Usage of the character 千

a thousand tries leads to one success (idiom, humble expr.); Even without any notable ability on my part, I may still get it right sometimes by good luck.

qiānxīnwànkǔ

千辛万苦

[千辛萬苦]

to suffer untold hardships (idiom); trials and tribulations
with difficulty
after some effort

qiānjīnyīzhì

千金一掷

[千金一擲]

lit. stake a thousand pieces of gold on one throw (idiom); to throw away money recklessly
extravagant

bǎikǒngqiānchuāng

百孔千疮

[百孔千瘡]

heavily damaged
(fig.) full of holes
riddled with problems

wànshuǐqiānshān

万水千山

[萬水千山]

ten thousand crags and torrents (idiom); the trials and tribulations of a long journey
a long and difficult road

qiānzǎinánféng

千载难逢

[千載難逢]

extremely rare (idiom)
once in a blue moon

yīyánqiānjīn

一言千金

[一言千金]

one word worth a thousand in gold (idiom); valuable advice
words of enormous weight

qiānqíbǎiguài

千奇百怪

[千奇百怪]

fantastic oddities of every description (idiom)

qiānfāngbǎijì

千方百计

[千方百計]

lit. thousand ways, a hundred plans (idiom); by every possible means

bùyuǎnqiānlǐ

不远千里

[不遠千里]

make light of traveling a thousand li
go to the trouble of traveling a long distance

yīkè-qiānjīn

一刻千金

[一刻千金]

(idiom) time is gold; every minute is precious

juéshèngqiānlǐ

决胜千里

[決勝千里]

to be able to plan victory from a thousand miles away (idiom)

qiānchuíbǎiliàn

千锤百炼

[千錘百鍊]

after hard work and numerous revisions (idiom)
the vicissitudes of life

qiānshèngzhīguó

千乘之国

[千乘之國]

(archaic) a state with a thousand chariots (to fight a war) – a powerful state

qiāngǔzuìrén

千古罪人

[千古罪人]

sb condemned by history (idiom)

qiānlǐtiáotiáo

千里迢迢

[千里迢迢]

from distant parts

qiāngǔyíhèn

千古遗恨

[千古遺恨]

to have eternal regrets (idiom)

bǎizīqiāntài

百姿千态

[百姿千態]

in different poses and with different expressions
in thousands of postures (idiom)

yīluòqiānzhàng

一落千丈

[一落千丈]

lit. to drop a thousand zhang in one fall (idiom)
fig. (of business, popularity etc) to suffer a sudden, devastating decline
to take a dive

yīzìqiānjīn

一字千金

[一字千金]

one word worth a thousand in gold (idiom)
(in praise of a piece of writing or calligraphy) each character is perfect
each word is highly valued

qiānjūnwànmǎ

千军万马

[千軍萬馬]

magnificent army with thousands of men and horses (idiom); impressive display of manpower
all the King's horses and all the King's men

qiānchāwànbié

千差万别

[千差萬別]

(idiom) extremely diverse
to vary greatly

qiānrbābǎi

千儿八百

[千兒八百]

(coll.) one thousand or almost one thousand

qiānbiànwànzhěn

千变万轸

[千變萬軫]

constantly changing, ever-varying (idiom)

bǎijìqiānfāng

百计千方

[百計千方]

to exhaust every means to achieve sth (idiom)

qiānpiānyīlü

千篇一律

[千篇一律]

thousand articles, same rule (idiom); stereotyped and repetitive
once you've seen one, you've seen them all

wàngǔqiānqiū

万古千秋

[萬古千秋]

for all eternity (idiom)

qiānqiānwànwàn

千千万万

[千千萬萬]

lit. by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); untold numbers
innumerable
thousands upon thousands

qiānjīnnánmǎi

千金难买

[千金難買]

can't be bought for one thousand in gold (idiom)

yīnuòqiānjīn

一诺千金

[一諾千金]

a promise worth one thousand in gold (idiom); a promise that must be kept

qiāndāowànguǎ

千刀万剐

[千刀萬剮]

to hack (sb) to pieces (punishment in former times)

qiānbiànwànhuà

千变万化

[千變萬化]

countless changes
constant permutation

biāobǐngqiāngǔ

彪炳千古

[彪炳千古]

to shine through the ages (idiom)

chéngqiānshàngwàn

成千上万

[成千上萬]

lit. by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); untold numbers
innumerable
thousands upon thousands

héngsǎoqiānjūn

横扫千军

[橫掃千軍]

