一发不可收拾 一發不可收拾 yī fā bù kě shōu shi once it gets started there's no stopping it
一举手一投足 一舉手一投足 yī jǔ shǒu yī tóu zú 1. every little move2. every single movement
一类保护动物 一類保護動物 yī lèi bǎo hù dòng wù class A protected animal
一马勺坏一锅 一馬勺壞一鍋 yī mǎ sháo huài yī guō 1. one ladle (of sth bad) spoils the (whole) pot (idiom)2. one bad apple spoils the barrel
一点水一个泡 一點水一個泡 yī diǎn shuǐ yī gè pào honest and trustworthy (idiom)
不见一点踪影 不見一點蹤影 bù jiàn yī diǎn zōng yǐng no trace to be seen
倒吸一口凉气 倒吸一口涼氣 dào xī yī kǒu liáng qì 1. to gasp (with amazement or shock etc)2. to feel a chill run down one's spine3. to have one's hairs stand on end
八字还没一撇 八字還沒一撇 bā zì hái méi yī piě 1. lit. not even the first stroke of the character 八[bā] has been written (idiom)2. fig. things have not even gotten started yet; nothing tangible has come of one's plans yet
may be done once and once only; just this once
国家一级保护 國家一級保護 guó jiā yī jí bǎo hù Grade One State protected (species)
大元大一统志 大元大一統誌 dà yuán dà yī tǒng zhì Da Yuan Dayitongzhi, Yuan dynasty geographical encyclopedia, compiled 1285-1294 under Jamal al-Din 扎马剌丁 and Yu Yinglong 虞应龙, 755 scrolls
彼一时此一时 彼一時此一時 bǐ yī shí cǐ yī shí 1. that was one thing, and this is another2. times have changed
性同一性障碍 性同一性障礙 xìng tóng yī xìng zhàng ài gender identity disorder
成败在此一举 成敗在此一舉 chéng bài zài cǐ yī jǔ success or failure depends on this single action; win or lose, it all ends here; this is the make-or-break moment
有一句没一句 有一句沒一句 yǒu yī jù méi yī jù to speak one minute and be quiet the next
有一搭没一搭 有一搭沒一搭 yǒu yī dā méi yī dā 1. unimportant2. perfunctory3. indifferent4. (of conversation) idly+1 条 睁一眼闭一眼 睜一眼閉一眼 zhēng yī yǎn bì yī yǎn to turn a blind eye
第一人称射击 第一人稱射擊 dì yī rén chēng shè jī first-person shooter (video game genre)
第一型糖尿病 dì yī xíng táng niào bìng Type 1 diabetes
(math.) first fundamental form
1. lit. either don't do it, or don't rest (idiom)2. fig. if you do it at all, you may as well go the whole hog3. in for a penny, in for a pound
一个将军一个令 一個將軍一個令 yī gè jiāng jūn yī gè lìng 1. lit. one general, one order (idiom)2. fig. every boss has their own rules3. everyone has their own way of doing things
一传十，十传百 一傳十，十傳百 yī chuán shí , shí chuán bǎi (idiom) (of news etc) to spread like wildfire; to be disseminated far and wide
一口吃不成胖子 yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàng zi 1. lit. you cannot get fat with only one mouthful (proverb)2. fig. any significant achievement requires time, effort and persistence
一哭二闹三上吊 一哭二鬧三上吊 yī kū èr nào sān shàng diào 1. (lit.) to cry, then shout, then threaten suicide (saying)2. (fig.) to make a terrible scene; to throw a tantrum
一日之计在于晨 一日之計在於晨 yī rì zhī jì zài yú chén 1. make your day's plan early in the morning (idiom)2. early morning is the golden time of the day
1. lit. one is one, two is two (idiom)2. fig. things are (or ought to be) perfectly clear-cut3. unequivocal
一条绳上的蚂蚱 一條繩上的螞蚱 yī tiáo shéng shàng de mà zha 1. lit. grasshoppers tied together with a piece of string (idiom)2. fig. people who are in it together for better or worse3. people who will sink or swim together
