four-character idiom (thing)

In Chinese, certain traditional four word phrases have specific meanings. Four-character phrases are usually somewhat metaphoric and many have a story behind them (or sometimes made up after the fact to explain them). Now, in English, using a familiar phrase in writing is ofen seen as using cliches, which is a Bad Thing. It's the opposite in China, where using these phrases is considered quite learned and academic--similar in cachet to high-brow literary references and quotes, I suppose. These phrases will be pronounced differently in different Chinese dialects, but some Mandarin versions are given below. I expect to add some more, just the interesting or fun ones since there are a lot. I've found that learning these phrases also helped me understand English better, and vice versa, plus they help me think about both words and situations from a different angle.

• You shan you shui - Literally, "has mountains, has water." It's both an ordinary way to say "scenic" and something to say about a place when you can't think of anything else nice to say about it. Tones: You3 shan1, you3 shui3.
• Bai chi bu yan - Literally, "hundred eat not bored"--in other words, something you could eat a hundred times and not grow tired of; your favorite food(s). Tones: Bai2 chi1 bu4 yan4.
• Hu tou she wei - Literally, "tiger head, snake tail." A good start, but a lousy finish. Although snakes are not as negative in Chinese culture as in European, they are not nearly as positive a symbol as tigers. Tones: Hu3 tou1 she1 wei3.