Chinese Wisdom & Philosophy — Page 9

Bù dào Huánghé xīn bù sǐ

"Until reaching the Yellow River, the heart will not give up"

Bù jiàn guāncai bù lèilèi

"One doesn't shed tears until seeing the coffin"

Shì shàng wú nán shì, zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén

"Nothing in the world is difficult; it only fears the person with a determined heart"

Wú kě fèng gào

"No comment / Nothing to report"

Tiān xià mò róu ruò yú shuǐ, ér gōng jiān qiáng zhě mò zhī néng shèng

"Nothing under heaven is softer or weaker than water — yet nothing is better at overcoming the hard and strong"

Hǎi nà bǎi chuān, yǒu róng nǎi dà

"The ocean accepts a hundred rivers; having capacity, it becomes great"

Níng kě dé zuì jūnzǐ, bù kě dé zuì xiǎorén

"Better to offend a gentleman than to offend a petty person"

Zhǐ xǔ zhōu guān fàng huǒ, bù xǔ bǎi xìng diǎn dēng

"Only officials are allowed to set fires; common people are not permitted to light lamps"

Lǎo jiàng chū mǎ, yī gè dǐng liǎ

"When an old general goes to war, one counts as two"

Jiāng shì lǎo de là

"Old ginger is the spiciest"

Lǎo ér bù sǐ shì wéi zéi

"Old and not yet dead — this is to be a thief"

Yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng

"A single traumatic experience creates lasting fear"

Hǎo le shāng bā wàng le téng

"People quickly forget past suffering once circumstances improve"

Yī rén dé dào, jī quǎn shēng tiān

"When one person attains the Way, chickens and dogs rise to heaven"

Yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàngzi

"You cannot become fat from just one bite"

Yī zhāo bù shèn, mǎn pán jiē shū

"One careless move loses the entire game"

Tīng jūn yī xí huà, shèng dú shí nián shū

"Listening to one conversation with you surpasses reading books for ten years"

Yī pù shí hán

"One day of exposure, ten days of cold"

Jiā yǒu yī lǎo, rú yǒu yī bǎo

"Having an elderly person at home is like having a treasure"

Yī gè lí ba sān gè zhuāng, yī gè hǎo hàn sān gè bāng

"A fence needs three posts; a hero needs three helpers"

Rénshēng dé yī zhījǐ zú yǐ, sī shì dāng yǐ tóng huái shì zhī

"In life, obtaining one true soulmate is sufficient; in this world, we should view each other with shared hearts"

Yī fāng shuǐ tǔ yǎng yī fāng rén

"Each region's environment shapes its people"

Yī fū dāng guān, wàn fū mò kāi

"One man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot break through"

Yī shī zú chéng qiān gǔ hèn, zài huí tóu yǐ bǎi nián shēn

"One misstep becomes an eternal regret; turning back again, a hundred years have passed"

Yī yīn yī yáng zhī wèi dào

"One yin and one yang, this is called the Dao"

Xué ránhòu zhī bùzú

"Only after learning do you realize your inadequacy"

Suì hán, rán hòu zhī sōng bǎi zhī hòu diāo yě

"When the year grows cold, then we know the pine and cypress are the last to wither"

Wàn bān jiē xià pǐn, wéi yǒu dúshū gāo

"Ten thousand pursuits are all inferior; only reading books is high"

jī bù kě shī, shí bù zài lái

"Opportunities cannot be lost; time does not come again"

Zhǐ bāo bù zhù huǒ

"Paper cannot wrap fire"

Sān guò jiā mén ér bù rù

"Passing by one's own door three times without entering"

Qiánshì bú wàng, hòushì zhī shī

"Past events not forgotten serve as teachers for future events"

Ān bù wàng wēi, zhì bù wàng luàn

"In times of peace, do not forget danger; in times of order, do not forget chaos"

Táo lǐ mǎn tiān xià

"Peaches and plums fill the world"

Mín wéi guì, shè jì cì zhī, jūn wéi qīng

"The people are most precious; the altars of soil and grain come next; the ruler is the lightest"

Jiǎn le zhī ma, diū le xī guā

"Picked up sesame seeds, lost the watermelon"

Zhū Bājiè zhào jìng zi — lǐ wài bù shì rén

"Zhu Bajie looking in the mirror — neither inside nor outside is a person"

Kělián tiānxià fùmǔ xīn

"Pitiful are the hearts of parents throughout the world"

Móu shì zài rén, chéng shì zài tiān

"Planning lies with people, success lies with heaven"

Jì huà gǎn bu shàng biàn huà

"Plans cannot keep pace with changes"

Shì yǐ mì chéng, yǔ yǐ xiè bài

"Plans succeed through secrecy, fail through leaks"

Zhòng guā dé guā, zhòng dòu dé dòu

"Plant melon, get melon; plant bean, get bean"

Duì niú tán qín

"Playing the lute to a bull"

Dāngjúzhě mí, pángguānzhě qīng

"Those involved are confused; bystanders see clearly"

Pín jū nào shì wú rén wèn, fù zài shēn shān yǒu yuǎn qīn

"Poor in the bustling city, no one asks after you; rich in the deep mountains, distant relatives visit"

Rén qióng zhì duǎn, mǎ shòu máo cháng

"When a person is poor, their ambition shrinks; when a horse is thin, its hair grows long"

Rén qióng zhì bù qióng

"Poor in pockets, not poor in spirit"

shú néng shēng qiǎo

"Familiarity breeds skill; practice makes perfect"

Wēi rú lěi luǎn

"As dangerous as a pile of stacked eggs"

Fáng huàn yú wèi rán

"Prevent disaster before it occurs"