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Chinese Idiom (Chengyu) Dictionary — Meaning, Pinyin, Origin, Examples

800+ everyday chengyu — pinyin, origin, usage.

  • Runs locally
  • Category Text
  • Best for Removing repetitive cleanup work from everyday writing and operations.
813 of 813 idioms

What this tool does

Look up Chinese four-character idioms (成语 chéngyǔ) instantly in your browser — no API call, no signup, no waiting. The built-in dictionary covers 800+ idioms cross-verified against the 商务印书馆《现代汉语词典》 7th edition, the Ministry of Education 义务教育语文课程标准 recommended chengyu appendix, the 5-year high-frequency 高考真题 chengyu set, and the 国考/省考行测 言语理解 common-idiom bank. Spans three difficulty tiers: Level 1 (elementary classics like 一举两得, 画蛇添足), Level 2 (middle/high-school staples like 卧薪尝胆, 鞠躬尽瘁), and Level 3 (literary / civil-service like 筚路蓝缕, 沆瀣一气). Each entry ships with the idiom text, full pinyin with tone marks, plain-Chinese meaning + figurative extension, classical source cited to chapter (e.g. 《史记·项羽本纪》《左传·宣公十二年》), modern example sentence that actually reflects current Chinese, and 2-3 synonyms / 1-2 antonyms. Search by hanzi substring (输 "马" to surface 马到成功, 老马识途, 千军万马), by pinyin first-letter initials (type "yjld" → 一举两得), or by keyword inside the meaning. Hit "Inspire me" for a random pick when you're drafting an essay. 100% client-side — every lookup runs locally. Built for students cramming for 中考/高考, teachers preparing worksheets, 公考 candidates drilling 言语理解, and writers hunting for the perfect chengyu.

Tool details

Input
Form fields
The page exposes text boxes, numeric controls, file pickers, or structured inputs depending on the tool.
Output
Live result + Download
The result area focuses on usable output, with copy, download, or preview actions when supported.
Privacy
Browser-side processing
The main tool logic does not call an external API, so inputs normally stay in the current tab.
Save / share
No account required
Open the page and use it; whether results survive refresh depends on the tool.
Performance budget
Initial JS <= 60 KB
No WASM budget is declared, keeping the tool quick to open on mobile.
Best fit
Text · Student
Category and role tags drive related tools, internal links, and quick fit checks.

How to use

  1. 1. Input

    Paste or drop your content into the tool panel.

  2. 2. Process

    Click the button. All processing is local in your browser.

  3. 3. Copy / Download

    Copy the result or download to disk in one click.

How Chinese Idiom Search fits into your work

Use it to clean, compare, reshape, or extract plain text before it goes into a document, CMS, spreadsheet, or prompt.

Text jobs

  • Removing repetitive cleanup work from everyday writing and operations.
  • Making text easier to compare, paste, publish, or feed into another tool.
  • Working with content locally when the text is private or unfinished.

Text checks

  • Scan for unintended whitespace, duplicate lines, and lost punctuation.
  • For long text, test the first few lines before applying the whole change.
  • Copy the final output only after checking the preview.

Good next steps

These links move the current task into a more complete workflow.

  1. 1 Chinese Poetry Search Chinese classical poetry — 300+ hand-annotated Tang/Song/Yuan canon (唐诗宋词元曲) plus 80,000+ searchable Tang/Song/Shijing/Chuci poems on demand. Open
  2. 2 Chinese Pinyin Converter Chinese characters to pinyin — with tone marks or numbers, supports simplified and traditional. Open
  3. 3 Traditional ⇄ Simplified Chinese Converter Traditional ⇄ Simplified Chinese — fast, character-level, no API. Open

FAQ

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Made by Toolora · 100% client-side · Updated 2026-05-29