1、biǎn dan méi zā – liǎng tóu dǎ tā
扁担没扎 – 两头打塌
When the carrying/shoulder pole is not secured at both ends, its loads slip off. – try to grab both but end up getting neither; fall between two stools

2、gŏu niǎn yā zi – guā guā jiào
狗撵鸭子 – 呱呱叫
A duck chased by a dog – quacking at the top of its voice. "呱呱叫" in colloquial Chinese is often used to describe something excellent or someone who is very skillful and can accomplish something perfectly.

3、gŏu yǎo cì wei – wú chù xià kǒu
狗咬刺猬 – 无处下口
A dog snapping at a hedgehog – having nowhere to bite. This allegory means not knowing where to start or being in no position to accomplish something.

4、gǒu zuò jiào zi – bù shí tái ju

狗坐轿子 – 不识抬举
A dog sitting in a sedan chair – unable to appreciate a favor

5、bō li bēi lǐ de cāng ying – yǒu guāng míng wú qián tú
玻璃杯里的苍蝇 – 有光明无前途
Fly in the glass – seeing the light but not the future

6、yī gēn kuài zi chī ǒu – zhuān tiāo yǎn
一根筷子吃藕 – 专挑眼
Eating lotus root with only one chopstick – picking it up by the holes. This allegory is used to refer to someone who always picks flaws.

7、duō nián de gǔ miào – lǎo sì (lǎo sì)
多年的古庙 – 老四（老寺）
An ancient temple – literally, old monastery; figuratively, No. 4. ("老四," which means No. 4, is a homophone for "老寺," which means old monastery.)

8、hé shang de nǎo ké – méi fǎ (fà)
和尚的脑壳 – 没法（发）
A monk's head – literally, with no hair; figuratively, no way out. ("发", meaning hair, has a similar sound to "法", which means method or way. Thus, "没发", meaning "with no hair", becomes "没法", meaning "no way out, or being able to do nothing about a situation".)

9、hé shang chī hūn – zhī fă fàn fă
和尚吃荤 – 知法犯法
A Buddhist monk takes meat. – know the law but break it; deliberately flout the law; knowingly violate the law

10、zhū bā jiè chī rén shēn guŏ – quán bù zhī zī wèi
猪八戒吃人参果 – 全不知滋味
Zhu Bajie (Pig in Journey to the West, one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature) eats ginseng fruit. – He doesn't know the taste at all. This allegory means either not appreciating the taste of food or not knowing the value of something.

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11、shŏu ná jī dàn zŏu huá lù – tí xīn diào dăn
手拿鸡蛋走滑路 – 提心吊胆
Walk on a slippery road with eggs in your hands. – have one's heart in one's mouth; be on tenterhooks

12、jiāng biān mài shuǐ – duō cǐ yī jǔ
江边卖水 – 多此一举
Sell water at the riverside – make an unnecessary move

13、jiàn dào hú zi jiù shì yé ye – bù biàn zhēn jiă
见到胡子就是爷爷 – 不辨真假
Anyone is considered to be one's own grandpa, as long as he wears a beard. – fail to make a distinction between true and false

14、qiáng shàng guà rì lì – yī tiān biàn ge yàng
墙上挂日历 – 一天变个样
A calendar hangs on the wall. – It changes everyday; something changes all the time. BY bulaiya.com

15、kuài dāo dă dòu fu – liăng miàn guāng
快刀打豆腐 – 两面光
Bean curd cut with a sharp knife – smooth on both sides. "两面光 liăng miàn guāng" is a common saying, meaning trying to please both parties, or being slick and sly.

16、lăo shǔ diào jìn shū xiāng lǐ – yăo wén jiáo zì
老鼠掉进书箱里 – 咬文嚼字
A mouse falls into a bookcase – chew up the pages. The phrase "咬文嚼字 yăo wén jiáo zì" is mostly used sarcastically to ridicule a pedant who is over-fastidious about wording but fails to grasp the essence of a text. Sometimes it refers to someone who parades his vocabulary just to show off.