Chinese Wisdom & Philosophy — Page 11

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"

Tánzhǐ yī huī jiān

"In the time it takes to snap one's fingers"

Yù bàng xiāng zhēng, yú wēng dé lì

"The snipe and the clam grapple; the fisherman catches both"

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"

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"

Chūnyǔ guì rú yóu

"Spring rain is as precious as oil"

Xūdù guāngyīn

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

Zhàn zhe máo kēng bù lā shǐ

"Occupying the latrine without taking a shit"

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"

Tuì yī bù hǎi kuò tiān kōng, rěn yī shí fēng píng làng jìng

"Step back and the ocean opens wide; endure for a moment and the winds calm, waves settle"

Jiān qiáng zhě sǐ zhī tú

"The stiff and rigid are disciples of death"

Yáng tāng zhǐ fèi, bùrú fǔ dǐ chōu xīn

"Stirring the soup to stop it from boiling is not as effective as removing the firewood from under the pot"

Shān zhōng yǒu zhí shù, shì shàng wú zhí rén

"In the mountains there are straight trees; in the world there are no straight people"

Yán shī chū gāo tú

"Strict teachers produce outstanding students"

yán yú lǜ jǐ, kuān yǐ dài rén

"Be strict with yourself, but generous in how you treat others"

Xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng

"The one who strikes first gains the advantage"

Chèn rè dǎ tiě

"Strike while the iron is hot"

Chū qí bù yì, gōng qí bù bèi

"Appear where the enemy does not expect; attack where they are unprepared"

Jí fēng zhī jìng cǎo, bǎn dàng shí chéng chén

"Strong winds reveal sturdy grass; turmoil identifies loyal ministers"

Bù zhàn ér qū rén zhī bīng, shàn zhī shàn zhě yě

"To subdue the enemy's troops without fighting is the highest of the high"

Rì yùn sāngēng yǔ, yuè yùn wǔshí fēng

"A halo around the sun means rain by midnight; a halo around the moon means wind by noon"

Shàng shàn ruò shuǐ

"The highest good is like water"

guā lǐ zhī xián

"Suspicion arising from being under a melon vine or plum tree"

Tóng gān gòng kǔ

"To share both the sweet and the bitter"

Qí jí rú fēng, qí xú rú lín

"Be swift like the wind, slow like the forest"

Bǎojiàn fēng cóng mólǐ chū, méihuā xiāng zì kǔhán lái

"The sword's edge emerges from grinding; the plum blossom's fragrance comes from bitter cold"

huì mò rú shēn

"to keep something strictly secret; to hush up a matter completely"

Chī kuī shì fú

"To suffer a loss is a blessing"

Tuō kù zi fàng pì

"Taking off one's pants to fart"

Zhàn zhe shuō huà bù yāo téng

"Standing and talking doesn't make your waist hurt"

Shī fu lǐng jìn mén, xiū xíng zài gè rén

"The master leads you to the door, but cultivation depends on the individual"

Chāi dōng qiáng, bǔ xī qiáng

"Tear down the east wall to patch up the west wall"

Wàn wù fù yīn ér bào yáng, chōng qì yǐ wéi hé

"The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang; the vital energy blends them into harmony"

Shí nián hé dōng, shí nián hé xī

"Ten years on the east bank, ten years on the west bank"

Yī rì zhī jì zài yú chén, yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn

"The plan for a day lies in the morning; the plan for a year lies in spring"

Shù yù jìng ér fēng bù zhǐ

"The tree wants to stay quiet, but the wind won't stop blowing"

Dào kě dào, fēi cháng dào

"The Way that can be spoken of is not the eternal Way"

Xì shuǐ cháng liú, yù zāi bù chóu

"A thin stream flows long; when disaster strikes, you won't worry"

Wù jí bì fǎn

"When things reach their extreme, they must reverse"