水能載舟，亦能覆舟

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄋㄥˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄓㄡ

ㄧˋ ㄋㄥˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄓㄡ

seoi² nang⁴ zoi³ zau¹, jik⁶ nang⁴ fuk¹ zau¹

shui³ nêng² tsai⁴ chou¹, i⁴ nêng² fu⁴ chou¹

шуй нэн цзай чжоу

и нэн фу чжоу

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ nɤŋ³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ i⁵¹ nɤŋ³⁵ fu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵/

soey² nang⁴ dzoi³ dzau¹, jik⁹ nang⁴ fuk⁷ dzau¹

sêu² neng⁴ zoi³ zeo¹, yig⁶ neng⁴ fug¹ zeo¹

/sɵy̯³⁵ nɐŋ²¹ t͡sɔːi̯³³ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ jɪk̚² nɐŋ²¹ fʊk̚⁵ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵/

The ruler is the boat; the common people are the water. The water carries the boat; the water overturns the boat. Thus, should the ruler wish for stability, there is nothing better than to govern with equity and to care for the people.

Jūn zhě, zhōu yě. Shùrén zhě, shuǐ yě. Shuǐ zé zǎi zhōu, shuǐ zé fù zhōu. Gù jūn rén zhě, yù ān, zé mò ruò píngzhèng àimín yǐ.

君者，舟也。庶人者，水也。水則載舟，水則覆舟。故君人者，欲安，則莫若平政愛民矣。

君者，舟也。庶人者，水也。水则载舟，水则覆舟。故君人者，欲安，则莫若平政爱民矣。

水能载舟，亦能覆舟
水可載舟，亦可覆舟
水則載舟，水則覆舟

The water can carry the boat, can overturn the boat also.

People's will may support the leader, but may also cause the leader to fall from power.

If something is used correctly, it will be of benefit. If used incorrectly, it will do harm; X is a good servant but a bad master


猿も木から落ちる

ja-pos

さる も き から おちる

猿(さる)も木(き)から落(お)ちる • (saru mo ki kara ochiru)

猿も木から落ちる (canonical)
saru mo ki kara ochiru (romanization)

[sa̠ɾɯ̟ mo̞ kʲi ka̠ɾa̠ o̞t͡ɕiɾɯ̟]

Phrase consisting of 猿 (saru, “monkey”) + も (mo, “even, also”) + 木 (ki, “tree”) + から (kara, “from”) + 落ちる (ochiru, “fall”). Literally “even monkeys fall from trees”.
First cited to a text from 1638.

even experts occasionally make mistakes: even Homer nods, a horse may stumble though he has four legs

Daijirin
Daijisen
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
ja:松村明

弘法にも筆の誤り

there are brush mistakes even with Kūkai [a master calligrapher]

河童の川流れ

a water-imp's getting washed away by the river

豚もおだてりゃ木に登る

if surprised, even a pig will climb a tree


水滴石穿

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄉㄧ ㄕˊ ㄔㄨㄢ

шуйдишичуань

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än⁵⁵/

/sɵy̯³⁵ tɪk̚² sɛːk̚² t͡sʰyːn⁵⁵/

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än⁵⁵/

/sɵy̯³⁵ tɪk̚² sɛːk̚² t͡sʰyːn⁵⁵/

From Shizi:
Later popularized by the following story

Water is not the drill for stones (but it can wear through it after long time). A
rope is not the saw for trees (but can cut a tree down if it is pulled over it many times).

Shuǐ fēi shí zhī zuàn, shéng fēi mù zhī jù.

水非石之鑽，繩非木之鋸。

水非石之钻，绳非木之锯。

One day when Zhang Guaiya was the governor of Chongyang County, he saw a petty official coming out from the treasury, with a coin put on his headpiece near his sideburns. He asked him about that, and he replied that the coin was from the treasury. Guaiya ordered him to be caned. The official was enraged and said, “One coin is not worth mentioning. Why would you cane me? Even you could cane me, you shouldn't behead me!” Guaiya took his brush and wrote the judgement, “If a man steals one coin every day, he would have stolen 1000 coins after 1000 days. A rope can cut down a tree eventually, and dripping water wears through rock eventually.” He then took the sword himself and the executed that official, and reported to the censorate so as to let himself take the responsibility. People in Chongyang County are still praising him now.

Luo Dajing, Jade Dew from the Forest of Cranes (鶴林玉露)

Zhāng Guāiyá wéi chóngyáng lìng, yī lì zì kù zhōng chū, shì qí bìn bàng jīn xià yǒu yī qián, jié zhī, nǎi kù zhōng qián yě. Guāiyá mìng zhàng zhī, lì bórán yuē: “Yī qián hézú dào, nǎi zhàng wǒ yē? Ěr néng zhàng wǒ, bùnéng zhǎn dì yě!” Guāiyá yuán bǐ pàn yuē: “Yī rì yī qián, qiān rì yī qiān, shéngjùmùduàn, shuǐdīshíchuān.” Zì zhàng jiàn, xià jiē zhǎn qí shǒu, shēn táifǔ zì hé. Chóngyáng rén zhìjīn chuán zhī.

張乖崖為崇陽令，一吏自庫中出，視其鬢傍巾下有一錢，詰之，乃庫中錢也。乖崖命杖之，吏勃然曰：「一錢何足道，乃杖我耶？爾能杖我，不能斬弟也！」乖崖援筆判曰：「一日一錢，千日一千，繩鋸木斷，水滴石穿。」自仗劍，下階斬其首，申臺府自劾。崇陽人至今傳之。

张乖崖为崇阳令，一吏自库中出，视其鬓傍巾下有一钱，诘之，乃库中钱也。乖崖命杖之，吏勃然曰：「一钱何足道，乃杖我耶？尔能杖我，不能斩弟也！」乖崖援笔判曰：「一日一钱，千日一千，绳锯木断，水滴石穿。」自仗剑，下阶斩其首，申台府自劾。崇阳人至今传之。

little strokes fell great oaks
little strokes fell great oaks

Chongyang County
Shizi (book)
zh:張詠
zh:羅大經
zh:鶴林玉露


the sky is the limit

If you have a refrigerator and a microwave at work, then the sky is the limit for what you can put in your lunchbox.


a rising tide lifts all boats

Whereas in the 1960s, incomes rose as the economy grew—to use President Kennedy's phrase, “a rising tide lifts all the boats”—this no longer applied in the 1980s.

2000, David Reynolds, chapter 17, in One World Divisible, W. W. Norton, →ISBN, page 653:

Hay and other early gay rights activists were influenced by the Black civil rights movement in a broader sense, too. The rising tide of African American organizing raised all boats, and the hopes of all whose dreams had been deferred.

2005 June 21, Leslie Feinberg, “Pre-Stonewall gay organizing”, in Workers World:


boys will be boys

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-boys will be boys.wav

But just then there was a slight altercation between Master Tommy and Master Jacky. Boys will be boys and our two twins were no exception to this golden rule.

1922, James Joyce, chapter 13, in Ulysses:

It is hard, often fruitless, to attempt to curb the natural playfulness and tendency to mischief of most growing boys.

Boys will be boys, grinned Grandpa as he watched his adult son playing with the fancy train-set he had given his grandson for Christmas.

Even grown men usually remain somewhat boyish at heart.

(informal, offensive) Predatory behavior of suitors should be viewed as excusable because it comes naturally to many boys and men.

2018 September 27, Mary Kilpatrick, “Why the 'boys will be boys' justification of sexual violence doesn't fly: Comparing Kavanaugh to Steubenville”, in Shatter on Cleveland.com, published 2019 January 29, retrieved 2021-03-19:
It's not hard to see the parallels between the sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the 2012 Steubenville rape case. Three decades apart, there is one central difference: Kavanaugh has denied the allegations, and has never been criminally charged. In the Steubenville case, two star football players were convicted of raping a girl, and sentenced to prison. But amid the outrage in both cases, there has been a chorus of "boys will be boys," the excuse of youth, of teenage brains that can't control themselves and the victim shaming that accompanies that perception.


every cloud has a silver lining

Every cloud has a silver lining; but in the old-fashioned meeting-houses every cloud of hymnal melody generally had a nasal lining before the congregation […]

1881, National Academy of Code Administration (U.S.), Folio, page 417:

[…] that "a little reserve and thou'lt fail surely," will prove to be true in our experience. Every cloud has a silver lining and so has every sorrow, […]

But the most popular attitude toward what we may call "sad" plays is the peculiar one of believing that, since every cloud has a silver lining, […]

1918, George Jean Nathan, Performing Arts, page 222:

Patrick O'Brien: No hard feelings? I've been falsely accused, had the crap kicked out of me, now I have no job.
Gene Hunt: Look on the bright side. Still got your health. So, you know, every cloud.

2007 March 6, Julie Rutterford, Life on Mars, Season 2, Episode 3:

There is something good in any bad situation.

رُبَّ ضارّةٍ نافِعةٌ

in every bad situation there is an element of good

il n’y a de grand mal qu’un grand bien ne suive

fátt er svo með öllu illt að ekki boði nokkuð gott

ستياڤ کبوروقن يڠ برلاکو مستي اد هکمه اتاو کباءيقن د سباليقڽ

setiap keburukan yang berlaku mesti ada hikmah atau kebaikan di sebaliknya

aldri så galt at det ikke er godt for noe

nie ma tego złego, co by na dobre nie wyszło

el que no se consuela es porque no quiere

inget ont som inte har något gott med sig

the darkest hour is just before the dawn

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good


失之東隅，收之桑榆

sat¹ zi¹ dung¹ jyu⁴, sau¹ zi¹ song¹ jyu⁴

ши чжи дунъюй

шоу чжи санъюй

/ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʊŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ sɑŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

sat⁷ dzi¹ dung¹ jy⁴, sau¹ dzi¹ song¹ jy⁴

/sɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ tʊŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ sɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹/

Literally: What you lose in the morning, you gain back in the evening.

The old saying gain back in the evening what you lost in the morning could not be more appropriate for describing the Chinese sharp shooting team's performance at the olympic games on the 16th.

2004: Xinhua.net staff, 中国射击队在16日：失之东隅 收之桑榆 (Chinese sharp shooting team makes a comeback on the 16th)

Yòng “shīzhīdōngyú, shōuzhīsāngyú” lái xíngróng zhōngguó shèjīduì １６ rì zài àoyùn sàichǎng shàng de biǎoxiàn zài héshì bù guò.

用「失之東隅，收之桑榆」來形容中國射擊隊１６日在奧運賽場上的表現再合適不過。

用「失之东隅，收之桑榆」来形容中国射击队１６日在奥运赛场上的表现再合适不过。


einmal ist keinmal

Mein Mann macht wirklich Fortschritte: Letztens hat er von selber den Abwasch gemacht! — Pah... Einmal ist keinmal.

My husband is really making some progress. A while ago, he decided all by himself to do the dishes! — Pfft... One time. Big deal!

one swallow does not a summer make
one swallow does not a summer make

Once doesn’t count; one swallow does not a summer make

Solches Verhalten werden wir an dieser Schule nicht dulden! Aber... ich sage mal: Einmal ist keinmal.

We will not tolerate such behaviour at this school! But... let me say: As long as it doesn’t happen again, we’ll forget about it.

One slip is allowed; everyone deserves a second chance

Die Sarah will mit mir zu so’ner nervigen Autorenlesung. — Tu’s halt ihr zuliebe. Einmal ist keinmal.

