Chinese allegories
歇后語
Two-part allegorical saying (of which the first part, always stated, is descriptive, while the second part, often unstated, carries the message)

biǎn dan méi zā – liǎng tóu dǎ tā
扁擔(dān)沒扎 – 兩頭打塌
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

g?u niǎn yā zi – guā guā jiào
狗攆鴨子 – 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.

g?u yǎo cì wei – wú chù xià kǒu
狗咬刺猬 – 無處下口
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.

gǒu zuò jiào zi – bù shí tái ju
狗坐轎子 – 不識(shí)抬舉
A dog sitting in a sedan chair – unable to appreciate a favor

bō li bēi lǐ de cāng ying – yǒu guāng míng wú qián tú
玻璃杯里的蒼蠅 – 有光明無前途
Fly in the glass – seeing the light but not the future

yī gēn kuài zi chī ǒu – zhuān tiāo yǎn
一根筷子吃藕 – 專挑眼
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.

duō nián de gǔ miào – lǎo sì (lǎo sì)
多年的古廟 – 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.)

hé shang de nǎo ké – méi fǎ (fà)
和尚的腦殼 – 沒法（發(fā)）
A monk's head – literally, with no hair; figuratively, no way out. ("發(fā)", meaning hair, has a similar sound to "法", which means method or way. Thus, "沒發(fā)", meaning "with no hair", becomes "沒法", meaning "no way out, or being able to do nothing about a situation".)

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