Chinese Proverbs

Chinese Proverb Next Page -> A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. Showing quotations 1 to 30 of 39 total

Chinese Proverb - More quotations on: [Birds] A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers. Chinese Proverb A book holds a house of gold. Chinese Proverb A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. Chinese Proverb A book tightly shut is but a block of paper. Chinese Proverb A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark. Chinese Proverb A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections. Chinese Proverb A filthy mouth will not utter decent language. Chinese Proverb A fool judges people by the presents they give him. Chinese Proverb A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials. Chinese Proverb A nation's treasure is in its scholars. Chinese Proverb A rat who gnaws at a cat's tail invites destruction. Chinese Proverb Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. Chinese Proverb - More quotations on: [Proverbs] Be the first to the field and the last to the couch. Chinese Proverb

Deep doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom. Chinese Proverb Dig the well before you are thirsty. Chinese Proverb Do good, reap good; do evil, reap evil. Chinese Proverb Do not employ handsome servants. Chinese Proverb - More quotations on: [Proverbs] Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still. Chinese Proverb Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet. Chinese Proverb - More quotations on: [Proverbs] Don't open a shop unless you like to smile. Chinese Proverb Each generation will reap what the former generation has sown. Chinese Proverb 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 Proverb - More quotations on: [Proverbs] He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. Chinese Proverb - More quotations on: [Proverbs] He who is drowned is not troubled by the rain. Chinese Proverb He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument. Chinese Proverb - More quotations on: [Argument] If heaven made him, earth can find some use for him. Chinese Proverb If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.

Chinese Proverb If you bow at all, bow low. Chinese Proverb - More quotations on: [Proverbs] If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it. Chinese Proverb

A bad word whispered will echo a hundred miles. Source: (Chinese) A bad worker quarrels with his tools. Source: (Chinese) A bad workman blames his tools. Source: (Chinese) A bar of iron continually ground becomes a needle. Source: (Chinese) A beautiful bird is the only kind we cage. Source: (Chinese) A bird can roost but on one branch, a mouse can drink not more than its fill from a river. Source: (Chinese) A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. Source: (Chinese) A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses. Source: (Chinese) A book holds a house of gold. Source: (Chinese) A bride received into the home is like a horse that you have just bought; you break her in by constantly mounting her and continually beating her. Source: (Chinese) A bridle for the tongue is a necessary piece of furniture. Source: (Chinese) A chicken is hatched even from such a well-sealed thing as an egg. Source: (Chinese) A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every passerby leaves a mark. Source: (Chinese) A clever person turns great troubles into little ones and little ones into none at all. Source: (Chinese) A client twixt his attorney and counselor is like a goose twixt two foxes. Source: (Chinese) A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood. Source: (Chinese) A cloth is not woven from a single thread. Source: (Chinese) A country where flowers are priced so as to make them a luxury has yet to learn the first principles of civilization. Source: (Chinese) A courageous foe is better than a cowardly friend. Source: (Chinese) A courtesy much entreated is half recompensed. Source: (Chinese) A crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind. Source: (Chinese) A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy.

Source: (Chinese) A dog in desperation will leap over a wall. Source: (Chinese) A dog won't forsake his master because of poverty; a son never deserts his mother because of her homely appearance. Source: (Chinese) A fall into a ditch makes you wiser. Source: (Chinese) A fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef. Source: (Chinese) A false report rides post. Source: (Chinese) A flea on top of a bald head. Source: (Chinese) A flower cannot blossom without sunshine nor a garden without love. Source: (Chinese) A fly before his own eye is bigger than an elephant in the next field. Source: (Chinese) A frog in a well-shaft seeing the sky. Source: (Chinese) A fu purse never lacks freends. Source: (Chinese) A fu' sack will tak a clout o' the side. Source: (Chinese) A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man made perfect without trials. Source: (Chinese) A good dog does not block the road. Source: (Chinese) A good neighbor is a found treasure. Source: (Chinese) A hasty man drinks his tea with a fork. Source: (Chinese) A hasty man never wants woe. Source: (Chinese) A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home. Source: (Chinese) A jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-fornothing until he is educated. Source: (Chinese) A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Source: (Chinese) A maker of idols is never an idolater. Source: (Chinese) A man must despise himself before others will. Source: (Chinese) A man must make himself despicable before he is despised by others. Source: (Chinese) A man must plough with such oxen as he hath. Source: (Chinese) A man need never revenge himself; the body of his enemy will be brought to his own door. Source: (Chinese) A man's conversation is the mirror of his thoughts. Source: (Chinese) A man's discontent is his worst evil. Source: (Chinese) A nation's treasure: scholars. Source: (Chinese) A person who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the man doing it. Source: (Chinese) A person whose heart is not content is like a snake which tries to swallow an elephant. Source: (Chinese) A person with a bad name is already half-hanged. Source: (Chinese) A red-nosed man may be a teetotaler, but will find no one to believe it. Source: (Chinese) A reed before the wind lives on, while mighty oaks do fall. Source: (Chinese) A rumour goes in one ear and out many mouths. Source: (Chinese) A single beam cannot support a great house. Source: (Chinese) A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study. Source: (Chinese) A single untried popular remedy often throws the scientific doctor into

hysterics. Source: (Chinese) A sly rabbit will have three openings to its den. Source: (Chinese) A smile will gain you ten more years of life. Source: (Chinese) A thorn defends the rose harming only those who would steal the blossom. Source: (Chinese) 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. Source: (Chinese) A thousand pounds and a bottle of hay are all one at domesday. Source: (Chinese) A vacant mind is open to all suggestions, as a hollow mountain returns all sounds. Source: (Chinese) A whitewashed crow soon shows black again. Source: (Chinese) A wicked book cannot repent. Source: (Chinese) A wicked companion invites us all to hell. Source: (Chinese) A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion. Source: (Chinese) A young branch takes on all the bends that one gives it. Source: (Chinese) A young doctor makes a full graveyard. Source: (Chinese) Abroad we judge the dress; at home we judge the man. Source: (Chinese) Add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it. Source: (Chinese) After three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless. Source: (Chinese) All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws. Source: (Chinese) All people are your relatives, therefore expect only trouble from them. Source: (Chinese) All things at first appear difficult. Source: (Chinese) All things change, and we change with them. [Lat., Omnia mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.] Source: (Chinese) Alms given openly will be rewarded in secret. Source: (Chinese) Among ten matchmakers only nine will lie. Source: (Chinese) An ambassador bears no blame. Source: (Chinese) An ignorant doctor is no better than a murderer. Source: (Chinese) An inch of time is an inch of gold, but you can't buy that inch of time with an inch of gold. Source: (Chinese) An old friend met in a far country is like rain after drought. Source: (Chinese) Avoid suspicion: when you're walking through your neighbor's melon patch, don't tie your shoe. Source: (Chinese) Be in readiness for favorable winds. Source: (Chinese) Be just before you're generous. Source: (Chinese) Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. Source: (Chinese) Be not disturbed at being misunderstood; be disturbed at not understanding. Source: (Chinese) Be on a horse when you go in search of a better one. Source: (Chinese) Be resolved and the thing is done. Source: (Chinese) Beat your drum inside the house to spare the neighbors. Source: (Chinese) Beat your gong and sell your candles. Source: (Chinese) Because men do not like the cold, Heaven does not cause winter to cease. Source: (Chinese) Before you beat a dog, find out who its master is.

