Chinese Proverbs
Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old Chinese quotes, Chinese sayings, and Chinese proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.
We have collected and put the best Chinese Proverbs. Enjoy reading these insights and feel free to share this page on your social media to inspire others.
May these Chinese Proverbs inspire you to never give up and keep working towards your goals. Who knows—success could be just around the corner.
Chinese Proverbs in English
“I heard” is good; “I saw” is better
A bad word whispered echoes a hundred miles. – Chinese Proverbs
A bad workman blames his tools. – Chinese Proverbs
A bird can roost but on one branch, a mouse can drink not more than its fill from a river. – Chinese Proverbs
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. – Chinese Proverbs
A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers. – Chinese Proverbs
A book holds a house of gold. – Chinese Proverbs
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. – Chinese Proverbs
A book tightly shut is but a block of paper. – Chinese Proverbs
A careful foot can step anywhere. – Chinese Proverbs
A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark. – Chinese Proverbs
A clear conscience never fears midnight knocking. – Chinese Proverbs
A clever person turns great troubles into little ones, and little ones into none at all. – Chinese Proverbs
A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood. – Chinese Proverbs
A courtyard common to all will be swept by none. – Chinese Proverbs
A crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind. – Chinese Proverbs
A diamond with a flaw is better than a common stone that is perfect. – Chinese Proverbs
A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections. – Chinese Proverbs
A fall into a ditch makes you wiser. – Chinese Proverbs
A filthy mouth will not utter decent language. – Chinese Proverbs
A fool judges people by the presents they give him. – Chinese Proverbs
A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody. – Chinese Proverbs
A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials. – Chinese Proverbs
A good book is a good friend. – Chinese Proverbs
A good heart influences Heaven and Earth. – Chinese Proverbs
A good teacher. . . better than a barrowful of books. – Chinese Proverbs
A hobbling cat is better than a fast horse when rats swarm the palace. – Chinese Proverbs
A hundred foot bamboo can progress yet another step. – Chinese Proverbs
A hundred no’s are less agonizing than one insincere yes. – Chinese Proverbs
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Chinese Proverbs
A king’s riches cannot buy an extra year. – Chinese Proverbs
A little impatience will spoil great plans. – Chinese Proverbs
A man should choose a friend who is better than himself. There are plenty of acquaintances in the world; but very few real friends. – Chinese Proverbs
A man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes can never accomplish great things. – Chinese Proverbs
A man who chases two rabbits catches neither. – Chinese Proverbs
A man without a smiling face must not open a shop. – Chinese Proverbs
A man’s conversation is the mirror of his thoughts. – Chinese Proverbs
A nation’s treasure is in its scholars. – Chinese Proverbs
A needle is not sharp at both ends. – Chinese Proverbs
A person of high principles is one who can watch an entire chess game without making a comment. – Chinese Proverbs
A person who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the man doing it. – Chinese Proverbs
A pure heart has few desires. – Chinese Proverbs
A rumor goes in one ear and out many mouths. – Chinese Proverbs
A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife. – Chinese Proverbs
A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study. – Chinese Proverbs
A single conversation with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books. – Chinese Proverbs
A smile will gain you ten more years of life. – Chinese Proverbs
A straight foot is not afraid of a crooked shoe. – Chinese Proverbs
A thorn defends the rose, harming only those who would steal the blossom. – Chinese Proverbs
A thousand cups of wine do not suffice when true friends meet, but half a sentence is too much when there is no meeting of minds. – Chinese Proverbs
A whitewashed crow soon shows black again – Chinese Proverbs
A wise man adapts himself to circumstances as water shapes itself according to the vessel that contains it. – Chinese Proverbs
A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion. – Chinese Proverbs
A book holds a house of gold. – Chinese Proverbs
A wise man makes his own decisions, but an ignorant man mindlessly follows the crowd. – Chinese Proverbs
After three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless. – Chinese Proverbs
After you is good manners. – Chinese Proverbs
All language is not in books, nor all thoughts in language. – Chinese Proverbs
All things are difficult before they are easy. – Chinese Proverbs
All things change, and we change with them. – Chinese Proverbs
An accidental meeting is more pleasant than a planned one. – Chinese Proverbs
An hour may destroy the work of a hundred years. – Chinese Proverbs
An inch of gold can’t buy an inch of time. – Chinese Proverbs
An inch of time cannot be bought with an inch of gold. – Chinese Proverbs
An inch of time is an inch of gold but you can’t buy that inch of time with an inch of gold. – Chinese Proverbs
Arrogance costs a fortune. – Chinese Proverbs
As tao raises a foot, the demon raises ten. [Where truth/tao is prominent, persecution arises.] – Chinese Proverbs
At birth we bring our nothing; at death we leave with the same. – Chinese Proverbs
Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream. – Lao Tzu
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. – Chinese Proverbs
Be not disturbed at being misunderstood; be disturbed rather at not being understanding. – Chinese Proverbs
Be the first to the field and the last to the couch. – Chinese Proverbs
Beat the drum inside the house to spare the neighbors. – Chinese Proverbs
Before preparing to improve the world, first look around your own home three times. – Chinese Proverbs
Before telling secrets on the road, look in the bushes. – Chinese Proverbs
Before the thought has arisen, the gods know it. – Chinese Proverbs
Behave toward everyone as if receiving a guest. – Chinese Proverbs
Behind an able man there are always other able men. – Chinese Proverbs
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one. – Chinese Proverbs
Better lean and good than fat and evil. – Chinese Proverbs
Better the cottage where one is merry than the palace where one weeps. – Chinese Proverbs
Better to be without a book than to believe a book entirely. – Chinese Proverbs
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. – Chinese Proverbs
Black cat or white cat: If it can catch mice, it’s a good cat. – Chinese Proverbs
Blame yourself as you blame others; forgive others as you forgive yourself. – Chinese Proverbs
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. – Confucius
Cheat your conscience, and a whole life’s happiness is destroyed. – Chinese Proverbs
Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. – Chinese Proverbs
Climb mountains to see lowlands. – Chinese Proverbs
Close to a blacksmith, learn to hammer out nails; close to a carpenter, learn how to use a saw. – Chinese Proverbs
Coming events cast their shadows before them. – Chinese Proverbs
Deal with the faults of others as gently as with your own. – Chinese Proverbs
Deep doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom. – Chinese Proverbs
Determination tempers the sword of your character. – Chinese Proverbs
Dig the well before you are thirsty. – Chinese Proverbs
Distance tests a horse’s strength. Time reveals a person’s character. – Chinese Proverbs
Distant water does not put out a nearby fire. – Chinese Proverbs
Divide an orange–it tastes just as good. – Chinese Proverbs
Do everything at the right time, and one day will seem like three. – Chinese Proverbs
Do good, reap good; do evil, reap evil. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not afraid of moving slowly. Be afraid of standing still. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not believe that you will reach your destination without leaving the shore. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not do all you can, do not spend all that you have, do not believe all that you hear, and do not tell all that you know. – Chinese Proverb
Do not employ handsome servants. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not impose others what yourself do not desire. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not remove a fly from your friend’s forehead with a hatchet. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not tear down the east wall to repair the west wall. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend’s forehead. – Chinese Proverbs
Do not want others to know what you have done? Better not have done it anyways. – Chinese Proverbs
Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. – Lao Tzu
