| 两 | [ liǎng ] two, both, some, a few, tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 两下 | [ liǎng xià ] twice, for a little while |
| 两下子 | [ liǎng xià zi ] a couple of times, to repeat the same, the same old trick, tricks of the trade |
| 两不相欠 | [ liǎng bù xiāng qiàn ] to be even, to be quits, to be even-steven |
| 两不误 | [ liǎng bù wù ] to neglect neither one |
| 两伊战争 | [ liǎng yī zhàn zhēng ] Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) |
| 两个中国 | [ liǎng gè zhōng guó ] two-China (policy) |
| 两倍 | [ liǎng beì ] twice as much, double the amount |
| 两侧 | [ liǎng cè ] two sides, both sides |
| 两侧对称 | [ liǎng cè duì chèn ] bilateral symmetry |
| 两仪 | [ liǎng yí ] heaven and earth, yin and yang |
| 两全 | [ liǎng quán ] to satisfy both sides, to accommodate both (demands) |
| 两全其美 | [ liǎng quán qí meǐ ] to satisfy rival demands (idiom), to get the best of both worlds, to have it both ways, to have one's cake and eat it too |
| 两分法 | [ liǎng fēn fǎ ] (Maoism) one divides into two |
| 两千年 | [ liǎng qiān nián ] the year 2000, 2000 years |
| 两口儿 | [ liǎng koǔ ] husband and wife, couple |
| 两口子 | [ liǎng koǔ zi ] husband and wife |
| 两句 | [ liǎng jù ] (say) a few words |
| 两回事 | [ liǎng huí shì ] two quite different things, two unrelated matters |
| 两国 | [ liǎng guó ] both countries, two countries |
| 两国之间 | [ liǎng guó zhī jiān ] bilateral, between two countries |
| 两国相争，不斩来使 | [ liǎng guó xiāng zhēng bù zhǎn laí shǐ ] when two kingdoms are at war, they don't execute envoys (idiom) |
| 两国关系 | [ liǎng guó guān xì ] bilateral relations |
| 两宋 | [ liǎng sòng ] the Song dynasty (960-1279), refers to the Northern (960-1127) and Southern Song (1128-1279) |
| 两小无猜 | [ liǎng wú caī ] innocent playmates |
| 两岸 | [ liǎng àn ] bilateral, both shores, both sides, both coasts, Taiwan and mainland |
| 两岸三地 | [ liǎng àn sān dì ] China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau (media term used esp. since 1997) |
| 两岸对话 | [ liǎng àn duì huà ] bilateral talks |
| 两厢情愿 | [ liǎng xiāng qíng yuàn ] both sides are willing, by mutual consent |
| 两广 | [ liǎng guǎng ] the two provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (traditional) |
| 两广总督 | [ liǎng guǎng zǒng dū ] Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi |
| 两弹一星 | [ liǎng dàn yī xīng ] (China's achievements of) producing an atomic bomb (1964) and hydrogen bomb (1967) and launching a satellite into space (1970) |
| 两德 | [ liǎng dé ] two Germanies, refers to German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) |
| 两性 | [ liǎng xìng ] male and female, both types (acid and alkaline, positive and negative etc), (chemistry) amphoteric |
| 两性动物 | [ liǎng xìng dòng wù ] hermaphrodite creature |
| 两性差距 | [ liǎng xìng chā jù ] disparity between the sexes |
| 两性平等 | [ liǎng xìng píng děng ] equality between the sexes |
| 两性异形 | [ liǎng xìng yì xíng ] sexual dimorphism |
| 两性花 | [ liǎng xìng huā ] hermaphrodite flower |
| 两性离子 | [ liǎng xìng lí zǐ ] (chemistry) zwitterion |
| 两情两愿 | [ liǎng qíng liǎng yuàn ] by mutual consent (north China dialect) |
| 两情相悦 | [ liǎng qíng xiāng yuè ] (of a couple) to be harmonious, to be each other's sunshine |
| 两手 | [ liǎng shoǔ ] one's two hands, two prongs (of a strategy), both aspects, eventualities etc, skills, expertise |
| 两手不沾阳春水 | [ liǎng shoǔ bù zhān yáng chūn shuǐ ] see 十指不沾陽春水|十指不沾阳春水[shi2 zhi3 bu4 zhan1 yang2 chun1 shui3] |
| 两手空空 | [ liǎng shoǔ kōng kōng ] empty-handed (idiom); fig. not receiving anything |
