Chinese Proverbs

Chinese Proverbs	Annotations	Chinese Characters
Add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it.	Do something that is totally unnecessary and spoil what you already have done.
An ant may well destroy a whole dam.	If a small problem is overlooked, it could develop into a big disaster as ant can multiple making tunnels in the dam to allow water soak in and consequently bring it to a collapse.
A book holds a house of gold.	It is a motto adults use to encourage youngsters to study. If you study hard, you'll have a good job and a chance to make good money.
Butcher the donkey after it finished his job on the mill.	Isn't that ungrateful and mean? There are people who after taking advantage of you turn their back to you.
A crane standing amidst a flock of chickens.	A crane is too obvious when it stands among a flock of chickens and looks very awkward. It is also true with a camel amidst a flock of sheep and a flea when it stands on top of a hairless head. They all carry a pejoritary tone: the thing that outstands others is something awkward if not necessarily bad.
A camel standing amidst a flock of sheep.	same as above
Crows everywhere are equally black.	It is a metaphorical statement of "Bad people are bad no matter where you find them because human nature never changes".
A dish of carrot hastily cooked may still has soil uncleaned off the vegetable.	When hurry through a job it is impossible to attend to the minute details.
Dismantle the bridge shortly after crossing it.	Isn't that ungrateful and mean? There are people who after taking advantage of you turn their back to you.
Distant water won't help to put out a fire close at hand.	In an emergency, regular help from afar can not be reached: expedient measures in the case are very much warranted.
Distant water won't quench your immediate thirst.	In an emergency, regular help from afar can not be reached: expedient measures in the case are very much warranted.
Do not want others to know what you have done? Better not have done it anyways.
Donkey's lips do not fit onto a horse's mouth.	It refers to something totally irrelevant.
A dog won't forsake his master because of his poverty; a son never deserts his mother for her homely appearance.
Dream different dreams while on the same bed.	It is a reality that even the closest people, husband and wife, will dream different dreams. That means, people are never alike in their minds. The connotation is that you got to be wary of even the people you trust the most.
Even a hare will bite when it is cornered.
Fail to steal the chicken while it ate up your bait grain.	Kind of like "Shoot Your Own Feet". Starting out to hurt others but ending up in being hurt.
A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.	People learn from their mistakes.
Fight a wolf with a flex stalk.	Each party is fearful of the other: the wolf thought the stalk could be a fatal weapon while the person fears the consequence of his trick seen through by the wolf. Are you ever caught in a situation like this?
A flea on the top of a bald head.	same as No. 5 and 6
Flowing water never goes bad; our door hubs never gather termites.	It means that people got to renew their knowledge not to stay behind. The English "Rolling stone gathers no moss" has a different meaning
A frog in a well shaft seeing the sky.	There is an argument between a bird who stopped to drank at a well and a frog therein. They were arguing about how the sky looked like. Regarding where they were, they each had a different view. The frog's vision was of course very limited. Therefore, this proverb refers to somebody who has a very narrow-minded and insulated view of what they see or what they think.
Flies never visit an egg that has no crack.	Cracked eggs that yield odors are as vulnerable to flies as problem children to gangs or bad company.
A good fortune may forebode a bad luck, which may in turn disguise a good fortune.	Do not overjoy over good fortune and saddened over a bad luck. There are always the unforeseeable turns for the better or worse.
Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart as soft as tofu.	It says of a person who is sharp mouthed but tender-hearted.
Have one's ears pierced only before the wedding ceremony starts.	It is a criticism of procrastination. Like a bride who waited till the last minute to get things done that should have been done earlier. It also has the connation that it might be too late to wait till the last minute.
A horse cannot gain weight if not fed with extra fodder during the night; a man cannot become wealthy without earnings apart from his regular salaries.
How can you expect to find ivory in a dog's mouth?	True, that is an impossibility. The connotation is you can not expect people of evil intent to utter anything good. By the way, in the Chinese culture, dogs are almost always negative in allusions.
How can you put out a fire set on a cart-load of firewood with only a cup of water?	It is useless to apply minor remedies to a major problem.
If you do not study hard when young you'll end up bewailing your failures as you grow up.
If a son is uneducated, his dad is to blame.
If you have never done anything evil, you should not be worrying about devils to knock at your door.	the good/regular always overwhelms the bad/irregular though in real life it is not necessarily so.