Dogs have no prejudice against the poor. – Chinese Proverbs
Doing good gives the greatest happiness; study gives the greatest good. – Chinese Proverbs
Don’t fear the enemy that attacks you, but the fake friend that hugs you. – Chinese Proverbs
Don’t go thirty miles to sell firewood, or three hundred miles to purchase grain. – Chinese Proverbs
Don’t waste your hour–the sun sets soon. – Chinese Proverbs
Each generation will reap what the former generation has sown. – Chinese Proverbs
Easier to rule a nation than a child. – Chinese Proverbs
Easy to open a shop, hard to keep it open. – Chinese Proverbs
Embrace every chance of laying up merit, and your daily wants will be regularly supplied. – Chinese Proverbs
Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think. – Chinese Proverbs
Enough shovels of earth make a mountain, enough pails of water a river. – Chinese Proverbs
Entire sincerity moves spiritual beings. – Chinese Proverbs
Even a hare will bite when it is cornered. – Chinese Proverbs
Everyone eats and drinks; yet only few appreciate the taste of food. – Chinese Proverbs
Everyone pushes a falling fence. – Chinese Proverbs
Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength. – Chinese Proverbs
Experience is a comb which nature gives us when we are bald. – Chinese Proverbs
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up. – Chinese Proverbs
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. – Chinese Proverbs
Forget the favors given; remember those received. – Chinese Proverbs
Genius can be recognized by its childish simplicity. – Chinese Proverbs
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. – Chinese Proverbs
Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll eat forever. – Chinese Proverbs
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life. – Chinese Proverbs
Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime. – Chinese Proverbs
Give me liberty, or give me death! – Chinese Proverbs
Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold. – Chinese Proverbs
Going to law is losing a cow for the sake of a cat. – Chinese Proverbs
Govern a family as you would cook a small fish – very gently. – Chinese Proverbs
Great doubts, deep wisdom. . . small doubts, little wisdom – Chinese Proverbs
Great profits, great risks. – Chinese Proverbs
Great truths cannot penetrate rustic ears. – Chinese Proverbs
Guessing is cheap, but guessing wrong can be expensive. – Chinese Proverbs
Habits are cobwebs at first; cables at last. – Chinese Proverbs
Happiness is like a sunbeam, which the least shadow intercepts, while adversity is often as the rain of spring. – Chinese Proverbs
Have but few friends, though much acquaintance. – Chinese Proverbs
He prayed for rain and received fire instead. – Chinese Proverbs
He vainly lived among people; to no purpose he walked across the plain. – Chinese Proverbs
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. – Chinese Proverbs
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. – Chinese Proverbs
He who cannot agree with his enemies is controlled by them. – Chinese Proverbs
He who cheats the earth will be cheated by the earth. – Chinese Proverbs
He who could foresee affairs three days in advance would be rich for thousands of years. – Chinese Proverbs
He who depends on himself will attain the greatest happiness. – Chinese Proverbs
He who has never been cheated cannot be a good businessman. – Chinese Proverbs
He who has seen little is astonished at much. – Chinese Proverbs
He who hurries can not walk with dignity. – Chinese Proverbs
He who is drowned is not troubled by the rain. – Chinese Proverbs
He who is foolish finds disaster. – Chinese Proverbs
He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left. – Chinese Proverbs
He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount. – Chinese Proverbs
He who stores up evil, although still living, is dead; he who stores up goodness, although dead, is still living. – Chinese Proverbs
He who thinks too much about every step he takes will always stay on one leg. – Chinese Proverbs
He who waits for a roast duck to fly in his mouth must wait a very long time. – Chinese Proverbs
He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. – Chinese Proverbs
Heaven and Earth will not be angry with one who will correct his faults. – Chinese Proverbs
Heaven has a road, but no one travels it; Hell has no gate, but people bore into it. – Chinese Proverbs
Heaven knows and Earth knows—how can I alone know? – Chinese Proverbs
Heaven lent you a soul Earth will lend a grave. – Chinese Proverbs
Heaven, having let me be born as a man, requires me to follow its doctrines. – Chinese Proverbs
His virtues exceed his talents–a superior man – Chinese Proverbs
Honest scales and full measure hurt no one – Chinese Proverbs
How can a tiger or leopard [i.e. a superior person] put up with the insults of a dog or sheep [i.e. a lesser person]? – Chinese Proverbs
I dreamed a thousand new paths. . . I woke and walked my old one. – Chinese Proverbs
I hear and I forget, I see and I remember. I do and I understand. – Chinese Proverbs
I was angered, for I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet. – Chinese Proverbs
I’d rather die for speaking out, than to live and be silent. – Chinese Proverbs
If a girl seems as shy as a mouse, you still have to look out for the tiger within her. – Chinese Proverbs
If a man keeps his mouth shut, his words become proverbial. – Chinese Proverbs
If for one day one does not meditate upon goodness, all [kinds of] wickedness will spring up of themselves. – Chinese Proverbs
If heaven made him, earth can find some use for him. – Chinese Proverbs
If Heaven made someone, earth can find some use for them
If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself. – Confucius
If one plants in the springtime, one will harvest in the fall. – Chinese Proverbs
If the first words fail, ten thousand will then not avail – Chinese Proverbs
If the mirror is highly polished, the dust will not stain it; if the heart is enlightened, evil desires will not arise in it. – Chinese Proverbs – Chinese Proverbs
If there is light in the soul, There will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, There will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, There will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, There will be peace in the world. – Chinese Proverbs
If there were no gods or demons in the world, man would do all kinds of things [Without the fear of the gods, man would be uncontrollable]. – Chinese Proverbs
If you always give You will always have. – Chinese Proverbs
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. – Chinese Proverbs
If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people. – Chinese Proverbs
If you are rich, you speak the truth if you are poor, your words are but lies. – Chinese Proverbs
If you are standing upright, don’t worry if your shadow is crooked. – Chinese Proverbs
If you ask for directions rudely, you might end up many miles from your destination. – Chinese Proverbs
If you bow at all bow low. – Chinese Proverbs
If you don’t scale the mountain, you can’t view the plain. – Chinese Proverbs
If you don’t want anyone to know it, don’t do it. – Chinese Proverbs
If you get up one more time than you fall you will make it through. – Chinese Proverbs
If you hurry through long days, you will hurry through short years. – Chinese Proverbs
If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. – Chinese Proverbs
If you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees, If you plan for 100 years, educate mankind. – Chinese Proverbs
If you see in your wine the reflection of a person not in your range of vision, don’t drink it. – Chinese Proverbs
If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s OK. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot. – Confucius
If you stand straight, do not fear a crooked shadow. – Chinese Proverbs
If you survived a storm, you won’t be bothered by the rain. – Chinese Proverbs
If you suspect a man, don’t employ him, and if you employ him, don’t suspect him. – Chinese Proverbs
If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people. – Confucius
If you want 1 year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want an audience, start a fight. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap. If you want happiness for a day — go fishing. If you want happiness for a month — get married. If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want no one to know, don’t do it. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want to avoid being cheated, ask for prices at three different stores. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want to find out about the road ahead, then ask about it from those coming back. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want your children to have a peaceful life, let them suffer a little hunger and a little coldness. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want your dinner, don’t insult the cook. – Chinese Proverbs
If you want your children to have a peaceful life, let them suffer a little hunger and a little coldness.
