Chinese Proverbs About Life & Wisdom — Page 3

Yuǎn lái de héshang huì niàn jīng

"Monks from afar are better at chanting sutras"

Yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín

"A faraway relative is not as good as a nearby neighbor"

Qīn qi yuǎn lí xiāng, lín jū gāo dǎ qiáng

"Relatives smell fragrant from afar; neighbors build high walls"

Yuǎn shuǐ jiě bù liǎo jìn kě

"Distant water cannot quench a nearby thirst"

Yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ

"Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire."

Mò xìn zhí zhōng zhí, xū fáng rén bù rén

"Don't trust those who seem straightest; guard against those who appear most virtuous"

Dàn xíng hǎo shì, mò wèn qián chéng

"Just do good deeds, do not ask about the future"

Wù yǐ è xiǎo ér wéi zhī, wù yǐ shàn xiǎo ér bù wéi

"Do not do evil just because it is small; do not fail to do good just because it is small"

Wù yǐ shàn xiǎo ér bù wéi

"Do not fail to do good just because it seems small"

Jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī yú rén

"What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others"

Jìn rén shì, tīng tiān mìng

"Do your best as a human, listen to heaven's decree"

Gǒu yǎo Lǚ Dòngbīn, bù shí hǎo rén xīn

"The dog bites Lu Dongbin, not recognizing a good person's heart"

Lǘ chún bù duì mǎ zuǐ

"Donkey lips don't fit a horse's mouth"

Rén bù kě mào xiàng, hǎi shuǐ bù kě dǒu liáng

"People cannot be judged by their looks, just as seawater cannot be measured by the bushel"

Bié kàn zéi chīfàn, yào kàn zéi áidǎ

"Don't watch the thief eating; watch the thief getting beaten"

lóng shēng lóng, fèng shēng fèng, lǎo shǔ shēng ér huì dǎ dòng

"Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice beget offspring that can dig holes"

Jié zé ér yú

"Draining the pond to catch all the fish"

Huà lóng diǎn jīng

"Paint the dragon and dot its eyes"

Huà hǔ huà pí nán huà gǔ

"You can paint a tiger's skin, but it's hard to paint its bones"

Yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě

"Drinking poison to relieve thirst"

Yǐn shuǐ sī yuán

"When drinking water, think of the source"

Chī shuǐ bù wàng wā jǐng rén

"When drinking water, don't forget the person who dug the well"

Zuìwēng zhī yì bú zài jiǔ

"The drinker's intent is not on the wine"

shuǐ dī shí chuān

"Dripping water can hollow out stone"

Dī shuǐ chuān shí

"Dripping water wears through stone"

Gǎn yā zi shàng jià

"Forcing a duck to climb onto a roost"

Fàng xià tú dāo, lì dì chéng fó

"Put down the butcher's knife and instantly become a Buddha"

Shòu rén dī shuǐ zhī ēn, dāng yǐ yǒng quán xiāng bào

"When receiving the grace of a drop of water, repay it with a surging spring"

Dī shuǐ zhī ēn, yǒng quán xiāng bào

"The grace of a water drop, repay with a surging spring"

Zuì shēng mèng sǐ

"Drunk on life, dreaming in death"

Chén guī chén, tǔ guī tǔ

"Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth"

Niǎo zhī jiāng sǐ, qí míng yě āi; rén zhī jiāng sǐ, qí yán yě shàn

"When a bird is about to die, its cry is mournful; when a person is about to die, their words are kind"

Zǎo qǐ sān guāng, wǎn qǐ sān huāng

"Rise early and everything is bright; rise late and everything is rushed"

Shuō qǐlái róngyì zuò qǐlái nán

"Easier said than done"

Dōngfāng bù liàng xīfāng liàng, hēile nánfāng yǒu běifāng

"If the East isn't bright, the West will be; if the South goes dark, there's still the North"

Chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén

"Only by enduring the bitterest suffering can one become superior to others"

Shí bù yán, qǐn bù yǔ

"When eating, do not speak; when sleeping, do not talk"

Chī bù qióng, chuān bù qióng, suànji bù dào yī shì qióng

"Eating won't bankrupt you, clothing won't bankrupt you, but failing to plan will leave you poor for a lifetime"

Bā xiān guò hǎi, gè xiǎn shén tōng

"When the Eight Immortals crossed the sea, each displayed their unique magical abilities"

Bā gān zi dǎ bù zháo

"Cannot be reached even with eight poles"

Zhǎng xiōng rú fù, lǎo sǎo bǐ mǔ

"An elder brother is like a father; an elder sister-in-law is like a mother"

Xū huái ruò gǔ

"An empty heart like a valley"

Kōng chéng jì

"The strategy of the empty city"

Rěn yīshí fēngpíng làngjìng, tuì yībù hǎikuò tiānkōng

"Endure a moment and the winds calm, the waves settle; retreat a step and the sea is wide, the sky is vast"

Rěn yīshí fēngpíng làngjìng

"Endure for a moment, and the wind will settle, the waves will calm"

Bù shì yuān jiā bù jù tóu

"Only true adversaries are fated to encounter each other"

Rù guó wèn jìn, rù xiāng wèn sú

"When entering a country, ask about its prohibitions; when entering a village, ask about its customs"

Rù zhī lán zhī shì, jiǔ ér bù wén qí xiāng

"Entering a room of orchids, after a long time one no longer smells their fragrance"

Rù xiāng suí sú

"When you enter a village, follow its customs"

Zhǐ xiàn yuān yāng bù xiàn xiān

"True love is worth more than immortality"