Source: (Chinese) Begin with an error of an inch and end by being a thousand miles off the mark. Source: (Chinese) Behind an able man there are always other able men. Source: (Chinese) Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without. Source: (Chinese) Better a dinner of herbs than a stalled ox where hate is. Source: (Chinese) Better a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Source: (Chinese) Better be kind at home than burn incense in a far place. Source: (Chinese) Better be too credulous than too skeptical. Source: (Chinese) Better die ten years early than live ten years poor. Source: (Chinese) Better do a kindness near home than go far to burn incense. Source: (Chinese) Better do it than wish it done. Source: (Chinese) Better go than send. Source: (Chinese) Better go to heaven in rags than to hell in embroidery. Source: (Chinese) Better the cottage where one is merry than the palace where one weeps. Source: (Chinese) Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. Source: (Chinese) Better to do a kindness near home than go far away to burn incense. Source: (Chinese) Careless rat chewing on a cat's tail: beware lightning! Source: (Chinese) Ceremony is the smoke of friendship. Source: (Chinese) Cheap things are not good, good things are not cheap. Source: (Chinese) Cheat the earth and the earth will cheat you. Source: (Chinese) Clumsy birds have need of early flight. Source: (Chinese) Conquerors are kings; the beaten are bandits. Source: (Chinese) Corner a dog in a dead-end street and it will turn and bite. Source: (Chinese) Corporations have neither bodies to be punished nor souls to be damned. Source: (Chinese) Count not what is lost but what is left. Source: (Chinese) Covet wealth, and want it; don't, and luck will grant it. Source: (Chinese) Covetous men's chests are rich, not they. Source: (Chinese) Crows everywhere are equally black. Source: (Chinese) Curse your wife at evening, sleep alone at night. Source: (Chinese) Cursed cows have short horns. Source: (Chinese) Customers are jade; merchandise is grass. Source: (Chinese) Dangerous enemies will meet again in narrow streets. Source: (Chinese) Dead songbirds make a sad meal. Source: (Chinese) Deal with the faults of others as gently as with your own. Source: (Chinese) Deer-hunter, waste not your arrow on the hare. Source: (Chinese) Defeat isn't bitter if you don't swallow it. Source: (Chinese) Defer not till to-morrow what may be done to-day. Source: (Chinese) Despise learning and make everyone pay for your ignorance. Source: (Chinese) Despise not a small wound or a poor kinsman. Source: (Chinese) Deviate an inch, lose a thousand miles.

Source: (Chinese) Devil take the hindmost. Source: (Chinese) Dig a well before you are thirsty. Source: (Chinese) Do not add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it. Source: (Chinese) Do not all you can; spend not all you have; believe not all you hear; and tell not all you know. Source: (Chinese) Do not allow the sheep to die for a halfpenny of tar. Source: (Chinese) Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Source: (Chinese) Do not anxiously hope for that which is not yet come; do not vainly regret what is already past. Source: (Chinese) Do not employ handsome servants. Source: (Chinese) Do not have each foot on a different boat. Source: (Chinese) Do not insult the crocodile until you've crossed the river. Source: (Chinese) Do not tear down the east wall to repair the west. Source: (Chinese) Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend's forehead. Source: (Chinese) Dogs do not dislike poor families. Source: (Chinese) Dogs have so many friends because they wag their tails, not their tongues. Source: (Chinese) Don't build a new ship out of old wood. Source: (Chinese) Don't consider your reputation and you may do anything you like. Source: (Chinese) Don't count your chickens before they are hatched. Source: (Chinese) Don't cross the bridge until you come to it. Source: (Chinese) Don't stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net. Source: (Chinese) Don't waste good iron for nails or good men for soldiers. Source: (Chinese) Don't waste too many stones on one bird. Source: (Chinese) Donkey's lips don't fit onto a horse's mouth. Source: (Chinese) Dream different dreams while on the same bed. Source: (Chinese) Dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage. Source: (Chinese) Easier to bend the body than the will. Source: (Chinese) Easier to rule a nation than a son. Source: (Chinese) Easy to believe in heaven's law, but so hard to keep. Source: (Chinese) Easy to enroll a thousand soldiers. But, ah, one general!. Source: (Chinese) Easy to keep the castle that was never besieged. Source: (Chinese) Easy to know men's faces, not their hearts. Source: (Chinese) Easy to run downhill, much puffing to run up. Source: (Chinese) Empty the clear path to heaven, crowded the dark road to hell. Source: (Chinese) Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think. Source: (Chinese) Enough shovels of earth make a mountain, enough pails of water a river. Source: (Chinese) Enough's as good as a feast. Source: (Chinese) Even a hare will bite when it is cornered. Source: (Chinese) Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns. Source: (Chinese) Everyone pushes a falling fence.

Source: (Chinese) Everyone rakes the fire under his own pot. Source: (Chinese) Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength. Source: (Chinese) Everyone speaks well of the bridge which carries him over. Source: (Chinese) Everyone stretches his legs according to the length of his coverlet. Source: (Chinese) Exaggeration is to paint a snake and add legs. Source: (Chinese) Fail to steal the chicken while it ate up your bait grain. Source: (Chinese) Failing to plan is planning to fail. Source: (Chinese) Falling hurts least those who fly low. Source: (Chinese) Far waters cannot quench near fires. Source: (Chinese) Far-fetched and dear-bought is good for ladies. Source: (Chinese) Farewell and be hanged; friends must part! Source: (Chinese) Fight a wolf with a flex stalk. Source: (Chinese) Fight fire with fire. Source: (Chinese) Flowers leave a part of their fragrance in the hands that bestow them. Source: (Chinese) Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them. Source: (Chinese) Flowing water never goes bad; our door hubs never gather termites. Source: (Chinese) For the sake of one good action, a hundred evil ones should be forgotten. Source: (Chinese) Forethought is easy, repentance hard. Source: (Chinese) Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses. Source: (Chinese) Forget the favors you have given; remember those received. Source: (Chinese) Fortune and flowers do not last forever. Source: (Chinese) Four horses cannot overtake the tongue. Source: (Chinese) Four things come not back: the spoken word, the spent arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity. Source: (Chinese) Friend, do not try to borrow combs from shaven monks. Source: (Chinese) From the lowly perspective of a dog's eyes, everyone looks short. Source: (Chinese) Garden flowers larger, field flowers stronger. Source: (Chinese) Garlands are not for every brow. Source: (Chinese) Get the coffin ready and watch the man mend. Source: (Chinese) Girls marry to please parents, widows to please themselves. Source: (Chinese) Girls will be girls. Source: (Chinese) Give a beggar a bed and he'll repay you with a louse. Source: (Chinese) Going beyond is as bad as falling short. Source: (Chinese) Gold and silver are mingled with dirt, till avarice parted them. Source: (Chinese) Gold has its price; learning is beyond price. Source: (Chinese) Gold is tested by fire, man by gold. Source: (Chinese) Good fortune may forebode bad luck, which may in turn disguise good fortune. Source: (Chinese) Govern a family as you would cook a small fish--very gently. Source: (Chinese) Govern yourself and you can govern the world. Source: (Chinese) Grass fears the frost, frost fears the sun.

Source: (Chinese) Great blessings come from heaven; small blessings come from man. Source: (Chinese) Great boast, small roast. Source: (Chinese) Great business is good; to sit and sip this glass is better. Source: (Chinese) Great cry and little wool, as the fellow said when he sheared his hogs. Source: (Chinese) Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes. Source: (Chinese) Habits are cobwebs at first, cables at last. Source: (Chinese) Happiness is like a sunbeam, which the least shadow intercepts, while adversity is often as the rain of spring. Source: (Chinese) Happy people never count hours as they pass. Source: (Chinese) Hatred corrodes the vessel in which it is stored. Source: (Chinese) Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger, but a heart as soft as tofu. Source: (Chinese) Have but few friends though much acquaintance. Source: (Chinese) He comes with incense in one hand, in the other a spear. Source: (Chinese) He has too many lice to feel an itch. Source: (Chinese) He hath lived ill that knows not how to die well. Source: (Chinese) He painted a tiger, but it turned out a dog. Source: (Chinese) He that has no money might as well be buried in a rice tub with his mouth sewn up. Source: (Chinese) He that has no silver in his purse, should have silver on his tongue. Source: (Chinese) He that has not bread to spare should not keep a dog. Source: (Chinese) He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. Source: (Chinese) He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. Source: (Chinese) He who can predict winning numbers should not set off fire crackers. Source: (Chinese) He who cannot agree with his enemies is controlled by them. Source: (Chinese) He who carves the Buddha never worships him. Source: (Chinese) He who could foresee affairs three days in advance would be rich for thousands of years. Source: (Chinese) He who hurries cannot walk with dignity. Source: (Chinese) He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount. Source: (Chinese) He who sacrifices his conscience to ambition burns a picture to obtain the ashes. Source: (Chinese) He who seeks revenge should remember to dig two graves. Source: (Chinese) Hold back some goods for a thousand days and you will be sure to sell at a profit. Source: (Chinese) Honey in his mouth, knives in his heart. Source: (Chinese) How can you expect to find ivory in a dog's mouth? Source: (Chinese) How can you put out a fire set on a cart-load of firewood with only a cup of water. Source: (Chinese) I dreamed a thousand new paths. I woke and walked my old one. Source: (Chinese) If a son is uneducated, his father is to blame. Source: (Chinese) If a string has one end, then it has another end. Source: (Chinese) If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well. Source: (Chinese) If an enemy is annoying you by playing well, consider adopting his strategy.

