FOREWORD
Chinese proverbs, which epitomize Chinese history and culture, are a treasure of Chinese language.
In recent years, with the cultural and economic exchanges between Chinese and the outside world becoming increasingly frequent, more and more foreigners have come to China for traveling or working. On the one hand, foreigners thirst for gaining knowledge about Chinese history and culture and learning Chinese language; on the other hand, some Chinese people find it difficult to translate the Chinese proverbs properly into English when they talk with foreign friends.
This book has been compiled to solve the aforementioned problem. It consists of eighty-three proverbs with one story (both in Chinese and English) following each. They are the most popular ones in modern Chinese usage. To enhance comprehension by foreign readers, each proverb in this book appears in two forms: Chinese characters and pinyin. With the vivid illustrations matching some of the stories, readers will get a strong impression and a distinct idea of the proverbs.
In addition to displaying a panorama of ancient China and offering much knowledge concerning Chinese history, this book provides foreign readers with a chance to become acquainted with the essence of the Chinese language. By reading this book and trying to apply the proverbs in writing or everyday conversation, foreign readers will find their Chinese friends amazed and impressed, and thus will become more confident in the study of the Chinese language.
Furthermore, the English translation of this book has been proofread by Thomas Shou, and American expert who is proficient in the Chinese language, and thus it presents fluent and elegant English to readers. Therefore, it can help Chinese readers to improve their spoken and written English, enabling them to communicate with foreign friends more freely.
When one man finds the Tao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven with him
Missing you one day is like being separated for three autumns
The words of a dying man are good words
It is rare for a man to live to 70
When the Eight Immortals cross the sea, each shows his or her own ability
A gentleman will die for his confidant
After three days, view a gentleman with new eyes
Because of negligence, Jingzhou is lost
Everything is ready, and all that we need is an east wind
Just after you mention Cao Cao, he shows up
A thousand – mile dyke can collapse due to an ant - hole
A goose feather sent from thousands of miles away is a present little in size but rich in meaning
A thousand gold pieces buy a neighbor, 800 buy a home
If you are bright when you are young, you may not necessarily amount to something when you grow up
Heaven is high and the emperor is faraway
One should not receive a reward for doing nothing
Lord Jiang casts the line for the fish which wants to be caught
Fifty steps laugh at 100 steps
Refuse to bow down for 50liters of rice
No one step should be taken beyond Leichi Lake
Not up to those above, but above those below
Thinking like a petty man to judge the intentions of a gentleman
Judging a talent solely by his appearance is doing him an injustice
It’s still hard to tell at whose hand the deer will die
Even the cleverest housewife can’t cook a meal without rice
Within the four seas all men are brothers
Never pull on your shoes in a melon patch; never adjust your cap under a plum tree
Rather be a shattered vessel of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery
Sima Zhao’s ill intent is known to all
People can’t do without enough food
Seeing once is better than hearing for a hundred times
Make further progress even if you’ve come a long way
Correct mistakes if you’ve committed them, and guard against them if you have not
Like father, like son
Success or failure, Xiao He is the man behind it
Thrift leads to success, luxury results in failure
Treating a dead horse as if it were alive
A dead Zhuge frightening off a living Zhongda
Tearing down a bridge after crossing it
Only in the coldest winter do pine trees show their mettles
As long as Qing Fu is not removed, there is no end to the trouble of the State of Lu
Why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken?
Blindly believing the whole book is worse than having no book
Distant water can’t put out a fire nearby
A waterside pavilion sees the moon first
What is near red becomes red; what is near black becomes black
Cutting entangled jute with a sharp knife
Embrace Buddha’s feet when in dire need, but burn no incense when things are normal
He who knows the situation is a wise man
Friendship between gentlemen is like water
No joking froma gentleman
Originated from indigo, blue is even bluer
Those playing with fire are sure to burn themselves
An oppressive government is fiercer than a tiger
Animals of the same breed flock together, and so do people of the same breath
Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai — the former wants to beat somebody and the latter is willing to be beaten
The dog bites lü Dongbin for it doesn’t understand lü’s sympathy on it
A brave man is sure to step out if you offer a high reward
Hardly worth eating but not bad enough to throw away
Don’t feel ashamed while walking alone with one’s shadow or facing one’s quilt alone at night
Sympathy is common nature for men
Training an army for a thousand days to be used for just one hour
An overturned chariot ahead should serve as warning to those behind
Covet Shu after capturing Long
The peach and the plum do not speak, yet a path is worn beneath them
It is ridiculous for an ant to try to topple a giant tree
Holding a weapon upside down is like giving the handle to others to attack oneself
To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; capture the chief to beat his force
More haste, less speed
Showing off one’s skill with the axe before Lu Ban
As the Tao rises one foot, the demon rises ten feet
Utmost sincerity can pierce even metal and stone
The old drinker’s real interest is not wine
How can a swallow know the ambition of a swan?
Bend one’s body to a task until one’s dying day
No eggs stay intact under an overturned nest
The tiger won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt the tiger
The time isn’t as important as the terrain; the terrain isn’t as important as the unity of the people
No way to catch the tiger’s cub without entering the lair
No way to repel Sima Yi without the empty city ruse
Opportunity knocks but once
Having eyes but not recognizing Jingshan jade
Three calls on the thatched cottage