If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words. – Chinese Proverbs
If you wrangle over things of little importance, then you lose the great Tao. – Chinese Proverbs
If your fate is not propitious, you should nevertheless cultivate virtue. The sleeping dragon will someday ascend to Heaven. [If your time of fortune has not come, cultivate virtue and wait for your time of fortune]. – Chinese Proverbs
If your mind is strong, all difficult things will become easy. If your mind is weak, all easy things will become difficult. – Chinese Proverbs
If your principles are not good, you sin against Heaven and Earth; if your words and actions are good, you leave an example for sons and grandsons. – Chinese Proverbs
If your strength is small, don’t carry heavy burdens. If your words are worthless, don’t give advice. – Chinese Proverbs
In a flood of words, surely some mistakes. – Chinese Proverbs
In a group of many words, there is bound to be a mistake. – Chinese Proverbs
In a group of many words, there is bound to be a mistake somewhere in them. – Chinese Proverbs
In bed be wife and husband, in the hall each other’s honored guest. – Chinese Proverbs
In reviling, it is not necessary to prepare a preliminary draft. – Chinese Proverbs
In the midst of great joy, do not promise to give a man anything. In the midst of great anger, do not answer a man’s letter. – Chinese Proverbs
Insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different outcome. – Chinese Proverbs
It is after a hundred battles that heroes are produced. – Chinese Proverbs
It is easier to visit friends than to live with them. – Chinese Proverbs
It is easy to open a store – the hard part is keeping it open.
It is for me to put forth the utmost effort; it rests with Heaven to give success to my plans. – Chinese Proverbs
It is not the knowing that is difficult, but the doing. – Chinese Proverbs
It’s better to be without a book than to believe a book entirely. – Chinese Proverbs
Joy is not a horse. You cannot harness it. – Chinese Proverbs
Judge not the horse by his saddle. – Chinese Proverbs
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come. – Chinese Proverbs
Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve. – Chinese Proverbs
Laws control the lesser man. Right conduct controls the greater one. – Chinese Proverbs
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. – Chinese Proverbs
Learning is a weightless treasure you can always carry easily. – Chinese Proverbs
Let each one go his own Tao. – Chinese Proverbs
Let people despise me [as they like]—but if Heaven does not spurn me, then loss is gain. – Chinese Proverbs
Let us fulfill our own parts, and await the will of Heaven. – Chinese Proverbs
Let’s put our heads together for the benefit of all. – Chinese Proverbs
Life is finite, while knowledge is infinite. – Zhuang Zi
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucius
Like Weather, one’s fortune may change by the evening. – Lueng Meng Zheng
Limitations are but boundaries in our minds. – Chinese Proverbs
Listen to all, pluck a feather from every passing goose, but follow no one absolutely. – Chinese Proverbs
Listening well is as powerful as talking well, and is also as essential to true conversation. – Chinese Proverbs
Logic takes you from A to B, but imagination takes you everywhere. – Chinese Proverbs
love at first sight. It’s generally used for people, but you can also use it for other physical objects.
Love is not about possession, it’s all about appreciation. – Chinese Proverbs
Love your neighbors, but don’t pull down the fence. – Chinese Proverbs
Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come. – Chinese Proverbs
Make My Home Everywhere within the Four Seas. The World Is My Home. – Xiao He
Man combs his hair every morning. Why not his heart? – Chinese Proverbs
Man reasons in a thousand ways; the spirits only in [the right] one. – Chinese Proverbs
Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it. – Chinese Proverbs
Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not. – Chinese Proverbs
Many a good face under a ragged hat. – Chinese Proverbs
Married couples tell each other a thousand things without speech. – Chinese Proverbs
May your every wish be granted. – Ancient Chinese Curse
Men trip not on mountains they trip on molehills. – Chinese Proverbs
My life–a candle in the wind. . . frost on the leaves. – Chinese Proverbs
Near putrid fish you’ll stink; near the epidendrum you’ll be fragrant [One takes the color and odor of one’s company.] – Chinese Proverbs
Near vermilion one gets stained pink; near ink one gets stained black. – Chinese Proverbs
Neither fortunes nor flowers last forever. – Chinese Proverbs
Never do anything standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you can do lying down. – Chinese Proverbs
Never hesitate to ask a lesser person. – Chinese Proverbs
Never write a letter while you are angry. – Chinese Proverbs
No guests at home, no hosts abroad. – Chinese Proverbs
No horse can wear two saddles. – Chinese Proverbs
No matter how tall the mountain is, it cannot block the sun. – Chinese Proverbs
Nobody should neglect to cultivate secret virtues. – Chinese Proverbs
Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow. – Chinese Proverbs
Not wine…men intoxicate themselves; Not vice…men entice themselves. – Chinese Proverbs
Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it. – Lao Tzu
Nowadays, people are shortsighted—they regard the outward appearance as important, but not the virtue. – Chinese Proverbs
Nurture the plant one year–ten days of flowers. – Chinese Proverbs
O eggs, don’t fight with rocks. – Chinese Proverbs
Of all female qualities, a warm heart is the most valuable. – Chinese Proverbs
One beam, no matter how big, cannot support an entire house on its own. – Chinese Proverbs
One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him. – Chinese Proverbs
One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade. – Chinese Proverbs
One happiness scatters a thousand sorrows. – Chinese Proverbs
One joy scatters a hundred griefs. – Chinese Proverbs
One man spreads a false report, and a hundred report it as truth. – Chinese Proverbs
One should be just as careful in choosing one’s pleasures as in avoiding calamities. – Chinese Proverbs
One sincere thought can influence Heaven and Earth. – Chinese Proverbs
Only one who can swallow an insult is a man. – Chinese Proverbs
Opportunities don’t just happen, you create them. – Chinese Proverbs
Opportunity knocks at the door only once. – Chinese Proverbs
Outside noisy, inside empty. – Chinese Proverbs
Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes. – Chinese Proverbs
Past scholars studied to improve themselves; Today’s scholars study to impress others. – Chinese Proverbs
Patience is a bitter plant, but its fruit is sweet. – Chinese Proverbs
People doing the same things might have different motives. – Chinese Proverbs
