Usage of the character 的

lit. if you have to use force to break a melon off the vine, it won't taste sweet (because it's only when the melon is ripe that it can be removed with just a slight twist) (idiom)
fig. if sth is not meant to be, it's no use trying to force it to happen

fúbùqǐde Adǒu

扶不起的阿斗

[扶不起的阿斗]

weak and inept person
hopeless case

huángguānshàngdemíngzhū

皇冠上的明珠

[皇冠上的明珠]

the brightest jewel in the crown

yītiáoshéngshàngdemàzha

一条绳上的蚂蚱

[一條繩上的螞蚱]

lit. grasshoppers tied together with a piece of string (idiom)
fig. people who are in it together for better or worse
people who will sink or swim together

méiyǒubùtòufēngdeqiáng

没有不透风的墙

[沒有不透風的牆]

(idiom) no secret can be kept forever

Chūnfēng Shēnzuìde Wǎnshang

春风深醉的晚上

[春風深醉的晚上]

Intoxicating Spring Nights, 1924 short story by Yu Dafu 郁達夫／郁达夫 ( Yù Dáfū)

yǎoréndegǒubùlòuchǐ

咬人的狗不露齿

[咬人的狗不露齒]

lit. the dog that bites doesn't show its teeth (idiom)
fig. the most sinister of people can look quite harmless

Dà Andìlièsī Qúndǎo

大安的列斯群岛

[大安的列斯群島]

Greater Antilles, Caribbean archipelago

zhǔshúdeyāzifēile

煮熟的鸭子飞了

[煮熟的鴨子飛了]

the cooked duck flew away (proverb)
(fig.) to let a sure thing slip through one's fingers

yīgēnshéngshàngdemàzha

一根绳上的蚂蚱

[一根繩上的螞蚱]

see 一條繩上的螞蚱／一条绳上的蚂蚱 (yītiáoshéngshàngdemàzha)

chūtóudechuánzixiānlàn

出头的椽子先烂

[出頭的椽子先爛]

lit. rafters that jut out rot first (idiom)
fig. anyone who makes himself conspicuous will be targeted for attack

jiājiāyǒuběnnánniàndejīng

家家有本难念的经

[家家有本難念的經]

every family has its problems (idiom)

huìkūdeháiziyǒutángchī

会哭的孩子有糖吃

[會哭的孩子有糖吃]

lit. the child who cries gets the candy (idiom)
fig. the squeaky wheel gets the grease

yǒngbùshēngxiùdeluósīdīng

永不生锈的螺丝钉

[永不生銹的螺絲釘]

a "screw that never rusts" — sb who selflessly and wholeheartedly serves the Communist Party, like Lei Feng 雷鋒／雷锋 ( Léi Fēng), to whom the metaphor is attributed

yuǎnláidehéshanghuìniànjīng

远来的和尚会念经

[遠來的和尚會念經]

the monk coming from afar is good at reading scriptures (idiom)
foreign talent is valued higher than local talent

bànlùshāchūde Chéng Yǎojīn

半路杀出的程咬金

[半路殺出的程咬金]

see 半路殺出個程咬金／半路杀出个程咬金 (bànlùshāchūgè Chéng Yǎojīn)

guāngjiǎodebùpàchuānxiéde

光脚的不怕穿鞋的

[光腳的不怕穿鞋的]

lit. the barefooted people are not afraid of those who wear shoes (idiom)
fig. the poor, who have nothing to lose, do not fear those in power

huìkūdeháiziyǒunǎichī

会哭的孩子有奶吃

[會哭的孩子有奶吃]

lit. a child who cries gets to feed at the breast (idiom)
fig. the squeaky wheel gets the grease

shénmefēngbǎnǐchuīláide

什么风把你吹来的

[什麼風把你吹來的]

What brings you here? (idiom)

shòusǐdeluòtuobǐmǎdà

瘦死的骆驼比马大

[瘦死的駱駝比馬大]

lit. even a scrawny camel is bigger than a horse (idiom)
fig. even after suffering a loss, a rich person is still better off than ordinary people
a cultured person may come down in the world, but he is still superior to the common people

chūláihùnchízǎoyàohuánde

出来混迟早要还的

[出來混遲早要還的]

if you live a life of crime, sooner or later you'll pay for it

shēntǐshìgémìngdeběnqián

身体是革命的本钱

[身體是革命的本錢]

lit. the body is the revolution's capital
fig. good health is a prerequisite for work (Mao Zedong's saying)