Sarah wants me to go to this annoying book reading with her. — Well, so do it for her sake. This one time won’t be so bad.


head

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

the apple does not fall far from the tree#English

Alternative form of the apple does not fall far from the tree


geþyld byþ middes eades

patience is a virtue
patience is a virtue

patience is half of happiness: patience is a virtue


æt þearfe man sceal freonda cunnian

æt þearfe man sċeal frēonda cunnian (canonical)

/æt ˈθæ͜ɑr.fe mɑn ʃæ͜ɑl ˈfre͜oːn.dɑ ˈkun.ni.ɑn/

[æt ˈθæ͜ɑrˠ.ve mɑn ʃæ͜ɑl ˈfre͜oːn.dɑ ˈkun.ni.ɑn]

First attested in the Durham Proverbs. Literally "in need you have to test your friends."

a friend in need is a friend indeed
a friend in need is a friend indeed


when in Rome

An ellipsis (anapodoton) of when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

(idiomatic, by ellipsis) One should adjust to local customs.


don't put all your eggs in one basket

Do not dedicate all your resources to one project.

do not dedicate all your resources to one project

il ne faut pas mettre tous ses œufs dans le même panier

no hay que poner todos los huevos en una sola canasta

Do not count on any one thing to safeguard what is valuable.


you can't tell a book by its cover

you can't judge a book by its cover#English

Alternative form of you can't judge a book by its cover


forbidden fruit is the sweetest

A reference to the story in the Bible in which God tells Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit, but they are tempted and do so anyway.

Forbidden things seem more appealing; people desire things more if (or, in some way, because) they can't have them.

le fruit défendu est celui qui a le meilleur goût

禁断の木の実が一番甘い

きんだんのこのみがいちばんあまい

the grass is always greener on the other side


out of sight, out of mind

When something is not nearby, it is forgotten about.

بَعِيد عَن اَلْعَيْن بَعِيد عَن اَلْقَلْب (baʕīd ʕan al-ʕayn baʕīd ʕan al-qalb, literally “far from the eyes, far from the heart”)

d'allò que els ulls no veuen, el cor no se'n dol

mátia pou de vlépontai, grígora lismonioúntai

μάτια που δε βλέπονται, γρήγορα λησμονιούνται

רָחוֹק מֵהָעַיִן, רָחוֹק מֵהַלֵּב (rakhók meha'ayín, rakhók mehalév, literally “far from the eyes, far from the heart”)

ami nincs szem előtt, arról könnyen megfeledkezünk / … azt könnyen elfelejtjük / … azzal nem törődünk

mihelyt nem látjuk, nem gondolunk rá

with az ember or 3rd-person plural as subject

czego oczy nie widzą, tego sercu nie żal

o que os olhos não veem o coração não sente

с глаз доло́й — из се́рдца вон (s glaz dolój — iz sérdca von)

an rud nach cluinn cluas, cha gluais e cridhe

نظر سے دور، دل کے قریب (nazar se dūr, dil ke qarīb, literally “out of sight, close to the heart”)


the pen is mightier than the sword

En-au-the pen is mightier than the sword.ogg

This phrasing due to Bulwer-Lytton, 1839.
The sentiment is traditional, and has many antecedents; see Wikipedia.

If the pen is mightier than the sword in American history, it is more likely the pen of a novelist than the typewriter of a reporter — Harriet Beecher Stowe stimulating antislavery sentiment or Upton Sinclair enlisting citizens in outrage against the food-processing industry.

1982, Michael Schudson, The Power of News, Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 142:

If my teachers had not told me that the pen is mightier than the sword, if my parents had not told me that I have to respect books, I would not have developed that respect for knowledge.

2011, Qazi Nasir Uddin, Ph.D., The Other Side, Author House, page 108

(idiomatic, metonymically) More influence and power can be usurped by writing than by fighting.

ဓားသွားထက် ကလောင်သွားထက်

more power can achieved writing than fighting

i glóssa kókala den échei ma kókala tsakízei

η γλώσσα κόκαλα δεν έχει μα κόκαλα τσακίζει

что напи́сано перо́м, не вы́рубишь и топоро́м (što napísano peróm, ne výrubišʹ i toporóm, literally “what's written by pen can't be cut by axe”)


practice makes perfect

Golden words make practice, practice makes perfect, perfect is a fault, and fault lines change.

1986, R.E.M. (lyrics and music), “I Believe”, in Lifes Rich Pageant:

If one practices an activity enough, one will eventually master it.

熟能生巧

if one practices an activity enough, one will eventually master it

c’est en forgeant qu’on devient forgeron

la pratica rende esperti; sbagliando s'impara

서당개 삼 년에 풍월 읇는다

seodanggae sam nyeone pung'wol eulleunda


ki korán kel, aranyat lel

ki (“who”) + korán (“early”) + kel (“to rise”) + arany (“gold”) + -at (accusative suffix) + lel (“to find”), literally “who[ever] gets up early, finds gold”, actual meaning: “one who works diligently and acts without delay, will go a long way”.

affix

the early bird gets the worm
the early bird gets the worm


each to his own

Certainly I don't mind other people eating turkey — each to his own, after all, is the American Way […]

1993, Vegetarian Times, number 195, page 46:


失敗是成功之母

ja-r

しっ%ぱい は せい%こう の はは

desc

→ Japanese: 失(しっ)敗(ぱい)は成(せい)功(こう)の母(はは) (shippai wa seikō no haha) (calque)

→ Vietnamese: thất bại là mẹ thành công (calque)

ㄕ ㄅㄞˋ ㄕˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄓ ㄇㄨˇ

shih¹-pai⁴ shih⁴ chʻêng²-kung¹ chih¹ mu³

шибай ши чэнгун чжи му

/ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐt̚⁵ paːi̯²² siː²² sɪŋ²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ mou̯¹³/


there's no accounting for taste

Adaptation of Latin de gustibus non est disputandum.

In subjective matters of taste, people have wildly different opinions; disagreements about matters of taste cannot be objectively resolved.

des goûts et des couleurs, on ne discute pas

über Geschmack lässt sich nicht streiten

über den Geschmack lässt sich nicht streiten

ízlések és pofonok (in full: ízlések és pofonok különbözőek/különböznek)

у ка́ждого свой вкус — кто лю́бит ды́ню, а кто — арбу́з (u káždovo svoj vkus — kto ljúbit dýnju, a kto — arbúz)


平安就是福

ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄢ ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄕˋ ㄈㄨˊ

пинъань цзю ши фу

/pʰiŋ³⁵ ˀän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ fu³⁵/

/pʰiŋ³⁵ ˀän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ fu³⁵/

Peace and safety is the root of happiness.


en-proverb

you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

hold with the hare and run with the hounds


a stopped clock is right twice a day

A normally unreliable person or instrument can occasionally provide correct information, even if only by accident.

something or someone unreliable is right sometimes, even by accident

rikkinäinen kellokin on kahdesti päivässä oikeassa

même une pendule cassée donne l’heure deux fois par jour

auch ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn

hasta un reloj parado acierta la hora dos veces al día

bozuk saat bile günde iki defa doğruyu gösterir

Someone who repeats the same thing constantly will at some point be correct, if only briefly.

even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while

even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then

even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while

even a broken clock is right twice a day

even a stopped clock is right twice a day


弱肉強食

weak (is the) meat, strong eats (the meat); if you are weak, you are the meat; if you are strong, you eat the meat

ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄖㄡˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄕˊ

/ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐoʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/jœːk̚² jʊk̚² kʰœːŋ²¹ sɪk̚²/

/ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐoʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/jœːk̚² jʊk̚² kʰœːŋ²¹ sɪk̚²/

survival of the fittest
survival of the fittest

survival of the fittest; law of the jungle


яйца задницу не учат

head

я́йца за́дницу не у́чат

я́йца за́дницу не у́чат • (jájca zádnicu ne účat)

я́йца за́дницу не у́чат (canonical)
jájca zádnicu ne účat (romanization)

[ˈjæjt͡sə ˈzadʲnʲɪt͡sʊ nʲɪ‿ˈut͡ɕɪt]

Literally, “the balls (eggs, testicles) do not teach the butt”.

lit

я́йца ку́рицу не у́чат
яйца курицу не учат#Russian

(vulgar) Synonym of я́йца ку́рицу не у́чат (jájca kúricu ne účat, “don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs”)

я́йца ку́рицу не у́чат

en-яйца_задницу_не_учат-ru-proverb-V26blsM2


не учи учёного

head

не учи́ учёного

не учи́ учёного • (ne učí učónovo)

не учи́ учёного (canonical)
ne učí učónovo (romanization)

[nʲɪ‿ʊˈt͡ɕi ʊˈt͡ɕɵnəvə]

не учи́ пла́вать щу́ку, щу́ка зна́ет свою́ нау́ку

don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs


打是疼，罵是愛

打是疼，骂是爱
打是親，罵是愛

Beating is (a sign of) affection, (and) cursing is (a sign of) love.

/tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tʰɤŋ³⁵ mä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀaɪ̯⁵¹/

Sometimes harsh words or deeds can demonstrate one's love; Tough love is sometimes the only way.


лающая собака не кусает

ла́ющая соба́ка не куса́ет

ла́ющая соба́ка не куса́ет • (lájuščaja sobáka ne kusájet)

ла́ющая соба́ка не куса́ет (canonical)
lájuščaja sobáka ne kusájet (romanization)

barking dogs seldom bite
barking dogs seldom bite

en-лающая_собака_не_кусает-ru-proverb-jtZXaGOO


учёного учить — только портить

учёного учи́ть — то́лько по́ртить

учёного учи́ть — то́лько по́ртить • (učónovo učítʹ — tólʹko pórtitʹ)

учёного учи́ть — то́лько по́ртить (canonical)

[ʊˈt͡ɕɵnəvə ʊˈt͡ɕitʲ | ˈtolʲkə ˈportʲɪtʲ]

Literally, “you can only spoil a scholar by teaching him/her”.

lit

en-учёного_учить_—_только_портить-ru-proverb-cniWTMl3


head

не учи́ пла́вать щу́ку, щу́ка зна́ет свою́ нау́ку • (ne učí plávatʹ ščúku, ščúka znájet svojú naúku)

не учи́ пла́вать щу́ку (canonical)
щу́ка зна́ет свою́ нау́ку (canonical)
ne učí plávatʹ ščúku (romanization)
ščúka znájet svojú naúku (romanization)

[nʲɪ‿ʊˈt͡ɕi ˈpɫavət͡ɕ ˈɕːukʊ | ˈɕːukə ˈzna(j)ɪt͡s svɐˈju nɐˈukʊ]

Literally, “don't teach a pike to swim, the pike knows his own science” [ie, how to swim].

lit

не учи плавать щуку, щука знает свою науку

en-не_учи_плавать_щуку,_щука_знает_свою_науку-ru-proverb-cniWTMl3


яйца курицу не учат

head

я́йца ку́рицу не у́чат

я́йца ку́рицу не у́чат • (jájca kúricu ne účat)

я́йца ку́рицу не у́чат (canonical)
jájca kúricu ne účat (romanization)

[ˈjæjt͡sə ˈkurʲɪt͡sʊ nʲɪ‿ˈut͡ɕɪt]

Literally, “the eggs do not teach the hen”. Compare Polish jajko mądrzejsze od kury.

lit

яйки курицу не учат, яйки бизнес крутят

jajki kuricu ne učat, jajki biznes krutjat


生不帶來，死不帶去

ㄕㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄞˋ ㄌㄞˊ

ㄙˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄞˋ ㄑㄩˋ

shêng¹ pu⁴ tai⁴ lai², ssŭ³ pu⁴ tai⁴ chʻü⁴

шэн бу дай лай

сы бу дай цюй

/ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰy⁵¹/

Literally: You can't bring it with you from before birth, and you can't take with you after you're dead.

used to advise people to refrain from being obsessed with material possessions


a miss is as good as a mile

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-a miss is as good as a mile.wav

A failure remains a failure, regardless of how close to success one has actually come.


no time like the present

there's no time like the present#English

Clipping of there's no time like the present.


a fool and his money are soon parted

First appears c. 1587 in the publication Defense of the Government of the Church of England as If they pay a penie or two pence more for the reddinesse of them..let them looke to that, a foole and his money is soone parted.

nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people

It is easy to obtain money from foolish people.

it is easy to get money from foolish people

Fools' money slips through their fingers

aux idiots l’argent file entre les doigts

Fools' money burns through their fingers

aux idiots l’argent brûle entre les doigts

It is difficult or unlikely that careless and irresponsible individuals will maintain their hold on acquired wealth.

warĩire athĩnirie waigire

it is difficult or unlikely that foolish people maintain their hold on acquired wealth

one who had eaten bothered one who had stored


en-proverb

if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen

Attributed to Harry S. Truman, coined in a July 1942 newspaper.

