Chengyu (成语) stick best when your brain gets **a picture + a feeling + a place to file it**. Use the Chinese idiom (with pinyin) as the anchor, then attach vivid images, tiny stories, sounds, and radicals to make recall automatic.
Flashcards make chengyu retrieval **fast on demand**; spaced repetition makes it **durable over months**. Use concise fronts, rich-but-focused backs, and a review schedule that stretches the interval only after you answer quickly and correctly.
Turn chengyu (成语) into **story beats**. Use each idiom as a compact scene or moral, then string several together for a clean plot. Show the chengyu in Chinese with pinyin; keep all guidance and examples in English.
Reading in context teaches not only *what* a chengyu means, but also **tone**, **grammar slot**, and **when** native speakers choose it. Use short, frequent reading with light annotation and quick reuse.
Make chengyu (成语) automatic in speech by practicing short, focused roleplays. Keep your narration and instructions in English; drop the Chinese chengyu with pinyin at the exact spot you’d naturally say them.