| 两手策略 | [ liǎng shoǔ cè lvè ] two-pronged strategy |
| 两把刷子 | [ liǎng bǎ shuā zi ] ability, skill |
| 两败俱伤 | [ liǎng baì jù shāng ] both sides suffer (idiom), neither side wins |
| 两方 | [ liǎng fāng ] both sides (in contract), the two opposing sides (in a dispute) |
| 两旁 | [ liǎng páng ] both sides, either side |
| 两星期 | [ liǎng xīng qī ] fortnight |
| 两会 | [ liǎng huì ] National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference |
| 两栖 | [ liǎng qī ] amphibious, dual-talented, able to work in two different lines |
| 两栖动物 | [ liǎng qī dòng wù ] amphibian, amphibious animals |
| 两栖类 | [ liǎng qī leì ] class Amphibia, amphibians |
| 两极 | [ liǎng jí ] the two poles, the north and south poles, both ends of sth, electric or magnetic poles |
| 两极分化 | [ liǎng jí fēn huà ] polarization |
| 两样 | [ liǎng yàng ] two kinds, difference |
| 两样东西 | [ liǎng yàng dōng xi ] two distinct things |
| 两步路 | [ liǎng bù lù ] a step away, very close |
| 两江道 | [ liǎng jiāng daò ] Ryanggang province province in north North Korea, adjacent to Jilin province |
| 两河 | [ liǎng hé ] the areas to the north and south of the Yellow River (in the Spring and Autumn Period), Mesopotamia |
| 两河文明 | [ liǎng hé wén míng ] Mesopotamian civilization |
| 两河流域 | [ liǎng hé liú yù ] Mesopotamia |
| 两清 | [ liǎng qīng ] loan settled (business term), business complete to the satisfaction of both parties |
| 两湖 | [ liǎng hú ] Hubei 湖北 and Hunan 湖南 provinces |
| 两汉 | [ liǎng hàn ] Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), refers to the Western Han and Eastern Han |
| 两生类 | [ liǎng shēng leì ] class Amphibia, also written 兩棲類|两栖类[liang3 qi1 lei4] |
| 两用 | [ liǎng yòng ] dual-use |
| 两当 | [ liǎng dāng ] Liangdang county in Longnan 隴南|陇南[Long3 nan2], Gansu |
| 两当县 | [ liǎng dāng xiàn ] Liangdang county in Longnan 隴南|陇南[Long3 nan2], Gansu |
| 两相 | [ liǎng xiāng ] both sides |
| 两相 | [ liǎng xiàng ] two-phase (physics) |
| 两相情愿 | [ liǎng xiāng qíng yuàn ] both sides are willing, by mutual consent |
| 两码事 | [ liǎng mǎ shì ] two quite different things, another kettle of fish |
| 两立 | [ liǎng lì ] to coexist, coexistence |
| 两端 | [ liǎng duān ] both ends (of a stick etc), two extremes |
| 两节棍 | [ liǎng jié gùn ] nunchaku |
| 两者 | [ liǎng zhě ] both sides |
| 两耳不闻窗外事 | [ liǎng ěr bù wén chuāng waì shì ] to pay no attention to outside matters |
| 两肋插刀 | [ liǎng leì chā daō ] lit. knifes piercing both sides (idiom), fig. to attach a great importance to friendship, up to the point of being able to sacrifice oneself for it |
| 两脚架 | [ liǎng jià ] bipod (supporting a machine gun etc) |
| 两着儿 | [ liǎng zhaō ] the same old trick, illegal device |
| 两虎相争 | [ liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng ] two tigers fighting (idiom); fierce contest between evenly matched adversaries |
| 两虎相争，必有一伤 | [ liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng bì yoǔ yī shāng ] if two tigers fight, one will get injured (idiom), if you start a war, someone is bound to get hurt |
| 两虎相斗 | [ liǎng hǔ xiāng doù ] two tigers fight (idiom); fig. a dispute between two powerful adversaries, a battle of the giants |
| 两虎相斗，必有一伤 | [ liǎng hǔ xiāng doù bì yoǔ yī shāng ] when two tigers fight, one will get injured (idiom), if it comes to a fight, someone will get hurt. |
| 两袖清风 | [ liǎng xiù qīng fēng ] lit. both sleeves flowing in the breeze (idiom); having clean hands, uncorrupted, unsoiled by corrupt practices |
| 两亲 | [ liǎng qīn ] see 雙親|双亲[shuang1 qin1] |