An inch of time is an inch of gold but you can't buy that inch of time with an inch of gold.	Disregard the different use of unit words describing nouns in different cultures. This proverb tells the truth that time is more valuable than money. Money spent or lost can be earned; time lost is lost for good. No money can buy it back. The motto is that we got to make good use of our time.
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 easier to guard against the obvious.
A Jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-for-nothing until he is educated.	It is an emphasis on the need of education.
Kill a chicken before a monkey.	To warn the many by punishing a few.
Kill one to warn a hundred.	same as above
Like ants eating a bone.	A metaphor describing a situation where people trying an overwhelmingly big task by doing bit by bit with perseverance.
Looking for the ass on its very back.	Haven't you had the experience of looking for your glasses when they actually on your nose? It happens.
Lift a stone only to drop on your own feet.	Isn't it similar to "Shoot your gun at your own foot"?
The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be.	The longer we stay in a disadvantageous position, the more risks we'll take.
Mend the pen only after the sheep are all gone.	Some say it is too late. Some say, well, if you learn a lesson, it is not necessarily late: no more sheep will flee. It is better than if you leave the pen broken at all. Therefore people use the proverb to either purpose.
No wind, no waves.	How about "There is no fire without smoke."? The assumption here is that rumors may have some grounds.
Of all the stratagems, to know when to quit is the best.	The literary translation of the original is "Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best." "The Thirty-Six Stratagems" are believed to have covered almost all the military strategic thinking Sun Zi, another greatest military strategist in ancient Chinese history, expounded in his thirteen chapter monograph, which has been regarded as the bible of the military in Chinese history and has now been seen very useful in business in Asia as well.
Once bitten by a snake, he/she is scared all his/her life at the mere sight of a rope.	A word by word translation of the original is "Bitten by a snake this year, he'll be scared of well ropes in the next ten." In days when people had to draw water from wells instead of getting it from the tab, ropes, which bear resemblance in appearance to snakes, were a dispensable utility. The proverb decries those who are discouraged by their first failure and are afraid of trying again.
Once on a tiger's back, it is hard to alight.	Once you take on a thorny task, you'll find it hard to get rid of it.
One cannot refuse to eat just because there is a chance of being choked.	You can't refuse to do the thing you need to just because there is a slight chance to fail.
One monk shoulders water by himself; two can still share the labor among them. When it comes to three, they have to go thirsty.	It is a scenario where lack of individual initiative could breed dependent upon each other so that the more people the lesser things are done.
Only when all contribute their firewood can they build up a strong fire.	Another way of saying "United and we can stand strong."
An overcrowded chicken farm produce fewer eggs.	Scientifically, it may not be true. But the connotation of this proverb is that when too many people try to do one thing, it proves less efficient.
Pick up a sesame seed but lose sight of a watermelon.	Concentrate on small matters to the expense of more important ones.
Play a harp before a cow.	Similar to "Cast pearls to a swine."
Paper can't wrap up a fire.	How true: it will burn it self out as truth will eventually reveals itself despite coverups.
Reshape one's foot to try to fit into a new shoe.	The logic should be the other way round. Yet, in life there are people who try to sacrifice the big for the small, the important for the trivial.
Regular feet can't be affected by irregular shoes.	Same as "If you have not done anything evil, you should not worry too much": the good/regular always overwhelms the bad/irregular though in real life it is not necessarily so.
Shed no tears until seeing the coffin.	Will not give up an inevitably losing battle until the last minute. It is a burlesque of the stubbornness and stupidity of people who would not stop until it is too late.
A smile will gain you ten more years of life.
A sly rabbit will have three openings to its den.	To succeed you got to have several alternatives.
Some prefer carrot while others like cabbage.	"One man's meat is another's poison". People's preferences differ.
Steal a bell with one's ears covered.	A bell is supposed to be ringing when moved and alert the owner. The theft here thought if he covered up his own ears, no one else in the world will hear it either. That is stupid. Sure. This proverb is just to mock someone who takes it for granted that if he thinks others do not know what he is doing and they would surely do not know it.
Three humble shoemakers brainstorming will make a great statesman.	The literary translation of the original is "Three smelly leather shoemakers put together can be counted as a Zhuge Liang", who was one of the greatest statesman as well as a military strategist in ancient Chinese history.