If you cannot handle the pressure, you should not remain in a position where you have to deal with it.

唔好戴咁大顶帽

mou⁵ gam³ daai⁶ go³ tau⁴, m⁴ hou² daai³ gam³ daai⁶ deng² mou⁶⁻²

别揽瓷器活

if you don't have a diamond, stay out of porcelain business.

the one who enters the game should not leave the game

joka leikkiin ryhtyy, se leikin kestäköön

wenn du die Hitze nicht verträgst, geh nicht in die Küche

절이 싫으면 중이 떠나야 한다 (jeor-i sireumyeon jung-i tteonaya handa, literally “iIf the monk hates the monastery, he should leave”)

den som er med på leken, må tåle steken

those who are in on the game, must be able to handle the heat

волко́в боя́ться — в лес не ходи́ть (volkóv bojátʹsja — v les ne xodítʹ) (if you are afraid of wolves, don't go to the woods)

si no puedes aguantar el calor, sal de la cocina


head

Who invented that mischievous falsehood that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach? How many a silly woman, taking it for truth, has let love slip out of the parlour, while she was busy in the kitchen.

1899, Jerome K. Jerome, “On the Preparation and Employment of Love Philtres”, in The Second Thoughts of An Idle Fellow:

I have often heard it said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but every time I ever seen men and women keep waiting for their eats it was always the frail sex that give the first yelp, and personally I've often wondered what would of happened in the trenches Over There if ladies had of been occupying them when the rations failed to show up.

1921, Ring Lardner Sr., chapter 1, in The Big Town:

Cooking food for a man is a good way to win his affections.

要想抓住男人的心，先要抓住男人的胃

cooking food for a man is a good way to win his affections

yào xiǎng zhuāzhù nánrén de xīn, xiān yào zhuāzhù nánrén de wèi

η καρδιά του άνδρα περνά απ' το στομάχι

i kardiá tou ándra perná ap' to stomáchi

drumul spre inima unui bărbat trece prin stomac

putʹ k sérdcu mužčíny ležít čérez jevó želúdok

путь к се́рдцу мужчи́ны лежи́т че́рез его́ желу́док

erkeğin kalbine giden yol midesinden geçer


fine words butter no parsnips

Attested as early as 1639 as faire words butter noe parsnips, alluding to the English habit of buttering foods to make them more palatable. It was found in the 17th century in various forms with the first and last word being different, thus allowing combinations of fine/fair/soft with parsnips/cabbage/fish/connie before becoming standardized in the form fine words doth butter no parsnips.

Nothing is achieved by empty words or flattery.

praatjes vullen geen gaatjes

talking about doing something does not get it done

Von schönen Worten kann man sich nichts kaufen.

ῥήματα ἀντ’ ἀλφίτων (rhḗmata ant’ alphítōn, literally “words instead of meals”)

соловья́ ба́снями не нако́рмишь (solovʹjá básnjami ne nakórmišʹ, literally “you can't feed a nightingale with fables”)


actions speak louder than words

the pen is mightier than the sword

antonym(s) of “it is more effective to act directly”

En-us-actions speak louder than words.oga

It is more effective to act directly than to speak of action.

الْأَعْمَال أَعْلَى صَوْتًا مِن الْكَلِمَات

a tettek minden szónál ékesebben beszélnek

не по слова́м су́дят, а по дела́м (ne po slovám súdjat, a po delám, literally “they judge not by words but by deeds”)

An individual's actions indicate their true sentiments more reliably than their claims do.


劣幣驅逐良幣

ㄌㄧㄝˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄑㄩ ㄓㄨˊ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ

леби цюйчжу лянби

/li̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu³⁵ li̯ɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹/

/lyːt̚² pɐi̯²² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚² lœːŋ²¹ pɐi̯²²/

Possibly a calque of English bad money drives out good.

bad money drives out good
bad money drives out good

bad money drives out good (Gresham's law)

(by extension) things of inferior quality will drive out things of superior quality


名不正，則言不順

ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˋ

ㄗㄜˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄣˋ

цзэ янь бу шунь

/miŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ jɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂu̯ən⁵¹/

If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.

The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Míng bù zhèng, zé yán bù shùn; yán bù shùn, zé shì bù chéng; shì bù chéng, zé lǐyuè bù xīng; lǐyuè bù xīng, zé xíngfá bù zhòng; xíngfá bù zhòng, zé mín wú suǒ cuò shǒu zú.

名不正，則言不順；言不順，則事不成；事不成，則禮樂不興；禮樂不興，則刑罰不中；刑罰不中，則民無所措手足。

名不正，则言不顺；言不顺，则事不成；事不成，则礼乐不兴；礼乐不兴，则刑罚不中；刑罚不中，则民无所措手足。

You must first properly define an issue in order to talk about it intelligently.


adar o'r unlliw hedant i'r unlle

/ˌadar ɔr ˈɨ̞nɬɨ̞u̯ ˌhɛdant ɪr ˈɨ̞nɬɛ/

"Birds of the same colour fly to the same place".

birds of a feather flock together
birds of a feather flock together


beauty is in the eye of the beholder

He is referring to the relativity of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" an idea that became popular in the 18th cent.

1642, Charles Sorel, La Maison des Jeux, page 57:

Different people have different views on what is beautiful; beauty is subjective.

الْجَمَالُ فِي عَيْنِ النَّاظِرِ

people have different ideas of what is beautiful

de schoonheid der vrijster ligt in 's vrijers oog

die Schönheit liegt im Auge des Betrachters

khūbsūrtī dekhne vālõ ke ā̃khõ mẽ hotī hai

खूबसूरती देखने वालों के आँखों में होती है

is geal leis an bhfiach dubh a ghearrcach féin

la bellezza sta negli occhi di chi guarda

아름다움은 그것을 보는 사람 눈에 달려있다

areumdaumeun geugeoseul boneun saram nune dallyeoitda

ايلوق بوروق د مات اورڠ تقکن سام د مات کيت

elok buruk di mata orang takkan sama di mata kita

nie to ładne, co ładne, ale to co się komu podoba


光陰似箭

ja-r

こういん や の ごとし

CJKV/code

こういん や の ごとし

Sino-Xenic (光陰似箭):
* → Japanese: 光陰矢(こういんや)の如(ごと)し (kōin ya no gotoshi)

CJKV

こういん や の ごとし

ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ ㄙˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

гуанъинь сы цзянь

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵ sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː¹³ t͡siːn³³/

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵ sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː¹³ t͡siːn³³/

From 但見時光流似箭 ("surely time and tide flow like an arrow"), as versed by Wei Zhuang (Tang Dynasty, c. 836-910) in his poem 《關河道中》

Huái mò chán shēng liǔshì fēng, yìlóu gāo yǐ xīyáng dōng.
Wǎnglái qiānlǐ lù cháng zài, jùsàn shí nián rén bùtóng.
Dàn jiàn shíguāng liú sì jiàn, qǐ zhī tiāndào qū rú gōng.
Píngshēng zhìyè kuāng Yáo Shùn, yòu nǐ cānglàng xué diàowēng.

槐陌蟬聲柳市風，驛樓高倚夕陽東。
往來千里路長在，聚散十年人不同。
但見時光流似箭，豈知天道曲如弓。
平生志業匡堯舜，又擬滄浪學釣翁。

槐陌蝉声柳市风，驿楼高倚夕阳东。
往来千里路长在，聚散十年人不同。
但见时光流似箭，岂知天道曲如弓。
平生志业匡尧舜，又拟沧浪学钓翁。

I know that time flies like an arrow. [Even if] I suffer through this day, [and if] I can get through this day, tomorrow will still be challenging.

dou¹ zi¹ gwong¹ jam¹ ci⁵ zin³, ngo⁵ ngaai⁴ gwo³ ze² tin¹, ngo⁵ gwo³ dou³ ze² tin¹, ming⁴ jat⁶ jau⁶ jau⁵ tiu¹ zin³.

都知光陰似箭，我捱過這天，我過到這天，明日又有挑戰。

都知光阴似箭，我捱过这天，我过到这天，明日又有挑战。


在家靠父母，出外靠朋友

ㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄎㄠˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄇㄨˇ

ㄔㄨ ㄨㄞˋ ㄎㄠˋ ㄆㄥˊ ˙ㄧㄡ

ㄔㄨ ㄨㄞˋ ㄎㄠˋ ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡˇ

zoi⁶ gaa¹ kaau³ fu⁶ mou⁵, ceot¹ ngoi⁶ kaau³ pang⁴ jau⁵

цзайцзя као фуму

чувай као пэнъю

/t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ kʰɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ waɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰɑʊ̯⁵¹ pʰɤŋ³⁵ joʊ̯³/

/t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ kʰɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ waɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰɑʊ̯⁵¹ pʰɤŋ³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

joih gā kaau fuh móuh, chēut ngoih kaau pàhng yáuh

dzoi⁶ gaa¹ kaau³ fu⁶ mou⁵, tsoet⁷ ngoi⁶ kaau³ pang⁴ jau⁵

zoi⁶ ga¹ kao³ fu⁶ mou⁵, cêd¹ ngoi⁶ kao³ peng⁴ yeo⁵

/t͡sɔːi̯²² kaː⁵⁵ kʰaːu̯³³ fuː²² mou̯¹³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ ŋɔːi̯²² kʰaːu̯³³ pʰɐŋ²¹ jɐu̯¹³/

at home, rely on your parents; away from home, rely on your friends


a lie has no legs

One cannot get away with a lie; the truth will always come out.

al is de leugen nog zo snel, de waarheid achterhaalt haar wel

a hazug embert hamarabb utolérik, mint a sánta kutyát

könnyebb utolérni a hazugot, mint a sánta kutyát

yu kan kibri yu granmama, ma yu no kan kibri en kosokoso


同是天涯淪落人

ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄕˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄚˊ ㄌㄨㄣˊ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄖㄣˊ

тун ши тянья луньложэнь

/tʰʊŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ jä³⁵ lu̯ən³⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

/tʰʊŋ²¹ siː²² tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋaːi̯²¹ lɵn²¹ lɔːk̚² jɐn²¹/

From the poem “The Song of the Pipa Player” (《琵琶行》) by Bai Juyi (白居易).

We both are people stranded from the far corners of the realm.

Those who have the same misfortune sympathize with each other.


好漢不吃眼前虧

A real man does not eat a loss that is right in front of his eyes.

ㄏㄠˇ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔ ㄧㄢˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄎㄨㄟ

hao³-han⁴ pu⁴ chʻih¹ yen³-chʻien² kʻuei¹

хаохань бу чи яньцянь куй

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xän⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/

A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him; A wise man knows when to retreat.


好酒沉甕底

The best wine is at the bottom of the jug.

ㄏㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄔㄣˊ ㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄧˇ

hǎojiǔ chén wèngdǐ [Phonetic:háojiǔchénwèngdǐ]

хаоцзю чэнь вэнди

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ wəŋ⁵¹ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/hɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡siu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tim²³⁻³³ aŋ²¹⁻⁴¹ te⁴¹/

It ain't over until the fat lady sings
it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings

The best is saved for last; It ain't over until the fat lady sings.


