Chinese Proverbs About Life & Wisdom — Page 6

Bǎi chǐ gān tóu, gèng jìn yī bù

"Even from the top of a hundred-foot pole, take one step further"

Bǎi lǐ bù tóng fēng, qiān lǐ bù tóng sú

"Within a hundred li the wind differs; within a thousand li customs differ"

Shāng qí shí zhǐ, bùrú duàn qí yī zhǐ

"Hurting ten of their fingers is not as good as breaking one of their fingers"

Cǐ chù bù liú yé, zì yǒu liú yé chù

"If this place doesn't keep me, there will naturally be a place that will"

Nán dé hú tú

"It is rare to be confused; hard to attain muddle-headedness"

Bìng cóng kǒu rù, huò cóng kǒu chū

"Illness enters through the mouth; disaster exits through the mouth"

Bìng cóng kǒu rù

"Illness enters through the mouth"

Xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòufu

"An impatient heart cannot eat hot tofu"

Shí nián shù mù, bǎi nián shù rén

"It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to rear people"

Jiāng Tàigōng diào yú — yuàn zhě shàng gōu

"Jiang Taigong fishes — let the willing ones get hooked"

Zé rén zhī xīn zé jǐ, shù jǐ zhī xīn shù rén

"With the heart that blames others, blame yourself; with the heart that forgives yourself, forgive others"

Rénqíng hǎo sì chū xiāngshí, dào lǎo zhōng wú yuànhèn xīn

"Treat human relationships as if you've just met, and even in old age, you'll never harbor resentment"

Liú dé qīngshān zài, bù chóu méi chái shāo

"As long as the green mountain remains, there's no need to worry about firewood"

Liú dé qīngshān zài, bù pà méi chái shāo

"As long as the green mountain remains, there's no need to worry about firewood"

Liáng yán yī jù sān dōng nuǎn, è yǔ shāng rén liù yuè hán

"A kind word warms three winter months; a cruel word chills the sixth-month heat"

Gū jiù qīn, bèi bèi qīn

"Aunt and uncle's kinship lasts generation after generation"

Zhī zú bù rǔ

"Know contentment, suffer no disgrace"

Zhī cuò néng gǎi, shàn mò dà yān

"To recognize a mistake and correct it—no virtue is greater than this"

Zhī rén zhě zhì, zì zhī zhě míng

"He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened"

Zhī rén zhī miàn bù zhī xīn

"You can know a person and their face, but not their heart"

Míng zhī shān yǒu hǔ, piān xiàng hǔ shān xíng

"Knowing full well there's a tiger on the mountain, one still heads toward the tiger's mountain"

Zhī bù zhī, shàng yǐ; bù zhī zhī, bìng yě

"Knowing that you do not know is the highest; not knowing that you do not know is a disease"

Xiǎo bù rěn zé luàn dà móu

"If you cannot endure small things, you will disrupt great plans"

Qí shēn bú zhèng, suī lìng bù cóng

"If your own conduct is not upright, even if you give orders, they will not be followed"

Qiān niú yào qiān niú bízi

"To lead an ox, you must grab its nose"

Shàng xíng xià xiào

"Those above act, those below follow"

Yī yè zhàng mù, bù jiàn Tài Shān

"A single leaf blocks the eyes, and one cannot see Mount Tai"

Kào shān chī shān, kào shuǐ chī shuǐ

"Lean on the mountain, eat from the mountain; lean on the water, eat from the water"

Xué rú nì shuǐ xíng zhōu, bù jìn zé tuì

"Learning is like sailing a boat against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat"

Xué wú zhǐ jìng

"Learning has no bounds"

Wén dào yǒu xiānhòu, shùyè yǒu zhuāngōng

"Some hear the Way earlier than others; each has their own specialized field"

Kuān yǐ dài rén, yán yǐ lǜ jǐ

"Be generous toward others, but hold yourself to a higher standard"

Gǒu gǎi bù liǎo chī shǐ

"A dog can't stop eating excrement"

Shǎo shuō wéi miào

"Less said, better — silence is often the wisest choice"

Rén shēng rú mèng

"Life is like a dream"

Rén shēng wú cháng

"Life is impermanent"

Rén shēng kǔ duǎn, jí shí xíng lè

"Human life is brief and filled with hardship, so seek pleasure while you can"

Rén shēng yī shì, cǎo mù yī qiū

"A person lives for one lifetime; grass and trees last for one autumn"

Fū qīng nuò bì guǎ xìn

"Light promises surely result in few being kept"

zhì tóng dào hé

"Like-minded people with shared aspirations"

Gǒu yán cán chuǎn

"To drag out one's feeble existence; to linger on in one's last gasps"

Chún wáng chǐ hán

"When the lips are lost, the teeth feel cold"

Jiān tīng zé míng, piān xìn zé àn

"Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; trust only one side and you will be in the dark"

Shēng mǐ ēn, dǒu mǐ chóu

"A liter of rice creates gratitude; a bushel of rice creates enmity"

Dǒu mǐ ēn, shēng mǐ chóu

"A peck of rice is a kindness, a bushel of rice creates an enemy"

Huó zài dāng xià

"Exist fully in the here and now"

Gān dǎn xiāng zhào

"Show utter sincerity to one another; treat each other with complete openness"

Yǒu huà zé cháng, wú huà zé duǎn

"If you have something to say, speak at length; if not, keep it brief"

Kàn cài chī fàn, liàng tǐ cái yī

"Eat according to the dishes served, cut clothes according to the body"

gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā

"To look left and right and talk about something else"