Practice no vice because it’s trivial… Neglect no virtue because it’s so. – Chinese Proverbs
Public before private and country before family. – Chinese Proverbs
Putting aside virtuous deeds and not doing them—this may be styled “self-robbery.” – Chinese Proverbs
Quickly do works of repentance, and you will be upon the conscious shore. Butchers drop your knives, and become Buddhas as a result. – Chinese Proverbs
Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind. – Chinese Proverbs
Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. – Lao Tzu
Ripe fruit falls by itself, but it doesn’t fall in your mouth. – Chinese Proverbs
Rise and fall of a nation rests with every one of its citizens. – Chinese Proverbs
Seeing it once is better than being told 100 times. – Chinese Proverbs
Set yourself as the standard. – Chinese Proverbs
Show compassion to others’ misfortunes, and rejoice in their excellences. – Chinese Proverbs
Silence is a source of great strength. – Chinese Proverbs
Simple to open a shop; another thing to keep it open. – Chinese Proverbs
Slow work–fine work. – Chinese Proverbs
Small men think they are small; great men never know they are great. – Chinese Proverbs
Solve one problem, and you keep a hundred others away. – Chinese Proverbs
Some people want to be praised for the rest of their lives for what they did well for one day. – Chinese Proverbs
Some study shows the need for more. – Chinese Proverbs
Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, all must be tasted. – Chinese Proverbs
Stare at the profit and step in the pitfall. – Chinese Proverbs
Stout men, not stout walls, make the stout city. – Chinese Proverbs
Take a second look… It costs you nothing. – Chinese Proverbs
Take merit and [use it to] mend sin. – Chinese Proverbs
Talk does not cook rice. – Chinese Proverbs
Tao can be delicate or strong, soft or hard, yin or yang, obscure or clear. It can wrap up Heaven and Earth. It is sufficient for all things.- Chinese Proverbs
Tao does not act in vain. – Chinese Proverbs
Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself. – Chinese Proverbs
Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involves me and I’ll understand. – Chinese Proverbs
Tenacity and adversity are old foes. – Chinese Proverbs
Tension is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are. – Chinese Proverbs
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. – Chinese Proverbs
The best fighter is never angry. – Chinese Proverbs
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. – Chinese Proverbs
The Chun Tzu conquers himself; the Hsiao Jen is envious and overbearing. – Chinese Proverbs
The door of good works is difficult to open—but when opened, it is difficult to close. – Chinese Proverbs
The error of one moment becomes the sorrow of a whole life. – Chinese Proverbs
The evil sea [i.e. the world] is vast. Turn the head [i.e. repent] and you are at the shore. – Chinese Proverbs
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. – Chinese Proverbs
The glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall. – Chinese Proverbs
The gods are in his skill. – Chinese Proverbs
The hearts of the people are the only legitimate foundations of the Empire. – Chinese Proverbs
The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. – Chinese Proverbs
The judge with seven reasons states only one in court. – Chinese Proverbs
The man who comes with a tale about others has himself an ax to grind. – Chinese Proverbs
The man who does not learn is dark, like one walking in the night. – Chinese Proverbs
The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. – Chinese Proverbs
The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out. – Chinese Proverbs
The melon seller does not announce, “Bitter melons.” – Chinese Proverbs
The more acquaintances you have, the less you know them.
The palest ink is better than the best memory. – Chinese Proverbs
The people sitting in the free theatre seats are the first ones to boo. – Chinese Proverbs
The people who talk the best are not the only ones who can tell you the most interesting things. – Chinese Proverbs
The person who is his own master cannot tolerate another boss. – Chinese Proverbs
The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. – Chinese Proverbs
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. – Chinese Proverbs
The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it. – Chinese Proverbs
The pine stays green in winter…Wisdom in hardship. – Chinese Proverbs
The ripest fruit falls by itself. – Chinese Proverbs
The smallest desire to do good is—though not seen by man—certainly known to Heaven. – Chinese Proverbs
The swiftest horse can’t overtake a word once spoken. – Chinese Proverbs
The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed. – Chinese Proverbs
The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood. – Chinese Proverbs
The way to close the mouth of a slanderer is to treat him with contempt. – Chinese Proverbs
The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher. – Chinese Proverbs
The wise listens to her mind, the foolish to the mob. – Chinese Proverbs
There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same. – Chinese Proverbs
There are two kinds of perfect people: those who are dead, and those who have not been born yet. – Chinese Proverbs
There are two perfect men one dead, and the other unborn. – Chinese Proverbs
There is a road to Paradise, but you choose not to go. There is no door to Hell, and yet you force your way to woe. [Used of one unwilling do right] – Chinese Proverbs
There is many a good man to be found under a shabby hat. – Chinese Proverbs
Think about your own faults during the first half of the night, and the faults of others during the second half. – Chinese Proverbs
Those who do not read are no better off than those who cannot. – Chinese Proverbs
Those who have free seats at a play hiss first. – Chinese Proverbs
Three feet of ice were not frozen in a day. – Chinese Proverbs
Tile tossed over the wall. . . who knows where it will fall? – Chinese Proverbs
Time is money, and it is difficult for one to use money to get time. – Chinese Proverbs
To attract good fortune, spend a new coin on an old friend, share an old pleasure with a new friend, and lift up the heart of a true friend by writing his name on the wings of a dragon. – Chinese Proverbs
To be heard afar, bang your gong on a hilltop – Chinese Proverbs
To be totally at leisure for one day is to be immortal for one day. – Chinese Proverbs
To believe in one’s dreams is to spend all of one’s life asleep. – Chinese Proverbs
To believe in Tao is easy; to keep Tao is difficult. – Chinese Proverbs
To build it took one hundred years; to destroy it one day. – Chinese Proverbs
To do evil is to transgress the laws of Heaven. – Chinese Proverbs
To forget one’s ancestor’s is to be a brook without a source, a tree without root. – Chinese Proverbs
