Usage of the character 意

combined ideogram (one of the Six Methods 六書／六书 (liùshū) of forming Chinese characters)
Chinese character that combines the meanings of existing elements
also known as joint ideogram or associative compound
to comprehend without being told explicitly
to cotton on
knowing (smile, glance etc)

shēngyì

生意

[生意]

life force
vitality

shīyì

诗意

[詩意]

poetry
poetic quality or flavor

Zhōng- Yì

中意

[中意]

Sino-Italian

yìyín

意淫

[意淫]

to fantasize; (esp.) to have a sexual fantasy about (sb)

gùyì

故意

[故意]

deliberately; on purpose

xiěyì

写意

[寫意]

to suggest (rather than depict in detail)
freehand style of Chinese painting, characterized by bold strokes rather than accurate details

yìyì

意义

[意義]

sense
meaning
significance
importance
CL:個／个 (gè)

xièyì

谢意

[謝意]

gratitude
thanks

yìsi

意思

[意思]

idea
opinion
meaning
wish
desire
interest
fun
token of appreciation, affection etc
CL:個／个 (gè)
to give as a small token
to do sth as a gesture of goodwill etc

qiànyì

歉意

[歉意]

apology
regret

qièyì

惬意

[愜意]

satisfied; pleased; contented

shíyì

实意

[實意]

sincere
real meaning

dǎiyì

歹意

[歹意]

evil intent
malice

yìxiàng

意象

[意象]

image
imagery

yìwèi

意谓

[意謂]

to mean
meaning

yìtài

意态

[意態]

bearing
attitude

běnyì

本意

[本意]

original idea
real intention
etymon

jièyì

介意

[介意]

to care about
to take offense
to mind

zhǔyi

主意

[主意]

plan
idea
decision
CL:個／个 (gè)
Beijing pr. (zhúyi)

zhìyì

致意

[致意]

to send one's greetings; to send one's best regards
to devote attention to

tiānyì

天意

[天意]

providence
the Will of Heaven

yuànyì

愿意

[願意]

to wish
to want
ready
willing (to do sth)

díyì

敌意

[敵意]

enmity; hostility

zhòngyì

中意

[中意]

to take one's fancy; to be to one's liking

yìwài

意外

[意外]

unexpected
accident
mishap
CL:個／个 (gè)

hányì

涵意

[涵意]

content
meaning
connotation
implication
same as 涵義／涵义

wányì

玩意

[玩意]

toy
plaything
thing
act
trick (in a performance, stage show, acrobatics etc)

tíyì

题意

[題意]

meaning of a title
implication
theme

zhèngyì

正意

[正意]

sense (in DNA)

hányì

寒意

[寒意]

a nip in the air
chilliness

rènyì

任意

[任意]

any
arbitrary
at will
at random

xìnyì

信意

[信意]

at will
arbitrarily
just as one feels like

àiyì

爱意

[愛意]

love

yìyuàn

意愿

[意願]

aspiration
wish (for)
desire

hènyì

恨意

[恨意]

rancor
hatred
bitterness
resentfulness

jiāyì

加意

[加意]

paying special care
with particular attention

suíyì

随意

[隨意]

as one wishes
according to one's wishes
at will
voluntary
conscious

yìyì

意译

[意譯]

meaning (of foreign expression)
translation of the meaning (as opposed to literal translation 直譯／直译)
paraphrase
free translation

yìjiàn

意见

[意見]

idea
opinion
suggestion
objection
complaint
CL:點／点 (diǎn),條／条 (tiáo)

yìlè

意乐

[意樂]

joy
happiness

qǐyì

起意

[起意]

to conceive a scheme
to devise a plan

héyì

合意

[合意]

to suit one's taste
suitable
congenial
by mutual agreement

xīnyì

心意

[心意]

intention
regard; kindly feelings

shuǎngyì

爽意

[爽意]

pleasant

suìyì

遂意

[遂意]

to one's liking

mínyì

民意

[民意]