total annihilation

qiānlǐzhīwài

千里之外

[千里之外]

thousand miles distant

liúfāngqiāngǔ

留芳千古

[留芳千古]

a good reputation to last down the generations

chéngqiānlěiwàn

成千累万

[成千累萬]

lit. by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); untold numbers
innumerable
thousands upon thousands

qiānchuāngbǎikǒng

千疮百孔

[千瘡百孔]

see 百孔千瘡／百孔千疮 (bǎikǒngqiānchuāng)

wàndàiqiānqiū

万代千秋

[萬代千秋]

after innumerable ages

chéngbǎishàngqiān

成百上千

[成百上千]

hundreds
a large number
lit. by the hundreds and thousands

wànrbāqiān

万儿八千

[萬兒八千]

ten thousand or almost ten thousand

yuǎngéqiānlǐ

远隔千里

[遠隔千里]

thousands of miles away
far away

gèyǒuqiānqiū

各有千秋

[各有千秋]

each has its own merits (idiom)

Qiāndǎo Qúndǎo

千岛群岛

[千島群島]

Kuril Islands, archipelago in Sakhalin, far-eastern Russia

qiānyánwànyǔ

千言万语

[千言萬語]

thousands of words (idiom); having a lot of things to say
talking nonstop

Qiānjīn Yàofāng

千金要方

[千金要方]

Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold, early Tang compendium of herbal medicine by Sun Simiao 孫思邈／孙思邈 ( Sūn Sīmiǎo)

qiānnánwànnán

千难万难

[千難萬難]

extremely difficult

qiānjiǎnjīduì

千碱基对

[千鹼基對]

kilobase pair (molecular biology)

qiāndīngwànzhǔ

千叮万嘱

[千叮萬囑]

repeatedly urging
imploring over and over again

dàqiānshìjiè

大千世界

[大千世界]

great wide world
marvelously diverse world
(Buddhism) cosmos (abbr. for 三千大千世界 (sānqiāndàqiānshìjiè))

zhuǎnzhànqiānlǐ

转战千里

[轉戰千里]

fighting everywhere over a thousand miles (idiom); constant fighting across the country
never-ending struggle

Qiānxǐ Yīdài

千禧一代

[千禧一代]

Generation Y
Millennial Generation

píngfāngqiānmǐ

平方千米

[平方千米]

square kilometer

bìzhǒuqiānjīn

敝帚千金

[敝帚千金]

lit. my worn-out broom, a thousand in gold (idiom); fig. sentimental value
I wouldn't be parted with it for anything.

qiānjiāwànhù

千家万户

[千家萬戶]

every family (idiom)

qiānjūnyīfà

千钧一发

[千鈞一髮]

a thousand pounds hangs by a thread (idiom)
imminent peril
a matter of life or death

yīrìqiānlǐ

一日千里

[一日千里]

lit. one day, a thousand miles (idiom); rapid progress

yīzhìqiānjīn

一掷千金

[一擲千金]

lit. stake a thousand pieces of gold on one throw (idiom); to throw away money recklessly
extravagant

qiānzhēnwànquè

千真万确

[千真萬確]

absolutely true (idiom)
manifold
true from many points of view

qiānlǐ'émáo

千里鹅毛

[千里鵝毛]

goose feather sent from afar (idiom); a trifling gift with a weighty thought behind it
also written 千里送鵝毛／千里送鹅毛 (qiānlǐsòng'émáo)

qiānlüyīshī

千虑一失

[千慮一失]

reflect a thousand times and you can still make a mistake (idiom); to err is human

qiānzībǎitài

千姿百态

[千姿百態]

(idiom) to come in many different shapes; to display a great variety of forms

shùyǐqiānjì

数以千计

[數以千計]

thousands (of sth)

bǎihuìqiānpā

百卉千葩

[百卉千葩]

myriad plants and flowers (idiom); rich and colorful

chǐtiáoqiānjīndǐng

齿条千斤顶

[齒條千斤頂]

rack and pinion jack

qiānlǐsòng'émáo

千里送鹅毛

[千里送鵝毛]

goose feather sent from afar (idiom); a trifling present with a weighty thought behind it

Shàngxià Wǔ Qiānnián

上下五千年

[上下五千年]