To have principles first have courage. – Chinese Proverbs
To know and know that you know, not to know and know that you don’t know, that is to know. – Chinese Proverbs
To know another is not to know that person’s face, but to know that person’s heart. – Chinese Proverbs
To know others, know yourself first. – Chinese Proverbs
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back. – Chinese Proverbs
To know the road ahead, ask those returning. – Chinese Proverbs
To make a man of yourself you must toil. – Chinese Proverbs
To stop drinking, study a drunkard while you are sober. – Chinese Proverbs
To succeed, consult three old people. – Chinese Proverbs
To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to catch a fish. – Chinese Proverbs
Touch black paint, have black fingers. – Chinese Proverbs
Two good talkers are not worth one good listener. – Chinese Proverbs
Unless we change direction, we are likely to wind up where we are headed. – Chinese Proverbs
Use power to curb power. – Chinese Proverbs
Want a thing long enough and you don’t. – Chinese Proverbs
Watch over workers at their labors, not their meals. – Chinese Proverbs
Watching chess games in silence. . .a superior person. – Chinese Proverbs
We can study until old age. . . and still not finish. – Chinese Proverbs
We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression. – Confucius
What you cannot avoid, welcome. – Chinese Proverbs
What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others. – Chinese Proverbs
What you don’t see, you don’t desire. – Chinese Proverbs
When anger arises, think of the consequences. – Chinese Proverbs
When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. – Chinese Proverbs
When economy goes south, people get political. – Chinese Proverbs
When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. – Confucius
When the waters drop, the rocks appear. – Chinese Proverbs
When the winds of change blows, some people build walls and others build windmills. – Chinese Proverbs
When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. – Chinese Proverbs
When you believe in them [Kuei and Shen], they exist. When you do not believe in them, they do not exist. – Chinese Proverbs
When you converse, let it be with the wise; when you give food, let it be to the hungry. – Chinese Proverbs
When you drink the water, remember the spring. – Chinese Proverbs
When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. – Chinese Proverbs
When you say one thing, the clever person understands three. – Chinese Proverbs
When you want to test the depths of a stream, don’t use both feet. – Chinese Proverbs
While you are bargaining, conceal your coin. – Chinese Proverbs
Who is the greatest liar? Who talks most of himself. – Chinese Proverbs
Whoever undertakes a task cannot repudiate the responsibility. – Chinese Proverbs
Why so anxiously and busily manage so many evil matters? Drop them all and become a good man. – Chinese Proverbs
With a helmsman [i.e. leader] that is not nervous, the passengers [i.e. followers] [will feel] secure. – Chinese Proverbs
With money you are a dragon; with no money, a worm. – Chinese Proverbs
With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. – Chinese Proverbs
With true friends… even water drunk together is sweet enough. – Chinese Proverbs
With virtue you can’t be completely poor; without it you can’t be truly rich. – Chinese Proverbs
Without sorrows no one becomes a saint. – Chinese Proverbs
Worship the gods as if they were present; if you don’t worship them, they are but pieces of mud. – Chinese Proverbs
You can’t talk of the ocean to a well-frog. – Chinese Proverbs
You may deceive people. You cannot deceive Heaven. – Chinese Proverbs
Your teacher can open the door, but you must enter by yourself. – Chinese Proverbs
[Even] with half of the Lun Yu [put into use], the country can be [well] ruled. – Chinese Proverbs
‘Tis foolish to seek/want credit for your ancestor’s achievements. – Chinese Proverbs
Proverbs From Wikiquote
This is a collection of Chinese proverbs (諺語 yànyŭ) and idioms (成語 chéngyŭ), given in and sorted by their pinyin transcription. Chinese proverbs and four-plus character idioms are developed from the formulaic or social dialect/saying/expression (歇後語 in pinyin: xiēhòuyŭ) and historical story in Chinese.
Some proverbs are literary; that is, from a written source. Others originated among families, street vendors, and other commoners–all walks of life.
All proverbs/idioms are ordered by their pinyin transcription in the following order.
- First character
- Initial
- End
- Tone
- Radical strokes
- Total strokes
- Next character following the same procedure (if previous is the same)
- Least amount of character
- 不 聞 不 若 聞 之, 聞 之 不 若 見 之, 見 之 不 若 知 之, 知 之 不 若 行 之; 學 至 於 行 之 而 止 矣。
- Transliteration (pinyin): Bù wén bù ruò wén zhī, wén zhī bù ruò jiàn zhī, jiàn zhī bù ruò zhīzhī, zhīzhī bù ruò xíng zhī; xué zhìyú xíng zhī ér zhǐ yǐ.
- Traditional: 不聞不若聞之,聞之不若見之,見之不若知之,知之不若行之;學至於行之而止矣
- Simplified: 不闻不若闻之,闻之不若见之,见之不若知之,知之不若行之;学至于行之而止矣
- From Xun Zi (荀子 8.儒效 23).
- Transliteration (pinyin): Bù wén bù ruò wén zhī, wén zhī bù ruò jiàn zhī, jiàn zhī bù ruò zhīzhī, zhīzhī bù ruò xíng zhī; xué zhìyú xíng zhī ér zhǐ yǐ.
- 小洞不补,大洞吃苦
- Transliteration: xiǎo dòng bù bǔ, dà dòng chī kǔ
- A small hole not mended in time will become a big hole much more difficult to mend.
- English equivalent: What’s past is prologue.
- Meaning: Fix something while it can be fixed. Don’t wait until it’s too late to do so.
- “Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin.”
- Aesop, “The Swallow and the Other Birds” (c. 6th century BC)
- 郭唯真,魏梅芗. 练习四年级 Tahun 4b. Pelangi Publishing Group Bhd. p. 52. ISBN 978-983-866-909-2. Retrieved on 9 June 2013.
- 读书须用意,一字值千金
- Transliteration: dú shū xū yòng yì, yī zì zhí qiān jīn
- Intention of required study, the word worth a thousand gold.
- Meaning: Study requires utmost attention and overlooking one thing can cost all credibility.
- “When reading, don’t let a single word escape your attention; one word may be worth a thousand pieces of gold.”
- Famous Chinese Sayings
- 朱蓬蓬 Zhu Peng Peng. 闲言碎语荟萃(Collection of Miscellany). 朱蓬蓬(Zhu Peng Peng). p. 511. GGKEY:FB94KYJ98DR. Retrieved on 9 June 2013.
- 宝剑锋从磨砺出,梅花香自苦寒来
- Transliteration: Bǎojiàn fēng cóng mólì chū, méihuā xiāng zì kǔhán lái.
- The edge of the sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossom comes from the bitter cold.
- Meaning: Hardship can make a person stronger
- The Olympic Spirit.
- 長 江 後 浪 推 前 浪
- Transliteration (pinyin): Chángjiāng hòulàng tuī qiánlàng.
- Traditional: 長江後浪推前浪
- Simplified: 长江后浪推前浪
- Transliteration (pinyin): Chángjiāng hòulàng tuī qiánlàng.
-
-
- Meaning: The energy of the old generation inspires the new.
- 汉语成语俗语对照词典. 南京大学出版社. 2008. p. 162. ISBN 7305052116.
-
- 讀 萬 卷 書 不 如 行 萬 里 路
- Transliteration (pinyin): Dú wàn juǎn shū bùrú xíng wànlǐ lù.
