shock the common customs

To make bricks out of ice - lòu bīng chuī lì

a scholar in reduced circumstances - qín jiàn piāo líng

the man through whose hands passing large sums of money - guò lù cái shén

Motto - xùn gé zhī yán

surreptitious - shén guǐ nán cè

Cut the strings - jié yuán dù pèi

put one 's finger into another 's pie - duō guǎn xián shì

rack one's brains in vain - wǎng fèi xīn jī

give birth to a boy - nòng zhāng zhī xǐ

warning taken from the overturned cart ahead - fù chē zhī guǐ