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Chinese Proverbs 2
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These Chinese proverbs are mostly expressed as four-character idioms. Like any idiom, they are expressive, precise and often leave meaningful afterthoughts for listners.
Chinese Proverbs 5:
- If you suspect a man, don't employ him; if you employ him, don't suspect him.
- If you want a year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want a hundred years of prosperity, "grow" people.
- If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.
- In reviling, it is not necessary to prepare a preliminary draft.
- It is easy to dodge a spear that comes in front of you but hard to keep harms away from an arrow shot from behind.
- It is later than you think.
- Jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-for-nothing until he is educated.
- Judge not the horse by his saddle.
- Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve.
- Kill a chicken before a monkey.
- Kill one to warn a hundred.
- Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.
- Life is a dream walking death is a going home.
- Like ants eating a bone.
- Lift a stone only to drop on your own feet.
Chinese Proverbs 6:
- Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but, follow no one absolutely.
- The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be.
- Looking for the ass on its very back.
- Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come.
- Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very, very long time.
- Married couples tell each other a thousand things without speech.
- Mend the pen only after the sheep are all gone.
- Never do anything standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you can do lying down.
- Never write a letter while you are angry.
- No wind, no waves.
- Of all the strategems, to know when to quit is the best.
- Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is best.
- Once bitten by a snake, he/she is scared all his/her life at the mere sight of a rope.
- Once on a tiger's back, it is hard to alight.
- One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him
Chinese Proverbs 7:
- One cannot refuse to eat just because there is a chance of being choked.
- One monk shoulders water by himself; two can still share the labor among them. When it comes to three, they have to go thirsty.
- One never needs their humor as much a when they argue with a fool.
- One should be just as careful in choosing one's pleasures as in avoiding calamities.
- Only when all contribute their firewood can they build up a strong fire.
- An overcrowded chicken farm produce fewer eggs.
- The palest ink is better than the best memory.
- Paper can't wrap up a fire.
- Pick up a sesame seed but lose sight of a watermelon.
- Play a harp before a cow.
- Regular feet can't be affected by irregular shoes.
- Reshape one's foot to try to fit into a new shoe.
- The saving man becomes the free man.
- Shed no tears until seeing the coffin. s
- A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.
More Chinese provers >>
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Some of the China Highlights
Which visa do you need to go to China?
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