Chinese idioms used in the picture puzzles
Every picture-idiom level in Brain Challenge uses one of the 30 chengyu below. Each entry gives the pinyin, the literal image behind the characters, the actual meaning, and a usage note — the last part matters, because several of these are insults or blessings and cannot be swapped freely.
The list
- 七上八下 (qī shàng bā xià) — seven up, eight down
- 三长两短 (sān cháng liǎng duǎn) — three long, two short
- 五光十色 (wǔ guāng shí sè) — five lights, ten colours
- 四面八方 (sì miàn bā fāng) — four sides, eight directions
- 九牛一毛 (jiǔ niú yī máo) — one hair from nine oxen
- 十全十美 (shí quán shí měi) — ten complete, ten beautiful
- 一鸣惊人 (yī míng jīng rén) — one cry startles everyone
- 六神无主 (liù shén wú zhǔ) — six spirits without a master
- 五花八门 (wǔ huā bā mén) — five flowers, eight gates
- 七零八落 (qī líng bā luò) — scattered in sevens and eights
- 九死一生 (jiǔ sǐ yī shēng) — nine deaths, one life
- 十拿九稳 (shí ná jiǔ wěn) — ten grabs, nine steady
- 四通八达 (sì tōng bā dá) — four through, eight reach
- 一石二鸟 (yī shí èr niǎo) — one stone, two birds
- 三头六臂 (sān tóu liù bì) — three heads, six arms
- 一网打尽 (yī wǎng dǎ jìn) — one net catches all
- 狼心狗肺 (láng xīn gǒu fèi) — wolf heart, dog lungs
- 鸡飞狗跳 (jī fēi gǒu tiào) — chickens fly, dogs jump
- 鼠目寸光 (shǔ mù cùn guāng) — mouse eyes, inch sight
- 龙马精神 (lóng mǎ jīng shén) — dragon-horse spirit
- 马到成功 (mǎ dào chéng gōng) — success the moment the horse arrives
- 狐假虎威 (hú jiǎ hǔ wēi) — the fox borrows the tiger’s might
- 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) — draw a snake, add feet
- 鹤立鸡群 (hè lì jī qún) — a crane among chickens
- 顺手牵羊 (shùn shǒu qiān yáng) — lead the sheep away while passing
- 水火不容 (shuǐ huǒ bù róng) — water and fire cannot coexist
- 海纳百川 (hǎi nà bǎi chuān) — the sea accepts a hundred rivers
- 花好月圆 (huā hǎo yuè yuán) — flowers fine, moon full
- 稳如泰山 (wěn rú tài shān) — steady as Mount Tai
- 三心二意 (sān xīn èr yì) — three hearts, two minds
How to read a picture clue
Number clues are the easiest entry point. In Chinese idiom puzzles the digits standing in for 一, 三, 五, 七, 九, 十 usually map directly onto the first character of the idiom, so 7 上 8 下 reads as 七上八下 and 3 心 2 意 as 三心二意. Once you know the numeral pair, the remaining two characters are usually guessable from the four options.