24 words
| Word | Pinyin | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 不痛不痒 | bù tòng bù yǎng | lit. doesn't hurt, doesn't tickle (idiom); sth is wrong, but not quite sure what |
| 亡羊补牢 | wáng yáng bǔ láo | lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom) |
| 千疮百孔 | qiān chuāng bǎi kǒng | see 百孔千瘡|百孔千疮[bai3 kong3 qian1 chuang1] |
| 天龙人 | Tiān lóng rén | (slang) (Tw) person from Taipei 臺北|台北[Tai2 bei3] |
| 投机取巧 | tóu jī qǔ qiǎo | to seize every opportunity |
| 暗箱操作 | àn xiāng cāo zuò | covert activities (election rigging etc) |
| 桃色新闻 | táo sè xīn wén | sex scandal |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui |
| 海归 | hǎi guī | sb who has come back to China after gaining overseas experience (a pun on 海龜|海龟[hai3 gui1]) |
| 特权 | tè quán | prerogative |
| 猫腻 | māo nì | (coll.) something fishy |
| 走后门 | zǒu hòu mén | lit. to enter by the back door |
| 软肋 | ruǎn lèi | rib cartilage |
| 退而求其次 | tuì ér qiú qí cì | to settle for second best |
| 钻营 | zuān yíng | toadying for personal gain |
| 刮骨疗毒 | guā gǔ liáo dú | scraping poison from the bone |
| 托关系 | tuō guān xi | use a relationship to achieve a goal |
| 拔出萝卜带出泥 | bá chū luó bo dài chū ní | pulling out a carrot brings the mud with it |
| 南郭先生 | nán guō xiān shēng | impostor |
| 逆鳞 | nì lín | untouchable taboo |
| 沉疴旧疾 | shěn kē jiù jí | deep-rooted problems |
| 私德 | sī dé | private virtue |
| 冲冠一怒为红颜 | chōng guān yī nù wèi hóng yán | risk everything for the woman he loves |
| 要风得风要雨得雨 | yào fēng dé fēng yào yǔ dé yǔ | to get whatever one wants; to have everything go one’s way |