Chinese Sayings to Get You through Finals!

万事开头难 means that the first step is always the hardest step. This also goes for studying for finals. See that textbook that has been collecting dust on your desk? Opening your textbook or starting that first draft is the biggest hurdle to get through. However, once you get the momentum going, it will be easier to keep going!

全力以赴 means to give something everything you got! Whether it is studying for that impossibly hard chemistry exam, or writing that 10-page book review (when you haven't even read the book!), you should put your heart and soul into it! Finals only last a week or two, so study hard in that period of time!

脚踏实地 literally means to have your feet planted firmly into the ground. So, before you start studying, make sure you have you have a firm grasp on what you need to know. Moreover, make sure to have good study habits. As the saying goes,  work smarter, not harder!

无精打采 means to be in low spirits and washed out. Maybe you or a friend of yours is feeling down because of a bad grade, or feeling burnt out from the mounting pile of assignments. Well, tell them to 打起精神来, which means to cheer up! It literally means to hit up your spirits.

大处着眼，小处着手 literally translates to “big points apply eye, small points apply hand”. What this means is to keep your overall goals in mind, but work hard on the small tasks necessary to accomplish those goals. So, if your goal is to get into a good school, or to have a good GPA, or to just get through this semester, you’ll have to push through the mundane tasks, like studying. You got this. Don’t lose sight of your goals, but know that you got to put in the work to attain them too.

松一口气 means to “have a sigh of relief” or to be able to relax a bit. Once final is over, you’re out of school for the summer! Take some time off to travel or relax. Pick up a hobby, learn a new language (like Mandarin!)! You deserve it!