Source: (Chinese) If heaven made him, earth can find some use for him. Source: (Chinese) If his legs fail him, he fights on his knees. Source: (Chinese) If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. Source: (Chinese)

If there is a strong general, there will be no weak soldiers. Source: (Chinese) If there is a wave there must be a wind. Source: (Chinese) If there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. Source: (Chinese) If what we see is doubtful, how can we believe what is spoken behind the back. Source: (Chinese) If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Source: (Chinese) If you always give, you will always have. Source: (Chinese) If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. Source: (Chinese) 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. Source: (Chinese) If you are standing upright, don't worry if your shadow is crooked. Source: (Chinese) If you beat spice it will smell the sweeter. Source: (Chinese) If you bow at all, bow low. Source: (Chinese) If you can't change your fate, change your attitude. Source: (Chinese) If you don't scale the mountain, you can't view the plain. Source: (Chinese) If you don't speculate, you can't accumulate. Source: (Chinese) If you get up one more time than you fall you will make it through. Source: (Chinese) If you have never done anything evil, you should not be worrying about devils knocking at your door. Source: (Chinese) If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily. Source: (Chinese) If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. Source: (Chinese) If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Source: (Chinese) If you see in your wine the reflection of a person not in your range of vision, don't drink it. Source: (Chinese) If you share a man's wealth, try to lessen his misfortune. Source: (Chinese) If you suspect a man, don't employ him, and if you employ him, don't suspect him. Source: (Chinese) If you want an audience, start a fight. Source: (Chinese) Illness comes in by mouth; ills come out by it. Source: (Chinese) In every family's cooking pot is one black spot. Source: (Chinese) In his decision the judge with seven reasons gives only one in court. Source: (Chinese) In reviling, it is not necessary to prepare a preliminary draft. Source: (Chinese) In shallow holes moles make fools of dragons. Source: (Chinese) In the broken nest there are no whole eggs. Source: (Chinese) In the coldest flint there is hot fire.

Source: (Chinese) 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. Source: (Chinese) In the presence of princes the cleverest jester is mute. Source: (Chinese) Insects do not nest in a busy door-hinge. Source: (Chinese) It is better to be entirely without a book than to believe it entirely. Source: (Chinese) It is easier to know how to do than it is to do. Source: (Chinese) It is harder to be poor without complaining than to be rich without boasting. Source: (Chinese) It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins. Source: (Chinese) It is the beautiful bird which gets caged. Source: (Chinese) It takes little effort to watch a man carry a load. Source: (Chinese) It's as difficult to be rich without bragging as it is to be poor without complaining. Source: (Chinese) It's your own lantern; don't poke holes in the paper. Source: (Chinese) Jade and men, both are sharpened by bitter tools. Source: (Chinese) Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today. Source: (Chinese) Judge not the horse by his saddle. Source: (Chinese) Just as tall trees are known by their shadows, so are good men known by their enemies. Source: (Chinese) Just scales and full measure injure no man. Source: (Chinese) Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve. Source: (Chinese) Keep your chin up. Source: (Chinese) Kill a chicken before a monkey. Source: (Chinese) Kill one to warn a hundred. Source: (Chinese) Kill the chicken to frighten the monkey. Source: (Chinese) Know thyself to know others, for heart beats like heart. Source: (Chinese) Large demands on oneself and little demands on others keep resentment at bay. Source: (Chinese) Laws control the lesser man; right conduct controls the greater one. Source: (Chinese) Learn to handle a writing-brush and you'll never handle a beggingbowl. Source: (Chinese) Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. Source: (Chinese) Learning is a weightless treasure you always carry easy. Source: (Chinese) Learning is better than house and land. Source: (Chinese) Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back. Source: (Chinese) Learning is treasure no thief can touch. Source: (Chinese) Learning is weightless, treasure you can always carry easily. Source: (Chinese) Leave a bit of the tail to whisk off flies. Source: (Chinese) Let him who does not know what war is go to war. Source: (Chinese) Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends whom we choose. Source: (Chinese) Life isn't all beer and skittles.

Source: (Chinese) Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but, follow no one absolutely. Source: (Chinese) Long roads test the horse, long dealings the friend. Source: (Chinese) Look for a thing until you find it and you'll not lose your labor. Source: (Chinese) Looking for fish? Don't climb a tree. Source: (Chinese) Losing comes of winning money. Source: (Chinese) Love is blind, and greed insatiable. Source: (Chinese) Love is blind, friendship closes its eyes. Source: (Chinese) Love is blind. Source: (Chinese) Love is incompatible with fear. Source: (Chinese) Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come. Source: (Chinese) Make sure you leave some fat for the other side. Source: (Chinese) Mallet strikes chisel; chisel splits wood. Source: (Chinese) Man cannot stir one inch without the push of heaven's finger. Source: (Chinese) Man concocts a million schemes; god knows but one. Source: (Chinese) Man fools himself. He prays for a long life and he fears old age. Source: (Chinese) Man has a thousand plans, heaven but one. Source: (Chinese) Man is heaven and earth in miniature. Source: (Chinese) Man must be sharpened on man, like knife on stone. Source: (Chinese) Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not. Source: (Chinese) Mankind scorns a virtuous man, but heaven does not. Source: (Chinese) Manners maketh man. Source: (Chinese) Many a good face is under a ragged hat. Source: (Chinese) Many a little make a mickle. Source: (Chinese) Many books do not use up words; many words do not use up thoughts. Source: (Chinese) Married couples tell each other a thousand things without speech. Source: (Chinese) Married couples who love each other tell each other a thousand things without talking. Source: (Chinese) Medicine can only cure curable disease, and then not always. Source: (Chinese) Men fated to be happy need not haste. Source: (Chinese) Men in the game are blind to what men looking on see clearly. Source: (Chinese) Men know not all their faults, oxen all their strength. Source: (Chinese) Misfortune is not that which can be avoided, but that which cannot. Source: (Chinese) Nature is better than a middling doctor. Source: (Chinese) Nature, time and patience are the three great physicians. Source: (Chinese) Never answer a letter while you are angry. Source: (Chinese) Never argue with a man who buys ink by the barrel. Source: (Chinese) Never do anything standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you can do lying down. Source: (Chinese) Never try to catch two frogs with one hand. Source: (Chinese) Never write a letter while you are angry. Source: (Chinese) No matter how stout one beam, it cannot support a house. Source: (Chinese) No matter how tall the mountain, it cannot block out the sun.

Source: (Chinese) No medicines can cure the vulgar man. Source: (Chinese) No melon-peddler cries: Bitter melons! No wine-dealer says: Sour wine! Source: (Chinese) No mill, no meal. Source: (Chinese) No wind, no waves. Source: (Chinese) No wisdom like silence. Source: (Chinese) No wisdom to silence. Source: (Chinese) Not wine . . . men intoxicate themselves; not vice . . . men entice themselves. Source: (Chinese) O eggs, never fight with stones! Source: (Chinese) O man, you who do not live a hundred years, why fret a thousand minutes? Source: (Chinese) Of a dead leopard we keep the skin, of man his reputation. Source: (Chinese) Of a good beginning cometh a good end. Source: (Chinese) Of all meat in the world drink goes down the best. Source: (Chinese) Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is the best. Source: (Chinese) Often one finds one's destiny just where one hides to avoid it. Source: (Chinese) On entering a country, ask what is forbidden, on entering a village, ask what are the customs, on entering a private house, ask what should not be mentioned. Source: (Chinese) Once bitten by a snake, he is scared all his life at the mere sight of a rope. Source: (Chinese) Once on a tiger's back it is hard to alight. Source: (Chinese) One can care little for man, but we need a friend. Source: (Chinese) One cannot manage too many affairs; like pumpkins in water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other. Source: (Chinese) One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him. Source: (Chinese) One family builds the wall, two families enjoy it. Source: (Chinese) One generation plants the trees, another gets the shade. Source: (Chinese) One happiness scatters a thousand sorrows. Source: (Chinese) One joy shatters a hundred griefs. Source: (Chinese) One monk shoulders water by himself; two can still share the labor among them. When it comes to three, they have to go thirsty. Source: (Chinese) One should be just as careful in choosing one's pleasures as in avoiding calamities. Source: (Chinese) One step at a time is good walking. Source: (Chinese) One step at a time. Source: (Chinese) One's shadow grows larger than life when admired by the light of the moon. Source: (Chinese) Only he that has traveled the road knows where the holes are deep. Source: (Chinese) Only when all contribute their firewood can they build up a strong fire. Source: (Chinese) Out of a dog's mouth will never come ivory tusks. Source: (Chinese) Outside noisy, inside empty. Source: (Chinese) Paper can't wrap up a fire. Source: (Chinese) Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes.