Tales from 5000 Years of Chinese History in three volumes by Cao Yuzhang 曹餘章／曹余章 ( Cáo Yúzhāng)

yèyāqiānjīndǐng

液压千斤顶

[液壓千斤頂]

hydraulic jack

luóxuánqiānjīndǐng

螺旋千斤顶

[螺旋千斤頂]

screw jack

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)

sìliǎngbōqiānjīn

四两拨千斤

[四兩撥千斤]

lit. four ounces can move a thousand catties (idiom)
fig. to achieve much with little effort

qiānlǐjì'émáo

千里寄鹅毛

[千里寄鵝毛]

goose feather sent from afar (idiom); a trifling present with a weighty thought behind it
also written 千里送鵝毛／千里送鹅毛

Yīqiān Líng Yī Yè

一千零一夜

[一千零一夜]

The Book of One Thousand and One Nights

èshìchuánqiānlǐ

恶事传千里

[惡事傳千里]

evil deeds spread a thousand miles (idiom); scandal spreads like wildfire

sānqiāndàqiānshìjiè

三千大千世界

[三千大千世界]

cosmos (Buddhism)

Kèzī'ěrqiānfódòng

克孜尔千佛洞

[克孜爾千佛洞]

Kezil thousand-Buddha grotto in Baicheng 拜城, Aksu 阿克蘇地區／阿克苏地区, Xinjiang

Qiānlǐdáhé Duōbāgē

千里达和多巴哥

[千里達和多巴哥]

Trinidad and Tobago

Qiānlǐdájí Tuōbāgē

千里达及托巴哥

[千里達及托巴哥]

Trinidad and Tobago (Tw)

Kùmùtǔlāqiānfódòng

库木吐拉千佛洞

[庫木吐拉千佛洞]

Kumutula thousand-Buddha grotto in Kuqa, Xinjiang

yīshīzúchéngqiāngǔhèn

一失足成千古恨

[一失足成千古恨]

a single slip may cause everlasting sorrow (idiom)

shuōyīqiān,dàoyīwàn

说一千，道一万

[說一千，道一萬]

when all is said and done
at the end of the day

jiǔféngzhījǐqiānbēishǎo

酒逢知己千杯少

[酒逢知己千杯少]

a thousand cups of wine is not too much when best friends meet (idiom)
when you're with close friends, you can let your hair down

chèngtuósuīxiǎoyāqiānjīn

秤砣虽小压千斤

[秤砣雖小壓千斤]

although small, a steelyard weight may tip a hundred pounds (idiom)
apparently insignificant details can have a large impact
for want of a nail the battle was lost

héngméilěngduìqiānfūzhǐ

横眉冷对千夫指

[橫眉冷對千夫指]

to face a thousand pointing fingers with a cool scowl (citation from Lu Xun)
to treat with disdain
to defy

Bózīkèlǐkè Qiānfódòng

柏孜克里克千佛洞

[柏孜克里克千佛洞]

the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, in the Turpan Basin, Xinjiang

yǎngbīngqiānrì,yòngzàiyīshí

养兵千日，用在一时

[養兵千日，用在一時]

see 養兵千日，用兵一時／养兵千日，用兵一时 (yǎngbīngqiānrì,yòngbīngyīshí)

qiānlǐzhīxíng,shǐyúzúxià

千里之行，始于足下

[千里之行，始於足下]

lit. a thousand mile journey begins with the first step
fig. big accomplishments come from an accumulation of little achievements made one by one

chāzhīháolí,shīzhīqiānlǐ

差之毫厘，失之千里

[差之毫釐，失之千里]

the slightest difference leads to a huge loss (idiom)
a miss is as good as a mile

zhìzhěqiānlü,bìyǒuyīshī

智者千虑，必有一失

[智者千慮，必有一失]

lit. a wise person reflecting a thousand times can still make a mistake (idiom); fig. nobody is infallible

yǎngbīngqiānrì,yòngzàiyīzhāo

养兵千日，用在一朝

[養兵千日，用在一朝]

lit. train an army for a thousand days to use it for one morning (idiom)
fig. extensive preparation eventually pays off

shīzhīháolí,chàzhīqiānlǐ

失之毫厘，差之千里

[失之毫釐，差之千里]

a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses

shùgāoqiānzhàng,luòyèguīgēn

树高千丈，落叶归根

[樹高千丈，落葉歸根]

see 樹高千丈，葉落歸根／树高千丈，叶落归根 (shùgāoqiānzhàng,yèluòguīgēn)

jiālěiqiānjīn,zuòbùchuítáng

家累千金，坐不垂堂

[家累千金，坐不垂堂]

lit. a wealthy person does not sit under the eaves (idiom); fig. a rich man does not expose himself to danger

qiānlǐzhīdī,huǐyúyǐxué

千里之堤，毁于蚁穴

[千里之堤，毀於蟻穴]

see 千里之堤，潰於蟻穴／千里之堤，溃于蚁穴 (qiānlǐzhīdī,kuìyúyǐxué)

shīzhīháolí,chàyǐqiānlǐ

失之毫厘，差以千里

[失之毫釐，差以千里]

a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses

qiānjūnyìdé,yījiàngnánqiú

千军易得，一将难求

[千軍易得，一將難求]