public opinion
popular will
public will

kèyì

刻意

[刻意]

intentionally; deliberately; purposely
painstakingly; meticulously

yìzhǐ

意旨

[意旨]

intent
intention
will

chènyì

称意

[稱意]

to be satisfactory

měiyì

美意

[美意]

goodwill; kindness

yīyì

一意

[一意]

focus
with complete devotion
stubbornly

lèyì

乐意

[樂意]

to be willing to do sth
to be ready to do sth
to be happy to do sth
content
satisfied

juéyì

决意

[決意]

to be determined

yǎyì

雅意

[雅意]

your kind offer
your valued advice
delicate interest and charm

yùyì

寓意

[寓意]

moral (of a story)
lesson to be learned
implication
message
import
metaphorical meaning

mǎnyì

满意

[滿意]

satisfied
pleased
to one's satisfaction

yìyùn

意蕴

[意蘊]

inner meaning
implication
connotation

biànyì

便意

[便意]

an urge to defecate

Yì Jiǎ

意甲

[意甲]

Serie A, the top division of the Italian football league system

qíngyì

情意

[情意]

friendly regard; affection

cuòyì

措意

[措意]

to pay attention to

zhǐyì

旨意

[旨意]

decree
order

yǔyì

语意

[語意]

meaning
content of speech or writing
semantic

nuǎnyì

暖意

[暖意]

warmth

zūnyì

尊意

[尊意]

(honorific) your respected opinion
What do you think, your majesty?

zòngyì

纵意

[縱意]

willfully
wantonly

zhuóyì

着意

[著意]

to act with diligent care

yìxiàng

意向

[意向]

intention
purpose
intent
inclination
disposition

názhǔyi

拿主意

[拿主意]

to make a decision
to make up one's mind

zhùyìlì

注意力

[注意力]

attention

wúyìshí

无意识

[無意識]

unconscious
involuntary

qiányìshí

前意识

[前意識]

preconscious
preconsciousness

rúyìtào

如意套

[如意套]

(dialect) condom

yìxiàngshū

意向书

[意向書]

letter of intent (LOI) (commerce)

bùsuíyì

不随意

[不隨意]

unconscious
involuntary

hǎoyìsi

好意思

[好意思]

to have the nerve
what a cheek!
to feel no shame
to overcome the shame
(is it) proper? (rhetorical question)

qiányìshí

潜意识

[潛意識]

unconscious mind
subconscious mind
subconsciousness

yìjiànxiāng

意见箱

[意見箱]

suggestion box

gòuyìsi

够意思

[夠意思]

wonderful
great
delightful
very kind
generous

bùmǎnyì

不满意

[不滿意]

dissatisfied

wúyìzhōng

无意中

[無意中]

accidentally
unintentionally
unexpectedly

Yìdàlì

意大利

[意大利]

Italy

Xíngyìquán

形意拳

[形意拳]

Xingyiquan (Chinese martial art)

lāshēngyì

拉生意

[拉生意]

to tout
to solicit customers

xiěyìhuà

写意画

[寫意畫]

freehand drawing or painting in traditional Chinese style

bùzhùyì

不注意

[不注意]

thoughtless
not pay attention to

mǎnyìdù

满意度

[滿意度]

degree of satisfaction

yìzhìlì

意志力

[意志力]

willpower

bùzhòngyì

不中意

[不中意]

not to one's liking

yǒuyìyì

有意义

[有意義]

to make sense
to have meaning
to have significance
meaningful
significant
worthwhile
important
interesting

yìyìfēng

译意风

[譯意風]

simultaneous interpretation facilities (loanword from "earphone")

sōuzhǔyi

馊主意

[餿主意]

rotten idea

yìzhōngshì

意中事

[意中事]

sth that is expected or wished for

chūzhǔyi

出主意

[出主意]

to come up with ideas
to make suggestions
to offer advice

rènyìqiú

任意球

[任意球]

free kick

méiyìsi

没意思

[沒意思]