多行不義必自斃

ㄉㄨㄛ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄗˋ ㄅㄧˋ

duō xíng bùyì bì zìbì [Phonetic:duō xíng búyì bì zìbì]

до син буи би цзыби

/tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/

/tɔː⁵⁵ hɐŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jiː²² piːt̚⁵ t͡siː²² pɐi̯²²/

From Zuo Zhuan. Duke Zhuang of Zheng had conferred a major city on his brother Gong Shu Duan (w:zh:共叔段) on the request of their mother. One of his officers were concerned that Gong Shu Duan could become a threat. He gave the following reply (《左傳·隱公元年》)

The lord said, "If he repeatedly commits undutiful acts, he surely will bring himself down. For the time being, sir, just wait for this."

Commentary of Zuo, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

Gōng yuē: “Duō xíng bùyì, bì zìbì, zǐ gū dài zhī.”

公曰：「多行不義，必自斃，子姑待之。」

公曰：「多行不义，必自毙，子姑待之。」

The wages of sin is death; He who is unjust is doomed to destruction.


好馬不吃回頭草

a good horse does not look back to eat grass

ㄏㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄘㄠˇ

hǎo mǎ bù chī huítóu cǎo [Phonetic:háomǎbùchīhuítóucǎo]

хао ма бу чи хуэйтоу цао

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

a smart person does not dwell on past actions; a true man never backtracks


如人飲水，冷暖自知

ㄖㄨˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄣˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

ㄌㄥˇ ㄋㄨㄢˇ ㄗˋ ㄓ

jyu⁴ jan⁴ jam² seoi², laang⁵ nyun⁵ zi⁶ zi¹

жу жэнь иньшуй

лэннуань цзычжи

žu žɛnʹ inʹšuj

/ʐu³⁵ ʐən³⁵ in²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lɤŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ nu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

jy⁴ jan⁴ jam² soey², laang⁵ nyn⁵ dzi⁶ dzi¹

/jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ jɐm³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ laːŋ¹³ nyːn¹³ t͡siː²² t͡siː⁵⁵/

From The Transmission of the Lamp (《景德傳燈錄》卷第四).

Only the person drinking the water knows whether it is warm or cold.

One must personally experience something in order to know what it's like.


many hands make light work

Audio (US)

A large number of people cooperating can perform tasks easily.

人多好辦事

a large number of people cooperating can perform tasks easily

to 'na chéri nívei t' állo kai ta dyo to prósopo

το 'να χέρι νίβει τ' άλλο και τα δυο το πρόσωπο

kráta me na se krató, n' anevoúme to vounó

κράτα με να σε κρατώ, ν' ανεβούμε το βουνό

берись дружно, не будет грузно (berisʹ družno, ne budet gruzno, literally “take it together, and it won't be heavy”)


有子萬事足

ㄧㄡˇ ㄗˇ ㄨㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄗㄨˊ

yǒu zǐ wànshì zú [Phonetic:yóuzǐwànshìzú]

ю цзы ваньши цзу

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡su³⁵/


有理走遍天下

ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄗㄡˇ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

yǒulǐ zǒu biàn tiānxià [Phonetic:yóulízǒubiàntiānxià]

юли цзоу бянь тянься

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛn⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

With justice on your side, you can go anywhere.


if you can't beat them, join them

GWM seeks gay female for liberal marriage. If you can't beat them, join them!

1985 August 24, “Will You Marry Me? (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 7, page 17:

If one's adversaries are stronger, it is better to join their side.

如果打不過他們，就加入他們

if your adversaries are stronger than you, it is better to join their side

se você não pode vencê-los, junte-se a eles

ne móžešʹ pobítʹ, prisojedinjájsja k nim

не мо́жешь поби́ть, присоединя́йся к ним

с волка́ми жить — по-во́лчьи выть (s volkámi žitʹ — po-vólčʹi vytʹ) (to live amongst wolves, you should howl like a wolf)

si no puedes contra el enemigo, únete a él


成者為王，敗者為寇

desc

→ Vietnamese: thắng làm vua, thua làm giặc (calque)

ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄜˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄨㄤˊ

ㄅㄞˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄎㄡˋ

sing⁴ ze² wai⁴ wong⁴, baai⁶ ze² wai⁴ kau³

chʻêng² chê³ wei² wang², pai⁴ chê³ wei² kʻou⁴

чэн чжэ вэй ван

бай чжэ вэй коу

čɛn čžɛ vɛj van

/ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ wɑŋ³⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ kʰoʊ̯⁵¹/

sing⁴ dze² wai⁴ wong⁴, baai⁶ dze² wai⁴ kau³

xing⁴ zé² wei⁴ wong⁴, bai⁶ zé² wei⁴ keo³

/sɪŋ²¹ t͡sɛː³⁵ wɐi̯²¹ wɔːŋ²¹ paːi̯²² t͡sɛː³⁵ wɐi̯²¹ kʰɐu̯³³/

Based on a line in The Orphan of Zhao (translation by West & Idema, 2015)

Successful, I would have been a king; defeated, I am a prisoner. Now that things have reached this point, I only wish to die quickly.

Yuan Dynasty, Ji Junxiang, The Orphan of Zhao

Wǒ chéng zé wéi wáng, bài zé wéi lǔ. Shì yǐ zhì cǐ, wéi qiú zǎosǐ éryǐ.

我成則為王，敗則為虜。事已至此，惟求早死而已。

我成则为王，败则为虏。事已至此，惟求早死而已。

The victor becomes king, the defeated an outlaw.

Legitimacy belongs to the victor; might makes right; Used to mean a person is judged solely on whether they succeeded or failed


朽木不可雕

ㄒㄧㄡˇ ㄇㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄉㄧㄠ

сюму букэ дяо

/ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/nɐu̯³⁵ mʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ tiːu̯⁵⁵/

/nɐu̯³⁵ mʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ tiːu̯⁵⁵/

Zai Yu being asleep during the daytime, the Master said, "Rotten wood cannot be carved; a wall of dirty earth will not receive the trowel. This Yu! — what is the use of my reproving him?"

Zǎi Yǔ zhòuqǐn. Zǐyuē: “Xiǔmù bùkě diāo yě, fèntǔ zhī qiáng, bùkě wū yě, yú Yǔ yǔ hé zhū.”

宰予晝寢。子曰：「朽木不可雕也，糞土之牆，不可杇也，於予與何誅。」

宰予昼寝。子曰：「朽木不可雕也，粪土之墙，不可杇也，于予与何诛。」

One cannot make a carving from rotten wood.

You can’t teach a student that doesn’t have the aptitude.


有錢能使鬼推磨

if youhave money, you can make the devil push the millstone for you

ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄋㄥˊ ㄕˇ ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄊㄨㄟ ㄇㄛˋ

yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuīmò [Phonetic:yǒuqiánnéngshíguǐtuīmò]

ю цянь нэн ши гуй туймо

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/ɦiɤ²² ʑi³³ nən²² sz̩³³ t͡ɕy⁴⁴ tʰe⁴⁴ mo²³/

money makes the world go around; money talks


百尺竿頭，更進一步

ㄅㄞˇ ㄔˇ ㄍㄢ ㄊㄡˊ

ㄍㄥˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄧ ㄅㄨˋ

baak³ cek³ gon¹ tau⁴, gang³ zeon³ jat¹ bou⁶

bǎi chǐ gāntóu, gèng jìn yībù [Phonetic:báichǐgāntóu,gèngjìnyíbù]

бай чи ганьтоу

гэн цзинь ибу

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ kän⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ kɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pu⁵¹/

baak⁸ tsek⁸ gon¹ tau⁴, gang³ dzoen³ jat⁷ bou⁶

bag³ cég³ gon¹ teo⁴, geng³ zên³ yed¹ bou⁶

/paːk̚³ t͡sʰɛːk̚³ kɔːn⁵⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ kɐŋ³³ t͡sɵn³³ jɐt̚⁵ pou̯²²/

Literally: Even a 100 foot stalk of bamboo can progress one more step.

百尺竿头，更进一步
百尺竿頭更進一步

Even though one has reached great heights of success, one should still strive to improve oneself.


百聞不如一見

백문불여일견(百聞不如一見)

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (百聞不如一見):
* → Korean: 백문불여일견(百聞不如一見) (baengmunburyeoilgyeon)

ja-r

ひゃくぶん は いっけん に しかず

→ Japanese: 百聞(ひゃくぶん)は一見(いっけん)に如(し)かず (hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu) (calque)

desc

→ Russian: лу́чше оди́н раз уви́деть, чем сто раз услы́шать (lúčše odín raz uvídetʹ, čem sto raz uslýšatʹ) (calque)

→ Vietnamese: trăm nghe không bằng mắt thấy (calque)

ㄅㄞˇ ㄨㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

bǎi wén bùrú yī jiàn [Phonetic:bǎi wén bùrú yí jiàn]

бай вэнь бужу и цзянь

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ wən³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/paːk̚³ mɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ jɐt̚⁵ kiːn³³/

/paːk̚³ mɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ jɐt̚⁵ kiːn³³/

From the 69ᵗʰ chapter of the Book of Han

Bǎi wén bùrú yī jiàn. Bīng nán yú dù, chén yuàn chí zhì jīnchéng, tú shàng fānglüè.

百聞不如一見。兵難隃度，臣願馳至金城，圖上方略。

百闻不如一见。兵难隃度，臣愿驰至金城，图上方略。

Hearing something one hundred times is not as good as seeing it once.

a picture is worth a thousand words
a picture is worth a thousand words


百聞不如一見

ko-noun

百聞不如一見 • (baengmunburyeoilgyeon) (hangeul 백문불여일견)

baengmunburyeoilgyeon (romanization)
백문불여일견 (hangeul)

백문불여일견 백문불여일견#Korean

hanja form of 백문불여일견 (“seeing is believing”)


自古紅顏多薄命

ㄗˋ ㄍㄨˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄅㄛˊ ㄇㄧㄥˋ

цзыгу хунъянь до бомин

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ xʊŋ³⁵ jɛn³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu̯ɔ³⁵ miŋ⁵¹/

From ancient times, many with a rosy countenance have been ill-fated.

since ancient times, beautiful women have often been ill-fated


伴君如伴虎

ㄅㄢˋ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄖㄨˊ ㄅㄢˋ ㄏㄨˇ

бань цзюнь жу бань ху

/pän⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ ʐu³⁵ pän⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/puːn²² kʷɐn⁵⁵ jyː²¹ puːn²² fuː³⁵/

/pän⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ ʐu³⁵ pän⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/puːn²² kʷɐn⁵⁵ jyː²¹ puːn²² fuː³⁵/

Literally: Accompanying one's sovereign can be like accompanying a tiger.

It can be dangerous to follow one's leader.


兵來將擋，水來土掩

(If enemy) soldiers come, a general (should) stop them. (If flood) waters come, the earth (should) stem it.

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄌㄞˊ ㄐㄧㄤˋ ㄉㄤˇ

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄌㄞˊ ㄊㄨˇ ㄧㄢˇ

bing¹ loi⁴ zoeng³ dong², seoi² loi⁴ tou² jim²

бинлайцзяндан

/piŋ⁵⁵ laɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ tɑŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ laɪ̯³⁵ tʰu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

bing¹ loi⁴ dzoeng³ dong², soey² loi⁴ tou² jim²

bing¹ loi⁴ zêng³ dong², sêu² loi⁴ tou² yim²

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ lɔːi̯²¹ t͡sœːŋ³³ tɔːŋ³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ lɔːi̯²¹ tʰou̯³⁵ jiːm³⁵/

to take such measures as the situation calls for


one good turn deserves another

One act of kindness should be paid back by another act of kindness.

