Chinese Proverbs About Life & Wisdom — Page 2

Zǎocān chī hǎo, wǔcān chī bǎo, wǎncān chī shǎo

"Eat a good breakfast, eat a full lunch, eat a light dinner"

Qiáo guī qiáo, lù guī lù

"A bridge returns to being a bridge, a road returns to being a road"

Xiōngdì tóngxīn, qí lì duàn jīn

"When brothers share the same heart, their sharpness can cut through gold"

Sǐ le Zhāng túfū, bù chī hùn máo zhū

"Even if Zhang the butcher dies, we won't eat pork with hair still on it"

Bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ

"Things so different they cannot be compared"

Shě bu de háizi tào bu zhù láng

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained"

Rén bù kě mào xiàng

"Do not judge people by their outward appearance"

Yǒu yǎn bù shí Tài Shān

"To have eyes yet fail to recognize Mount Tai."

Shèn zhōng rú shǐ

"Be careful at the end as at the beginning"

Dà yì shī Jīngzhōu

"Carelessness caused the loss of Jingzhou"

Lǐ yú tiào lóng mén

"The carp leaps over the Dragon Gate"

Chē dào shān qián bì yǒu lù

"When the cart reaches the mountain, there will surely be a road"

Māo kū lǎo shǔ

"The cat cries over the mouse"

Yù qín gù zòng

"Want to catch, therefore release"

Qín zéi xiān qín wáng

"To catch thieves, first catch the king"

Fǔ chē xiāng yī

"Cheek and jawbone depend on each other"

Bàn lù lǐ shā chū gè Chéng Yǎojīn

"An unexpected challenger emerges midway"

Chǔ cái Jìn yòng

"Chu talent used by Jin"

Chéng mén shī huǒ, yāng jí chí yú

"When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer disaster"

Ní pú sà guò jiāng — zì shēn nán bǎo

"A clay bodhisattva crossing the river — can barely protect itself"

Wéi rén bù zuò kuī xīn shì, bànyè qiāomén xīn bù jīng

"If you don't do things that shame your conscience, your heart won't panic when someone knocks at midnight"

Cōngmíng zài yú qínfèn, tiāncái zài yú jīlěi

"Cleverness lies in diligence; genius lies in accumulation"

Yī dài jiàn kuān zhōng bù huǐ, wèi yī xiāo dé rén qiáo cuì

"My clothes grow loose yet I regret not; for her I have wasted away to emaciation."

Yī bùrú xīn, rén bùrú gù

"Clothes are best when new, but people are best when old"

bèn niǎo xiān fēi

"The clumsy bird flies first"

Chū shēng rù sǐ

"Coming forth into life, entering death"

Rén bǐ rén, qì sǐ rén

"Comparing people makes you angry enough to die"

Kǒng Fūzǐ bān jiā — jìng shì shū (shū)

"Confucius moves house — nothing but books (a pun: 'books' sounds identical to 'losses')"

Shèng rén zhě yǒu lì, zì shèng zhě qiáng

"He who conquers others has strength; he who conquers himself is mighty"

Páo Dīng jiě niú

"Cook Ding carving an ox"

Zhào hú lu huà piáo

"Copying the gourd to draw the dipper."

Zhèng rén xiān zhèng jǐ

"To correct others, first correct yourself"

Fūqī méiyǒu géyè chóu

"Husbands and wives have no grudges that last overnight"

Lǐ shàng wǎng lái

"Courtesy demands reciprocity"

Guò wǔ guān, zhǎn liù jiàng

"Crossing five mountain passes and slaying six enemy generals"

Lěi luǎn zhī wēi

"The danger of eggs piled atop one another"

Bù gǎn yuè léi chí yī bù

"Afraid to overstep established boundaries"

Gǎn zuò gǎn dāng

"Dare to act, dare to bear the responsibility"

Sǐ mǎ dāngzuò huó mǎ yī

"Treat a dead horse as if it were alive"

Sǐ zhū bù pà kāi shuǐ tàng

"A dead pig does not fear scalding water"

Rén sǐ rú dēng miè

"When a person dies, it is like a lamp being extinguished"

Sǐ yǒu zhòng yú Tài Shān, huò qīng yú hóng máo

"Death may be heavier than Mount Tai, or lighter than a goose feather"

Rén gù yǒu yī sǐ, huò zhòng yú Tài Shān, huò qīng yú hóng máo

"Every person must die; some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, others lighter than a goose feather"

Ér sūn zì yǒu ér sūn fú, mò wèi ér sūn zuò mǎ niú

"Children and grandchildren have their own fortune; do not be a horse or ox for them"

Dàjiā dōu shì mìng, bàn diǎn bù yóu rén

"Everything is fate; not a half-point is up to us"

Lín kě jué jǐng

"Digging a well when you're already thirsty"

qín fèn chū tiān cái

"Hard work produces genius"

Rén qín dì shēng bǎo, rén lǎn dì shēng cǎo

"When a person is diligent, the earth produces treasure; when a person is lazy, the earth produces weeds"

Huò cóng kǒu chū

"Disaster exits through the mouth"

Lù yáo zhī mǎ lì, rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn

"A long journey tests a horse's strength; time reveals a person's true character"