boring
of no interest

yǒuxīnyì

有新意

[有新意]

modern
up-to-date

zuòshēngyì

做生意

[做生意]

to do business

xiǎoyìsi

小意思

[小意思]

small token
mere trifle (used of one's gifts)

yìshíliú

意识流

[意識流]

stream of consciousness (in literature)

bùguòyì

不过意

[不過意]

to be sorry; to feel apologetic

xiàyìshí

下意识

[下意識]

subconscious mind

bùjīngyì

不经意

[不經意]

not paying attention; carelessly; by accident

shìyìtú

示意图

[示意圖]

sketch
schematic diagram
graph

Déyìzhì

德意志

[德意志]

Deutschland; Germany

yǔyìxìng

语意性

[語意性]

semantic

qiǎngshēngyi

抢生意

[搶生意]

to undercut competitors
to hustle
to compete for business

huìyìzì

会意字

[會意字]

combined ideogram (one of the Six Methods 六書／六书 of forming Chinese characters)
Chinese character that combines the meanings of existing elements
also known as joint ideogram or associative compound

wányìr

玩意儿

[玩意兒]

erhua variant of 玩意 (wányì)

wúyìjiān

无意间

[無意間]

inadvertently
unintentionally

shēngyijīng

生意经

[生意經]

knack of doing business
business sense

yìzhōngrén

意中人

[意中人]

sweetheart
one's true love
the person of one's thoughts

yǒuyìshí

有意识

[有意識]

conscious

yìwèizhe

意味着

[意味著]

to signify
to mean
to imply

xiǎowányì

小玩意

[小玩意]

gadget
widget (small item of software)

yǒuyìsi

有意思

[有意思]

interesting
meaningful
enjoyable
fun

huìcuòyì

会错意

[會錯意]

to misunderstand
to get the wrong idea

bùzàiyì

不在意

[不在意]

to pay no attention to
not to mind

Bōyì'ěr

玻意耳

[玻意耳]

Robert Boyle (1627-1691), English chemist

gōngzhòngyìjiàn

公众意见

[公眾意見]

public opinion

kěxīnrúyì

可心如意

[可心如意]

see 稱心如意／称心如意 (chènxīnrúyì)

rúyìsuànpán

如意算盘

[如意算盤]

counting one's chickens before they are hatched

nèihányìyì

内涵意义

[內涵意義]

(semantics) connotative meaning; connotation

ānxiánsuíyì

安闲随意

[安閑隨意]

leisurely and free (idiom); carefree and at ease

yìxiǎngbùdào

意想不到

[意想不到]

unexpected
previously unimagined

qūyìféngyíng

曲意逢迎

[曲意逢迎]

to bow down to everything sb says or does
to act submissively in order to ingratiate oneself

zhīqíngtóngyì

知情同意

[知情同意]

informed consent

shuāngfāngtóngyì

双方同意

[雙方同意]

bilateral agreement

yǒuyìwúyì

有意无意

[有意無意]

intentionally or otherwise

èyìdàimǎ

恶意代码

[惡意代碼]

malicious code (e.g. virus)
malware

yìyìbiànhuà

意义变化

[意義變化]

change of meaning

zìmíngdéyì

自鸣得意

[自鳴得意]

to think highly of oneself

yǔyīnyìshí

语音意识

[語音意識]

phonetic awareness

Yìshìnǎidòng

意式奶冻

[意式奶凍]

panna cotta

jùfǎyìshí

句法意识

[句法意識]

syntactic awareness

yìsīyìsī

意思意思

[意思意思]

to do a little something as a token of one's appreciation
to express one's gratitude or esteem by treating sb to a meal or presenting a gift

xīnyuányìmǎ

心猿意马

[心猿意馬]

lit. heart like a frisky monkey, mind like a cantering horse (idiom); fig. capricious (derog.)
to have ants in one's pants
hyperactive
adventurous and uncontrollable

méiyǒuyìyì

没有意义

[沒有意義]

not to have any meaning
meaningless

yánjiǎnyìgāi

言简意赅

[言簡意賅]

concise and comprehensive (idiom)

déyìyángyáng

得意扬扬

[得意揚揚]

variant of 得意洋洋 (déyìyángyáng)

zìyìwàngwéi

恣意妄为

[恣意妄為]

to behave unscrupulously

rúyìlángjūn

如意郎君

[如意郎君]

ideal husband; Mr. Right

yánbùjìnyì

言不尽意

[言不盡意]

