| 坐而论道 | zuò ér lùn dào | to sit and pontificate; to find answers through theory and not through practice (idiom) |
| 堂而皇之 | táng ér huáng zhī | overt; to make no secret (of one's presence); grandiose; with great scope |
| 压而不服 | yā ér bù fú | coercion will never convince (idiom) |
天网恢恢，
疏而不失 | tiān wǎng huī huī ,
shū ér bù shī | Heaven's net is wide meshed, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73). |
天网灰灰，
疏而不漏 | tiān wǎng huī huī ,
shū ér bù lòu | The net of heaven is wide, but no-one escapes. |
| 失而复得 | shī ér fù dé | to regain; to lose and win back; to find again; regained |
| 夺门而出 | duó mén ér chū | to rush out through a door (idiom) |
学而不思则罔，
思而不学则殆 | xué ér bù sī zé wǎng ,
sī ér bù xué zé dài | To learn without thinking is blindness, to think without learning is idleness (Confucius).; Learning without reasoning leads to confusion, thinking without learning is wasted effort. |
| 密而不宣 | mì ér bù xuān | confidential; secret; hush-hush |
| 崛地而起 | jué dì ér qǐ | lit. arising suddenly above the level ground (idiom); sudden emergence of prominent new feature |
| 广而告之广告公司 | guǎng ér gào zhī guǎng gào gōng sī | China Mass Media International Advertising Corp |
| 引而不发 | yǐn ér bù fā | to pull the bow without shooting (idiom from Mencius); ready and waiting for action; to go through the motions; to practice; a trial run |
| 弦而鼓之 | xián ér gǔ zhī | lit. to tune one's zither then play it; fig. to live by the consequences of one's actions; to make one's bed then lie on it |
| 得而复失 | dé ér fù shī | to lose what one has just obtained (idiom) |
| 从一而终 | cóng yī ér zhōng | faithful unto death (i.e. Confucian ban on widow remarrying) |
| 心有余而力不足 | xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú | The will is there, but not the strength (idiom, from Confucian Analects).; I really want to do it, but don't have the resources.; The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. |
| 怒目而视 | nù mù ér shì | to glare at |
| 惠而不费 | huì ér bù fèi | a kind act that costs nothing |
| 慕名而来 | mù míng ér lái | to come to a place on account of its reputation (idiom); attracted to visit a famous location |
| 应运而生 | yìng yùn ér shēng | to emerge to meet a historic destiny (idiom); to arise at an opportune time; able to take advantage of an opportunity; to rise to the occasion |
| 悬而未决 | xuán ér wèi jué | pending a decision; hanging in the balance |
| 戛然而止 | jiá rán ér zhǐ | with a grunting sound it stops (idiom); to come to an end spontaneously (esp. of sound) |
打翻了的牛奶而哭
泣 | dǎ fān le de niú nǎi ér kū qì | to weep over spilt milk |
| 抵足而眠 | dǐ zú ér mián | lit. to live and sleep together (idiom); fig. a close friendship |
| 抵足而卧 | dǐ zú ér wò | lit. to live and sleep together (idiom); fig. a close friendship |
| 拂袖而去 | fú xiù ér qù | to brush with one's sleeve then go (idiom); to turn and leave abruptly |
| 拍案而起 | pāi àn ér qǐ | lit. to slap the table and stand up (idiom); fig. at the end of one's tether; unable to take it any more |
| 拾级而上 | shè jí ér shàng | to mount a flight to steps (idiom) |
| 拾级而上 | shí jí ér shàng | see 拾级而上 |
| 接踵而来 | jiē zhǒng ér lái | to come one after the other |
| 掩面而泣 | yǎn miàn ér qì | to bury one’s head in one’s hands and weep (idiom) |
| 扬长而去 | yáng cháng ér qù | to shake one's sleeve and leave (idiom); to turn and leave abruptly |
| 扑面而来 | pū miàn ér lái | lit. sth hits one in the face; directly in one's face; sth assaults the senses; blatant (advertising); eye catching; (a smell) assaults the nostrils |
| 择善而从 | zé shàn ér cóng | to choose the right course and follow it (idiom) |
| 擦肩而过 | cā jiān ér guò | brief encounter; to brush past sb |
| 放之四海而皆准 | fàng zhī sì hǎi ér jiē zhǔn | appropriate to any place and any time (idiom); universally applicable; a panacea |
| 敢怒而不敢言 | gǎn nù ér bù gǎn yán | angry, but not daring to speak out (idiom); obliged to remain silent about one's resentment; unable to voice objections |
| 敬鬼神而远之 | jìng guǐ shén ér yuǎn zhī | to respect Gods and demons from a distance (idiom); to remain at a respectful distance |
| 斩而不奏 | zhǎn ér bù zòu | to do sth and not report the fact (idiom) |
| 曲肱而枕 | qū gōng ér zhěn | lit. to use one's bent arm as a pillow (idiom); fig. content with simple things |
| 望而却步 | wàng ér què bù | to shrink back; to flinch |
| 望而生畏 | wàng ér shēng wèi | intimidate at the first glance (idiom); awe-inspiring; terrifying; overwhelming |
| 望而兴叹 | wàng ér xīng tàn | to look and sigh; to feel helpless; not knowing what to do |
| 未可同日而语 | wèi kě tóng rì ér yǔ | lit. mustn't speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same breath; incomparable |
| 树欲静而风不止 | shù yù jìng ér fēng bù zhǐ | lit. the trees long for peace but the wind will never cease (idiom); fig. the world changes, whether you want it or not |
| 欲速而不达 | yù sù ér bù dá | lit. to want sth in haste, but cannot get there (idiom, from Analects); more haste, less speed; also written 欲速则不达 |
| 死而不僵 | sǐ ér bù jiāng | dead but showing no signs of rigor mortis; to die hard (idiom); to die yet not be vanquished (idiom) |
| 死而后已 | sǐ ér hòu yǐ | until death puts an end (idiom); one's whole life; unto one's dying day |
| 死而无悔 | sǐ ér wú huǐ | to die without regret (idiom, from Analects) |
| 比较而言 | bǐ jiào ér yán | comparatively speaking |