善有善報

one act of kindness should be paid back by another act of kindness

долг платежо́м кра́сен

words pay no debts, a debt is good when it's paid


君子一言，快馬一鞭

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄧ ㄧㄢˊ

ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄇㄚˇ ㄧ ㄅㄧㄢ

цзюньцзы и янь

куай ма и бянь

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ jɛn³⁵ kʰu̯aɪ̯⁵¹ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

Literally: If a gentleman says it, (it shall be done as if spurring) a fast horse (to gallop with) a single (strike of the) whip.


君子報仇，十年不晚

desc

→ Vietnamese: quân tử trả thù, mười năm chưa muộn (calque)

[For] a gentleman to take revenge, ten years is not too late [to wait]

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄅㄠˋ ㄔㄡˊ

ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄢˇ

цзюньцзы баочоу

ши нянь бу вань

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pɑʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹ wän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Zhào bǎo shuō: “Mèizǐ, wǒ gēn xià nǐ lái, jiù pà nǐ xún le zhuō zhì. Yǒu chóu bù bào, fēi wèi rénlèi, wúlùn nánnǚ, wǎng lì yú tiāndì zhī jiān. Zài shuō jūnzǐbàochóu, shíniánbùwǎn. Mèizǐ yào shì yuànyì bàochóu, wǒ yǒu ge yújiàn, kě bù zhī mèizǐ yìxià rúhé?”

趙保說：「妹子，我跟下你來，就怕你尋了拙志。有仇不報，非為人類，無論男女，枉立於天地之間。再說君子報仇，十年不晚。妹子要是願意報仇，我有個愚見，可不知妹子意下如何？」

赵保说：「妹子，我跟下你来，就怕你寻了拙志。有仇不报，非为人类，无论男女，枉立于天地之间。再说君子报仇，十年不晚。妹子要是愿意报仇，我有个愚见，可不知妹子意下如何？」

revenge is a dish best served cold
revenge is a dish best served cold

One should bide one's time and wait for the right opportunity to seek vengeance; revenge is a dish best served cold


君子之交淡如水

君子の交わりは淡きこと水の如し

→ Japanese: 君子の交わりは淡きこと水の如し (kunshi no majiwari wa awaki koto mizu no gotoshi) (calque)

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄓ ㄐㄧㄠ ㄉㄢˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

цзюньцзы чжи цзяо дань жу шуй

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ tän⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ taːm²² jyː²¹ sɵy̯³⁵/

Moreover, the intercourse of superior men is tasteless as water, while that of mean men is sweet as new wine.

Qiě jūnzǐ zhī jiāo dàn ruò shuǐ, xiǎorén zhī jiāo gān ruò lǐ.

且君子之交淡若水，小人之交甘若醴。

True friendship between two men of accomplishment need not be overly demonstrative.


absence makes the heart grow fonder

en-au-absence makes the heart grow fonder.ogg

(idiomatic) One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.

lluny dels ulls, prop del cor

When someone or something is far away, one realizes how much one loves or misses them or it

duduk sekampung lagikan rindu, inikan pula jauh di mata

duduk sekampung lagikan rindu, inikan pula jauh di rantau

jauh serasa hilang, bercerai serasa mati, jauh bau bunga, dekat bau tahi

دودوق سکامڤوڠ لاݢيکن ريندو, اينکن ڤولا جاءوه دمات

دودوق سکامڤوڠ لاݢيکن ريندو, اينکن ڤولا جاءوه درنتاو

جاءوه سراس هيلڠ, برچراي سراس ماتي, جاءوه باءو بوڠا, دکت باءو تاهي

разлу́ка для любви́, что ве́тер для искры́ — ма́ленькую зату́шит, а большу́ю сде́лает еще сильне́е (razlúka dlja ljubví, što véter dlja iskrý — málenʹkuju zatúšit, a bolʹšúju sdélajet ješče silʹnéje)

nadie sabe lo que tiene hasta que lo pierde

kel ölür, sırma saçlı olur, kör ölür badem gözlü olur


head

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

1796 in English, from French, on ne saurait faire d’omelette sans casser des œufs (1742 and earlier), attributed to François de Charette.

It was remarked to him that he had caused the death of a great many persons. Yes, he replied, omlets are not made without breaking eggs.

In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that some mistakes are made or some sacrifices must occur.

one doesn't make an omelette without breaking eggs

on ne fait pas d’omelette sans casser des œufs

non si può fare una frittata senza rompere le uova

det må knuses noen egg for å lage en omelett

não se pode fazer omelete sem quebrar os ovos

лес ру́бят — ще́пки летя́т (les rúbjat — ščépki letját) (when wood is cut - chips fly)

nothing is worth the effort without stirring up conflicts

nada que valga la pena se logra sin crear conflictos

you can't make a tortilla without breaking the eggs

no se puede hacer una tortilla sin romper los huevos

quien quiera peces, que moje el culo

Whoever wants some fish must get his/her arse wet

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet


en-proverb

people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

Do not criticize others if you have similar weaknesses yourself.

one shouldn't criticize others for having the same fault

man kāna baytuhu min zujāj falā yarmi n-nās bi-l-ḥajāra

مَن كَانَ بَيْتُهُ مِن زُجَاج فَلَا يَرْمِ النَّاس بِالْحَجَارَة

اللي بيته من قزاز، برميش الناس بالطوب

illi bēto min ʔazāz, birmī-š in-nās biṭ-ṭūb

kast ikke med sten hvis du selv bor i et glashus

lasitalossa asuvan ei pitäisi heitellä kiviä

c’est l’hôpital qui se fout de la charité

celui qui vit dans une maison de verre ne doit jamais lancer de pierres

wer im Glashaus sitzt, sollte nicht mit Steinen werfen

man sollte zuerst vor der eigenen Haustür fegen

oi ánthropoi pou zoun se gyálina spítia de prépei na petoún pétres

οι άνθρωποι που ζουν σε γυάλινα σπίτια δε πρέπει να πετούν πέτρες

מי שגר בבית מזכוכית שלא ישליך אבנים

Mi she-gar be-vayit mi-zekhukhit she-lo yashlikh avanim

śīśe ke gharõ mẽ rahne vāle dūsrõ ke gharõ par patthar nahī̃ fẽkte

शीशे के घरों में रहने वाले दूसरों के घरों पर पत्थर नहीं फ़ेंकते

an té atá saor caitheadh sé an chéad chloch

che è senza peccato scagli la prima pietra

kasi ke dar xâne-ye šiše-i zendegi mi-konad sang partâb nemi-konad

کسی که در خانه شیشهای زندگی میکند سنگ پرتاب نمیکند

źdźbło w oku bliźniego widzisz, a belki w swoim nie dostrzegasz

quem tem telhado de vidro não joga pedra no dos outros

cine are casă de sticlă, nu aruncă cu pietre

ne iščí sorínku v čužóm glazú, ne zamečája brevná v svojóm

не ищи́ сори́нку в чужо́м глазу́, не замеча́я бревна́ в своём

fowk wha leeve in gless hooses shoudnae thraw stanes

quien tiene tejado de vidrio no tire piedras al de su vecino

vemos la paja en el ojo ajeno, y no vemos la viga en el nuestro

people who live in glass houses should not throw stones

people that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

people that live in glass houses should not throw stones

those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

those who live in glass houses should not throw stones


curiosity killed the cat

One should not be curious about things that can be dangerous.

tanto va la gatta al lardo, che ci lascia lo zampino

la troppa curiosità spinge l'uccello nella rete

nysgjerrig høne får enten korn eller knuff

ljubopýtnoj Várvare na bazáre nos otorváli

любопы́тной Ва́рваре на база́ре нос оторва́ли

мно́го бу́дешь знать — ско́ро соста́ришься (mnógo búdešʹ znatʹ — skóro sostárišʹsja)

ме́ньше зна́ешь — кре́пче спишь (ménʹše znáješʹ — krépče spišʹ)


uma andorinha só não faz verão

/u.m‿ɐ̃.doˈɾĩ.ɲɐ ˈsɔ ˈnɐ̃w̃ ˈfa(j)z veˈɾɐ̃w̃/

[u.m‿ɐ̃.doˈɾĩ.j̃ɐ ˈsɔ ˈnɐ̃ʊ̯̃ ˈfa(ɪ̯)z veˈɾɐ̃ʊ̯̃]

/u.m‿ɐ̃.doˈɾĩ.ɲɐ ˈsɔ ˈnɐ̃w̃ ˈfa(j)ʒ veˈɾɐ̃w̃/

[u.m‿ɐ̃.doˈɾĩ.j̃ɐ ˈsɔ ˈnɐ̃ʊ̯̃ ˈfa(ɪ̯)ʒ veˈɾɐ̃ʊ̯̃]

/u.m‿ɐ̃.doˈɾi.ɲa ˈsɔ ˈnɐ̃w̃ ˈfa(j)z veˈɾɐ̃w̃/

[u.m‿ɐ̃.doˈɾi.ɲa ˈsɔ ˈnɐ̃ʊ̯̃ ˈfa(ɪ̯)z veˈɾɐ̃ʊ̯̃]

Literally, “one swallow alone doesn't make a summer”, a calque of Ancient Greek μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ (mía khelidṑn éar ou poieî, “one swallow does not make a spring”); the reference to summer instead of spring is shared with various other European languages (see the descendants at the Greek entry).

cal

μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ

A isto respondéo D. Quixote: Senhor, huma andorinha só não faz verão: quanto mais que eu séi que esse Cavalleiro andáva secretamente muito bem enamorádo; e se elle quería bem a todas quantas bem lhe parecíão, era condição natural, a que elle não podía resistir.

1808, chapter III, in A historia de Marcela e de Chrysostomo, quoted in Extractos em Portuguez e em Inglez, London: F. Wingrave, page 206:

Se os complices de Gómez Freire tivessem sido fidalgos, ou gente appostolica, não teriaõ morrido assassinados, nem elle enforcado; mas elles erão todos huns pobres diabos; e Gomez Freire, posto que Fidalgo, achavase sozinho, e huma andorinha só não faz verão.

1827 May 26, “Carta do Juiz da Vintena dos Arcos das Aguas Livres”, in Appendice ao Padre Amaro, page 58:

Igual à andorinha / Eu parti sonhando / Mas foi tudo em vão / Voltei sem felicidade / Porque, na verdade / Uma andorinha / Voando sozinha / Não faz verão

1985, Alcino Alves, Rossi, Rosa Quadros (lyrics and music), “As Andorinhas” (2:20 from the start), in Perdão Senhor, performed by Trio Parada Dura, Rio de Janeiro: Discos Copacabana:

one swallow does not a summer make
one swallow does not a summer make

(Brazil) one swallow does not a summer make


an apple a day keeps the doctor away

/əˈn‿æpəl‿ə ˈdeɪ ˈkiːps ðə ˈdɒktəɹ‿əˈweɪ/

/əˈn‿æpəl‿ə ˈdeɪ ˈkips ðə ˈdɑktɚ əˈweɪ/

En-us-an apple a day keeps the doctor away.oga

Of British origin; a similar proverb was recorded from Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1866: “Eat an apple on going to bed, / And you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” However, the idea that apples can cure disease is much older. In the play The Soddered Citizen (first performed c. 1631–1633) by the English author John Clavell (1601–1643), it is suggested that if a person who had heartburn had taken an apple and gone to bed, he would have been cured.

nb...

at 5 New-street Square, in the Parish of St. Bride, in the County of Middlesex; and published by

of 32 Wellington Street, Strand, in the said county.

Now, an apple is one of the most wonderful of fruits, and the most wholesome. The old adage went, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," and my young son, three years ago, when he was only three years old, came to me with an amendment to that and said: "Father, two apples a day keeps the dentist away," because there is not a better toothbrush than the apple, and he got the idea that two apples a day would keep the dentist away.