Source: (Chinese) Patience and the mulberry leaf become a silk robe. Source: (Chinese) Patience is a bitter plant, but it has sweet fruit. Source: (Chinese) Patience is a plaister for all sores. Source: (Chinese) Patience is a virtue. Source: (Chinese) Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry becomes silk. Source: (Chinese) Peace and tranquility are a thousand gold pieces. Source: (Chinese) Pick your inn before the dark; get on your road before the dawn. Source: (Chinese) Plan your year in the spring, your day at dawn. Source: (Chinese) Plant the crab-tree where you will it will never bear pippins. Source: (Chinese) Pleasures are shallow, sorrows deep. Source: (Chinese) Politeness wins the confidence of princes. Source: (Chinese) Politics makes strange bedfellows. Source: (Chinese) Practice no vice because it's trivial; neglect no virtue because it's so. Source: (Chinese) Present to the eye, present to the mind. Source: (Chinese) Priests return to the temple, merchants to the shop. Source: (Chinese) Pure gold does not fear the smelter. Source: (Chinese) Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind. Source: (Chinese) Rare commodities are worth more than good. Source: (Chinese) Rather once cry your heart out than always sigh. Source: (Chinese) Rats know the way of rats. Source: (Chinese) Reform a gambler . . . cure leprosy. Source: (Chinese) Rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff. Source: (Chinese) Reshape one's foot to try to fit into a new shoe. Source: (Chinese) Rich men accumulate money; the poor accumulate years. Source: (Chinese) Rich not gaudy. Source: (Chinese) Riches add to the house, virtues to the man. Source: (Chinese) Riches: a dream in the night; fame: a gull floating on water. Source: (Chinese) Rivers and mountains may change; human nature, never. Source: (Chinese) Rotten wood cannot be carved. Source: (Chinese) Rule the roost. Source: (Chinese) Runaway son, a shining jewel; runaway daughter, tarnished. Source: (Chinese) Scholars talk books, butchers talk pigs. Source: (Chinese) Schoolmaster, stick to your books; farmer, to your pigs. Source: (Chinese) Seeking fish? Don't dive in the pond; go home and get a net. Source: (Chinese) Sending charcoal in the snow is better than adding flowers to a brocade. Source: (Chinese) Silly toad: planning a meal of goose! Source: (Chinese) Sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Source: (Chinese) Slander cannot destroy an honest man: when the flood recedes the rock is there. Source: (Chinese) Slow in word, swift in deed. Source: (Chinese) Sma' winnings mak a heavy purse. Source: (Chinese) Small ills are the fountains of most of our groans. Men trip not on

mountains, they stumble on stones. Source: (Chinese) Small is beautiful. Source: (Chinese) Small men think they are small; great men never know they are great. Source: (Chinese) So long as a man is angry he cannot be in the right. Source: (Chinese) So lovers, to their fair one fondly blind, E'en on her ugliness with transport gaze. Source: (Chinese) Some prefer carrots while others like cabbage. Source: (Chinese) Some roads aren't meant to be travelled alone. Source: (Chinese) Sorrow is the child of too much joy. Source: (Chinese) Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, all must be tasted. Source: (Chinese) Steal a bell with one's ears covered. Source: (Chinese) Swiftest horse cannot overtake the word once spoken. Source: (Chinese) Take a second look; it costs you nothing. Source: (Chinese) Talk does not cook rice. Source: (Chinese) Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself. Source: (Chinese) Teaching others teacheth yourself. Source: (Chinese) Temptation wrings integrity even as the thumbscrew twists a man's fingers. Source: (Chinese) Thatch your roof before rainy weather, dig your well before you become parched with thirst. Source: (Chinese) The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. Source: (Chinese) The best cure for drunkenness is whilst sober to observe a drunken person. Source: (Chinese) The best doctors are Dr. Diet, Dr, Quiet, and Dr. Merryman. Source: (Chinese) The best memory is not so firm as faded ink. Source: (Chinese) The best soldiers are not warlike. Source: (Chinese) The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. Source: (Chinese) The black dog gets the food; the white dog gets the blame. Source: (Chinese) The broad-minded see the truth in different religions; the narrowminded see only the differences. Source: (Chinese) The careful foot can walk anywhere. Source: (Chinese) The court official in one life has seven rebirths as a beggar. Source: (Chinese) The day your horse dies and your money's lost, your relatives change to strangers. Source: (Chinese) The delicacy of the feast is the learned guest. Source: (Chinese) The devil can quote Scripture for his own ends. Source: (Chinese) The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials. Source: (Chinese) The emperor is rich, but he cannot buy one extra year. Source: (Chinese) The error of one moment becomes the sorrow of a whole life. Source: (Chinese) The evening crowns the days. Source: (Chinese) The father in praising the son extols himself.

Source: (Chinese) The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than him. Source: (Chinese) The first half of the night, think of your own faults; the second half, the faults of others. Source: (Chinese) The first hen that cackles is the one that laid the egg. Source: (Chinese) The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. Source: (Chinese) The great question is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with failure. Source: (Chinese) The happiness in your pocket, don't spend it all. Source: (Chinese) The harder you fall, the higher you bounce. Source: (Chinese) The hardest step is over the threshold. Source: (Chinese) The house with an old grandparent harbors a jewel. Source: (Chinese) The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Source: (Chinese) The less power a man has, the more he likes to use it. Source: (Chinese) The loftiest towers rise from the ground. Source: (Chinese) The lone sheep is in danger of the wolf. Source: (Chinese) The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be. Source: (Chinese) The man who comes with a talk about others has himself an ax to grind. Source: (Chinese) The man who does not learn is dark, like one walking in the night. Source: (Chinese) The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. Source: (Chinese) The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out. Source: (Chinese) The man who wakes up and finds himself famous hasn't been asleep. Source: (Chinese) The man will surely fail, who dares delay, And lose to-morrow that has lost to-day. Source: (Chinese) The mind is the emperor of the body. Source: (Chinese) The net of heaven is large and wide, but it lets nothing through. Source: (Chinese) The older the ginger, the more it bites. Source: (Chinese) The one who first resorts to violence shows that he has no more arguments. Source: (Chinese) The one who plants the tree is not the one who will enjoy its shade. Source: (Chinese) The one who understands does not speak, the one who speaks does not understand. Source: (Chinese) The palest ink is better than the best memory. Source: (Chinese) The path of duty lies in what is near at hand, but men seek for it in what is remote. Source: (Chinese) The pen can kill a man; no knife is needed. Source: (Chinese) The pen of the tongue should be dipped in the ink of the heart. Source: (Chinese) The peony is beautiful, yet it is supported by a stalk. Source: (Chinese) The pine stays green in winter, wisdom in hardship. Source: (Chinese) The pitcher doth not go so often to the well, but it comes home broken at last. Source: (Chinese) The remedy for dirt is soap and water. The remedy for dying is living.

Source: (Chinese) The remedy for love is--land between. Source: (Chinese) The rich man plans for tomorrow, the poor man for today. Source: (Chinese) The rose has thorns only for those who would gather it. Source: (Chinese) The saving man becomes the free man. Source: (Chinese) The sheep has no choice when in the jaws of the wolf. Source: (Chinese) The water that bears the ship is the same that engulfs it. Source: (Chinese) The way of a slothful man is as a hedge of thorns. Source: (Chinese) The weasel comes to say "Happy New Year!" to the chickens. Source: (Chinese) The woman who tells her age is either too young to have anything to lose or too old to have anything to gain. Source: (Chinese) The Yangtze never runs backwards; man recaptures not his youth. Source: (Chinese) There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same. Source: (Chinese) There are two perfectly good men, one dead, and the other unborn. Source: (Chinese) There are two sides to every question. Source: (Chinese) There belongs more than whistling to going to plough. Source: (Chinese) There is no economy in going to bed early to save candles if the result is twins. Source: (Chinese) Think of your own faults the first part of the night when you are awake, and the faults of others the latter part of the night when you are asleep. Source: (Chinese) Those who despise money will eventually sponge on their friends. Source: (Chinese) Those who do not study are only cattle dressed up in men's clothes. Source: (Chinese) Those who have free seats at a play hiss first. Source: (Chinese) Those who hear not the music think the dancers mad. Source: (Chinese) Though you live near a forest, do not waste firewood. Source: (Chinese) 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. Source: (Chinese) To believe in one's dreams is to spend all of one's life asleep. Source: (Chinese) To forget one's ancestor's is to be a brook without a source, a tree without root. Source: (Chinese) To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. Source: (Chinese) To go beyond is as bad as to fall short. Source: (Chinese) To know the road ahead, ask those coming back. Source: (Chinese) To listen well is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well and is as essential to all true conversation. Source: (Chinese) To meet an old friend in a distant country is like the delight of rain after a long drought. Source: (Chinese) To open a shop is easy, to keep it open is an art. Source: (Chinese) To persecute the unfortunate is like throwing stones on one fallen into a well. Source: (Chinese) To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to

