1 complete change from the old rut (idiom); dramatic change of direction
2 a volte-face
3 to change old practices
不修边幅
bù xiū biān fú
1 not care about one's appearance (idiom)
2 slovenly in dress and manner
修心养性
xiū xīn yǎng xìng
1 to cultivate the heart and nurture the character (idiom); to improve oneself by meditation
净心修身
jìng xīn xiū shēn
1 to have an untroubled heart and behave morally (idiom)
幡然改图
fān rán gǎi tú
1 to change one's plan all of a sudden (idiom)
年久失修
nián jiǔ shī xiū
1 old and in a state of disrepair (idiom)
2 dilapidated
改弦易辙
gǎi xián yì zhé
1 change of string, move out of rut (idiom); dramatic change of direction
2 to dance to a different tune
改过自新
gǎi guò zì xīn
1 to reform and start afresh (idiom); to turn over a new leaf
改邪归正
gǎi xié guī zhèng
1 to mend one's ways (idiom)
2 to turn over a new leaf
改头换面
gǎi tóu huàn miàn
1 to adjust one's head and turn one's face (idiom); cosmetic changes
2 Despite superficially new policies, the substance remains unchanged.
明修栈道,暗渡陈仓
míng xiū zhàn dào , àn dù Chén cāng
1 lit. repair the plank road by day while secretly crossing the Wei River 渭河[Wèi Hé] at Chencang (idiom, refers to a stratagem used by Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liú Bāng] in 206 BC against Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiàng Yǔ] of Chu)
2 fig. to feign one thing while doing another
3 to cheat under cover of a diversion
有则改之,无则加勉
yǒu zé gǎi zhī , wú zé jiā miǎn
1 correct any mistakes you made, but maintain your good record if you did not make them (idiom)
朝令夕改
zhāo lìng xī gǎi
1 to make frequent or unpredictable changes in policy (idiom)
朝闻夕改
zhāo wén xī gǎi
1 lit. heard in the morning and changed by the evening
2 to correct an error very quickly (idiom)
朝过夕改
zhāo guò xī gǎi
1 to correct in the evening a fault of the morning (idiom)
2 to quickly amend one's ways
死不改悔
sǐ bù gǎi huǐ
1 not to repent even facing death (idiom)
2 unrepentant
3 very obstinate
江山易改,本性难移
jiāng shān yì gǎi , běn xìng nán yí
1 it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom)
2 you can't change who you are
3 Can the leopard change his spots?
狗改不了吃屎
gǒu gǎi bù liǎo chī shǐ
1 lit. a dog can't stop himself from eating shit (idiom)
2 fig. bad habits are hard to change
痛改前非
tòng gǎi qián fēi
1 completely correcting one's former misdeeds (idiom); to repent past mistakes and turn over a new leaf
2 a reformed character
知过改过
zhī guò gǎi guò
1 to acknowledge one's faults and correct them (idiom)
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