Easy to raise an army of one thousand, but hard to find a good general. (idiom)

qiānlǐzhīdī,kuìyúyǐxué

千里之堤，溃于蚁穴

[千里之堤，潰於蟻穴]

lit. an ant hole may cause the collapse of a great dike (idiom)
fig. huge damage may result from a moment's negligence

chāzhīháolí,miùyǐqiānlǐ

差之毫厘，谬以千里

[差之毫釐，謬以千里]

the slightest difference leads to a huge error (idiom)
a miss is as good as a mile

lǎojìfúlì,zhìzàiqiānlǐ

老骥伏枥，志在千里

[老驥伏櫪，志在千里]

lit. an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1000 miles (idiom); fig. old people may still cherish high aspirations

shùgāoqiānzhàng,yèluòguīgēn

树高千丈，叶落归根

[樹高千丈，葉落歸根]

fig. a tree may grow a thousand zhang high, but its leaves return to their roots (proverb)
fig. everything has its ancestral home
in old age, an expatriate returns home

yǎngbīngqiānrì,yòngbīngyīshí

养兵千日，用兵一时

[養兵千日，用兵一時]

lit. Train an army for a thousand days to use it for an hour. (idiom); fig. extensive preparation eventually pays off

shīzhīháolí,miùyǐqiānlǐ

失之毫厘，谬以千里

[失之毫厘，謬以千里]

a tiny lapse can lead to a huge mistake (idiom); a minor discrepancy leading to enormous losses

xíngqiānlǐlù,dúwànjuànshū

行千里路，读万卷书

[行千里路，讀萬卷書]

see 行萬里路，讀萬卷書／行万里路，读万卷书 (xíngwànlǐlù,dúwànjuànshū)

lǐqīngrényìzhòng,qiānlǐsòng'émáo

礼轻人意重，千里送鹅毛

[禮輕人意重，千里送鵝毛]

goose feather sent from afar, a slight present but weighty meaning (idiom); It's not the present the counts, it's the thought behind it.

qiānlǐsòng'émáo,lǐqīngrényìzhòng

千里送鹅毛，礼轻人意重

[千里送鵝毛，禮輕人意重]

goose feather sent from afar, a slight present but weighty meaning (idiom); It's not the present the counts, it's the thought behind it.

hǎoshìbùchūmén,èshìchuánqiānlǐ

好事不出门，恶事传千里

[好事不出門，惡事傳千里]

lit. good deeds do not go beyond the door, evil deeds spread a thousand miles
a good deed goes unnoticed, but scandal spreads fast (idiom)

zàijiāqiānrìhǎo,chūményīshínán

在家千日好，出门一时难

[在家千日好，出門一時難]

lit. at home, one can spend a thousand days in comfort, but spending a day away from home can be challenging (idiom)
fig. there's no place like home

qiānlǐsòng'émáo,lǐqīngqíngyìzhòng

千里送鹅毛，礼轻情意重

[千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重]

goose feather sent from afar, a trifling present with a weighty thought behind it (idiom); It's not the gift that counts, but the thought behind it.

qiānlǐmǎchángyǒu,ér Bó Lèbùchángyǒu

千里马常有，而伯乐不常有

[千里馬常有，而伯樂不常有]

lit. there are many swift horses, but very few who can spot them (idiom)
fig. many have talent, but few can recognize talent when they see it

yùnchóuwéiwòzhīzhōng,juéshèngqiānlǐzhīwài

运筹帷幄之中，决胜千里之外

[運籌帷幄之中，決勝千里之外]

a general planning in the seclusion of his tent is able to determine the outcome of the distant battle (idiom)

qiānlǐdāchángpéng,méiyǒubùsàndeyànxí

千里搭长棚，没有不散的宴席

[千里搭長棚，沒有不散的宴席]

even if you build a thousand-league awning for it, every banquet must come to an end (idiom)