靡不有初，
鲜克有终 | mǐ bù yǒu chū ,
xiǎn kè yǒu zhōng | almost everything has a start, but not many things have an end (idiom); don't start sth you can't handle |
| 面露不悦 | miàn lù bù yuè | to show unhappiness or displeasure (idiom) |
| 顺应不良 | shùn yìng bù liáng | inability to adjust; unable to adapt |
| 顽而不顾 | wán ér bù gù | to be stubborn and inconsiderate (idiom) |
| 愿意不愿意 | yuàn yì bù yuàn yì | whether one wants to or not |
| 风马牛不相及 | fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí | lit. a horse and cow in heat do not look to each other; two things that have absolutely nothing to do with each other (idiom) |
食不厌精，
脍不厌细 | shí bù yàn jīng ,
kuài bù yàn xì | chopping food is always welcome |
| 食不知味 | shí bù zhī wèi | lit. to eat without tasting the food; worried or downhearted (idiom) |
| 饥不择食 | jī bù zé shí | when hungry, you can't pick what you eat (idiom); beggars can't be choosers; When matters are urgent, don't spend time choosing alternatives. |
| 饱人不知饿人饥 | bǎo rén bù zhī è rén jī | The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom). |
| 饱汉不知饿汉饥 | bǎo hàn bù zhī è hàn jī | The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom). |
| 香火不绝 | xiāng huǒ bù jué | an unending stream of pilgrims |
马尾穿豆腐，
提不起来 | mǎ wěi chuān dòu fu ,
tí bu qǐ lai | lit. like tofu strung on horsetail, you can't lift it; fig. let's not talk of this (pun on 提) |
马无夜草不肥，
人无外快不富 | mǎ wú yè cǎo bù féi ,
rén wú wài kuài bù fù | a horse cannot get fat without an extra ration, a man cannot get rich without an extra income (idiom) |
| 惊叹不已 | jīng tàn bù yǐ | to exclaim in astonishment |
| 高不成低不就 | gāo bù chéng dī bù jiù | can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one |
| 高不凑低不就 | gāo bù còu dī bù jiù | can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one |
| 高低不就 | gāo dī bù jiù | can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one |
| 高攀不上 | gāo pān bù shàng | can't climb socially; unable to claim higher class connections |
| 郁郁不乐 | yù yù bù lè | discontented (idiom) |
| 魂不附体 | hún bù fù tǐ | lit. body and soul separated (idiom); fig. scared out of one's wits; beside oneself |
| 鱼与熊掌不可兼得 | yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé | lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius); fig. you must choose one or the other; you can't always get everything you want; you can't have your cake and eat it |
| 鸟不生蛋 | niǎo bù shēng dàn | deserted (of a place) |
| 鸣不平 | míng bù píng | to cry out against injustice; to protest unfairness |
| 黄土不露天 | huáng tǔ bù lù tiān | a slogan used in reference to a project to improve greenery in some parts of Northern China |
| 黑不溜秋 | hēi bù liū qiū | dark and swarthy |
| 黑白不分 | hēi bái bù fēn | can't tell black from white (idiom); unable to distinguish wrong from right |
| 点水不漏 | diǎn shuǐ bù lòu | not one drop of water leaks (idiom); fig. thoughtful and completely rigorous; watertight |