catch a fish. Source: (Chinese) To understand your parents' love bear your own children. Source: (Chinese) To violate the law is the same crime in the emperor as in the subject. Source: (Chinese) Transgressions should never be forgiven a third time. Source: (Chinese) Two barrels of tears will not heal a bruise. Source: (Chinese) Two good talkers are not worth one good listener. Source: (Chinese) Unplowed fields make hollow bellies; unread books make hollow minds. Source: (Chinese) Use power to curb power. Source: (Chinese) Vicious as a tigress can be, she never eats her own cubs. Source: (Chinese) Victory has hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan. Source: (Chinese) Virtue becomes a wife; beauty becomes a concubine. Source: (Chinese) Virtue is not left to stand alone. Source: (Chinese) Virtue never dwells alone, it always has neighbors. Source: (Chinese) Virtue practiced to be seen is not real virtue; vice which fears to be seen is real vice. Source: (Chinese) Virtue: climbing a hill; vice: running down. Source: (Chinese) Virtuous for ten years is still not enough; evil for one day is too much already. Source: (Chinese) Wait long, strike fast. Source: (Chinese) Waiting for a rabbit to hit upon a tree and be killed in order to catch it. Source: (Chinese) Want a thing long enough, and you don't. Source: (Chinese) Water and words are easy to pour but impossible to recover. Source: (Chinese) Water that has reached its level does not flow. Source: (Chinese) We all like lamb; each has a different way of cooking it. Source: (Chinese) We are not so much concerned if you are slow as when you come to a halt. Source: (Chinese) We can study until old age and still not finish. Source: (Chinese) We forget even incense in easy times; come hard times, we embrace the Buddha's feet. Source: (Chinese) Wealth is but dung, useful only when spread. Source: (Chinese) Weaving a net is better than praying for fish at the edge of the water. Source: (Chinese) Wedlock is a padlock. Source: (Chinese) What is whispered in your ear is often heard a hundred miles off. Source: (Chinese) What you cannot avoid, welcome. Source: (Chinese) When a large vessel has opened a way it is easy for a small one to follow. Source: (Chinese) When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. Source: (Chinese) When the cat is gone, the mice come out to stretch. Source: (Chinese) When the mantis hunts the locust, he forgets the shrike that's hunting him. Source: (Chinese) When the tree dies, the grass underneath withers. Source: (Chinese) When the tree falls, the shadow flies.

Source: (Chinese) When the tree waves, wind is stirring. Source: (Chinese) When you bow, bow low. Source: (Chinese) When you fall into a pit, you either die or get out. Source: (Chinese) When you have only two dollars left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a rose with the other. Source: (Chinese) When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. Source: (Chinese) When you say one thing, the clever person understands three. Source: (Chinese) When you want to test the depths of a stream, don't use both feet. Source: (Chinese) When your horse in on the brink of a precipice, it is too late to pull the reins. Source: (Chinese) Whenever the water rises, the boat will rise too. Source: (Chinese) Where a chest lieth open, a righteous man may sin. Source: (Chinese) Who is not satisfied with himself will grow; who is not sure of his own correctness will learn many things. Source: (Chinese) Who rides a tiger cannot dismount. Source: (Chinese) Who teaches me for a day is my father for a lifetime. Source: (Chinese) With money one may command devils; without it, one cannot even summon a man. Source: (Chinese) With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. Source: (Chinese) Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook. Source: (Chinese) Yellow gold is plentiful compared to white-haired friends. Source: (Chinese) You burn incense before the god, and then topple him. Source: (Chinese) You buy land, you buy stones; you buy meat, you buy bones. Source: (Chinese) You can hardly make a friend in a year, but you can easily offend one in an hour. Source: (Chinese) You can't catch a cub without going into the tiger's den. Source: (Chinese) You can't clap with one hand only. Source: (Chinese) You can't expect both ends of a sugar cane to be as sweet. Source: (Chinese) You can't fare well, but you must cry roast meat. Source: (Chinese) You can't fill your belly painting pictures of bread. Source: (Chinese) You cannot draw white cloth from a dying vat. Source: (Chinese) You cannot hook trout? Try digging clams. Source: (Chinese) You cannot lose what you never had. Source: (Chinese) You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. Source: (Chinese) You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back. Source: (Chinese) You must have crossed the river before you may tell the crocodile he has bad breath. Source: (Chinese) You must scale the mountains if you would view the plain. Source: (Chinese) You think you've lost your horse? Who knows, he may bring a whole herd back to you someday. Source: (Chinese) You want no one to know it? Then don't do it. Source: (Chinese)

You won't help shoots grow by pulling them up higher. Source: (Chinese) Your fingers can't be of the same length. Source: (Chinese) You won't help shoots grow by pulling them up higher. Source: (Chinese) Your fingers can't be of the same length. Source: (Chinese)

Witty and Wise Chinese Proverbs Here is a delightful collection of Chinese proverbs which gives us a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Chinese people. Their wise sayings are drawn from experience of their daily lives, observation on subjects ranging from friendship to common sense and folk wisdom. The value of Chinese proverbs has increased with the passing of the ages because they ring as true today as they were thousands of years ago.

See all 6 photos Reading Pavilion at Chinese Garden of Friendship - Darling Harbour       

A single spark can set a prairie on fire. Water can both sustain and sink a ship. Count not what is lost, but what is left. If there is a strong general there will be no weak soldiers. To extend your life by a year take one less bite each meal. Peace only comes when reason rules. Even the tallest tower started form the ground.

  

Eloquence provides only persuasion, but truth buys loyalty. Wisdom is attained by learning when to hold one's tongue. A single tree cannot make a forest

Taken during the 2007 Chinese New Year's Parade in Sydney.  If one eats less one will taste more.  One hand alone cannot clap, it takes two to quarrel.  It does not matter if the cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.  Cowards have dreams, brave men have visions  Learning is like the horizon; there is no limit.  The old horse will know the way  A good friend shields you from the storm  Change the skin, wash the heart  Sow melon, reap melon; sow beans, reap beans. 

One sings, all follow.

Chinatown - Melbourne  Fortune has a fickle heart and a short memory.  Harsh words and poor reasoning never settle anything.  Dangerous enemies will meet again in narrow streets.  Better to bend in the wind than to break.  Do not kill the hen for her eggs.  First attain skill; creativity comes later.  Make the cap fit the head.  A single beam cannot support a great house.  Do not be concerned with things outside your door.  Wise men may not be learned; learned men may not be wise.

Chinese Round Pavillion- Darling Harbour, Sydney.  Crows are black the world over.  Do not lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot  Kill the chicken to frigthen the monkey  Wait long, strike fast.  Do not wait until you're thirsty to dig a well  One who would pick the roses must bear with thorns  Failure is the mother of success.  Do not climb a tree to look for a fish  Only time and effort brings proficiency  Distance tests the endurance of a horse; time reveals a man's character.

Chinese proverb Quotes and Quotations A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.

- Chinese proverb | Books and Reading Quotes

Add to Favorite List

Beat your child once a day. If you don't know why, he does.

- Chinese proverb | Children and Childhood Quotes


Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come.

- Chinese proverb | Happiness Quotes


If heaven made him, earth can find some use for him.

- Chinese proverb | Homo Sapiens Quotes


People in the West are always getting ready to live.

- Chinese proverb | Life Quotes


Married couples who love each other tell each other a thousand things without talking.

- Chinese proverb | Marriage Quotes


The palest ink is better than the best memory.

- Chinese proverb | Memory Quotes


One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him.

- Chinese proverb | Minorities Quotes


With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.

- Chinese proverb | Patience Quotes


When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one. and a lily with the other.

- Chinese proverb | Philosophy Quotes


Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

- Chinese proverb | Teachers and Teaching Quotes


I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

- Chinese proverb | Teachers and Teaching Quotes To be uncertain is to be uncomfortable, but to be certain is to be ridiculous.