1919 August 26, Harvey W[ashington] Wiley (witness), “Statement of Dr. Harvey W. Wiley—Resumed”, in Cold-storage Legislation: Hearings before the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, Sixty-sixth Congress, First Session on Cold-storage Legislation […], Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 861:

Of course I eat an apple every evening—an apple a day keeps the doctor away—but still, you ought to have more prunes, and not all these fancy doodads.

1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter I, in Babbitt, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLC, section IV, page 11:

The apple has been as formidable in history as it has been in recipe books. […] It has inspired legend (Johnny Appleseed), nicknames (New York, "the big apple") and any number of old saws ("An apple a day keeps the doctor away").

1973 October 18, Thomas Grubisich, “When you deal with millions of apples a day”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC; quoted in “Statement of Bert E. Perry, Monitor Advocate, Virginia Employment Commission”, in Oversight Hearing on Department of Labor: Certification of the Use of Offshore Labor: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Agricultural Labor of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-fourth Congress, First Session […], Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975 March 20, →OCLC, page 82:

The saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is often countered with the one "an onion a day keeps everybody away". Whether these were even proven true or not I do not know but I do know that both apples and onions were among the staples kept in our home.

1984, Louise E. Efnor, “Kill or Cure”, in Jerrilee Cain-Tyson, John E. Hallwas, Victor Hicken, editors, Tales from Two Rivers III (A Corncrib Publication), Macomb, Ill.: Two Rivers Arts Council, College of Fine Arts Development, Western Illinois University, →OCLC, part IV (Receipts by Folks), page 118, column 1:

an apple a day keeps the doctor away—an apple is nutritious and you will stay healthy if you eat one every day. My mother always told us that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so we would eat apples to stay healthy.

2000 January, “Phrases from the Garden”, in Melvia A. Hasman, editor, English Teaching Forum: A Journal for the Teacher outside the United States, volume 38, number 1, Washington, D.C.: United States Information Agency, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 51, column 1:

An old saying in Western countries goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", so now there is a new saying in China, "A sea cucumber a day keeps the doctor away".

2004, Jiaxin Chen, “Present Status and Prospects of Sea Cucumber Industry in China”, in Alessandro Lovatelli, Chantal Conand, et al., editors, Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management (FAO Fisheries Technical Paper; 463), Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization, →ISBN, session I (Status of Resources and Utilization), page 35:

Apples are healthy and stave off illnesses.

apples are healthy and stave off illnesses

tuffāḥatun wāḥidatun fī l-yawmi tuḡnīka ʕan ziyārati ṭ-ṭabībi

تُفَّاحَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْيَوْمِ تُغْنِيكَ عَنْ زِيَارَةِ الطَّبِيبِ

医生远离我

jat¹ jat⁶ jat¹ ping⁴ gwo², ji¹ sang¹ jyun⁵ lei⁴ ngo⁵

une pomme chaque matin éloigne le médecin

chaque jour une pomme conserve son homme

éna mílo tin iméra, ton giatró ton kánei péra

ένα μήλο την ημέρα, τον γιατρό τον κάνει πέρα

minden nap egy alma az orvost távol tartja

una mela al giorno toglie il medico di torno

una mela al giorno leva il medico di torno

一日一個のりんごで医者しらず

いちにちいっこのりんごでいしゃしらず

ماکن سبيجي ايڤل سهاري, تق ڤرلو برجومڤا دڠن دوکتور لاݢي

makan sebiji epal sehari, tak perlu berjumpa dengan doktor lagi

ка́ждый день я́блоко одно́ — врачу́ остава́ться далеко́ (káždyj denʹ jábloko odnó — vračú ostavátʹsja dalekó)

eno jabolko na dan, odžene zdravnika stran

una manzana al día mantiene al médico en la lejanía

He advocated the increased use of fruit, for he believed in the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

1887 November 26, “The Pomological Show”, in The Wrexham Advertiser, and North Wales News, volume XL, Wrexham, Clwyd: Selina Bayley, Charles George Bayley, and George Bradley, →OCLC, page 5, column 6:

The old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," might quite as well have read "a carrot or an onion a day," and probably the result would be about the same as regards reducing the doctor's bill. Vegetables of all kinds are necessary in the diet, but particularly valuable are those available in the spring and summer, say specialists of the United States Department of Agriculture.

1921 June 3, “Vegetables are cheap for food”, in Frank F. Prescott, editor, Weymouth Gazette and Transcript, volume LV, number 22 (number 2882 overall), Weymouth, Mass.: Gazette and Transcript Publishing Company, →OCLC, 2nd section, page 11, column 3:

Many people believe that the concept of an "apple a day keeps the doctor away" is just a played out, overused saying that adults made up to get their children to eat healthier.

2010 August 5, Michael C. Allen, chapter 2, in An Apple a Day: Getting Back to Basics Achieves Total Health and Wellness, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 5:


birds of a feather flock together

en-au-birds of a feather flock together.ogg

The expression appears to have surfaced in the 16th century, allegedly a literal translation of Plato's Republic. In 1545, William Turner wrote a version of the expression in the Rescuing of Romish Fox: "Byrdes of on kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together." One can, however, also compare the expression to Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 27:9: "Birds resort unto their like."

(idiomatic) People of similar character, background or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another; it is easier to establish friendships with people that one has a lot in common with.

people of similar character, etc. tend to associate

اَلطُّيُورُ عَلَىٰ أَشْكَالِهَا تَقَعُ (aṭ-ṭuyūru ʕalā ʔaškālihā taqaʕu, literally “birds stumble upon their kinds”)

مع من شفتك، شبهتك (mʕa men šuftak, šabbahtak, literally “With whom I saw you with, I compare you to.”)

隐痀的交侗戆

Lêng kau lêng, hōng kau hōng, ún-ku--ê kau tòng-gōng.

zeig mir deine Freunde und ich sage dir, wer du bist

הָלַךְ זַרְזִיר אֵצֶל עוֹרֵב (halách zarzír etzel 'orév, literally “the starling went with the raven”)

牛は牛連れ、馬は馬連れ

うしはうしづれ、うまはうまづれ, ushi wa ushi zure, uma wa uma zure

pares cum paribus facillimē congregantur

se strkalalo grnčeto si go našlo poklopčeto

се стркалало грнчето си го нашло поклопчето

اورڠ سبنتوق باݢاي چينچين, ستيتيق باݢاي امس

enggang bersama enggang, pipit bersama pipit

antah bersama antah, beras bersama beras

orang sebentuk bagai cincin, setitik bagai emas

diga-me com quem andas e eu te direi quem és

spune-mi cu cine te însoțești ca să îți spun cine ești

an dubh-isean ag iarraidh an dubh-gheòidh

dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres


牡丹花下死，做鬼也風流

If I should die beneath apeony flower (metaphor for beautiful woman), I will still be charming as a ghost.

ㄇㄨˇ ㄉㄢ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄙˇ

ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄧㄝˇ ㄈㄥ ㄌㄧㄡˊ

zuòguǐ yě fēngliú [Phonetic:mǔdānhuāxiàsǐ

муданьхуа ся сы

цзогуй е фэнлю

/mu²¹⁴⁻²¹ tän⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ li̯oʊ̯³⁵/

If I die under a skirt, I can still flirt as a ghost. / If my body should perish, girls I'll still cherish.


男兒膝下有黃金

there is gold under a man's knees (so why kneel down?)

ㄋㄢˊ ㄦˊ ㄒㄧ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄐㄧㄣ

наньэр сися ю хуанцзинь

/nän³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/naːm²¹ jiː²¹ sɐt̚⁵ haː²² jɐu̯¹³ wɔːŋ²¹ kɐm⁵⁵/

A man should have dignity and not grovel or bow down.


男兒有淚不輕彈

ㄋㄢˊ ㄦˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄊㄢˊ

наньэр ю лэй бу цин тань

/nän³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ leɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ tʰän³⁵/

/naːm²¹ jiː²¹ jɐu̯¹³ lɵy̯²² pɐt̚⁵ hɪŋ⁵⁵ tʰaːn²¹/

at the drop of a hat
at the drop of a hat

A real man does not cry at the drop of a hat just because life is not going his way.


男女授受不親

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (男女授受不親):
* → Vietnamese: nam nữ thụ thụ bất thân (男女授受不親)

ㄋㄢˊ ㄋㄩˇ ㄕㄡˋ ㄕㄡˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄣ

наньнюй шоушоубуцинь

/nän³⁵ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰin⁵⁵/

/naːm²¹ nɵy̯¹³ sɐu̯²² sɐu̯²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵/

From Mencius:
:
Also from the Book of Rites

He who would not so rescue the drowning woman is a wolf. For males and females not to allow their hands to touch in giving and receiving is the general rule; when a sister-in-law is drowning, to rescue her with the hand is a peculiar exigency.

Sǎo nì bù yuán, shì cháiláng yě. Nánnǚshòushòubùqīn, lǐ yě; sǎo nì yuán zhī yǐ shǒu zhě, quán yě.

嫂溺不援，是豺狼也。男女授受不親，禮也；嫂溺援之以手者，權也。

嫂溺不援，是豺狼也。男女授受不亲，礼也；嫂溺援之以手者，权也。

The Master said, 'The love of virtue should be like the love of beauty (from an inward constraint). Princes of states should not be like fishers for beauty (in the families) below them. Hence the superior man keeps aloof from beauty, in order to constitute a rule for the people. Thus men and women, in giving and receiving, do not allow their hands to touch; in driving his wife in a carriage, a husband advances his left hand; when a young aunt, a sister, or a daughter has been married, and returns (to her father's house), no male can sit on the same mat with her; a widow should not wail at night; when a wife is ill, in asking for her, the nature of her illness should not be mentioned:-in this way it was sought to keep the people (from irregular connexions); and yet there are those who become licentious, and introduce disorder and confusion among their kindred.'

The Book of Rites, c. 4ᵗʰ – 2ⁿᵈ century BCE

Zǐ yún: “Hǎodé rú hǎosè.” Zhūhóu bù xià yúsè. Gù jūnzǐ yuǎn sè yǐ wéi mín jì. Gù nánnǚshòushòubùqīn. Yù fùrén zé jìn zuǒshǒu. Gū zǐmèi nǚzǐ zǐ yǐ jià ér fǎn, nánzǐ bù yǔ tóngxí ér zuò. Guǎfù bù yè kū. Fùrén jí, wèn zhī bùwèn qí jí. Yǐ cǐ fāng mín, mín yóu yínyì ér luàn yú zú.

子云：「好德如好色。」諸侯不下漁色。故君子遠色以為民紀。故男女授受不親。御婦人則進左手。姑姊妹女子子已嫁而反，男子不與同席而坐。寡婦不夜哭。婦人疾，問之不問其疾。以此坊民，民猶淫泆而亂於族。

子云：「好德如好色。」诸侯不下渔色。故君子远色以为民纪。故男女授受不亲。御妇人则进左手。姑姊妹女子子已嫁而反，男子不与同席而坐。寡妇不夜哭。妇人疾，问之不问其疾。以此坊民，民犹淫泆而乱于族。

Men and women should not touch each other when giving or receiving an item.


