Chinese Wisdom & Philosophy — Page 13

Guǎn zhōng kuī bào

"Viewing a leopard through a bamboo tube"

Dé bù gū, bì yǒu lín

"Virtue is not isolated; it necessarily has neighbors"

Jī shàn zhī jiā, bì yǒu yú qìng

"A family that accumulates goodness will surely have abundant blessings"

Shǒu zhū dài tù

"Stand by a tree stump waiting for hares"

Fàn hòu bǎi bù zǒu, huó dào jiǔ shí jiǔ

"Take a hundred steps after a meal, and you will live to ninety-nine"

Wáng pó mài guā, zì mài zì kuā

"Wang Po sells melons and praises them himself"

Wáng Xiǎoèr guò nián — yī nián bù rú yī nián

"Wang Xiaoer celebrates the new year — each year worse than the last"

Ruò yào rén bù zhī, chúfēi jǐ mò wéi

"If you want others not to know, you must not do it yourself"

Cuō tuó suì yuè

"Letting the years slip by in idleness"

Shuǐ néng zài zhōu, yì néng fù zhōu

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it"

Shuǐ zhì qīng zé wú yú

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish"

Jìn shuǐ lóu tái xiān dé yuè

"A pavilion near the water gets the moonlight first"

Huáng shǔ láng gěi jī bài nián——méi ān hǎo xīn

"A weasel pays a New Year's call to a chicken—it has no good intentions"

Lín yuān xiàn yú, bùrú tuì ér jié wǎng

"Standing by the deep pool envying the fish is not as good as retreating to weave a net"

Jǐng shuǐ bù fàn hé shuǐ

"Well water does not intrude upon river water"

Xiāng rǔ yǐ mò, bù rú xiāng wàng yú jiāng hú

"Wetting each other with spit is not as good as forgetting each other in the rivers and lakes"

Xíng ér shàng zhě wèi zhī dào, xíng ér xià zhě wèi zhī qì

"What is above form is called the Dao; what is within form is called the vessel"

Mìng lǐ yǒu shí zhōng xū yǒu, mìng lǐ wú shí mò qiáng qiú

"What is destined to be yours will eventually be yours; what is not destined cannot be obtained through force"

Tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù, dé lái quán bù fèi gōng fu

"Wearing out iron shoes searching without finding, then it comes without any effort at all"

Tiān jiāng jiàng dà rèn yú shì rén yě

"When heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person"

Māo kū lǎo shǔ jiǎ cí bēi

"When the cat cries over the mouse, it is fake mercy"

Shàng liáng bù zhèng xià liáng wāi

"When the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked"

Yuān yuān xiāng bào hé shí liǎo

"When will vengeance upon vengeance finally end?"

Yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng

"For those with determination, success will eventually follow."

Dào shénme shān shàng chàng shénme gē

"On whichever mountain, sing that mountain's song"

Bù guǎn bái māo hēi māo, zhuā zhù lǎo shǔ jiù shì hǎo māo

"Regardless of whether it's a white cat or black cat, if it catches mice, it's a good cat"

Bái jū guò xì

"A white colt passes a crevice"

Jì dāng biǎo zi yòu lì pái fāng

"Being a whore and erecting a chastity arch"

Fēng chuī yún dòng xīng bù dòng, shuǐ zhǎng chuán gāo àn bù yí

"The wind blows and clouds move, but the stars remain fixed; the water rises and the boat goes higher, but the shore does not shift"

jiǔ ròu péng yǒu

"Fair-weather friends"

Jiǔ féng zhījǐ qiān bēi shǎo, huà bù tóujī bàn jù duō

"With a kindred spirit, a thousand cups of wine are too few; when conversation doesn't click, half a sentence is too much"

Jiǔ ròu péngyǒu hǎo zhǎo, huànnàn zhī jiāo nán féng

"Wine-and-meat friends are easy to find; friends in adversity are hard to meet"

Jiǔ féng zhījǐ yǐn, shī xiàng huì rén yín

"Drink wine only with those who understand you; recite poetry only to those who can appreciate it"

Dōng chī luóbo xià chī jiāng, bú yòng yīshēng kāi yàofāng

"Eat radish in winter, ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor's prescription"

Jīng yī shì, zhǎng yī zhì

"Experience one thing, gain one wisdom"

Bù jīng yī shì, bù zhǎng yī zhì

"Without experiencing a matter, one does not gain wisdom from it"

Zhì zhě yào shuǐ, rén zhě yào shān

"The wise take joy in water; the benevolent take joy in mountains"

Hǎohàn bù chī yǎnqián kuī

"A brave man doesn't take a loss right before his eyes"

Shí shíwù zhě wéi jùnjié

"Those who understand the times are true heroes"

Yuàn dé yī xīn rén, bái tóu bù xiāng lí

"Longing for a soulmate to grow old with"

Hèn tiě bù chéng gāng

"Resentful that iron does not become steel"

Yǒu lǐ zǒu biàn tiānxià, wú lǐ cùnbù nánxíng

"With reason on your side, you can travel everywhere; without reason, you cannot take a single step"

Gōng suì shēn tuì, tiān zhī dào

"When the work is done, withdraw — this is the way of heaven"

Rén wú xìn bù lì

"Without trust, a person cannot stand"

Yán ér wú xìn, bù zhī qí kě

"If someone speaks without keeping their word, one cannot know what they are capable of"

Yáng máo chū zài yáng shēn shàng

"The wool comes from the sheep's own body"

Yán bì xìn, xíng bì guǒ

"Keep your word and follow through with action"

tiān xià wū yā yī bān hēi

"Crows everywhere are equally black"

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

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

Yèláng zì dà

"Yelang considers itself great"