- Traditional: 讀萬卷書不如行萬裡路
- Simplified: 读万卷书不如行万里路
- Reading ten thousand books is not as useful as traveling ten thousand miles.
- English equivalent: An ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory.
- 2010國立臺灣大學藝文年鑑. 國立臺灣大學出版中心. p. 27. ISBN 9860288844.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Dú wàn juǎn shū bùrú xíng wànlǐ lù.
- 防 人 之 心 不 可 無
- Transliteration (pinyin): Fáng rén zhī xīn bùkě wú.
- Traditional: 防人之心不可無
- Simplified: 防人之心不可无
- Careful with others is a must have.
- English equivalent: He that reckons without his host must reckon again.
- “This proverb is usually applied to such persons, who are apt to be partial in one Affair, flattering themselves with the Advantages they fansy to be on their side, and making no Allowances for the Disadvantages that will or may attend them.”
- Nathan Bailey (1721). Divers Proverbs with Their Explication & Illustration.
- 俗语词典. 商务印书馆. 1994. p. 93.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Fáng rén zhī xīn bùkě wú.
- 福 無 重 至, 禍 不 單 行
- Transliteration (pinyin): Fú wú chóng zhì, huòbùdānxíng.
- Traditional: 福無重至,禍不單行
- Simplified: 福无重至,祸不单行
- Fortune does not come twice. Misfortune does not come alone.
- Meaning: Good things will only come once. Bad things will always come in groups.
- English equivalent: Misery loves company.
- Meaning: Opportunities should not be taken for granted. A problem ignored is a problem doubled.
- Ali F Farhoomand (2005). 香港中小企業管理與創新: 案例滙編. 香港大學出版社. p. 64. ISBN 9789622097599. OCLC 62142706.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Fú wú chóng zhì, huòbùdānxíng.
- 父 債 子 還
- Transliteration (pinyin): Fù zhài zǐ huán.
- Traditional: 父債子還
- Simplified: 父债子还
- Father’s debt, son to give back.
- Meaning: The new generation can fix the mistakes made by previous ones.
- “New generation can put right the mistakes of the old.”
- “To do the opposite of something is also a form of imitation.”
- Georg Lichtenberg, The Waste Books, R. J. Hollingdale trans. (2000), D96.
- 把話說到心窩裡. 水雲齋文化事業有限公司. 2001. p. 154. ISBN 9579279551.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Fù zhài zǐ huán.
- 害 人 之 心 不 可 有
- Transliteration (pinyin): Hài rén zhī xīn bù kě yǒu.
- Traditional: 害人之心不可有
- Simplified: 害人之心不可有
- Do not harbour intentions to hurt others.
- Note: This is usually used before 防人之心不可無 (see above)
- 俗语词典 (dictionary). 商务印书馆 (The commercial press). 1994. p. 301.
- English translation: Do not desire to hurt others in the depths of your heart.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Hài rén zhī xīn bù kě yǒu.
- 今 日 事, 今 日 畢
- Transliteration (pinyin): Jīnrì shì, jīnrì bì.
- Traditional: 今日事,今日畢
- Simplified: 今日事,今日毕
- Things of today, accomplished today.
- Meaning: Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be finished today.
- Bahasa Cina. Pelangi Publishing Group Bhd. p. 26. ISBN 9833531105.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Jīnrì shì, jīnrì bì.
- Jiŭ fā xīn fù zhī yán.
- Wine makes words from secrets.
- Meaning: Alcohol can make you or others say things they shouldn’t
- English equivalent: In wine there is truth.
- Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 272. ISBN 1-875943-44-7.
- Wine makes words from secrets.
- 空 穴 來 風 未 必 無 因
- Transliteration (pinyin): Kōngxuéláifēng, wèibì wú yīn
- Traditional: 空穴來風,未必無因
- Simplified: 空穴来风,未必无因
- English equivalent: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
- “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.”
- “It is supposed that if there is a rumour, there must be some truth behind it.”
- Paczolay, Gyula (1997). “1”. European proverbs: in 55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese. Veszprémi Nyomda. p. 33. ISBN 1-875943-44-7.
- Marie Curie, As quoted in Our Precarious Habitat (1973) by Melvin A. Benarde, p. v
- 经略幽燕: (979-987) : 宋辽战争军事灾难的战略分析. 中文大學出版社. 2003. p. 120. ISBN 9629960532.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Kōngxuéláifēng, wèibì wú yīn
- 良 藥 苦 口
- Transliteration (pinyin): Liángyào kǔkǒu
- Traditional: 良藥苦口
- Simplified: 良药苦口
- Good medicine tastes bitter.
- Meaning: What may be good for us later may be hard for us now.
- English equivalent: Bitter pills may have blessed effects.
- “Present afflictions may tend to our future good.”
- James Kelly (1818). A Complete Collection of Scottish Proverbs Explained and Made Intelligible to the English Reader. Rodwell and Martin. p. 43.
- Po-Ching (2000). Chinese Lexicon. Taylor \& Francis. p. 127.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Liángyào kǔkǒu
- 有 其 父 必 有 其 子
- Transliteration: Yǒu qí fù bì yǒu qí zǐ.
- Having such a father must be such a son.
- English equivalent: Like father, like son.
- Meaning: Every person bears resemblance to the ones who brought them into this world.
- Source for meaning and proverb: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 170. ISBN 1-875943-44-7.
- 人 算 不 如 天 算
- Transliteration (pinyin): Rén suàn bùrú tiān suàn
- Traditional: 人算不如天算
- Simplified: 人算不如天算
- Man’s schemes are inferior to those made by heaven.
- English equivalents: Man proposes and God disposes; The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
- Along With Time. 秀威資訊科技股份有限公司. p. 246. ISBN 9862217340.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Rén suàn bùrú tiān suàn
- 肉 包 子 打 狗 一 去 不 回 頭
- Transliteration (pinyin): Ròu bāozi dǎ gǒu 一 qù bù huítóu.
- Traditional: 肉包子打狗一去不回頭
- Simplified: 肉包子打狗一去不回头
- To hit a dog with a meat-bun, so it leaves never turning around.
- Meaning: Punishment gives less incentive than a reward.
- 歇后语词典. 上海大学出版社. 2007. p. 135. ISBN 7810588834.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Ròu bāozi dǎ gǒu 一 qù bù huítóu.
- 三 個 和 尚 沒 水 喝
- Transliteration (pinyin): Sān gè héshàng méi shuǐ hē.
- Traditional: 三個和尚沒水喝
- Simplified: 三个和尚没水喝
- Three monks have no water to drink.
- English equivalent: Too many cooks spoil the broth.
- 高伟峰; 张时春 (2005-09-01). 职业道德与就业创业指导. 清华大学出版社. p. 71. ISBN 9787810826297.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Sān gè héshàng méi shuǐ hē.
