Idioms with Plants

to cut weeds and eliminate the roots (idiom); to destroy root and branch/to eliminate completely

lit. to follow the vine to get to the melon/to track sth following clues

lit. to cut one's way through thistles and thorns (idiom)/fig. to overcome all obstacles on the way/to break through hardships/to blaze a new trail

toss a peach, get back a plum (idiom); to return a favor/to exchange gifts/Scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

thick stems and broad leaves (idiom)/boorish/rough and ready/sloppy

display of fireworks and lanterns

a falling leaf returns to the roots (idiom); everything has its ancestral home/In old age, an expatriate longs to return home.

(idiom) new problems arise unexpectedly

lit. the plum tree withers in place of the peach tree/to substitute one thing for another/to carry the can for sb

when the melon is ripe, it falls (idiom); problems sort themselves out in the fullness of time

deep-rooted (problem etc)

lit. the willow trees make the shade, the flowers give the light (idiom); at one's darkest hour, a glimmer of hope/light at the end of the tunnel

abbr. for 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠|瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠[gua1 tian2 bu4 na4 lu:3 , li3 xia4 bu4 zheng3 guan1]

as a lotus flower breaking the surface (idiom); surpassingly beautiful (of young lady's face or old gentleman's calligraphy)

lit. after rain, the spring bamboo (idiom); fig. rapid new growth/many new things emerge in rapid succession

lit. the night-blooming cactus shows once/flash in the pan (idiom)/short-lived

lit. chrysanthemums after the Double Ninth Festival (idiom)/fig. outdated/thing of the past/dead letter

to deliberately complicate an issue (idiom)

to have disregard for human life (idiom)

lit. every tree or bush an enemy soldier (idiom); fig. to panic and treat everyone as an enemy/to feel beleaguered