Chinese allegories
歇后语
These are two-part allegorical sayings. The first part, which is always stated, is the literal meaning of the expression. The second part is the unstated, implied meaning of the expression.

lĕng shuǐ pào chá – wú wèi
冷水泡茶 – 无味
Make tea with unboiled water – Literally, unpleasant tasting; tasteless. Figuratively, uninteresting

gǔn shuǐ pào chá – yòu nóng yòu xiāng
滚水泡茶 – 又浓又香
Make tea with boiling water – of rich flavor; of strong fragrance or aroma

bō li bēi qī chá – kàn dào dǐ
玻璃杯沏茶 – 看到底
Infuse tea in a glass – see the bottom; see through something

bào mǐ huā qī chá – pào tāng le
爆米花沏茶 – 泡汤了
Infuse tea with pop rice – come to nothing; fall through

chá bēi lǐ fàng kuài táng – shòu mìng bù cháng
茶杯里放块糖 – 寿命不长
Put a piece of sugar in a teacup – have a short life

fú wù yuán shàng chá – hé pán tuō chū
服务员上茶 – 和盘托出
A waiter comes to serve tea – reveal everything; hold nothing back

chá hú lǐ hǎn yuān – hú (hú) nào
茶壶里喊冤 – 胡（壶）闹
Cry out about one's grievances in a teapot – act wildly; do mischief; make trouble (The characters "胡" and "壶" share the same pronunciation in Chinese. "胡" means "wildly" and "壶" refers to "tea pot".)

chá hú lǐ zhǔ guà miàn – nán lāo
茶壶里煮挂面 – 难捞
Cooking fine dried noodles in a teapot – difficult to get something

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