- 死 馬 當 活 馬 醫
- Transliteration (pinyin): Sǐ mǎ dāng huó mǎ yī.
- Traditional: 死馬當活馬醫
- Simplified: 死马当活马医
- Try to save the dead horse as if it is still alive.
- “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
- Karl Geurs, Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997)
- 徐宗才; 应俊玲 (1994-05-01). 俗语词典(修订本). 商务印书馆. p. 89. ISBN 9787100037679.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Sǐ mǎ dāng huó mǎ yī.
- 師 傅 領 進 門, 修 行 在 個 人
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shī fu lǐng jìn mén, xiū xíng zài gè rén.
- Traditional: 師傅領進門,修行在個人
- Simplified: 师傅领进门,修行在个人
- Meaning: Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.
- “Boys must not have th’ ambitious care of men,
Nor men the weak anxieties of age.” - Horace, Of the Art of Poetry, Wentworth Dillon’s trans, line 212. (19 BC)
- “But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice – but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.” - Barack Obama, Speech at Arlington, Virginia (2009)
- 紫檀與象牙——當代文人風範:. 秀威資訊科技股份有限公司. 2010. p. 130. ISBN 9862214619.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shī fu lǐng jìn mén, xiū xíng zài gè rén.
- 授 人 以 魚 不 如 授 之 以 漁
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shòu rén yǐ yú bùrú shòu zhī yǐ yú.
- Traditional: 授人以魚不如授之以漁
- Simplified: 授人以鱼不如授之以渔
- Translation: Teach a man to take a fish is not equal to teach a man how to fish.
- English equivalent: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
- 愿景. 中信出版社. 2003. p. VII. ISBN 7800736938.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shòu rén yǐ yú bùrú shòu zhī yǐ yú.
- 樹 倒 猢 猻 散
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shù dǎo húsūn sàn.
- Traditional: 樹倒猢猻散
- Simplified: 树倒猢狲散
- Translation: When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
- English equivalent: Rats desert a sinking ship.
- “When a leader loses power, his followers become disorganized. This proverb is often used to describe fair-weather friends.”[1][specific citation needed]
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shù dǎo húsūn sàn.
- 水 能 載 舟, 亦 能 覆 舟
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shuǐ néng zài zhōu, yì néng fù zhōu.
- Traditional: 水能載舟,亦能覆舟
- Simplified: 水能载舟,亦能覆舟
- Translation: Not only can water float a boat, it can sink it also.
- Meaning: Nature can help and harm you. The people(water) can raise someone(boat) to power, but can also take it away(sink).
- English equivalent: A double-edged sword.
- Gao (2007). 金色俄羅斯:穿越時空之旅:. 臺灣商務印書館股份有限公司. p. 112. ISBN 9570521279.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Shuǐ néng zài zhōu, yì néng fù zhōu.
- 三思而后行
- Transliteration: Sān sī ér hòu xíng.
- Think three times before you move.
- English equivalent: Measure twice, cut once.
- Meaning: One should always act only after due consideration. A hasty action may involve an improper consideration of important aspects.
- Source for meaning and proverbs: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 420. ISBN 1-875943-44-7.
- 天 高 皇 帝 遠
- Transliteration (pinyin): Tiān gāo huángdì yuǎn
- Traditional: 天高皇帝遠
- Simplified: 天高皇帝远
- The sky is big and the emperor is far away.
- English Equivalent: When the cat is away, the mice will play.
- “When authorities warn you of the sinfulness of sex, there is an important lesson to be learned. Do not have sex with the authorities.”
- Matt Groening, Life in Hell
- Transliteration (pinyin): Tiān gāo huángdì yuǎn
- 听取所有人的意见,从每一只鹅身上摘下一根羽毛,但绝对不要跟随任何人。
- Listen to all, ‘plucking a feather from every passing goose,’ but follow no one absolutely.
- Quoted in Proverbs and Common Sayings from the Chinese Together with Much Unrelated Matter, Interspersed with Observations on Chinese Things-in-general by Arthur Henderson Smith, 1914, p. 33, Presbyterian Mission Agency Press
- Listen to all, ‘plucking a feather from every passing goose,’ but follow no one absolutely.
- 一 朝 被 蛇 咬, 十 年 怕 井 绳
- Transliteration (pinyin): Yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng.
- Traditional: 一朝被蛇咬,十年怕井繩
- Simplified: 一朝被蛇咬,十年怕井绳
- One bitten by a snake for a snap dreads a rope for a decade.
- English equivalent: A burnt child dreads the fire; Once bitten, twice shy.
- Meaning: Having done something wrong for the first time, you are afraid/do not want to do it again.
- 林鸿钦,佘振荣,陈添来,刘香云,郭唯真 & 黄慧羚. Bahasa Cina (Pelangi Publishing Group Bhd ed.). p. 106. ISBN 9833532489.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng.
- 一 分 耕 耘, 一 分 收 穫
- Transliteration (pinyin): Yī fēn gēngyún, yī fēn shōuhuò.
- Traditional: 一分耕耘,一分收穫
- Simplified: 一分耕耘,一分收获
- If one does not plow, there will be no harvest.
- English equivalent: Sow thin, reap thin.
- Meaning: Work hard and you shall gain success.
- 中四普通(学术)课程华文课文强化复习四上Chinese Enrichment Revision for Secondary 4A (Normal Acdemic). 新亚出版社. p. 26. ISBN 9812558624.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Yī fēn gēngyún, yī fēn shōuhuò.
- 有 錢 能 使 鬼 推 磨
- Transliteration (pinyin): Yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuī mò.
- Traditional: 有錢能使鬼推磨
- Simplified: 有钱能使鬼推磨
- If you have money you can make the devil push your grind stone.
- English equivalents: Money talks; money makes the world go round.
- Meaning: Money is power.
- 《孽海情天》魔鏡三部曲之第一部. 澳门教育研究中心. 2010. p. 46. ISBN 9996580903.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuī mò.
- 一 失 足 成 千 古 恨, 再 回 頭 已 百 年 身
- Transliteration (pinyin): yī shī zú chéng qiān gǔ hèn, zài huí toú yǐ yǐ nián shēn.
- Traditional: 一失足成千古恨,再回頭已百年身
- Simplified: 一失足成千古恨,再回头已百年身
- English equivalent: A single slip may cause lasting sorrow.
- Meaning: If you make a huge mistake(that may lead to jail or a death sentence), you’ll regret it and you’ll want to go back but won’t be ablet to.
- 吴世昌; 吴令华 (2003). 吴世昌全集: ce. di 8 juan, Hong lou meng tan yuan wai bian. 河北敎育出版社. p. 224.
- Transliteration (pinyin): yī shī zú chéng qiān gǔ hèn, zài huí toú yǐ yǐ nián shēn.
- 人无千日好,花无百日红
- English equivalent: All that is fair must fade.