一次生，两次熟 一次生，兩次熟 yī cì shēng , liǎng cì shú 1. unfamiliar at first but you get used to it2. strangers are first meeting, but soon friends3. an acquired taste
三个女人一个墟 三個女人一個墟 sān gè nǚ rén yī gè xū three women makes a crowd
三个女人一台戏 三個女人一臺戲 sān ge nǚ rén yī tái xì three women are enough for a drama (idiom)
五百年前是一家 wǔ bǎi nián qián shì yī jiā five hundred years ago we were the same family (saying) (said of persons with the same surname)
八字还没一撇儿 八字還沒一撇兒 bā zì hái méi yī piě r 1. lit. there is not even the first stroke of the character 八[bā] (idiom)2. fig. things have not even begun to take shape3. no sign of success yet
剃头挑子一头热 剃頭挑子一頭熱 tì tóu tiāo zi yī tóu rè 1. lit. only one end of the barber's pole is hot (idiom)2. fig. one-sided enthusiasm3. one party is interested, but the other, not so much4. (Note: In former days, street barbers carried their equipment on a pole, with tools and a stool at one end and a brazier at the other.)+1 条 吃一堑，长一智 吃一塹，長一智 chī yī qiàn , zhǎng yī zhì Fall into the moat and you'll be wiser next time (idiom); One only learns from one's mistakes.
在千钧一发之际 在千鈞一髮之際 zài qiān jūn yī fà zhī jì at the critical moment; in the nick of time
德国统一社会党 德國統一社會黨 dé guó tǒng yī shè huì dǎng Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1949-1990), the ruling communist party of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
怎一个愁字了得 怎一個愁字了得 zěn yī gè chóu zì liǎo dé 1. (last line of the poem 声声慢[shēng shēng màn] by Song poet Li Qingzhao 李清照[lǐ qīng zhào])2. how can it be expressed in one word, "sorrow"?3. how can words express such sadness?
有百利而无一弊 有百利而無一弊 yǒu bǎi lì ér wú yī bì to have many advantages and no disadvantages
管他三七二十一 guǎn tā sān qī èr shí yī 1. who cares2. no matter what3. regardless of the consequences
统一战线工作部 統一戰線工作部 tǒng yī zhàn xiàn gōng zuò bù United Front Work Department of CCP Central Committee (UFWD)
统一资源定位符 統一資源定位符 tǒng yī zī yuán dìng wèi fú universal resource locator (URL), i.e. webaddress
背着抱着一般重 背著抱著一般重 bēi zhe bào zhe yī bān zhòng 1. lit. whether one carries it on one's back or in one's arms, it's equally heavy (idiom)2. fig. one can't avoid the burden
色字头上一把刀 色字頭上一把刀 sè zì tóu shàng yī bǎ dāo 1. lit. there is a knife above the character for lust2. fig. lascivious activities can lead to bitter consequences
说一千，道一万 說一千，道一萬 shuō yī qiān , dào yī wàn 1. when all is said and done2. at the end of the day
头发胡子一把抓 頭髮鬍子一把抓 tóu fa hú zi yī bǎ zhuā 1. lit. hair and beard all in one stroke2. fig. to handle different things by the same method3. one method to solve all problems4. one size fits all+1 条 黄帝八十一难经 黃帝八十一難經 huáng dì bā shí yī nàn jīng The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Eighty-one Difficulties, medical text, c. 1st century AD
一家人不说两家话 一家人不說兩家話 yī jiā rén bù shuō liǎng jiā huà 1. lit. family members speak frankly with one another, not courteously, as if they were from two different families (idiom)2. fig. people don't need to be deferential when they ask a family member for help3. people from the same family should stick together (and good friends likewise)
一把眼泪一把鼻涕 一把眼淚一把鼻涕 yī bǎ yǎn lèi yī bǎ bí tì with one's face covered in tears (idiom)