秀才不出門，能知天下事

ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨ ㄇㄣˊ

ㄋㄥˊ ㄓ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄕˋ

сюцай бу чумэнь

нэн чжи тянься ши

/ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ mən³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

Even if a (true) scholar never leaves his house, he can know about everything under the heavens (if he reads and studies enough).


don't shoot the messenger

(sarcastic or humorous) The bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for it.

nikdo nemá rád posly špatných zpráv

the bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news

nenadávej na zrcadlo když máš křivou hubu

ce n’est pas en cassant le thermomètre qu’on fait tomber la fièvre

(somewhat) желанные вести — мил гоне́ц (želannyje vesti — mil gonéc)


言多必失

ㄧㄢˊ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄅㄧˋ ㄕ

/jɛn³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pi⁵¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/jiːn²¹ tɔː⁵⁵ piːt̚⁵ sɐt̚⁵/

/ɡiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ to⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

/ɡiɛn²³⁻³³ tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

/jɛn³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pi⁵¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/jiːn²¹ tɔː⁵⁵ piːt̚⁵ sɐt̚⁵/

/ɡiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ to⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

/ɡiɛn²³⁻³³ tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

the more one says, the easier it is to make a mistake


見面三分情

ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄙㄢ ㄈㄣ ㄑㄧㄥˊ

цзянь мянь сань фэнь цин

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ fən⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵/

It's harder to be cold and detached when you look someone in the eyes.


防人之心不可無

ㄈㄤˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄨˊ

фан жэнь чжи синь букэ у

/fɑŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵/

/fɔːŋ²¹ jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ mou̯²¹/

Literally: One must not lack a heart that is on guard.

You will not survive in life unless you are on guard against those would harm you.


一啖荔枝三把火

/jɐt̚⁵ taːm²² lɐi̯²² t͡siː⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ paː³⁵ fɔː³⁵/

Corruption of a line in 《惠州一絕》 by Su Shi

Daily eating three hundred lychees, I would not resist staying in Lingnan.

jat⁶ daam⁶ lai⁶ zi¹ saam¹ baak³ fo², bat¹ ci⁴ coeng⁴ zok³ ling⁵ naam⁴ jan⁴.

日啖荔枝三百顆，不辭長作嶺南人。

日啖荔枝三百颗，不辞长作岭南人。

one bite oflychee [equals] three flaming torches

(Cantonese, idiomatic) Describes the purported negative effects (i.e. causing excessive internal heat) of eating lychee fruit.


six of one, half a dozen of the other

(idiomatic) The two alternatives are equivalent or indifferent; it doesn't matter which one we choose.

не врат, ами шия

半斤八两 (bànjīnbāliǎng, literally “half a catty, eight taels of the other”)

jeden za osmnáct, druhý bez dvou za dvacet

kuusi noita ja puoli tusinaa noita toisia

что в лоб, что по лбу (što v lob, što po lbu, literally “that which is in the forehead is on the forehead”)

jeden za osemnásť, druhý bez dvoch za dvadsať

chwech o un a hanner dwsin o'r llall yw hi

a horse apiece

the two alternatives are equivalent or indifferent

(idiomatic, of two people) Equally involved; equally responsible.


the end justifies the means

Widely attributed to Machiavelli's The Prince, which does reflect this philosophy but does not use the phrase in this wording. A possible source is Ovid's Heroides (ca. 10 BC), which says exitus ācta probat (“the outcome justifies the deeds”). However, its use there is quite likely to have an opposite meaning of outcome proving means were unjustified, based on its context.

Marxists were often criticized for believing that the ends justified the means, yet these old Cold Warriors were now the ones using ends to justify means—attacking science in the name of freedom.

2010, Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway, chapter 5, in Merchants of Doubt:

Shepard: You honestly think the experiments you did here are justified?
Maelon: We committed cultural genocide! Nothing I do will ever be justified!
Maelon: The experiments are monstrous... because I was taught to be a monster.
Shepard: Mordin, did you ever perform experiments like this?
Mordin: No. Never taught you this, Maelon.
Maelon: So your hands are clean! What does it matter if the ground is stained with the blood of millions!
Maelon: You taught me that the end justified the means. I will undo what we did, Professor. The only way I know how.

2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Tuchanka:

The White House argument is simple: that the end justifies the means.

2023 July 7, David Smith, “End justifies means for Biden in sending cluster bombs to Ukraine”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can be considered morally right or wrong only by virtue of the morality of the outcome.

Heroides
Machiavelli
Ovid
The Prince
consequentialism#Teleological ethics

الْغَايَةُ تُبَرِّرُ الْوَسِيلَةَ

morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary

可以不择手段

zhǐyào mùdì zhèngdàng, kěyǐ bùzéshǒuduàn

הַמַּטָּרָה מְקַדֶּשֶׁת אֶת הָאֶמְצָעִים

目的のためには手段を選ばない

もくてきのためにはしゅだんをえらばない

mokuteki no tame ni wa shudan o erabanai

não se faz omelete sem se quebrar alguns ovos


a rolling stone gathers no moss

En-us-a rolling stone gathers no moss.ogg

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-a rolling stone gathers no moss.wav

A person who never settles in one place will never be successful.

滾石不生苔

a person who never settles in one place will never be successful

кому́ на ме́сте не сиди́тся, тот добра́ не наживёт (komú na méste ne sidítsja, tot dobrá ne naživjót, literally “the one who never stays in one place won't get any wealth”)

cha chinn còinneach air clach an udalain

A person must keep active in order to avoid stagnating.


in vino veritas

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-in vino veritas.wav

Borrowed from New Latin in vīnō vēritās (literally “in wine there is truth”), from in (“in”) + vīnō, the ablative singular of vīnum (“wine”) + vēritās (“truth”). While various classical writers in both Greek and Latin make similar statements, the form in vino veritas is from the 16th-century humanist Erasmus, and is first attested in English writing soon afterwards in the same century.

bor+

For quotations using this term, see Citations:in vino veritas.

In wine, there is truth
in wine, there is truth#English


in vino veritas

in wine, there is truth
in wine, there is truth


來而不往非禮也

ㄌㄞˊ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄤˇ ㄈㄟ ㄌㄧˇ ㄧㄝˇ

lái ér bù wǎng fēi lǐ yě [Phonetic:láiérbùwǎngfēilíyě]

лай эр бу ван фэй ли е

/laɪ̯³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

From the Book of Rites, Book 1 (《禮記·曲禮上》)

In the highest antiquity they prized (simply conferring) good; in the time next to this, giving and repaying was the thing attended to. And what the rules of propriety value is that reciprocity. If I give a gift and nothing comes in return, that is contrary to propriety; if the thing comes to me, and I give nothing in return, that also is contrary to propriety.

The Book of Rites, c. 4ᵗʰ – 2ⁿᵈ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Tàishàng guì dé, qícì wù shī bào. Lǐ shàng wǎnglái. Wǎng ér bù lái, fēilǐ yě; lái ér bù wǎng, yì fēilǐ yě.

太上貴德，其次務施報。禮尚往來。往而不來，非禮也；來而不往，亦非禮也。

太上贵德，其次务施报。礼尚往来。往而不来，非礼也；来而不往，亦非礼也。

It is impolite not to reciprocate; Friendship cannot stand always on one side; It's impolite not to make a return for what one receives; One should return as good as one receives.


兒孫自有兒孫福

ㄦˊ ㄙㄨㄣ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄦˊ ㄙㄨㄣ ㄈㄨˊ

эрсунь цзы ю эрсунь фу

/ˀɤɻ³⁵ su̯ən⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ su̯ən⁵⁵ fu³⁵/

/jiː²¹ syːn⁵⁵ t͡siː²² jɐu̯¹³ jiː²¹ syːn⁵⁵ fʊk̚⁵/

/i¹¹ sun²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰɨ⁵⁵ i̯u²⁴ i¹¹ sun²⁴ fuk̚²/

/(j)i¹¹ sun²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰɨ⁵⁵ (j)i̯u²⁴ (j)i¹¹ sun²⁴ fuk̚²/

érsūn zì yǒu érsūn fú, mò wèi érsūn zuò mǎniú

兒孫自有兒孫福，莫為兒孫做馬牛

儿孙自有儿孙福，莫为儿孙做马牛

descendants will have their own fortune and happiness so parents should not worry for and toil for them


so far so good

Well, you've packed your bags for the holiday, bought your tickets, reserved the hotel and put the dog in kennels. So far so good; now let's get to Minorca.

(idiomatic) Up to this point, all is OK.


nėra to blogo, kas neišeitų į gerą

every cloud has a silver lining
every cloud has a silver lining

every cloud has a silver lining (literally: there's nothing that bad, that couldn't become good)


kad prisivirei košės, tai ir srėbk

make one's bed and lie in it
make one's bed and lie in it

make one's bed and lie in it (literally: now that you've cooked some gruel for yourself, slurp it)


in der Not schmeckt jedes Brot

Literally, “in time of trouble, every bread tastes [good]”.

m-g

in time of trouble, every bread tastes 􂀿good􂁀

lit

beggars can't be choosers
beggars can't be choosers


Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund

Literally, “morning hour has gold in the mouth”. From an earlier Morgenstund hat Gold in Mund.

the early bird gets the worm
the early bird gets the worm


mit Geduld und Zeit kommt man weit

De-mit Geduld und Zeit kommt man weit.ogg

good things come to those who wait
good things come to those who wait

patience is a virtue
patience is a virtue

good things come to those who wait; patience is a virtue; one will get that for which one hopes, if one waits


受人之託，忠人之事

ㄕㄡˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄊㄨㄛ

ㄓㄨㄥ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄕˋ

shou⁴ jên² chih¹ tʻo¹, chung¹ jên² chih¹ shih⁴

шоу жэнь чжи то

чжун жэнь чжи ши

šou žɛnʹ čži to

čžun žɛnʹ čži ši

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

If a friend asks for a favor, you should do your utmost to help.


shy bairns get noot

shy bairns get nowt
shy bairns get nowt#English

(Geordie) Alternative spelling of shy bairns get nowt


the early bird catches the worm

the early bird gets the worm
the early bird gets the worm#English

Alternative form of the early bird gets the worm


shy bairns get nowt

[ʃaɪ bɛːnz ɡɛʔ naʊʔ]

Literally “shy children get nothing”, a reference to the shyness of children when making requests.

A' forgot te ask 'er fo' me money back!
Wye, shy bairns get nowt.

Aye, Mary, we heard you. How could we not? Ah well, shy bairns get nowt. Will we let her at the microphone and give me a bit peace?

1994, Fiona Cooper, A Skyhook in the Midnight Sun, London, New York, N.Y.: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, page 121:

Ask questions, enquire, and push for more information and care. As the saying goes in the north-east, ‘shy bairns get nowt’! Know your rights and what you are entitled to by pushing and not taking no for an answer.

2007, “Rob [Rob has a Six-year-old Son who was Infected with Cytomegalovirus as a Baby]”, in Jill Harrison, Matthew Henderson, Rob Leonard, editors, Different Dads: Fathers’ Stories of Parenting Disabled Children, London, Philadelphia, Pa.: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 37:

An old Geordie saying says: ‘Shy bairns get nowt!’ It literally means ‘shy children get nothing’, but is used to emphasise that people should speak up for themselves. I think that this saying applies to leaders.

2011, John Marrin, “Ten Tips on Taking the Lead”, in Leadership for Dummies (For Dummies Series), Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley, →ISBN, page 297:

(Geordie) If you're too shy, or don't ask, you will not get what you want.


其身不正，雖令不從

ㄑㄧˊ ㄕㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˋ

ㄙㄨㄟˊ ㄌㄧㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ

kei⁴ san¹ bat¹ zing³, seoi¹ ling⁶ bat¹ cung⁴

suí lìng bù cóng [Phonetic:qí shēn bú zhèng

chʻi² shên¹ pu⁴ chêng⁴, sui² ling⁴ pu⁴ tsʻung²

ци шэнь бу чжэн

суй лин бу цун

ci šɛnʹ bu čžɛn

/t͡ɕʰi³⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ su̯eɪ̯³⁵ liŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵/

kèih sān bāt jing, sēui lihng bāt chùhng

kei⁴ san¹ bat⁷ dzing³, soey¹ ling⁶ bat⁷ tsung⁴

kéi⁴ sen¹ bed¹ jing³, sêu¹ ling⁶ bed¹ cung⁴

/kʰei̯²¹ sɐn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ sɵy̯⁵⁵ lɪŋ²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹/

The Master said, "When a prince's personal conduct is correct, his government is effective without the issuing of orders. If his personal conduct is not correct, he may issue orders, but they will not be followed."

