【Learn Chinese】Chinese Idioms for Encouragement and Compliments

You want to encourage someone or give a compliment but are tired of basic Chinese sentences? Advanced Chinese phrases not only help depict vivid images and express deep meanings with few characters, but they also create a brisk and flowy rhythm.

鼓励和赞扬 (gǔlì hé zànyáng) – Encouragement & Compliments
Giving compliments and encouraging words is an art. Four-character Chinese phrases can make your compliments and encouragements nice and brief while still keeping them specific.

全力以赴 (quánlì yǐfù) – “to make an all-out effort”
希望这次考试同学们都全力以赴，取得理想的成绩。(Xīwàng zhè cì kǎoshì tóngxuémen dōu quánlì yǐfù, qǔdé lǐxiǎng de chéngjì) - “I hope that all the students in this exam will go all out to achieve ideal results.”

一鼓作气 (yīgǔ zuòqì) – “in a spurt of energy”
我们团队一鼓作气，连续72小时工作，在截止日期前提交了方案。(Wǒmen tuánduì yīgǔ zuòqì, liánxù 72 xiǎoshí gōngzuò, zài jiézhǐ rìqī qián tíjiāo le fāng’àn) - “Our team worked nonstop for 72 hours and submitted the proposal before the deadline.”

再接再厉 (zàijiē zàilì) – “to persist”
这次考试成绩不错，要保持这个势头，再接再厉。(Zhè cì kǎoshì chéngjī bùcuò, yào bǎochí zhège shìtóu, zàijiē zàilì) - “The test results are good; we must maintain this momentum and make persistent efforts.”

卷土重来 (juǎntǔ chónglái) – “to make a comeback”
没选上也不要灰心，有机会一定可以卷土重来的。(Méi xuǎn shàng yě bùyào huīxīn, yǒu jīhuì yīdìng kěyǐ juǎntǔ chónglái de) - “Don’t be discouraged that you didn’t get chosen; when there’s another chance, you can definitely make a comeback.”

笨鸟先飞 (bènniǎo xiānfēi) – “work hard to compensate for one’s limited abilities” (literally: “the clumsy bird flies early”)
你要懂得只要努力，就能笨鸟先飞。(Nǐ yào dǒngdé zhǐyào nǔlì, jiù néng bènniǎo xiānfēi) - “You have to understand that as long as you work hard, you can still beat the others.”

熟能生巧 (shúnéng shēngqiǎo) – “practice makes perfect”
都说熟能生巧，多练习练习，上台就不紧张了。(Dōu shuō shúnéng shēngqiǎo, duō liànxí liànxí, shàngtái jiù bù jǐnzhāng le) - “People say that practice makes perfect; practice more, and you will not be nervous on stage.”

顺其自然 (shùnqí zìrán) – “let nature take its course”
没事儿，你该做的都做了，只能顺其自然，耐心等待了。(Méishìr, nǐ gāi zuò de dōu zuòle, zhǐ néng shùnqí zìrán, nàixīn děngdài le) - “It’s okay. You have done everything you need to do; you can only let the flow take its course and wait.”

画龙点睛 (huàlóng diǎnjīng) – “to add the vital finishing touch” (literally: “to dot the eyes of a painted dragon”)
哇，你加的这一句词简直是画龙点睛，太牛了。(Wa, nǐ jiā de zhè yījù cí jiǎnzhí shì huàlóng diǎnjīng, tài niú le) - “Wow, this sentence you added is the finishing touch. It’s awesome.”

耳目一新 (ěrmù yīxīn) – “a refreshing change”
小李的演讲让在场的诸位都有耳目一新的感觉。(Xiǎo lǐ de yǎnjiǎng ràng zàichǎng de zhūwèi dōu yǒu ěrmù yīxīn de gǎnjué) - “Xiao Li’s speech gave everyone present a refreshing feeling.”

当之无愧 (dāngzhī wúkuì) – “fully deserving”
你是我们心中当之无愧的第一名。(Nǐ shì wǒmen xīnzhōng dāngzhī wúkuì de dì yī míng) - “You are the well-deserved number one in our hearts.”

脱颖而出 (tuōyǐng érchū) – “to rise above others”
能在这么多有实力的新人中脱颖而出，你的实力是有目共睹的。(Néng zài zhème duō yǒu shílì de xīnrén zhōng tuōyǐng érchū, nǐ de shílì shì yǒumù gòngdǔ de) - “Being able to stand out among so many capable newcomers, your capabilities are obvious to all.”