Year of the Dragon: Top 8 dragon idioms

Graphic: SpiderM/Pixabay

龙马精神

Lonɡ ma jinɡ shen

To possess the spirit of dragons and horses.

Full of vibrant spirit (usually refers to an elderly person).

生龙活虎

Sheng long huo hu

To be as lively as a dragon and as energetic as a tiger.

To be full of vim and vigour.

鲤鱼跳龙门

Li yu tiao long men

A carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Ordinary folks achieving meteoric success (usually refers to civil servants or government officials).

龙腾虎跃

Long teng hu yue

Dragons soaring and tigers leaping.

A scene of bustling activity.

龙飞凤舞

Long fei feng wu

Flying dragons, dancing phoenixes.

Flamboyant calligraphy.

卧虎藏龙

Wo hu cang long

Crouching tiger, hidden dragon.

Undiscovered talents.

降龙伏虎

Xiang long fu hu

Subdue the dragon, tame the tiger.

Overcome powerful adversaries.

龙争虎斗

Long zheng hu dou

A fight between a dragon and a tiger.

An epic battle between evenly-matched powerful forces.