- Chinese proverb | Thinking and Thought Quotes



If you don't want anyone to know it, don't do it.

- Chinese proverb | Vice Quotes Add to Favorite List

Happiness is not a horse, you cannot harness it.

- Chinese proverb | Happiness Quotes Add to Favorite List

A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.




With happiness comes intelligence to the heart.


Misfortune comes to all men.

- Chinese proverb | Acceptance Quotes Add to Favorite List

Man's heart is never satisfied; the snake would swallow the elephant.

- Chinese proverb | Other Side Quotes Add to Favorite List

Misfortunes come to all men.

- Chinese proverb | Other Side Quotes Add to Favorite List

It is easier to visit friends than to live with them.

- Chinese proverb | Friendship Quotes Add to Favorite List

Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.

- Chinese proverb | Friendship Quotes Add to Favorite List

Blame yourself if you have no branches or leaves; don't accuse the sun of partiality.

- Chinese proverb | Self-Reliance Quotes Add to Favorite List

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

- Chinese proverb | Difficult Days Quotes Add to Favorite List

If a man plants melons he will reap melons; if he sows beans, he will reap beans.

- Chinese proverb | Positive Quotes Add to Favorite List

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.

- Chinese proverb | Positive Quotes Add to Favorite List

A man's fortune must first be changed from within.

- Chinese proverb | Creating Positive Change Quotes Add to Favorite List

If Heaven made him, earth can find some use for him.

- Chinese proverb | Right Quotes Add to Favorite List

One cannot manage too many affairs: like pumpkins in the water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other.

- Chinese proverb | Goals Quotes


Never try to catch two frogs with one hand.

- Chinese proverb | Goals Quotes


He that is afraid to shake the dice will never throw a six.

- Chinese proverb | Success and Happiness Quotes


A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

- Chinese proverb | Getting Going Quotes


The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.



Words are mere bubbles of water, but deeds are drops of gold.



He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg.



A bird can roost but on one branch. A mouse can drink no more than its fill from a river.

- Chinese proverb | Concentration Quotes


It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

- Chinese proverb | Time Quotes


The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.



A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.



Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

- Chinese proverb | Failures and Mistakes Quotes


Always take an emergency leisurely.

- Chinese proverb | Events Quotes


Don't curse the darkness - light a candle.

- Chinese proverb | Events Quotes


With true friends . . . even water drunk together is sweet enough.

- Chinese proverb | Friends Quotes


Behind an able man there are always other able men.

- Chinese proverb | Ability Quotes


Never answer a letter while you are angry.

- Chinese proverb | Anger Quotes


Blessings never come in pairs; misfortunes never come alone.

- Chinese proverb | Blessing Quotes


Better be too credulous than too skeptical

- Chinese proverb | Credulity Quotes



- Chinese proverb | Happy Quotes It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

- Chinese proverb | Dark Quotes


Home > List of Chinese proverbs First Prev [ 1 2 3 4 ] Next Las t Wikiquote:Chinese proverbs These are the humble beginnings of a collection of Chinese proverbs (歇後語 in pinyin: xie4 hou4 yu3; 諺語 yan4 yu3) and idioms, given in (and sorted by) pinyin transcription. Formulaic saying/expressions (成語 cheng2 yu3 -- "to become a saying") are known as four-character idioms (exceptions exist in the number of characters, though the majority are four). Wide differences in pronunciation exist between the dialect-languages for the more or less uniform writing system in the Chinese languages. Some proverbs and idioms come from written documents, and thus would be accessible to most Chinese today. Many other expressions, however, develop around a rhyme or rhythm of intonation, and because the verbal distinction is tied to the regional dialect, such a proverb or idiom would not necessarily be understood or used outside of that region. But there are no clear geographical boundaries of dialect (particularly so today as the Chinese population becomes increasingly mobile), so it is difficult to sort the following proverbs by region. Some proverbs are literary, that is, from a written source. (See the historical written language or the more modern written language.) Others originated among families, street vendors, and other commoners.

1 Mandarin proverbs The following proverbs are sorted alphabetically by their pinyin. If you know the literary source, please add it! Also add other pronunciations if you know them. 百世修來同船渡，千載修得共枕眠百世修来同船渡，千载修得共枕眠 (pinyin: bai3 shi4 xiu1 lai2 tong2 chuan2 du4, qian1 zai4 xiu1 de gong4 zhen3 mian2)  Literally: It takes hundreds of reincarnations to bring two persons to ride on the same boat; it takes a thousand eons to bring two persons to share the same pillow.  Moral: It is fate and yuanfen that brings two persons together, value an encounter and treasure a relationship.  Note: These two phrases do not rhyme, but have parallel grammatical structure, i.e, subject to subject, verbA verb is a part of speech that usually denotes action ("bring", "read"), occurrence ("to decompose" (itself), "to glitter"), or a state of being ("exist", "live", "soak", "stand"). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many fact to verb, etc.



Usage: Sometimes used in marriage counselling to advise the couples having problems to resolve it, before making any hasty decisions.l

冰封三尺，絕非一日之寒冰封三尺，绝非一日之寒 (pinyin: bing1 feng1 san3 chi3, jue2 fei1 yi2 ri4 zhi1 han2)  Literally: Three feetA foot is a non- SI unit of distance or length. The popular belief is that original standard was the length of a man's foot. The average foot length is about 240 mm (9. 4 in) for current Europeans. About 996 of 1000 British men have a foot that is less th of iceIce is the solid form of water. The phase transition occurs when liquid water is cooled below 0 °C (273. 15 K, 32 °F) at standard atmospheric pressure. Ice can be formed at higher temperatures in pressurized environments, and water will remain a liquid or does not result from one day of cold weatherWeather comprises all the various phenomena that occur in the atmosphere of a planet. On Earth the regular events include wind, storms, rain, and snow, which occur in the troposphere or the lower part of the atmosphere. Weather is driven by energy from th.  Moral: Trouble, for example, in a relationship, indicates a long history of problems. 此地无银三百两，隔壁阿二不曾偷此地无银三百两，隔壁阿二不曾偷 (ci3 di4 wu2 yin2 san1 bai3 liang3, ge2 bi4 a1 er4 bu4 ceng2 tou1)  Literally: There isn't a stash of three hundred liang ( Chinese unit of silverThis page is about Silver the element. For the color, see Silver Silver is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ag ( L. Argentum and atomic number 47. A soft white lustrous transition metal, silver has the highest electrical and th) below this spot; your neighbor Aher did not steal them  Moral: A nervous heart is prone to mistakes; overkill will worsen a situation rather than bettering it.  Note: The original story concerns a man who had hid several piles of silver beneath the earth with the only indication being that of a sign suggesting that no silver was buried here. Naturally, the silver was stolen overnight, and the man awoke next morning to find a dug-up pile of dirt and a sign explaining why his neighbor could not be the culprit. 大水冲了龙王庙 (pinyin: da4 shui3 chong1 le long2 wang2 miao4)  Literally: massive amount of waterDrinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. The water (molecule) article describes water from a scientific and technical perspective. Water is an abundant substance on Earth. It exists in many forms, such as sea, rain, and flooded the dragon-king temple  Moral: Misunderstandings may bring about adverse and unforseen consequences.



Explanation: the dragon-king is a mystical creature that lives underwater and controls the natural bodies of water. People visit the dragon-king temple to placate him and prevent floods, thus his temple being destroyed by the very forces which he controls is a situational irony.

畫蛇添足画蛇添足 (pinyin: hua4 she2 tian1 zu2)  Literary Source: Zhan Guo Ce - Qi Ce (lit. Strategies of Qi)  Literally: Adding legs when painting a snake.  Moral: Don't ruin your work by an unnecessary addition.  English: Gilding the Lily (a Lily having its own natural beauty would not be improved by gold-plating). 空穴来风未必无因 (pinyin: kong1 xue4 lai2 feng2 wei4 bi4 wu2 yin1)  Literally: if wind comes from an empty cave, it may not be without reason.  Moral: Most seemingly strange events and actions have logical explanations. 老驥伏櫪，志在千里老骥伏枥，志在千里 (pinyin: lao3 ji4 fu2 li4, zhi4 zai4 qian1 li3)  Literary Source: From Cao Cao's poem 《步出夏門行》- 龜雖壽  Literally: The old horse in the stable still wants to run 1000 li 1.  Moral: Don't underestimate those with experience, people of great age may possess great ambitions and potential.  Note: 'stable' and 'li' rhyme in Mandarin 1

li: a Chinese unit of linear measure which corresponds to about a half kilometer 路遥知马力，日久见人心 (pinyin: lu4 yao2 zhi1 ma3 li4, ri4 jiu3 jian4 ren2 xin1)  Literary Source: From Song dynasty - 陳元靚《事林廣記》  Literally: Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long time, you learn about the true character of your friend.  Usage: This can be used positively to praise a true friend; or negatively to criticize friends that could not stand a test. 人要面，樹要皮人要面，树要皮 (pinyin: ren2 yao4 lian3, shu4 yao4 pi2)  Literally: a person needs a face; a tree needs bark  Meaning: a person needs a clean reputation to survive.  Note: Face here is used metaphorically as the face (social custom).  Usage: when someone behaves dishonorably (once or repeatedly), it can be said directly to that person as admonishment (as parents to an child).