(conventional letter ending) words cannot fully express what is in my heart (idiom)

shīqínghuàyì

诗情画意

[詩情畫意]

picturesque charm
idyllic appeal
poetic grace

chūrényìliào

出人意料

[出人意料]

unexpected (idiom)
surprising

Yìdàlìrén

意大利人

[意大利人]

Italian person

liǎowúxīnyì

了无新意

[了無新意]

unoriginal
stereotyped

èyìruǎnjiàn

恶意软件

[惡意軟件]

malware (computing)

bùjīngyìjiān

不经意间

[不經意間]

without paying attention
without noticing
unconsciously
inadvertently

yìqìfēngfā

意气风发

[意氣風發]

(idiom) high-spirited; full of mettle

xīnfányìluàn

心烦意乱

[心煩意亂]

lit. heart distracted, thoughts in turmoil (idiom); distraught with anxiety

chāoqiányìshí

超前意识

[超前意識]

foresight

dǎdìngzhǔyi

打定主意

[打定主意]

to make up one's mind

yìniànyíwù

意念移物

[意念移物]

telekinesis

chūqíbùyì

出其不意

[出其不意]

to do sth when least expected (idiom); to catch sb off guard

zìyóuyìzhì

自由意志

[自由意志]

free will

bùrúrényì

不如人意

[不如人意]

leaving much to be desired
unsatisfactory
undesirable

shūhudàyì

疏忽大意

[疏忽大意]

oversight
negligence
careless
negligent
not concentrating on the main point

huíxīnzhuǎnyì

回心转意

[回心轉意]

to change one's mind (idiom)

shēngyì'àngrán

生意盎然

[生意盎然]

see 生機盎然／生机盎然 (shēngjī'àngrán)

xīnhuīyìlěng

心灰意冷

[心灰意冷]

discouraged
downhearted

déyìménshēng

得意门生

[得意門生]

favorite pupil

wànshìrúyì

万事如意

[萬事如意]

to have all one's wishes (idiom)
best wishes
all the best
may all your hopes be fulfilled

xīnhuāngyìluàn

心慌意乱

[心慌意亂]

confused
rattled
flustered

lìngrénmǎnyì

令人满意

[令人滿意]

satisfying
satisfactory

chūhūyìliào

出乎意料

[出乎意料]

beyond expectation (idiom); unexpected

zhēnxīnshíyì

真心实意

[真心實意]

genuine and sincere (idiom)
wholehearted

chènxīnrúyì

称心如意

[稱心如意]

(idiom) after one's own heart; gratifying; satisfactory; everything one could wish

qiúshēngyìzhì

求生意志

[求生意志]

the will to live

yùyìshēncháng

寓意深长

[寓意深長]

to have profound import (idiom); to be deeply significant

rěrénzhùyì

惹人注意

[惹人注意]

to attract attention

xūqíngjiǎyì

虚情假意

[虛情假意]

false friendship; hypocritical show of affection

guòyìbùqù

过意不去

[過意不去]

to feel very apologetic

suìxīnrúyì

遂心如意

[遂心如意]

totally satisfying

biǎoyìwénzì

表意文字

[表意文字]

ideograph
ideographical writing system

yìliàozhīzhōng

意料之中

[意料之中]

to come as no surprise
as expected

yìyóuwèijìn

意犹未尽

[意猶未盡]

to wish to continue sth
to have not fully expressed oneself

bùhǎoyìsi

不好意思

[不好意思]

to feel embarrassed
to find it embarrassing
to be sorry (for inconveniencing sb)