There are always ears on the other side of the wall.	Be wary of eavesdropping anywhere anytime
There is no silver here: three hundred taels.	Sounds paradoxical? True. Once upon a time, there were a couple, who got three hundred taels of silver, a big sum of currency. Worried that their money would be stolen, they decided to bury them in a jar behind their house. For fear that they might forget where they hid them, they put up a sign saying "There is no money here: three hundred taels". The result, of course, is only too apparent. This proverb is to tease those who say or do things blatantly self-contradictory and consequently become an object of ridicule.
A tiger never returns to his prey he did not finish off.	For fear that he may have exposed his trace, he will not take the risk of being caught in making the same trip a second time. A clever thief would not show up in the same spot soon again.
Vicious as a tigress can be, she never eats her own cubs.	Those parents who hurt their children are worse than beasts of prey.
Waiting for a rabbit to hit upon a tree and be killed in order to catch it.	What is the chance? You must act instead of waiting to get things done.
We are not so much concerned if you are slow as when you come to a halt.
A weasel comes to say "Happy New Year" to the chickens.	Be wary of his malicious intentions.
When you are poor, neighbors close by will not come; once you become rich, you'll be surprised by visits from (alleged) relatives afar.
Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook.	It may not be true to American housewives who seldom cook rice. But rice is staple food in South China where the proverb may have originated. Without the right material, no matter how good you are, you may not accomplish the task.
You can't catch a cub without going into the tiger's den.	Risky as it is, if you are afraid of taking chances, there is no way you can succeed.
You think you lost your horse? Who knows, he may bring a whole herd back to you someday.	The story goes that an old man lost his horse. As he was in remorse, the animal returned bringing at his heels a herd more. It is thus regarded as a 'Blessing in disguise".
You won't help shoots grow by pulling them up higher.	You have to let things go in its natural course. Being too anxious to help an event to develop will result in the contrary to your intent.
You can't expect both ends of a sugar cane are as sweet.	You have to balance it out: In order to get something, you have to sacrifice something else.
Your fingers can't be of the same length.	That is true. And that is true with life: we can't expect everything or everybody is perfect.
There is no never ending banquet under the sun.	All good things must come to an end. or The best of friends must part.	天下無不散之筵席
The (soldier who retreated ) 50 paces jeered at the one who (retreated) 100 paces.	The pot calls the kettle black.	五十步笑百步
The participant's perspective are clouded while the bystanders' views are clear.	You can't see the forest for the trees ,but onlookers see the whole game.	當局者迷
Different flowers look good to different people	Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.	各花入各眼
Good luck seldom comes in pairs but bad things never walk (occur) alone.	Misery loves company.	禍不單行
Fight poison with poison	Fight fire with fire.	以毒攻毒
Pick the flower when it is ready to be picked.	Gather your rosebuds while you may.	花開堪折直需折
Age and time do not wait for people.	Time and tide waits for no man.	歲月不留人
Each family has its own difficult scripture (or sutra) to recite.	Each family has its own kind of hell.	家家有一本難念的經
Tiger father begets tiger son	A chip off the old block.	虎父虎子
Man's schemes are inferior to those made by heaven	Man proposes and god disposes.	人算不如天算
If you have money you can make the ghosts and devils turn your grind stone.	Money makes the world go around. Or: Money talks.	有錢能使鬼推磨
Good (happenings, results, achievements etc..) must go through many trials and tribulations	The course of true love never runs smooth.	好事多磨
Even Thieves have their own code of behavior	Even thieves have their principles; Even the bad guys have a conscience"	盜亦有道
A great (or successful) man can bend and stretch.	A man must learn to sail in all winds.	大丈夫能屈能伸
If you don't go into the cave of the tiger, how are you going to get its cub ?	Nothing ventured, nothing gained.	不入虎穴,焉得虎子
You want you horse to look good but you also want it not to have to eat grass.	Want to have your cake and eat it too. (Implying: You cannot have your cake and eat it too.)	又要馬兒好,又要馬兒不食草
There is no wave without wind.	There is no smoke without fire.	無風不起浪
