom)
fig. you can't put it off forever
sooner or later you'll have to deal with it

sānshíniánhédōng,sānshíniánhéxī

三十年河东，三十年河西

[三十年河東，三十年河西]

the river flows thirty years to the East, thirty years to the West (proverb)
change is the only constant

táishàngyīfēnzhōng,táixiàshíniángōng

台上一分钟，台下十年功

[臺上一分鐘，臺下十年功]

ten years of practice for one minute on the stage (idiom)

tīngjūnyīxíhuà,shèngdúshíniánshū

听君一席话，胜读十年书

[聽君一席話，勝讀十年書]

listening to the words of a wise man can be superior to studying ten years of books (proverb)

yībù'èrshísìshǐ,bùzhīcónghéshuōqǐ

一部二十四史，不知从何说起

[一部二十四史，不知從何說起]

It's a long and intricate story, I hardly know where to start.