Containing a Pair of Antonyms

to reach perfection (idiom); a superb artistic achievement

in disorder/at sixes and sevens (idiom)

to resign oneself to adversity (idiom); to grin and bear it/to submit meekly to insults, maltreatment, humiliation etc

serve Qin in the morning Chu in the evening (idiom); quick to switch sides

secure in the knowledge that one has backing

lit. heaven's law and earth's principle (idiom); fig. right and proper/right and unalterable/a matter of course

to turn peril into safety (idiom); to avert a danger (esp. political or medical)

to overreach oneself/to try to be clever and end up with egg on one's face

taking everyone along, young and old/to look after the elderly and the young

lit. to attend to one thing and lose sight of another (idiom)/fig. to be unable to manage two or more things at once/cannot pay attention to one thing without neglecting the other

to renounce the dark and seek the light/to give up one's wrong way of life and turn to a better one

to save a little only to lose a lot (idiom)

from start to finish (idiom)

misfortune turns to blessing (idiom); to turn an inauspicious start to good account

selfless/impartial

lit. use others' strengths to make up for one's weak points (idiom from Mencius)/to use this in place of that/what you lose on the swings, you win on the roundabouts

to root out the strong and give people peace (idiom); to rob the rich and give to the poor

lit. able to support both heaven and earth/of indomitable spirit (idiom)

using a talented person in an insignificant position (idiom)/a sledgehammer to crack a nut

fig. the man sings and the woman follows/fig. marital harmony

weakly and without strength (idiom); dispirited

different routes to the same destination (idiom); fig. different means of achieve the same end

different tunes played with equal skill (idiom)/different methods leading to the same result/different approach but equally satisfactory outcome

to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)

to make frequent or unpredictable changes in policy (idiom)

things are very different now (idiom)/times have changed