肉包子打狗;一去不回头 (pinyin: rou4 bao1 zi da3 gou3, yi2 qu4 bu4 hui2 tou2)  Literally: hit a dog with a meat bun, it does not return.  Interpretation: the dog is driven away, but the bun is also gone.  Moral: don't act rashly to preserve what you have, you lose some of it anyway  Usage: when something is loaned away and one doesn't expect to get it back, or something is given in some exchange, but nothing is expected in return. 世上无难事，只怕有心人 (pinyin: shi4 shang4 you3 nan2 shi4 zhi3 pa4 you3 xing1 ren2)  Literally: On this world there exists no such impossible tasks, they fear only those with perseverance.  Moral: No task in this world is impossible so long as there are willing hearts. 樹倒猢猻散树倒猢狲散 (pinyin: shu4 dao3 hu2 sun1 san4)  Literally: when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter.  Usage: When a leader loses power, his followers become disorganized. This proverb is anti- anarchistic. 水能载舟亦能覆舟 (pinyin: shui3 neng2 zai4 zhou1, yi4 neng2 fu4 zhou1)  Literally: Not only can water can float a craft, it can sink it also.  Moral: There are opposite aspects of any tool or power.  Note: This concept is related to yin-yang. 司马昭之心, 路人皆知 (pinyin: si1 ma3 zhao1 zhi1 xin1, lu3 ren2 jie1 zhi1)  Literally: Even the pedestrians know the ambitions of Sima Zhao.  Moral: Evil plots of an ambitious person are widely known.  Usage: Showing disapproval of an ambitious person.  Source: Biography of the "Duke of Noble Town" (Gongguixiang Gong Zhuan) in the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms. Cao Mao, emperor of the Kingdom of Wei, raged to his few trusted officials about Sima Zhao's ambition to take the throne. 天下乌鸦一样黑 (pinyin: tian1 xia4 wu1 ya1 yi2 yang4 hei1)  Literally: All crows in the world are black.  Meanings: There are several possible interpretations: 1. A natural interpretation: Some rules, like those natural forces of the Universe, are unbendable, regardless how much you may want it to change. 2. A stereotypical interpretation: something or someone (bad) is no different from all the others (e.g., All government officials are corrupt, all lawyers are snakes, etc.).

星星之火可以燎原 (pinyin: xing1 xing1 zhi1 huo3 ke3 yi3 liao2 yuan2)  Literally: a spark can start a fire that burns the entire prairie.  Moral: don't underestimate the potential destructive power that a seemingly minor problem can spread. 熊瞎子摘苞米，摘一个丢一个 (pinyin: xiong2 xia1 zi zhai1 bao1 mi3, zhai1 yi2 ge4 diu1 yi2 ge4)  Literally: blind bear picks corn, picks one and throws one  Meaning: Inability to appreciate what you have. 淹耳盜鈴掩耳盗铃 (pinyin: yan3 er3 dao4 ling2)  Literally: covering one's ear when pilfering a bell  Moral: Fooling oneself by ignoring the facts.  Note: this is an example of a four-character idiom. The story behind it said a stupid thief covered his ear when he stole a bell, believing that no one could hear the bell when he could not. 也要馬兒好，也要馬兒不吃草也要马儿好，也要马儿不吃草 (pinyin: ye3 yao4 ma3 er2 hao3, ye3 yao4 ma3 er2 bu4 chi1 cao3)  Literally: want the horse to be the best, also want the horse not to eat any hay  Moral: You can't have your cake and eat it too (English equivalent)  Usage: someone has an unrealistic expectation.  Note: 'best' and 'hay' rhyme in Mandarin 有志者，事竟成有志者，事竟成 (pinyin: you3 zhi4 zhe, shi4 jing4 cheng2)  Literally: If a person has stamina, things will be accomplished  Moral: If you keep working, you will have success. 玉不琢不成器 (pinyin: yu4 bu4 zhuo2 bu4 chen2 qi4)  Literally: Jade requires chiselling before becoming a gem.  Moral: a person needs training and discipline to build character. 斬草不除根，春風吹又生斩草不除根，春风吹又生 (pinyin: zhan3 cao3 bu4 chu2 gen1, chun1 feng1 chui1 you4 sheng1)  Literally: If the roots are not removed during weeding, the weeds return next spring.  Moral: It is essential to finish a task thoroughly or the effort would be wasted, or a stitch in time saves nine (approximate English equivalent).

知子莫若父 (pinyin: zhi1 zi3 mo3 ru2 fu4)  Literally: no one knows a son better than the father.  Moral: Having spent decades with each other, family members know what type of persons each others are. "Sons" and "fathers" also apply to the female equivalents.  Usage: Character witness in a trial. Despite his/her denial, an honest parent can tell if their children are capable of heinous crimes, like murder.

2 Cantonese proverbs sorted alphabetically by the penkyamp, a Cantonese Romanization. 好心冇好報，好柴燒爛灶 (penkyamp: How2 samp1 mow5 how2 bow3, how2 cai4 siu1 lan6 zow3)  Meaning: Good deeds may not be rewarded; even good firewood may ruin the stove.  Note: 'reward' and 'stove' rhyme in Cantonese.  Note: 冇 is used only in Cantonese and corresponds with Mandarin 没有 (without). 寧教人打仔，莫教人分妻 (penkyamp: Nenk4 gau3 yant4 fant1 cay1, mog6 gau3 yant4 da2 zay2)  Literally: It is okay to teach someone how to discipline a child, but don't teach how to divorce one's wife.  Note: 'child' and 'wife' rhyme in Cantonese 妻賢夫禍少，損友狗不如 (penkyamp: Cay1 yin4 fu1 wo6 siu2, sont2 yaw2 gaw2 bat1 yeu4)  Literally: With a good wife, the husband won't get in trouble; a bad friend is worse than a dog. 千金難買心頭好 (penkyamp: Cin1 gamp1 nan4 mai5 samp1 taw4 how2)  Literally: A thousand pieces of gold may not buy you what you like.  Moral: Money isn't everything. 事急馬行田 (penkyamp: Si6 gap1 ma5 hang4 tin4)  Literally: In case of emergency, the horse (馬) can move in the field (田).  Explanation: This is in reference to the rules in Chinese Chess. Normally the horse piece can only move in the 'sun' character (日 or a 1×2 rectangle) pattern.  Moral: In an emergency, one can break the rules.

狗上瓦坑有條路 (penkyamp: Gaw2 seong5 nga5 hang1 yaw5 tiu4 low6)  Literally: When a dog climbs to the roof, it takes its usual path.  Meaning: A villain uses his usual tricks, or behaves like any other villain.  Usage: often used to imply an improper relationship, such as adultery. 天上雷公地下舅公 (penkyamp: Tin1 seong6 loy4 gonk1, dey6 seong6 kaw5 gonk1)  Literally: In heaven, there is the thunder god; on earth, there is brother of your mother.  Explanation: In the old Chinese social hierarchy, one can be disciplined by the brothers of one's mother. Even the parents could not spoil a child in front of that uncle. 樹大有枯枝，族大有乞兒 (penkyamp: Seu6 dai6 yaw5 fu1 zi1, zok6 dai6 yaw5 hat1 yi1)  Literally: On a big tree, there are dead branches; in a big clan, there are beggars.  Note: 'branch' and 'beggar' rhyme in Cantonese 秤不離鉈 (penkyamp: Cenk3 bat1 ley4 to4)  Literally: a steelyard always goes with the weights.  Usage: X always goes with Y. 落地喊三聲，好醜命生成 (penkyamp: Log6 dey6 ham3 sam1 seng1, how2 caw2 meng6 sang1 seng4)  Literally: When a baby is born, after the third wail, its good or bad fate is determined.  Moral: There is no free will, your fate is pre-determined.  Note: The last syllable of the two phrases rhyme in Cantonese 風吹雞蛋殼，財散人安樂 (penkyamp: Fonk1 coy1 gay1 dan2 hog3, coi4 san3 yant4 ngon1 log6)  Literally: Like wind blows on egg shells, when the money is gone a person feels light (at ease).  Moral: Money is a burden.  Usage: This is usually used by a gambler who just lost all his money, but needs a philosophy to make themselves feel better.  Note: the last syllables of the two phrases rhyme in Cantonese 冤豬頭都會遇到聞鼻菩薩 (penkyamp: Yeun1 zeu1 taw4 dow1 wui5 yeu6 dow2 mank4 bey6 pow4 sad3)  Literally: Even a rotten pig head for offering will someday meet a bodhisattva with stuffed nose.  Moral: Regardless of any shortcoming, there will be someone who doesn't mind.