shēnqínghòuyì

深情厚意

[深情厚意]

profound love, generous friendship (idiom)

déyìwàngxíng

得意忘形

[得意忘形]

so pleased as to lose one's sense of measure
beside oneself with joy

jiàncáiqǐyì

见财起意

[見財起意]

seeing riches provokes evil designs

zìyìxínglè

恣意行乐

[恣意行樂]

to abandon restraint and have a fling (idiom)

xīnhuīyìlǎn

心灰意懒

[心灰意懶]

discouraged
downhearted

zhāolǎnshēngyi

招揽生意

[招攬生意]

to advertise
to solicit business

shēngyìxīnglóng

生意兴隆

[生意興隆]

thriving and prosperous business or trade

cūxīndàyì

粗心大意

[粗心大意]

negligent
careless
inadvertent

yùyìshēnyuǎn

寓意深远

[寓意深遠]

the implied message is deep (idiom); having deep implications

yìxiàrúhé

意下如何

[意下如何]

how about it?
what do you think?

méiyǒuyìsi

没有意思

[沒有意思]

boring
of no interest

háobujièyì

毫不介意

[毫不介意]

to not mind (at all, a bit)
to not care in the slightest

chéngxīnshíyì

诚心实意

[誠心實意]

earnestly and sincerely (idiom)
with all sincerity

yìwàishìgù

意外事故

[意外事故]

accident

chūrényìbiǎo

出人意表

[出人意表]

to exceed all expectations
to come as a surprise

cíbùdáyì

词不达意

[詞不達意]

words do not convey the meaning
poorly expressed
senseless
inarticulate

yìxìngsuǒrán

意兴索然

[意興索然]

to have no interest in sth

Yìdàlìyǔ

意大利语

[意大利語]

Italian (language)

chāqiángrényì

差强人意

[差強人意]

(idiom) just passable
barely satisfactory

qíngtóuyìhé

情投意合

[情投意合]

(idiom) to have an affinity with each other; to find each other congenial

yìshíxíngtài

意识形态

[意識形態]

ideology

chūnfēngdéyì

春风得意

[春風得意]

flushed with success
proud of one's success (in exams, promotion etc)
as pleased as punch

Yìdìxùyǔ

意第绪语

[意第緒語]

Yiddish language

Yīsāyìyà

依撒意亚

[依撒意亞]

Isaiah

sīxiǎngyìshí

思想意识

[思想意識]

consciousness

mábìdàyì

麻痹大意

[麻痺大意]

unwary
negligent

jiāotōngyìwài

交通意外

[交通意外]

traffic accident
car crash

sānxīn'èryì

三心二意

[三心二意]

in two minds about sth (idiom)
half-hearted
shilly-shallying

mínyìdiàochá

民意调查

[民意調查]

opinion poll

chūhūyìwài

出乎意外

[出乎意外]

beyond expectation (idiom); unexpected

chūrényìwài

出人意外

[出人意外]

turned out other than expected (idiom); unexpected

yìqìxiāngtóu

意气相投

[意氣相投]

congenial

sìyìwàngwéi

肆意妄为

[肆意妄為]

see 恣意妄為／恣意妄为 (zìyìwàngwéi)

lìshǐyìyì

历史意义

[歷史意義]

historic significance

zhēnqíngshíyì

真情实意

[真情實意]

out of genuine friendship (idiom)
sincere feelings

mànbùjīngyì

漫不经意

[漫不經意]

careless
unconcerned

déyìyángyáng

得意洋洋

[得意洋洋]

joyfully satisfied
to be immensely proud of oneself
proudly
an air of complacency

zhuānxīnyīyì

专心一意

[專心一意]

to concentrate on

xīnmǎnyìzú

心满意足

[心滿意足]

perfectly contented (idiom)
perfectly satisfied

Yìdàlìmiàn

意大利面

[意大利麵]

spaghetti; pasta

yìqìyòngshì

意气用事

[意氣用事]

