杀鸡焉用牛刀 Why Use a Poleaxe to kill a chicken?

苛政猛于虎 Tyranny is fiercer than a tiger.

多行不义必自毖 Persisting in evil brings self-destruction.

唇亡齿寒 When the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.

鞭长莫及 Not even the longest whip can reach everywhere.

尔虞我诈 You fool me and I cheat you.

风马牛不相及 Even the runaway livestock would not reach each other.

顾左右而言他 Turning aside and changing the subject

坐山观虎斗 Sitting on a hill watching tigers fight

狡兔三窟 A wily hare has three burrows.

高枕无忧 Shake up the pillow and have a good sleep.

作法自毙 Hoist with his own petard

奇货可居 A rare commodity suitable for hoarding

逐客令 Order for guests to leave

一字千金 One word worth a thousand pieces of gold

燕雀焉知鸿鹄之志 How can a swallow know the aspiration of a swan?

先发制人 Gain the initiative by striking first

一败涂地 A defeat that brings everything crashing down

孺子可教 The child is worth instructing

成也萧何，败也萧何 Raised up by Xiao He and Cast down by Xiao He

逐鹿中原 Hunting deer in the Central Plains

约法三章 Agreeing on a three-point law

鸿门宴 The banquet and sword dance at Hongmen

人为刀俎，我为鱼肉 They are the knife and the chopping block, while we are the fish and the meat.

明修栈道，暗度陈仓 Repairing the road while making a secret detour

背水一战 Fighting with one"s back to the river

养虎遗患 To rear a tiger is to court calamity

运筹帷幄 Manipulating victory from the command tent

狡兔死，走狗烹 When the crafty hares have been exterminated, the hunting dogs will be cooked

金屋藏娇 Keeping a beauty in a golden house

门可罗雀 You can catch sparrows on the doorstep

牛郎织女 The cowherd and weaving girl

相濡以沫 Moistening each other with soliva

劳而无功 Working hard but to no avail

视为畏途 Regarded as a dangerous road

越俎代庖 Abandoning the sacrificial vessels for the saucepans

得心应手 The hands respond to the heart

覆水难收 Spilt water cannot be retrieved

死灰复燃 Dying embers may glow again

投笔从戎 Exchanging the writing brush for the sword

马革裹尸 A horsehide shroud

小巫见大巫 A junior sorcerer in the presence of a great one

举案齐眉 Holding the tray up to the eyebrows

万事俱备，只欠东风 All that is needed is an east wind

鹤立鸡群 Like a crane standing among chickens

乐不思蜀 So happy that one thinks no more of Shu

不为五斗米折腰 Won"t Kowtow for five dou of rice

洛阳纸贵 Paper is expensive in Luoyang

朝秦暮楚 Serving Qin in the morning and Chu in the evening

口若悬河 A waterfall of words

江郎才尽 Mr. Jiang has exhausted his talents

月下老人 The old man in the moonlight

阮囊羞涩 Mr. Ruan"s bag feels ashamed

司空见惯 A common sight to the Sikong

请君入瓮 Please get into the vat

南柯一梦 Southern branch dream

东窗事发 East window plot

刘姥姥进大观园 Granny Liu in the Grand View Garden