Follow the local custom when you go to a foreign place.	In Rome do as the Romans do.	入鄉隨俗
Things of the same characteristics congregate together.	Birds of a feather flocks together. Or: Like attracts	物以類聚
The drunken gentleman's desire is not about the wine.	Kissing the baby for the nurse (or nanny).	醉翁之意不在酒
You cannot push a cow's head down unless it is drinking water by it's own will.	You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.	牛不飲水,不能按牛頭低
The arrogant (or over-confident) army will lose the battle for sure.	Pride goes before a fall.	驕兵必敗
Shoot two birds (geese , wild foul, whatever) with one single arrow.	Kill two birds with one stone.	一箭雙雕
It's is impossible to change your basic characteristics.	A leopard cannot change its spots. Or: Old habits die hard.	本性難移
3 monks fetching water resulted in no rice gruel (to eat.)	Too many cooks spoil the broth.	三個和尚擔水無粥食
Tens of thousands of bones will become ashes when one general achieves his fame.	What thousands must die so that Caesar may become great.	一將功成萬骨枯
Once bitten by a mosquito, you worry about mosquitoes all day. (Another version) Once bitten by a snake, you are even frightened by a rope that resembles a snake.	Once bitten, twice shy.	一刻被蚊咬終日怕蚊叮
Golden coloured on the outside, but rotten inside. (This is from a fable ,"What the tangerine hawker said". The golden colour refers to the skin of the tangerine.)	All that glitters is not gold and beware of the skeleton in the closet.	金玉其外, 敗絮其中
If you are in a hurry you will never get there.	More haste, less speed.	欲速則不達
Strike while the iron is hot.	ditto	打鐵趁熱
The crafty rabbit has three different entrances to it's lair	Do not put all your eggs in one basket.	狡兔有三窟
Your neigbour's wife looks prettier than your own.	The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.	老婆是別人的靚
A woman's heart is like a needle in the bottom of the ocean.	A woman's heart is as deep as the ocean . (from the movie "Titanic")	女人心海底針
Use attack as the tactic of defense.	The best defense is an offense.	以攻為守
The views (opinions) of heroes are roughly the same.	Great minds think alike.	英雄所見略同
Set yourself as the standard	Example is better than precept.	以身作則
Matrimony is the grave of romance.	Marriage is the death of romance.	婚姻是戀愛的墳墓
It is not unusual for a general to meet his death in battle. There is the second line of a couplet. The first line says: A hunting dog will eventually lost its life on the mountain.	Those who lived by the sword died by the sword.	將軍難免陣上亡
When you go up to the mountain too often, you will eventually encounter the tiger.	The fish which nibbles at every bait will be caught.	上得山多終遇虎
Jade (or precious stones) must be carved and polished before it becomes an ornament, man must be educated before he can achieve great things.		玉不琢不成器,人不學不成才
A child's words have no guile.	Similar to: "from the mouths of babes."	童言無欺
When you have musk, you will automatically have fragrance.	Good stuff need not be advertised, they advertise themselves. Good wine needs no bush	有麝自然香
Lots of dreams can occur over a long night.	The longer you wait, the more unexpected developments may occur.	夜長夢多
You cannot fight a fire with water from far away.	Urgent local problems cannot be solved by distant .resources.	遠水不能救近火
Elephant tusks cannot grow out of a dog's mouth.	Nice things (words) won't come from a bad source.	狗口不出象牙
Paper cannot wrap up a fire.	You cannot cover up a scandal easily. As pointed out by Sparkler this is similar to the English proverb of "Murder will out." Or : Truth will out.	紙包不著火
All crows are of the same color (black) under the sky.	Crime; corruption; graft; favoritism; nepotism etc. is the same everywhere.	天下烏鴉一樣黑
If you have a clear conscience, you won't worry about a knock on your door at night.	"do right and fear no man" Source : C-E language forum. (See Link in the Chinese page) Also similar to the English Proverb A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.	為人不作虧心事,夜半敲門也不驚.
Big trees have rotten branches and large clans have beggars.	There are always some dead wood within a large organization. There is a black sheep in every fold	樹大有枯枝,族大有乞兒
The fierce tiger is inferior to the local worm.	A superior force in a foreign and unfamiliar territory is inferior to a weaker but local force.	猛虎不及地頭虫
When the tiger comes down from the mountain to the plains, it is bullied by the dogs	When you are out of your element, your power (or influence) is greatly diminished. This is similar to the English phrase " Like a fish out of water "	虎落平陽被犬欺.
In shallow waters, shrimps make fool of dragons.	similar to above.	龍游淺水被蝦戲.