(idiom) to let emotions affect one's decisions

mínyìcèyàn

民意测验

[民意測驗]

opinion poll

yánwàizhīyì

言外之意

[言外之意]

unspoken implication (idiom)
the actual meaning of what was said

yìshíxíngtài

意识型态

[意識型態]

variant of 意識形態／意识形态 (yìshíxíngtài)

yīyìgūxíng

一意孤行

[一意孤行]

obstinately clinging to one's course (idiom)
willful
one's own way
dogmatic

bùsuíyìjī

不随意肌

[不隨意肌]

involuntary muscle

yángyángdéyì

洋洋得意

[洋洋得意]

immensely pleased with oneself (idiom)
proud
complacent

yánxiàzhīyì

言下之意

[言下之意]

implication

quánxīnquányì

全心全意

[全心全意]

heart and soul
wholeheartedly

bùyǐwéiyì

不以为意

[不以為意]

not to mind
unconcerned

xiánwàizhīyì

弦外之意

[弦外之意]

see 弦外之音 (xiánwàizhīyīn)

kèyìqiúgōng

刻意求工

[刻意求工]

assiduous and painstaking

yīxīnyīyì

一心一意

[一心一意]

concentrating one's thoughts and efforts
single-minded
bent on
intently

bùhuáihǎoyì

不怀好意

[不懷好意]

to harbor evil designs
to harbor malicious intentions

zhìdéyìmǎn

志得意满

[志得意滿]

fully content with one's achievements (idiom)
complacent

yǐnrénzhùyì

引人注意

[引人注意]

to attract attention
eye-catching
conspicuous

zìwǒyìshí

自我意识

[自我意識]

self-awareness

shànjiěrényì

善解人意

[善解人意]

to be good at understanding others (idiom)

èyìzhòngshāng

恶意中伤

[惡意中傷]

to slander maliciously

chéngxīnzhèngyì

诚心正意

[誠心正意]

see 誠心誠意／诚心诚意 (chéngxīnchéngyì)

yìjiànbùhé

意见不合

[意見不合]

to disagree
dissent

kèyìwéizhī

刻意为之

[刻意為之]

to make a conscious effort
to do something deliberately

mìqièzhùyì

密切注意

[密切注意]

to pay close attention (to sth)

yìliàozhīwài

意料之外

[意料之外]

(idiom) contrary to expectation; unexpected

miànlùjuànyì

面露倦意

[面露倦意]

to look tired

chéngxīnchéngyì

诚心诚意

[誠心誠意]

earnestly and sincerely (idiom); with all sincerity

wéiyìzhìlùn

唯意志论

[唯意志論]

voluntarism
metaphysical view, esp. due to Schopenhauer 叔本華／叔本华 ( Shūběnhuá), that the essence of the world is willpower

yīnyìhéyì

音意合译

[音意合譯]

formation of a loanword using some characters (or words) chosen for their meaning and others for phonetic transcription (e.g. 冰淇淋 (bīngqílín), 朗姆酒 (lǎngmǔjiǔ), 奶昔 (nǎixī) and 米老鼠 ( Mǐ Lǎoshǔ))

yìwèishēncháng

意味深长

[意味深長]

profound
significant
meaningful

biǎoyìfújiēduàn

表意符阶段

[表意符階段]

logographic stage

gòucífǎyìshí

构词法意识

[構詞法意識]

morphological awareness

dàyishī Jīngzhōu

大意失荆州

[大意失荊州]

lit. to lose Jingzhou due to carelessness (idiom)
fig. to suffer a major setback due to negligence

shànyìdehuǎngyán

善意的谎言

[善意的謊言]

white lie

Déyìzhì Yínháng

德意志银行

[德意志銀行]

Deutsche Bank

lǐqīngrényìzhòng

礼轻人意重

[禮輕人意重]

slight present but weighty meaning (idiom); It's not the present the counts, it's the thought behind it.

lǐqīngqíngyìzhòng

礼轻情意重

[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.

