| 一蹴而就 | yī cù ér jiù | to get there in one step (idiom); easily done; success at a stroke; to get results overnight |
| 一蹴而得 | yī cù ér dé | to get there in one step (idiom); easily done; success at a stroke; to get results overnight |
| 一跃而起 | yī yuè ér qǐ | to jump up suddenly; to bound up; to rise up in one bound |
| 一哄而散 | yī hòng ér sàn | see 一哄而散 |
| 三十而立 | sān shí ér lì | thirty years old and therefore independent (idiom, from Confucius) |
| 三思而后行 | sān sī ér hòu xíng | think again and again before acting (idiom); consider carefully in advance |
| 三思而行 | sān sī ér xíng | think three times then go (idiom); don't act before you've thought it through carefully |
| 下而上 | xià ér shàng | bottom to top (of listing) |
| 不可同日而语 | bù 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 |
| 不宣而战 | bù xuān ér zhàn | open hostilities without declaring war; start an undeclared war |
| 不寒而栗 | bù hán ér lì | shiver all over though not cold; tremble with fear; shudder |
| 不期然而然 | bù qī rán ér rán | happen unexpectedly; turn out contrary to one's expectations |
| 不期而遇 | bù qī ér yù | meet by chance; have a chance encounter |
| 不欢而散 | bù huān ér sàn | to part on bad terms; (of a meeting etc) to break up in discord |
| 不治而愈 | bù zhì ér yù | to recover spontaneously (from an illness); to get better without medical treatment |
| 不翼而飞 | bù yì ér fēi | disappear without trace; vanish all of a sudden; spread fast; spread like wildfire |
| 不胫而走 | bù jìng ér zǒu | get round fast; spread like wildfire |
| 不谋而合 | bù móu ér hé | agree without prior consultation; happen to hold the same view |
| 不速而至 | bù sù ér zhì | to arrive without invitation; unexpected guest; unwanted presence |
| 乘虚而入 | chéng xū ér rù | to enter by exploiting a weak spot (idiom); to take advantage of a lapse |
人非生而知之者，
熟能无惑 | rén fēi shēng ér zhī zhī zhě ,
shú néng wú huò | Knowledge is not innate to man, how can we overcome doubt?; We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity? (i.e. without guidance from a teacher - Tang dynasty essayist Han Yu 韩愈) |
| 以失败而告终 | yǐ shī bài ér gào zhōng | to succeed through failure; to achieve one's final aim despite apparent setback |
| 何乐而不为 | hé lè ér bù wéi | What can you have against it? (idiom); We should do this.; Go for it! |
| 侃侃而谈 | kǎn kǎn ér tán | speak frankly with assurance |
| 假而 | jiǎ ér | if |
| 傍户而立 | bàng hù ér lì | to stand close to the door |
| 备而不用 | bèi ér bù yòng | have sth ready just in case; keep sth for possible future use |
| 倾巢而出 | qīng cháo ér chū | the whole nest came out (idiom); to turn out in full strength |
| 倾耳而听 | qīng ěr ér tīng | to listen attentively |
| 仅此而已 | jǐn cǐ ér yǐ | that's all; just this and nothing more |
先天下之忧而忧，
后天下之乐而乐 | xiān tiān xià zhī yōu ér yōu ,
hòu tiān xià zhī lè ér lè | The first concern is affairs of state, enjoying the pleasure comes later. Quotation from essay On Yueyang Tower 岳阳楼记 by Song writer Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹 |
| 公而忘私 | gōng ér wàng sī | for the common good and forgetting personal interests (idiom); to behave altruistically; selfless |
| 具体而微 | jù tǐ ér wēi | all the parts are in place, but small scale (Mencius); perfect in structure, but not much of it |
| 兼而有之 | jiān ér yǒu zhī | to have both (at the same time) |
| 分而治之 | fēn ér zhì zhī | divide and rule (strategy); divide and conquer |
| 勉力而为 | miǎn lì ér wéi | to try one's best to do sth (idiom) |
| 劳而无功 | láo ér wú gōng | to work hard while accomplishing little; to toil to no avail |
| 博而不精 | bó ér bù jīng | extensive but not refined (idiom); to know something about everything; Jack of all trades and master of none. |
| 危而不持 | wēi ér bù chí | national danger, but no support (idiom, from Analects); the future of the nation is at stake but no-one comes to the rescue |
| 厉目而视 | lì mù ér shì | to cut sb a severe look (idiom) |
| 及锋而试 | jí fēng ér shì | lit. to reach the tip and try (idiom); to have a go when at one's peak |
| 反其道而行之 | fǎn qí dào ér xíng zhī | to do the very opposite; to act in a diametrically opposite way |
| 可望而不可即 | kě wàng ér bù kě jí | unattainable |
| 可望而不可及 | kě wàng ér bù kě jí | unattainable |
| 同日而语 | tóng rì ér yǔ | lit. to speak of two things on the same day (idiom); to mention things on equal terms (often with negatives: you can't mention X at the same time as Y) |
吾生也有涯，
而知也无涯 | wú shēng yě yǒu yá ,
ér zhī yě wú yá | Life is short, learning is limitless; Ars longa, vita brevis |
| 哀而不伤 | āi ér bù shāng | deeply felt but not mawkish (idiom) |
| 喜极而泣 | xǐ jí ér qì | crying tears of joy (idiom) |
| 因人而异 | yīn rén ér yì | varying from person to person (idiom); different for each individual |
| 因孕而婚 | yīn yùn ér hūn | shotgun wedding (idiom) |