Don't chase a dog into a blind ally.	ergo, it will have no choice but to make a desperate stand and attack you.	趕狗入窮巷
Big trees attract strong wind.	see below	樹大召風
Men should worry about fame just as pigs about being fat.	When you are big and/or famous you are more of a target for attack, jealousy etc.. ( Fat pigs , you guessed it, are headed for the dinning table.)	人怕名﹐豬怕壯
Honest opinions (suggestions, criticisms) go against your ear while good medicine tastes bitter.	"What hurts us instructs us."	忠言逆耳, 良藥苦口.
Even the most resourceful housewife cannot create miracles from a pantry with no rice.	When you are poor and have no food, even the craftiest housewife cannot produce a meal.	巧婦難為無米灶.
The view of a frog residing at the bottom of a well.	Similar but not identical to the phrase "Tunnel vision." In the "frog" case, the frog has a very limited knowledge of what the outside world is like, but think that it knows everything there is to know. In the case of "tunnel vision", we have some one whose view is "narrow and limited". So although the two are not exactly identical, there are some common aspects between them.	井底蛙之見
Ten fingers. all of different lengths.	There are always good and bad (attributes, characteristics etc..) within a group (of things, people, whatever..).	十隻手指各有長短
In textbooks you will find girls with complexions like jade and houses made of gold.	Through studying you will gain success and fortunes will follow.	書中自有顏如玉,書中自有黃金屋
If you plant melons , you get melons; if you plant beans, you get beans.	you reap what you sow.	種瓜得瓜, 種豆得豆
Indigo is derived from blue but is more pleasing than blue; ice is formed out of water but is colder than water	The master is surpassed by the apprentice.	冰生于水已寒於水,青出于藍已勝於藍
Three shoemakers equal to one Kuon Ming	Kuon Ming is the legendary strategist in the Chinese historic period known as " The Three Kingdoms " period. This proverbs says that 3 ordinary people putting their heads together can come up with good ideas.	三個臭皮丈,一個諸葛亮
Literally: One person's plans (or schemes) are short (i.e. ineffective) but those made by two people are long (i.e. much better, or more effective.)	Similar to: Two heads are better than one.	一人計短,二人計長.
Water thrown out is hard to put back into the container.	What is done cannot be undone.	覆水難收
Once a word leaves your mouth, you cannot chase it back even with a "chariot drawn by 4 horses."	You cannot take back what you have said. Similar to : A word spoken is past recalling. Or: A slip of tongue cannot be recalled. Or: A word once let go cannot be recalled.	一言(已)出,駟馬難追.
Sickness goes in through the mouth and trouble comes out of the mouth.	physical illness is usually caused by something you eat or inhale but trouble is usually caused by what you say.( Careless talk leads to trouble.)	病從口入,禍從口出
Even for a tree of 10000 feet, it's leaves return to the root when they fall.	Many older people, no matter how far they roam, or how successful they become, want to go back to their homeland to pass their remaining years.	樹高千丈﹐落葉巋根
When there is a lot of distance to cover, you'll know how good your horse is. The heart of others will be revealed over a long period of time.	A hard task separates the weak from the strong and time will tell the truthful from the guile.	路遙知馬力﹐日久見人心
The flower that you spent time to care for does not grow while the willow that your accidentally planted flourishes and gives shade. A nice one: "A watched flower never blooms, while a carelessly planted willow grows into shade. "	Sometimes what we wanted to spend time on developing does not work out well, but the project we have unintentionally started, and did not pay much attention to, flourishes and bears fruit.	有心栽花花不長, 無心插柳柳成蔭
Road is made by people walking on the ground .	(The solution to something) or (the road to success) etc.. is made by you walking through places where there were no roads before.	路是人踏出來的
The proper person to remove the bell should be the one who who originally tied it on.	The proper person to unravel a misunderstanding (or a mistake etc..) is the one who committed such an error to start with.	解鈴還須繫鈴人
If you managed to save the green mountain, you won't worry about having no fire wood to burn.	(i) If you don't kill the golden goose, you will still get a golden egg everyday. (ii) He who fights and run away, may live to fight another day.	留得青山在﹐不怕無柒燒
The sky (or heaven) (meaning whatever supreme being that oversees us) does not make dead end streets for people.	When god closes one door he/she/it opens another.	天無絕人之路
Studying is like rowing against the current, if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward.	meaning clear enough. No annotation needed.	學如逆水行舟,不進則退.