bānshítouzázìjǐdejiǎo

搬石头砸自己的脚

[搬石頭砸自己的腳]

to move a stone and stub one's toe
to shoot oneself in the foot (idiom)

bānqǐshítouzázìjǐdejiǎo

搬起石头砸自己的脚

[搬起石頭砸自己的腳]

to crush one's own foot while trying to maneuver a rock (to a cliff edge, to drop on one's enemy) (idiom)
hoisted by one's own petard

tiānxiàméiyǒubùsàndeyànxí

天下没有不散的宴席

[天下沒有不散的宴席]

see 天下沒有不散的筵席／天下没有不散的筵席 (tiānxiàméiyǒubùsàndeyánxí)

chībiérénjiáoguòdemóbùxiāng

吃别人嚼过的馍不香

[吃別人嚼過的饃不香]

lit. bread previously chewed by someone has no flavor (idiom)
fig. there's no joy in discovering something if someone else got there first

húlulǐmàideshìshénmeyào

葫芦里卖的是什么药

[葫蘆裡賣的是什麼藥]

what has (he) got up (his) sleeve?
what's going on?

tiānxiàméiyǒubùsàndeyánxí

天下没有不散的筵席

[天下沒有不散的筵席]

all good things must come to an end (idiom)

jiùdebùqù,xīndebùlái

旧的不去，新的不来

[舊的不去，新的不來]

lit. If the old doesn't go, the new will not come.
You can't make progress by clinging to old notions.

chīshǐdōugǎnbushàngrèhude

吃屎都赶不上热乎的

[吃屎都趕不上熱乎的]

lit. if you were eating warm shit, it'd be stone cold by the time you finished it (idiom)
fig. (of a person) too slow; can't keep up

tiědǎdeyámen,liúshuǐdeguān

铁打的衙门，流水的官

[鐵打的衙門，流水的官]

lit. the yamen is strong as iron, the officials flow like water (idiom)
fig. government officials come and go

Léi Gōngdǎdòufu,jiǎnruǎndeqī

雷公打豆腐，拣软的欺

[雷公打豆腐，揀軟的欺]

the God of Thunder strikes bean curd, a bully picks the weakest person
to pick on an easy target

Máo Zédōng: Xiānwéirénzhīde Gùshi

毛泽东：鲜为人知的故事

[毛澤東：鮮為人知的故事]

Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang 張戎／张戎 ( Zhāng Róng) and Jon Halliday

jīnwōyínwōbùrúzìjǐdegǒuwō

金窝银窝不如自己的狗窝

[金窩銀窩不如自己的狗窩]

there's no place like home (idiom)

chēngsǐdǎndàde,èsǐdǎnxiǎode

撑死胆大的，饿死胆小的

[撐死膽大的，餓死膽小的]

fullness for the bold, famine for the timid (idiom)

yāsǐluòtuodezuìhòuyīgēndàocǎo

压死骆驼的最后一根稻草

[壓死駱駝的最後一根稻草]

the straw that broke the camel’s back (idiom)
the final straw

shíjiànshìjiǎnyànzhēnlǐdewéiyībiāozhǔn

实践是检验真理的唯一标准

[實踐是檢驗真理的唯一標準]

Actual practice is the sole criterion for judging truth (item from Deng Xiaoping theory, from 1978)

chīrénjiādezuǐruǎn,nárénjiādeshǒuduǎn

吃人家的嘴软，拿人家的手短

[吃人家的嘴軟，拿人家的手短]

lit. the mouth that has been fed by others is soft, the hand that has received doesn't reach (idiom)
fig. one is partial to those from whom presents have been accepted

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)

qiánbùshìwànnéngde,méiqiánshìwànwànbùnéngde

钱不是万能的，没钱是万万不能的

[錢不是萬能的，沒錢是萬萬不能的]

money isn't everything, but without money you can do nothing (idiom)

nǐzǒunǐde Yángguān Dào,wǒguòwǒdedúmùqiáo

你走你的阳关道，我过我的独木桥

[你走你的陽關道，我過我的獨木橋]

lit. you hit the high road, I'll cross the log bridge (idiom)
fig. you go your way, I'll go mine
you do it your way, I'll do it mine

bùpàshényīyàngdeduìshǒu,jiùpàzhūyīyàngdeduìyǒu

不怕神一样的对手，就怕猪一样的队友

[不怕神一樣的對手，就怕豬一樣的隊友]

(idiom) a boneheaded teammate can do you more harm than the most formidable opponent