Usage: Usually used in the context of matchmaking.

夫妻本是同林鳥，大難臨頭各自飛 (penkyamp: Fu1 cay1 bun2 si6 tonk4 lamp4 niu5, dai6 nan6 lamp4 taw4 gog3 zi6 fey1)  Literally: Husband and wife are like birds in the woods, when trouble comes, they flee separately.  Explanation: This view reflects the lack of love in arranged marriages in ancient China. 兒女眼前冤，夫妻渡客船 (penkyamp: Yi4 noy5 ngan5 cin4 yeun1, fu1 cay1 dow6 hag3 seun4)  Literally: Children are eye sores; marriage is like an encounter on a ferry.  Meaning: Marriages sometimes lead to disasters.  Note: 'eye sore' and 'boat' rhyme in Cantonese 兄弟如手足，夫婦如衣服 (penkyamp: Henk1 day6 yeu4 saw2 zok1, fu1 fu5 yeu4 yi1 fok6)  Literally: Brothers are like arms and legs; husband and wife are like clothing  Meaning: You're stuck with your family, but it's easy to change your spouse.  Note: 'leg' and 'clothes' rhyme in Cantonese

3 Hakka proverbs The Hakka proverbs are sorted by the number of strokes (few to many). Please add Hakka pronunciations Initial source: 客家諺語 (Hakka Proverbs) 一下雷鳴天下知  Literally: When the thunder rumbles once, all the world under heaven immediately knows.  Moral: When one acts, s/he shouldn't expect that it will be kept a secret forever. 一世作官三世絕  Literally: Having an official in one generation would cause misfortune for the next three generations.  Moral: Regardless how virtuous an official is, s/he is bound to offend some people, and hence causing his/her descendants hardship.

乞食仔唱山歌  Literally: Poor man sings folk songs.  Moral: Poverty does not mean an absolute lack of joy. 大目娘看不到灶頭  Literally: Big-eyed lady doesn't see the stove.  Moral: Everyone, even the best of us, can be careless sometimes. 老鼠尋貓公  Literally: Mouse seeks Mr. Cat.  Usage: Self-destructive thoughts or acts; looking purposefully for an unfortunate end. 沒節的竹筒  Literally: Bamboo containers without the joints.  Explanation: Empty on both ends; the container can't hold anything without the joints  Usage I: getting busy all over nothing.  Usage II: Jook-sing 供子身，冇供子心  Literally: Provide the offspring with bodies, but not the hearts.  Moral: Even though one is born of parents, his/her thoughts are his/her own, not of the parents. Parents can only influence their children to a certain extent. 行莫嫖，坐莫賭  Literally: walk don't visit prostitutes; sit don't gamble.  Moral: Be virtuous not just in public, but in private as well. 你有初一，我有十五  Literally: You have the first day of the month, I the fifteenth.  Moral: Everyone has their own talent that will be useful one day or another.  comment: (Similar to the English proverb of "Every dog has his day".)  comment: Similar to (Everyone gets) 15 minutes of Fame ( Andy Warhol). 妻賢子肖父之寬  Literally: Wife virtuous, son filial, father lenient.  Moral: The proper behavior of each family member to the others is determined by blood relationship. 食兩粒黃豆仔，就想要學人上西天  Literally: Eating two yellow beans, then wanting to go up to heaven like the others.



Usage: when someone is setting unrealistic goals without regard to their ability; or someone is exaggerating their ability to others (boasting)

骨頭剁圈都冇  Literally: When chopping the bones, there isn't even a circle (?).  Usage: There is not one bit of substance. 清官難斷家務事  Literally: Virtuous official finds it hard to pass judgements on domestic affairs.  Moral: In a domestic disagreement, neither party is ever clearly right or clearly wrong. 麻布做衫  Literally: Using hempen cloth to make gowns.  Usage: Easily seen-through, transparent actions or objects. 買鹹魚放生  Literally: Buy a salted fish and set it free.  Usage: so ignorant that they can't tell dead from alive. 遊遊野野  Literally: Wander, wander; wild, wild.  Usage: someone has nothing to do and wanders around.  English: (perhaps) Footloose and fancy-free (without life commitments or lifestyle constraints). 藥方三抄毒死人  Literally: The medicine from a recipe that has been copied three times (one after another) can kill people.  Moral: Excessive enthusiasm can be counterproductive despite its good intention.  Moral: The content of something can be greatly changed when it is imperfectly transferred repeatedly. Don't tell rumors. (see Chinese whisper) 騙鬼穿簑衣  Literally: Cheat the ghosts by wearing clothes made of leaves.  Usage: warn others that someone is not easily deceived. (?) 爛泥扶不上壁  Literally: Mud doesn't support the wall.  Moral: Some people who are ill-equipped by nature are just not destined for greatness  Usage: be realistic.

爛鼓好救月  Literally: Broken drums can save moons as well.  Moral: Even the aged people and objects have purposes. 攫頭底下出黃金  Literally: Grasp gold from beneath the head.  Usage: Having practical purpose. (?) 變頭變面  Literally: Change head, change face.  Usage: Very angry. 窮人莫斷豬，富人莫斷書  Literally: Poor men don't stop feeding the pigs, rich men don't stop studying.  Usage: don't drop the skill and means that can keep your livelihood.

4 Taiwanese language proverbs Initial source: 台語俗諺 (Taiwanese language proverbs) 惡馬惡人騎，胭脂馬遇著關老爺 (ok1 ve4 ok1 lang6 kia2, en6 zi6 ve4 du1 dior3 guan6 lor1 ia2)  Literally: Vicious horses have vicious riders; a rogue horse encounters Lord Guan Qingtian .  Usage: No matter how ferocious -- or untamed for an animal -- you are, there is always a match who excels you, and often, controls your life. 一句毋知，百項無代 (zit5 gu4 m3 zai1, ba4 hang6 vor6/3 dai6)  Literally: Ignorant of one phrase, and there won't be anything [wrong] with the hundreds of the matters  Usage: Some people think that by accepting no responsibility, they would not get into troubles with the law. 父母疼囝長流水，囝想父母樹尾風 (be3 vu4 tiann4 giann4 dng6 lau6 zui4, giann4 siunn3 be3 vu4 ciu3 vue1 hong1)  Literally: The parental love for children is lengthy like the stream, but the children only think of the parents like the wind on the edge of a tree.  Usage: Filial piety is often not as reciprocal and as much as the parental love, especially when the children are young and unappreciative.  English (similar): "How sharper than a serpent's tooth is an ungrateful child" - Shakespeare. 打虎親兄弟 (pa4 ho4 cin6 hiann6 di6.)  Literally: To club a tiger, it takes blood brothers.

 

Usage: With family, one can accomplish even the most difficult task. Note: Heroes defeating ferocious tigers that eat livestock and even human beings is the theme to various Chinese literature, such as The Water Margin.

惦惦較冇虻 (diam3 diam6 ka4 vr6 vang4)  Literally: Accompanied with silence is less mosquitoes.  Usage: If what one wishes is little attention, talk little. To avoid getting into an unnecessary quarrels, do not speak more than you need to. Perseverance is productive.  English: A closed mouth gathers no flies.  English: Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (The Holy Bible: King James Version, The Proverbs 17:28) 做甲流汗嫌甲流瀾 (zor4 ga4 lau6 guann6，hiam6 ga4 lau6 nuann6.)  Literally: It takes sweat to work on things, but it only takes saliva to criticize things.  Usage: Criticism of others' hard work should be considerate, constructive and limited, and not free-flowing, since by not physically doing it, one cannot appreciate the difficulty of a task.

Chinese Proverbs

Recommend Documents