- William Scarborough (1875). “1509”. A Collection of Chinese Proverbs translated and arranged by William Scarborough0: With an Introduction, Notes, and Copious Index. pp. 253–.
- 自 助 者 天 助
- Transliteration (pinyin): Zìzhù zhě tiānzhù.
- Traditional: 自助者天助
- Simplified: 自助者天助
- Those who help themselves, God will help.
- English equivalent: Heaven helps those who help themselves.
- “If thy hope be any thing worth, it will purify thee from thy sins.“
- Joseph Alleine, The Solemn Warnings of the Dead: or, An Admonition to Unconverted Sinners (1804), Chapter 3, p. 44
- 水煮三国(白金版)(1 200 000册超级畅销书全新升级.华语圈最具影响力的管理学著作之一). 中信出版社. 2008. p. 11. ISBN 7508612493.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Zìzhù zhě tiānzhù.
- 早 起 的 鳥 兒 有 蟲 吃
- Transliteration (pinyin): Zǎoqǐ de niǎo er yǒu chóng chī.
- Traditional: 早起的鳥兒有蟲吃
- Simplified: 早起的鸟儿有虫吃
- Translation and English equivalent: Early bird gets the worm.
- Meaning: “Those who are late to act, arrive, or get up tend to miss opportunities already seized by those who came earlier.”
- Source for meaning of English equivalent: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. Retrieved on 5 September 2013.
- 小五华文CA \& SA Continual Assessment \& Semestral Assessment Papers for Primary 5 Chinese. 新亚出版社. p. 19. ISBN 9812558888.
- Transliteration (pinyin): Zǎoqǐ de niǎo er yǒu chóng chī.
- 百尺竿頭更進一步
- 思言 (2016). 新編學生諺語手冊. p. 80. ISBN 978-962-14-6159-9.
- 百聞不如一見
- English equivalentː Seeing is believing.
- 陳世琪 (2001). 隨時引用智慧英諺900(3). p. 99. ISBN 978-957-09-1410-8.
- 病來如山倒,病去如抽絲
- English equivalent: Misfortune comes on horseback and departs on foot
- 孙莹莹 (2011). 谚语荟萃. p. 12. ISBN 978-7-5317-2742-2.
- 冰冻三尺,非一日之寒
- English equivalent: Rome wasn’t built in a day.
- 孙莹莹 (2011). 谚语荟萃. p. 12. ISBN 978-7-5317-2742-2.
- 千里之堤,潰於蟻穴
- English equivalent: For want of a nail, the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe, the horse was lost, for want of a horse, the messenger was lost, for want of a messenger, the battle was lost, for want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.
- 陳榮吉 (2009). 讀世界諺語學英文:500句人生智慧諺語(下). p. 43. ISBN 978-986-6498-17-6.
- 情人眼裏出西施
- English equivalent: Love is blind.
- 姚昆群; 盧思源 (1999). 英語一日一諺語. p. 195. ISBN 978-962-07-1223-4.
- 到什么山上唱什么歌
- English equivalent: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
- 王勤 (1982). 谚语歇后语概论. pp. 102–103.
- 花开堪折直须折
- English equivalent: Enjoy the present day, trusting little to what tomorrow may bring.
- 陳榮吉 (2009). “319”. 讀世界諺語學英文:500句人生智慧諺語﹝上﹞. p. 166. ISBN 978-986-6498-15-2.
- 法網恢恢,疏而不漏
- English equivalent: The pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last.
- 思言 (2016). 新編學生諺語手冊. p. 55. ISBN 978-962-14-6159-9.
- 塞翁失馬,焉知非福
- English equivalent: It is a blessing in disguise.
- 王树山 (1994). 中华经济谚语. 82. ISBN 978-7-80577-718-4.
- 兼听则明,偏信则暗
- English equivalent: Don’t hear one and judge two.
- 武占坤 (1983). 谚语. 內蒙古人民出版社. p. 21.
- 光阴似箭
- English equivalent: Time flies like an arrow.
- 朱安群 (1981). 古今谚语. p. 163.
- 重賞之下必有勇夫
- English equivalent: Money talks
- 中国谚语资料. II. 1961. p. 84.
- 行百里者半九十
- English equivalent: The longest mile is the last mile home.
- 毅·张 (语言学); 张毅 (1987). 常用谚语词典. 上海辞书出版社. p. 194. ISBN 978-7-5326-0052-6.
- 苛政猛于虎
- English equivalent: That government is best which governs least.
- 潘禮文 (1975). 中外俗語典. 中西文化出版社. p. 624.
- 人不可貌相
- English equivalent: Do not judge a book by its cover.
- 陳榮吉 (2009). 讀世界諺語學英文:500句人生智慧諺語(下). p. 101. ISBN 978-986-6498-17-6.
- 分耕耘,分收穫
- English equivalent: He who sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind.
- Lin, Marjorie; Leonard, Schalk (1998). Dictionary of 1000 Chinese Proverbs. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-7818-0682-4.
- 其身不正,虽令不从
- Latin equivalent: Like king, like people.
- 周盤林 (1975). 中西諺語比較研究. p. 38.
- 凡事豫则立,不豫则废
- English equivalent: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
- 朱安群 (1981). 古今谚语. p. 34.
- 十年树木,百年树人
- Latin equivalent: Life is short, and art long.
- Zhao, Z.J (2015). Common Chinese Folk Sayings. p. 194. ISBN 978-981-09-4521-3.
- 三十年河东,三十年河西
- English equivalent: The wheel of fortune is forever in motion.
- Jiao, Liwei; Stone, Benjamin (2014). 500 Common Chinese Proverbs and Colloquial Expressions: An Annotated Frequency Dictionary. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-134-65235-8.
- 万变不离其宗
- English equivalent: What is bred in the bone will not go out of the flesh.
- 王和卿 (1990). 谚语词典. p. 132.
- 上山捉蟹——難
- English equivalent: There is no building bridges across the ocean.
- 歇后语词典. 1984. p. 304.
- 小別勝新婚
- English equivalent: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
- Xiao PhD, H.Y.. 01 – Popular Proverbs (Traditional Chinese): 通俗諺語(繁體). eBooks Series. p. 16. GGKEY:EDFL93JR841.
- 中国俗语谚语库
- English equivalent: What goes around comes around.
- 张印栋 (1999). 中国俗语谚语库. p. 261..
- . 盲 , 引 眾 , 盲 。 , 相 將 入 火坑
- When one blind man leads several blind men, before long all will fall into a fire pit.
- English equivalent: If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
- “1317”. A Collection of Chinese Proverbs. 1875. p. 221.
- 大路不走走捷徑,通常反而要繞路
- English equivalent: He that leaves the highway to cut short, commonly goes about.
- 陳世琪 (2001). 隨時引用智慧英諺900(2). 394. p. 98. ISBN 978-957-09-1409-2.