| 两讫 | [ liǎng qì ] received and paid for (business term), the goods delivered and the bill settled |
| 两造 | [ liǎng zaò ] both parties (to a lawsuit), plaintiff and defendant |
| 两边 | [ liǎng bian ] either side, both sides |
| 两院 | [ liǎng yuàn ] two chambers (of legislative assembly), e.g. House of Representatives and Senate |
| 两院制 | [ liǎng yuàn zhì ] bicameralism, bicameral legislative system |
| 两难 | [ liǎng nán ] dilemma, quandary, to face a difficult choice |
| 两面 | [ liǎng miàn ] both sides |
| 两面三刀 | [ liǎng miàn sān daō ] two-faced, three knives (idiom); double-cross, double dealing and back stabbing |
| 两面派 | [ liǎng miàn paì ] two-faced person, double-dealing |
| 两头 | [ liǎng toú ] both ends, both parties to a deal |
| 两头儿 | [ liǎng toú ] erhua variant of 兩頭|两头[liang3 tou2] |
| 两颊生津 | [ liǎng jiá shēng jīn ] mouth-watering, to whet one's appetite |
| 两点水 | [ liǎng diǎn shuǐ ] name of "ice" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 15), see also 冫[bing1] |
| 两党制 | [ liǎng dǎng zhì ] two-party system |
| ⇒ 一个头两个大 | [ yī ge toú liǎng ge dà ] (coll.) to feel as though one's head could explode (Tw) |
| ⇒ 一刀两断 | [ yī daō liǎng duàn ] lit. two segments with a single cut (idiom), fig. to make a clean break (idiom) |
| ⇒ 一分钱两分货 | [ yī fēn qián liǎng fēn huò ] high quality at bargain price |
| ⇒ 一回生两回熟 | [ yī huí shēng liǎng huí shú ] see 一回生二回熟[yi1 hui2 sheng1 er4 hui2 shu2] |
| ⇒ 一国两制 | [ yī guó liǎng zhì ] one country, two systems (PRC proposal regarding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) |
| ⇒ 一家人不说两家话 | [ yī jiā rén bù shuō liǎng jiā huà ] lit. family members speak frankly with one another, not courteously, as if they were from two different families (idiom), fig. people don't need to be deferential when they ask a family member for help, people from the same family should stick together (and good friends likewise) |
| ⇒ 一折两段 | [ yī zhé liǎng duàn ] to split sth into two (idiom) |
| ⇒ 一拍两散 | [ yī paī liǎng sàn ] (of marriage or business partners) to break up (idiom), to separate |
| ⇒ 一次生，两次熟 | [ yī cì shēng liǎng cì shú ] unfamiliar at first but you get used to it, strangers are first meeting, but soon friends, an acquired taste |
| ⇒ 一举两得 | [ yī jǔ liǎng dé ] one move, two gains (idiom); two birds with one stone |
| ⇒ 一身两役 | [ yī shēn liǎng yì ] one person taking on two tasks simultaneously |
| ⇒ 一体两面 | [ yī tǐ liǎng miàn ] lit. one body two sides (idiom), fig. a situation with two sides to it |
| ⇒ 三三两两 | [ sān sān liǎng liǎng ] in twos and threes |
| ⇒ 三三两两 | [ sān sān liǎng liǎng ] in twos and threes |
| ⇒ 三下两下 | [ sān xià liǎng xià ] quickly and effortlessly (idiom) |
| ⇒ 三两 | [ sān liǎng ] two or three |
| ⇒ 三天两头 | [ sān tiān liǎng toú ] lit. twice every three days (idiom); practically every day, frequently |
| ⇒ 三天打鱼，两天晒网 | [ sān tiān dǎ yú liǎng tiān shaì wǎng ] lit. to fish for three days and sun-dry the nets for two days (proverb), fig. not to persevere in doing sth, to do sth by fits and starts |
| ⇒ 三瓦两舍 | [ sān wǎ liǎng shè ] places of pleasure (like brothels, tea houses etc) |
| ⇒ 三番两次 | [ sān fān liǎng cì ] repeatedly (idiom) |
| ⇒ 三脚两步 | [ sān liǎng bù ] hurriedly, just a few steps away |
| ⇒ 三言两句 | [ sān yán liǎng jù ] in a few words (idiom); expressed succinctly |
| ⇒ 三言两语 | [ sān yán liǎng yǔ ] in a few words (idiom); expressed succinctly |
| ⇒ 三长两短 | [ sān cháng liǎng duǎn ] unexpected misfortune, unexpected accident, sudden death |
| ⇒ 人财两空 | [ rén caí liǎng kōng ] loss of life and property, to lose the beauty and her possessions |
