Chinese Wisdom & Philosophy — Page 7

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"

Shā jī qǔ luǎn

"Kill the hen to take the eggs"

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"

Zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài

"Know yourself and know your enemy; in a hundred battles you will never be in danger"

Zhī zhī wéi zhī zhī, bù zhī wéi bù zhī

"To know what you know; to know what you do not know"

Zhī zhě bù yán, yán zhě bù zhī

"Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know"

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"

Péng zhī xǐ yú Nán míng yě, shuǐ jī sān qiān lǐ, tuán fú yáo ér shàng zhě jiǔ wàn lǐ

"When the peng bird journeys to the Southern Darkness, it beats the water for 3,000 li, then rises on the whirlwind 90,000 li"

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 ér shí xí zhī, bù yì yuè hū

"To learn, and at due times practice what you have learned — is this not a pleasure?"

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"

Xué ér bù sī zé wǎng, sī ér bù xué zé dài

"To learn and not think is confusion; to think and not learn is peril"

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 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"

Yè gōng hào lóng

"Lord Ye loves dragons"

Wáng yáng bǔ láo, yóu wèi wǎn yě

"When the sheep is lost, mend the pen; it is not yet too late"

Péi le fū rén yòu zhé bīng

"Double defeat—losing everything in a failed scheme"

Léi shēng dà, yǔ diǎn xiǎo

"The thunder is loud, but the raindrops are small"

Shēng dōng jī xī

"Make a sound in the east, strike in the west"