Yìdàlìzhímiàn

意大利直面

[意大利直麵]

spaghetti

Yìdàlìqīngguā

意大利青瓜

[意大利青瓜]

zucchini

zìyóuyìzhìzhǔyì

自由意志主义

[自由意志主義]

libertarianism

yǒutǒngjìxuéyìyì

有统计学意义

[有統計學意義]

statistically significant

zhùyìlìquēshīzhèng

注意力缺失症

[注意力缺失症]

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

yuányǔyánxuéyìshí

元语言学意识

[元語言學意識]

metalinguistic awareness

zuìwēngzhīyìbùzàijiǔ

醉翁之意不在酒

[醉翁之意不在酒]

wine-lover's heart is not in the cup (idiom); a drinker not really interested in alcohol
having an ulterior motive
to have other things in mind
with an ax to grind
accomplishing something besides what one set out to do

zhùyìlìbùzúguòdòngzhèng

注意力不足过动症

[注意力不足過動症]

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

zhùyìlìquēxiànguòdòngzhèng

注意力缺陷过动症

[注意力缺陷過動症]

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Déyìzhì Liánbāng Gònghéguó

德意志联邦共和国

[德意志聯邦共和國]

Federal Republic of Germany
former West Germany 1945-1990, now simply Germany

Sān Dà Jìlü Bā Xiàng Zhùyì

三大纪律八项注意

[三大紀律八項注意]

the Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, a military doctrine issued in 1928 by Mao Zedong for the Red Army, which included a number of injunctions demanding high standards of behavior and respect for civilians during wartime

Déyìzhì Mínzhǔ Gònghéguó

德意志民主共和国

[德意志民主共和國]

German Democratic Republic (East Germany), 1945-1990

zhùyìlìquēxiànduōdòngzhèng

注意力缺陷多动症

[注意力缺陷多動症]

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Xiàng Zhuāngwǔjiàn,yìzài Pèigōng

项庄舞剑，意在沛公

[項莊舞劍，意在沛公]

lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦／刘邦 ( Liú Bāng) (idiom); refers to 206 BC plot to murder Liu Bang, aka Duke of Pei 沛公 ( Pèigōng) and the future Han emperor, during a sword dance at the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴／鸿门宴 ( Hóngményàn)
an elaborate deception to hide malicious intent

chūqíbùyì,gōngqíbùbèi

出其不意，攻其不备

[出其不意，攻其不備]

to catch an enemy off guard with a surprise attack (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法／孙子兵法 ( Sūnzǐ Bīngfǎ))

yánzhěwúyì,tīngzhěyǒuxīn

言者无意，听者有心

[言者無意，聽者有心]

to take a casual remark to heart (idiom)

zhǐkěyìhuì,bùkěyánchuán

只可意会，不可言传

[只可意會，不可言傳]

can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ)); mysterious and subtle

Zhōng Rì Hántǒngyībiǎoyìwénzì

中日韩统一表意文字

[中日韓統一表意文字]

China Japan Korea (CJK) unified ideographs
Unihan

Déyìzhì Xuéshù Jiāoliú Zhōngxīn

德意志学术交流中心

[德意志學術交流中心]

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

kěyǐyìhuì,bùkěyánchuán

可以意会，不可言传

[可以意會，不可言傳]

can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ)); mysterious and subtle

yìcúnbǐxiān,huàjìnyìzài

意存笔先，画尽意在

[意存筆先，畫盡意在]

the idea is present before the first stroke of the brush, when the last stroke is placed the idea shines through

luòhuāyǒuyì,liúshuǐwúqíng

落花有意，流水无情

[落花有意，流水無情]

lit. the falling flowers are yearning for love, but the heartless brook ripples on (idiom)
fig. one side is willing, yet the other one remains indifferent (usually of unrequited love)

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.

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,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.

yǒuyìzāihuāhuābùfā,wúxīnchāliǔliǔchéngyīn

有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成阴

[有意栽花花不發，無心插柳柳成陰]

lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree
fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect
well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it