| ⇒ 介于两难 | [ jiè yú liǎng nán ] to be on the horns of a dilemma (idiom) |
| ⇒ 两情两愿 | [ liǎng qíng liǎng yuàn ] by mutual consent (north China dialect) |
| ⇒ 公两 | [ gōng liǎng ] hectogram |
| ⇒ 分星掰两 | [ fēn xīng baī liǎng ] punctilious, clear and detailed |
| ⇒ 判若两人 | [ pàn ruò liǎng rén ] to be a different person, not to be one's usual self |
| ⇒ 势不两立 | [ shì bù liǎng lì ] the two cannot exist together (idiom); irreconcilable differences, incompatible standpoints |
| ⇒ 半斤八两 | [ bàn jīn bā liǎng ] not much to choose between the two, tweedledum and tweedledee |
| ⇒ 参两院 | [ cān liǎng yuàn ] both houses of US Congress |
| ⇒ 四两拨千斤 | [ sì liǎng bō qiān jīn ] lit. four ounces can move a thousand catties (idiom), fig. to achieve much with little effort |
| ⇒ 国共两党 | [ guó gòng liǎng dǎng ] Guomindang 國民黨|国民党[Guo2 min2 dang3] and Chinese Communist Party 共產黨|共产党[Gong4 chan3 dang3] |
| ⇒ 小两口 | [ liǎng koǔ ] (coll.) young married couple |
| ⇒ 小两口儿 | [ liǎng koǔ ] erhua variant of 小兩口|小两口[xiao3 liang3 kou3] |
| ⇒ 左右两难 | [ zuǒ yoù liǎng nán ] (idiom) between a rock and a hard place, in a dilemma |
| ⇒ 市两 | [ shì liǎng ] Chinese unit of weight equivalent to 50 grams |
| ⇒ 后两者 | [ hoù liǎng zhě ] the latter two |
| ⇒ 斤两 | [ jīn liǎng ] weight, (fig.) importance |
| ⇒ 有两下子 | [ yoǔ liǎng xià zi ] to have real skill, to know one's stuff |
| ⇒ 模棱两可 | [ mó léng liǎng kě ] equivocal, ambiguous |
| ⇒ 正反两面 | [ zhèng fǎn liǎng miàn ] two-way, reversible, both sides of the coin |
| ⇒ 此地无银三百两 | [ cǐ dì wú yín sān baǐ liǎng ] lit. 300 silver taels not hidden here (idiom); fig. to reveal what one intends to hide |
| ⇒ 水陆两用 | [ shuǐ lù liǎng yòng ] amphibious (vehicle) |
| ⇒ 海峡两岸关系协会 | [ haǐ xiá liǎng àn guān xi xié huì ] PRC Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) |
| ⇒ 清风两袖 | [ qīng fēng liǎng xiù ] honest and upright (idiom) |
| ⇒ 汉贼不两立 | [ hàn zeí bù liǎng lì ] lit. Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉[Shu3 Han4] and Cao Wei 曹魏[Cao2 Wei4] cannot coexist (idiom), fig. two enemies cannot live under the same sky, (former KMT slogan against CCP) "gentlemen and thieves cannot coexist" |
| ⇒ 炸两 | [ zhá liǎng ] (Cantonese cuisine) zhaliang, rice noodle rolls 腸粉|肠粉[chang2 fen3] stuffed with youtiao 油條|油条[you2 tiao2] |
| ⇒ 争斤论两 | [ zhēng jīn lùn liǎng ] to haggle over every ounce (idiom), to to fuss over minor points, to be particular about sth |
| ⇒ 老两口儿 | [ laǒ liǎng koǔ ] an old married couple |
| ⇒ 脚踏两条船 | [ tà liǎng chuán ] lit. to stand with each foot in a different boat (idiom), fig. to have it both ways, to run after two hares, (especially) to have two lovers at the same time |
| ⇒ 脚踏两只船 | [ tà liǎng zhī chuán ] to have a foot in both camps, to have a bet each way, to be having an affair |
| ⇒ 脚踩两只船 | [ caǐ liǎng zhī chuán ] see 腳踏兩隻船|脚踏两只船[jiao3 ta4 liang3 zhi1 chuan2] |
| ⇒ 英两 | [ yīng liǎng ] British imperial ounce (old) |
| ⇒ 着三不着两 | [ zhaó sān bù zhaó liǎng ] scatter-brained, thoughtless |
| ⇒ 蜡烛两头烧 | [ là zhú liǎng toú shaō ] to burn the candle at both ends (idiom), to labor under a double burden |
| ⇒ 誓不两立 | [ shì bù liǎng lì ] the two cannot exist together (idiom); irreconcilable differences, incompatible standpoints |
| ⇒ 进退两难 | [ jìn tuì liǎng nán ] no room to advance or to retreat (idiom); without any way out of a dilemma, trapped, in an impossible situation |
| ⇒ 银两 | [ yín liǎng ] silver currency, currency of the Qing dynasty based on the silver tael 兩|两 |
| ⇒ 首鼠两端 | [ shoǔ shǔ liǎng duān ] (idiom) to hesitate, to remain undecided |
