[Online Tool] That Idiom Is on the Tip of Your Tongue? Search Tens of Thousands of Chinese Idioms Here

You're writing something and there's an idiom on the tip of your tongue — you remember the first two characters but the rest won't come. Or the opposite: you know roughly what it means but can't recall the idiom itself. Or you remember one character and want to find every idiom that contains it.

Toolshu's Chinese Idiom Dictionary supports keyword search across tens of thousands of entries, with definitions, origins, and usage notes included. A handy reference for writing, exam prep, and satisfying everyday curiosity.

🔗 Tool URL: https://toolshu.com/en/idioms

How to Search

Search by keyword: Remember there's a 马 (horse) in it? Search 马 and every idiom containing that character appears. Remember the first two characters 一石? Search that and 一石二鸟 (kill two birds with one stone) comes right up.

Search by meaning: Looking for an idiom that describes extreme speed? Search for related terms and the tool matches results from within definitions.

Search by pinyin: Know the pronunciation but unsure of the characters? Enter the pinyin and search that way.

What Does Each Entry Include?

Each idiom entry typically contains: the idiom itself, pinyin pronunciation, definition, origin (source text and passage), usage notes (positive/negative/neutral connotation, grammatical role), and example sentences. Everything you need to judge whether it fits the context you have in mind.

How Is This Different from the Idiom Chain Game?

Toolshu also has an Idiom Chain Game (https://toolshu.com/en/idiom-game) — that's a game format testing reaction speed and vocabulary recall.

The Idiom Dictionary is a reference tool — for writing, exam preparation, or simply looking up what an idiom means. The two complement each other: one to learn, one to play.

A Quick Note on Chinese Idioms

Most Chinese idioms (成语, chéngyǔ) are four characters long and draw from a wide range of sources — historical events (卧薪尝胆, 破釜沉舟), fables (守株待兔, 刻舟求剑), classical literature (沧海一粟, 一日三秋), and folk expressions. Modern Chinese dictionaries contain over 50,000 idioms, with around 3,000 to 5,000 in common everyday use.

👉 Find the idiom you need right now: https://toolshu.com/en/idioms

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