3 people walking abreast, my teacher must be amongst them. (By Confucius)	Although usually quoted in its short form, the actual text, from Confucius's Analects says " 3 people walking abreast. My teacher must be amongst them. Choose the one with good character and learn form him. Observe the one with the bad character and avoid being like him. Who is the third person in the party ? You may ask. Yourself, of course !	三人行必有我師焉
Water can float a boat; it can also overturn a boat	Something that can help you to success usually carries with it great risks.	水能載舟,水能覆舟.
If you do not work hard; you will be sorry when you grow old.	Meaning clear enough. However, one must consider the idea of "working hard " as more of a generic term for " not wasting your time away ". In life, it's not just a matter of working hard that counts, sometimes working " smart " is just as, if not more, important.	少壯不老力,老大徒悲傷.
The word greed becomes the word poor.	In Chinese, the word greed ( 貪 ) and the word poor (貧) look almost the same. This essentially says that greed leads to poverty. This is similar to the saying " Grab all , lose all ."	貪字變貧字
True nature (or real commitment) is revealed in time of difficulty.	Similar to " A friend in need is a friend indeed. "	患難見真情
An iron rod can be ground down to become a needle	Persistence pays off. Similar to " Little strokes fell great oaks "	鐵柱磨成針
You feel like a weight has been lifted off your body when you are no longer a government official.	Free from office, free from care.	無官一身輕.
When the birds are all gone, the best bow is stored away. When the preys are gone; your hunting dog is cooked for a meal.	A drastic way of saying that after you make use of your tools (or worker, assistance etc..), you put them away. (It's like Y2K specialist after Jan 1,2000)	飛鳥盡良弓藏,獵物盡走狗(烤)
The one who wins the war becomes king and the loser is relegated in the history book as the bandits.	My son suggested this interpretation: Those who win the revolution write the history books.	成者為王, 敗者為寇
When there is no fish in the sea, the shrimps reign supreme.	When there is no " big guys ", the little guys rule. The mediocrity shines in an arena where there are no real talents around.	海中無魚蝦子大
When someone comes to pay compliments and be specially helpful without cause, he is either a crook or a thief.	People who are overly friendly, flattering and/or give you unsolicited hospitality usually have an evil intention in mind. This is somewhat similar to the English expression of : Beware of Greeks bearing gifts	無事獻慇懃, 非奸即盜.
Rotten wood cannot be carved. Confucius made this comment when one of his students/disciples was found wanting : this chap seems to be interested only in eating and sleeping.	The equivalent English expression would be: (i) You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. or (ii) You cannot make filet mignon out of chopped liver.	杇木不可雕.
You cannot judge a person from how s/he looks.	Similar to " You cannot judge a horse by its saddle. " Or You cannot judge a book by its cover.	人不可貌相.
When a person achieve ultimate enlightenment and goes to heaven, his chicken and dog go with him.	Kind of a " Halo Effect " . When one guy gets promoted, his associates all get promoted. (Especially in an environment of rampant nepotism.)	一人得道,雞犬皆升.
To cultivate trees, you need 10 years. To cultivate people, you need 100 years.	It takes a long time to produce a generation of educated and cultured population.	十年樹木,百年樹人.
The perfect gentleman thinks and acts in terms of what is right while the shyster is motivated only by profit.	This is a quotation from The Analects and is attributed to Confucius.	君子喻于義,小人喻于利.
Easy to socialize, much harder to live together.	From simple sharing rooms with friends to the shark infested world of marriage, ain't this the truth !!	相見好,同住難.
After one has a few drinks, s/he tends to tell the truth.	Wine loosen our tongues	酒後吐真言.
A bird in your hand is better than 100 in the forest.	A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.	一鳥在手勝過百鳥在林.
We are indebted to our children for the whole of our lives and, for half our lives, the slave of our wives (or spouses.)	The traditional version is".. slave of our wives" . In the old days, only the man works, nowadays, more often than not, the wife also works. In many cases, the wife not only have a career to take care of, but also the family to care for. More often than not, the wife now ends up being the "slave" part of the relationship.	一生兒女債,半世老婆奴.
An inch of time is worth an inch of gold; but it's hard to buy one inch of time with one inch of gold.	Time is money but , more often than not, even when you have money, you may not be able to buy the time you need.	一寸光陰一寸金,寸金難買寸光陰.
Every ordinary person is responsible for the rise and fall of his country.	The fault, dear Brutus... Every individual is ultimately responsible for the causes leading to the prosperity or decay of his/her country.	國家興亡,匹夫有責.
Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold.	Similar to: " Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day; teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."	賜子千金,不如賜子一技
One step in the wrong direction will cause you a thousand years of regret.	This is best illustrated by 4 line's from the poem Upon the Valley's Lap by Franics Bourdillon So, often in the course, Of life's few fleeting years, A single pleasure costs, The soul a thousand tears.	一失足成千古恨.
(Literally) Books, when you need them, you will find you have too little of them.	You will only regret how little you have learnt when you need to utilize what you have learnt,	書到用時方恨少.
A little separation is better than newly wedded.	The English equivalent would be Absence makes the heart grow fonder.	久別勝新婚
The saddest thing is the death of the heart	Ms. TX on the CE-forum suggested the following translation : There is no greater sorrow than a heart that never rejoices.	至哀莫大於心死
Real gold is not afraid of the fire of the crucible	In other words, real gold (or real man, real woman etc..) can stand the trial by fire .	真金不怕溶爐火
If you are off by a tiny bit in the beginning, you will end up being off by thousands of li(s) (Li is a Chinese mile=1000 Chinese feet)	I am sure Chaos Theorist will agree wholeheartedly with this one. I guess a similar English saying would be :Off by an inch, off by a mile	差之毫厘﹐謬之千里
If you cut grass (or weed for most North American sub-urbanites) without removing its root, it will flourish once again when the spring wind blows .	The grass in this expression is usually used to refer to negative things like crime, sickness etc.. It suggests that you need to deal with the root of evil instead of its manifestation. Unless and until you remove the root of the problem, it will not go away and will come back to haunt you when the condition is favorable again.	斬草不徐根﹐春風吹又生。
Only after one is fully fed and clothed will he know the difference between honor and shame.	This is a quotation from the Chinese philosopher-political scholar Kuen Zi's treatise on the Cultivation of People The idea is similar to Maslow's (a few centuries later !!!) theory of Hierarchy of Needs A people in a state of hunger and destitution would not pay much heed to higher ideals. Their primary goal is to survive and will do anything, whether they be right or wrong, to achieve that,	衣食足則知榮辱。
If your body is not upright, your orders will not be followed.	If you yourself is not morally upright, your preaching will not be credible. Or If you yourself do not follow the law, the laws you enacted will not be followed.	其身不正﹐其令不行。
If you are near the dye vermilion, you will be stained red, if you are close to black ink, you will be stained black.	This is from the story about Mencius (known as the second Sage of Confucianism; the first Sage being Confucius himself). When Mencius was young, his mother, a widow, had to move 3 times in order to get him to start studying. The third time being as the neighbor of a scholar. This expression essentially says that we are influenced by our immediate surroundings and the company we keep. A similar English expression is : He that touches pitch shall be defiled. Or: He who lies down with dogs gets up with fleas.	近朱者赤﹐近墨者黑。
Learning without reasoning leads to confusion (or unclear in the concept); thinking without learning is wasted effort.	This is perhaps the most quoted saying on learning by Confucius from the book of Analects. I wonder what Piaget has to say about this . Confucius said that if you only learn (spoon feeding) without thinking over what you had learned, then you have learned nothing. ( Spoon feeding leads only to regurgitation of undigested knowledge.) On the other hand, if you do " idle-thinking " without the basis of solid facts from learning , you will end up nowhere.	學而不思則罔﹐思而不學則殆。
A cold 3 feet of ice is not due to 3 days of cold weather.	3 feet thick ice is not formed due to a mere 3 days of cold weather. In other words : big nasty problems do not evolve overnight, they must have been brewing for sometime.	冰凍三尺﹐非一日之寒。
I rather be a dog in peaceful times, then live as a man (woman) in turbulent times.	(I added this one in after learning that the expression *"may you live in interesting times"* has become very popular.) Although the expression "may you live in interesting times" is often referred to as a "popular Chinese curse", I do not recall having heard that, at least not in that form. After giving it some thought, I speculated that it may be a variant of " not wanted to be a man in turbulent times.".	寧為太平狗﹐不做亂世人。
The guy who comes to gossip (spread rumour) is him/her-self the culprit of such foul deeds.	Similar to the English expression of "What Peter says about Paul tells more about Peter than Paul	來說是非者﹐便是是非人。

Welcome to Chinaphile.com

- one World, one Family!