Chinese Proverbs About Life & Wisdom — Page 9

Yǐ dé bào yuàn

"Repay unkindness with kindness"

Tuì yībù hǎikuò tiānkōng

"Take a step back and the sea becomes vast, the sky boundless"

Làngzǐ huítóu jīn bù huàn

"A prodigal who turns back is worth more than gold"

Wēn gù ér zhī xīn

"Review the old and understand the new"

Qí lǘ kàn chàng běn — zǒu zhe qiáo

"Riding a donkey, reading the opera script — we'll see as we go"

Duì zhèng xià yào, liàng tǐ cái yī

"Prescribe medicine according to the symptoms, cut clothes according to the body"

Yǒu lǐ bù zài shēng gāo

"Being right doesn't depend on having a loud voice"

Hé yǒu liǎng àn, shì yǒu liǎng miàn

"A river has two banks; a matter has two sides"

Jiāng shān yì gǎi, bǐng xìng nán yí

"Rivers and mountains are easy to change; inherent nature is hard to shift"

Lù bù xíng bù dào, shì bù wéi bù chéng

"A road not traveled doesn't reach the destination; a task not done doesn't succeed"

Gǎn miàn zhàng chuī huǒ — yī qiào bù tōng

"Blowing fire through a rolling pin — not a single opening works"

Shéng jù mù duàn, shuǐ dī shí chuān

"The rope saw cuts through wood; water drops wear through stone"

Xiǔ mù bù kě diāo yě

"Rotten wood cannot be carved"

Jūn bù mì zé shī chén, chén bù mì zé shī shēn

"If a ruler is not discreet, they lose their ministers; if a minister is not discreet, they lose their life"

Yáoyán zhǐ yú zhìzhě

"Rumors stop at the wise person"

Shèng rén wú cháng xīn, yǐ bǎi xìng xīn wéi xīn

"The Sage has no fixed heart; takes the people's heart as their own"

Búshì yījiārén, bú jìn yījiāmén

"If not family, one doesn't enter the same door"

Shì wèi zhījǐ zhě sǐ, nǚ wèi yuè jǐ zhě róng

"A scholar dies for the one who truly understands him; a woman adorns herself for the one who appreciates her"

Gǒuqiě tōushēng

"To drag out an ignoble existence; to live on in degradation"

Fǎ bù chuán liù ěr

"Secrets should not pass six ears"

Jiàn xián sī qí yān, jiàn bù xián ér nèi zì xǐng yě

"When you see a worthy person, think of emulating them; when you see an unworthy person, examine yourself inwardly"

Bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn

"Direct experience outweighs secondhand knowledge"

Yù qiú shēng fùguì, xū xià sǐ gōngfu

"If you want living wealth and honor, you must put in deadly effort"

Zhī ēn tú bào

"Know the favor, plan to repay it"

Yǐ shēn zuò zé

"Lead by example; set the standard with your own conduct"

Yǒu fú tóng xiǎng, yǒu nàn tóng dāng

"Share blessings together, bear hardships together"

Mó dāo bú wù kǎn chái gōng

"Sharpening the axe does not delay the woodcutting work"

Gōng yù shàn qí shì, bì xiān lì qí qì

"If a craftsman wants to do his work well, he must first sharpen his tools"

chén mò shì jīn

"Silence is golden"

Bù míng zé yǐ, yī míng jīng rén

"Silent until the moment of spectacular revelation"

Jì lái zhī, zé ān zhī

"Since you have come, be at peace with it"

Jīng chéng suǒ zhì, jīn shí wéi kāi

"Where utmost sincerity arrives, metal and stone open."

Dú mù bù chéng lín, dān sī bù chéng xiàn

"A single tree doesn't make a forest; a single thread doesn't make a line"

Zuo shou yu li

"Sit and collect the fisherman's profit"

Zuò jǐng guān tiān

"Sitting in a well, looking at the sky"

Jìng zuò cháng sī jǐ guò, xián tán mò lùn rén fēi

"Sit quietly and often reflect on your own faults; in idle conversation, do not discuss others' wrongdoings"

Zuò yǒu zuò xiàng, zhàn yǒu zhàn xiàng

"Sit properly when sitting, stand properly when standing"

Màn gōng chū xì huó

"Slow work produces fine workmanship"

Xiǎo dòng bù bǔ, dà dòng chī kǔ

"If you don't patch a small hole, you'll suffer from the big hole"

Cōngmíng fǎn bèi cōngmíng wù

"Cleverness backfires; intelligence trips over itself"

Xiao yi xiao, shi nian shao; chou yi chou, bai le tou

"Smile a smile, ten years younger; worry a worry, white-haired head"

Bēi gōng shé yǐng

"The reflection of a bow in the cup mistaken for a snake"

Zǐ bù xián mǔ chǒu, gǒu bù xián jiā pín

"A son does not dislike his mother for being ugly; a dog does not dislike its home for being poor"

Ér xíng qiān lǐ mǔ dānyōu

"When the son travels a thousand miles, the mother worries"

Dé ráo rén chù qiě ráo rén

"Where you can spare others, do spare them"

Jiàn rén shuō rén huà, jiàn guǐ shuō guǐ huà

"When you see a person, speak human language; when you see a ghost, speak ghost language"

Féng rén qiě shuō sān fēn huà, wèi kě quán pāo yī piàn xīn

"When meeting people, speak only thirty percent; do not fully reveal your whole heart"

Féng rén zhǐ shuō sān fēn huà

"When meeting people, speak only thirty percent of your thoughts"

Xūdù guāngyīn

"To idly pass through time; to waste one's days"

Zhàn rú sōng, zuò rú zhōng, xíng rú fēng, wò rú gōng

"Stand like a pine, sit like a bell, walk like the wind, lie like a bow"