The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐyuē: “Qí shēn zhèng, bù lìng ér xíng; qí shēn bùzhèng, suī lìng bùcóng.”

子曰：「其身正，不令而行；其身不正，雖令不從。」

子曰：「其身正，不令而行；其身不正，虽令不从。」

If the leader is not righteous, his subordinates would not follow his orders.


patience is a virtue

It is better to be patient than impatient.

tålmodighed er en dyd

it is better to be patient than impatient

трпение - спасение (trpenie - spasenie, literally “Patience is salvation”)


good things come to those who wait

A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time.

den som venter på noe stort, venter aldri for lenge

las mejores cosas de la vida se hacen esperar

den som väntar på något gott, väntar aldrig för länge


英雄所見略同

ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄌㄩㄝˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ

инсюн соцзяньлюэтун

/iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ly̯ɛ⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵/

/jɪŋ⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ sɔː³⁵ kiːn³³ lœːk̚² tʰʊŋ²¹/

Great minds think alike
great minds think alike


法網恢恢，疏而不漏

ㄈㄚˇ ㄨㄤˇ ㄏㄨㄟ ㄏㄨㄟ

ㄕㄨ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄡˋ

faat³ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ ji⁴ bat¹ lau⁶

fǎwǎng huīhuī, shū ér bù lòu [Phonetic:fáwǎnghuīhuī,shūérbúlòu]

фаван хуэйхуэй

шу эр бу лоу

/fä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹/

faat⁸ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ ji⁴ bat⁷ lau⁶

/faːt̚³ mɔːŋ¹³ fuːi̯⁵⁵ fuːi̯⁵⁵ sɔː⁵⁵ jiː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lɐu̯²²/

The net of justice is vast, it may not close in tight right away, but nothing will evade it forever.


beggars can't be choosers

Something is better than nothing
something is better than nothing

(idiomatic) Something is better than nothing: those who can't provide for themselves should accept whatever help is available.

на хари́зан кон зъ́бите не се гле́дат

when resources are limited, one must accept even substandard gifts

lepší vrabec v hrsti než holub na střeše

men mag een gegeven paard niet in de bek zien

jak się nie ma, co się lubi, to się lubi, co się ma

lepszy wróbel w garści niż gołąb na dachu

lepszy wróbel w ręku niż cietrzew na sęku

a caballo regalado no le mires el diente


鷸蚌相爭，漁人得利

ㄩˋ ㄅㄤˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄓㄥ

ㄩˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄜˊ ㄌㄧˋ

юйбан сянчжэн

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ pɑŋ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ ʐən³⁵ tɤ³⁵ li⁵¹/

/wɐt̚² pʰɔːŋ¹³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²²/

/lɵt̚² pʰɔːŋ¹³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²²/

/jyːt̚² pʰɔːŋ¹³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²²/

/ut̚⁴⁻³² paŋ²² siɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɪŋ⁴⁴ ɡu²⁴⁻²² lin²⁴ tiɪk̚³²⁻⁴ li²²/

When Zhao was about to attack Yan, Su Dai spoke to King Hui of Zhao on behalf of the king of Yan. He said, “On my way here today, as I crossed the Yi River, I spotted an oyster that had opened its shell to sun itself. Just then, a snipe began to peck at the flesh inside its shell. The oyster closed its shell on the beak of the snipe so that it could not get away.
The snipe said, “It is not raining today, nor will it rain tomorrow. You shall die, Oyster.”
To which the oyster replied, “You shall not escape my grip today, nor shall you escape it tomorrow. It is you who will die (of hunger), Snipe.” Neither side would yield, at which point, a fisherman came by and snatched them both into his net.
Today, Zhao is on the verge of attacking Yan. Yan and Zhao have been at odds for a long time, and have caused their people to suffer. I am afraid that the fisherman in this case will be the mighty Qin. For this reason, I hope that your highness will give the matter your mature consideration. King Hui said, “ok fine” and called off the attack. (Wiktionary translation)

Zhanguo Ce, circa 5ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ centuries BCE

Zhào qiě fá Yān, Sū Dài wèi Yān wáng wèi Huì wáng yuē: “Jīn zhě chén lái, guò Yìshuǐ, bàng fāng chū pù, ér yù zhuó qí ròu, bàng hé ér qián qí huì. Yù yuē: ‘Jīnrì bù yù, míngrì bù yù, jí yǒu sǐ bàng.’ Bàng yì wèi yù yuē: ‘Jīnrì bù chū, míngrì bù chū, jí yǒu sǐ yù.’ Liǎng zhě bù kěn shě, yú zhě dé ér bìng qín zhī. Jīn Zhào qiě fá Yān, Yān, Zhào jiǔ xiāngzhī, yǐ bì dàzhòng, chén kǒng qiáng Qín zhī wéi yúfù yě. Gù yuàn wáng zhī shújì zhī yě.” Huì wáng yuē: “Shàn.” Nǎi zhǐ.

趙且伐燕，蘇代為燕王謂惠王曰：「今者臣來，過易水，蚌方出曝，而鷸啄其肉，蚌合而鉗其喙。鷸曰：『今日不雨，明日不雨，即有死蚌。』蚌亦謂鷸曰：『今日不出，明日不出，即有死鷸。』兩者不肯舍，漁者得而並禽之。今趙且伐燕，燕、趙久相支，以弊大眾，臣恐強秦之為漁父也。故願王之熟計之也。」惠王曰：「善。」乃止。

赵且伐燕，苏代为燕王谓惠王曰：「今者臣来，过易水，蚌方出曝，而鹬啄其肉，蚌合而钳其喙。鹬曰：『今日不雨，明日不雨，即有死蚌。』蚌亦谓鹬曰：『今日不出，明日不出，即有死鹬。』两者不肯舍，渔者得而并禽之。今赵且伐燕，燕、赵久相支，以弊大众，臣恐强秦之为渔父也。故愿王之熟计之也。」惠王曰：「善。」乃止。

鹬蚌相争，渔人得利
鷸蚌相爭，漁翁得利
鷸蚌相爭，漁人獲利
鷸蚌相持，漁人得利

When thesnipe and the oyster fight, it is the fisherman who reaps the reward

When two parties fight, it is always the third one who wins


en-proverb

En-us-all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.oga

Audio (US)

Too much focus on one's career may lead to one being uninteresting company.

Too much hard work and not enough leisure time can be unhealthy.

聪明的孩子也变傻

zhǐ gōngzuò bù wánshuǎ, cōngmíng de háizi yě biàn shǎ

't is een slecht dorp waar het nooit kermis is

ĉiom da laboro kaj neniom da ludoj igas Jakobon al obtuza knabo

mešaj delo s bezdelʹjem, proživešʹ vek s veselʹjem

мешай дело с бездельем, проживешь век с весельем


知之為知之，不知為不知

ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ

jhih jhih wéi jhih jhih, bù jhih wéi bù jhih

chih¹ chih¹ wei² chih¹ chih¹, pu⁴ chih¹ wei² pu⁴ chih¹

чжи чжи вэй чжи чжи

бу чжи вэй бу чжи

čži čži vɛj čži čži

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

The Master said, "You, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge."

Zǐyuē: “Yóu! Huì rǔ zhì zhī hū? Zhī zhī wèi zhī zhī, bùzhī wèi bùzhī, shì zhì yě.”

子曰：「由！誨女知之乎？知之為知之，不知為不知，是知也。」

子曰：「由！诲女知之乎？知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。」

You either know it or you don't (don't pretend to know it if you don't).


知恥近乎勇

ㄓ ㄔˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄏㄨ ㄩㄥˇ

чжи чи цзинь ху юн

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹ xu⁵⁵ jʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː³⁵ kɐn²² fuː²¹ jʊŋ¹³/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː³⁵ kɐn²² fuː²¹ jʊŋ¹³/

From the Doctrine of the Mean (《中庸》) in the Book of Rites

The Master said, "To be fond of learning is to be near to knowledge. To practice with vigor is to be near to magnanimity. To possess the feeling of shame is to be near to energy. […]

Zǐyuē: “Hàoxué jìn hū zhì, lìxíng jìn hū rén, zhīchǐ jìn hū yǒng.......

子曰：「好學近乎知，力行近乎仁，知恥近乎勇。……

子曰：「好学近乎知，力行近乎仁，知耻近乎勇。……

Having a sense of shame is a form of bravery.


肥水不落外人田

Fertile water should not flow into someone else's field.

ㄈㄟˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄨㄞˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄊㄧㄢˊ

féishuǐ bù luò wàirén tián [Phonetic:féishuǐ bú luò wàirén tián]

фэйшуй бу ло вайжэнь тянь

/feɪ̯³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ waɪ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵/

a benefit should not be given to others and should be shared exclusively among one’s own people


有其父必有其子

ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧˊ ㄗˇ

ю ци фу би ю ци цзы

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐu̯¹³ kʰei̯²¹ fuː²² piːt̚⁵ jɐu̯¹³ kʰei̯²¹ t͡siː³⁵/

like father, like child
like father, like son


初生之犢不畏虎

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.

ㄔㄨ ㄕㄥ ㄓ ㄉㄨˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄨˇ

chū shēng zhī dú bù wèi hǔ [Phonetic:chū shēng zhī dú bú wèi hǔ]

чу шэн чжи ду бу вэй ху

/ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tu³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sʰɔː⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ tʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ wɐi̯³³ fuː³⁵/

A young person is often fearless and willing to take risks.


虎父無犬子

a father tiger does not have a puppy for a son

ㄏㄨˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄨˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ ㄗˇ

хуфу у цюаньцзы

/xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ u³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/fuː³⁵ fuː²² mou̯²¹ hyːn³⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

/fuː³⁵ fuː²² mou̯²¹ hyːn³⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

like father, like son
like father, like son


like father, like son

die appel val nie ver van die boom af nie

虎父无犬子

literally: “tigers don't have dogs for sons”

deda naxe, mama naxe, švili ise gamonaxe

დედა ნახე, მამა ნახე, შვილი ისე გამონახე

ara šeǯda mc̣q̇eri xesa, ara iq̇o gvari misi

არა შეჯდა მწყერი ხესა, არა იყო გვარი მისი

apja fia

stating the similarity of a son to his father

nézd meg az apját, menj hozzá a fiához

advice to one about to marry a young man

cad é a dhéanfadh mac an chait ach luch a mharú

jakie drzewo, taki klin, jaki ojciec, taki syn

bu dual do dh'isean an ròin a dhol chun na mara


長痛不如短痛

Long[-term] pain is not as good as short[-term] pain.

ㄔㄤˊ ㄊㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄉㄨㄢˇ ㄊㄨㄥˋ

чан тун бужу дуань тун

/ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ tu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰʊŋ⁵¹/

/t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ tʰʊŋ³³ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ tyːn³⁵ tʰʊŋ³³/

It is better to suffer short-term pain so that one will not have to suffer long-term pain; it is better to just get it over with, rather than prolong the agony.


when it rains, it pours

Unfortunate events occur in streaks or clusters, often in short periods of time.

悪いことは重なります (warui koto wa kasanarimasu, literally “bad things pile up”)


侯門深似海

ㄏㄡˊ ㄇㄣˊ ㄕㄣ ㄙˋ ㄏㄞˇ

хоумэнь шэнь сы хай

/xoʊ̯³⁵ mən³⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ sz̩⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

The nobleman's gates, once entered, are deep as the sea; from now on, your lover is a passer-by.

Hóumén yī rù shēn rú hǎi, cóngcǐ xiāoláng shì lùrén.

侯門一入深如海，從此蕭郎是路人。

侯门一入深如海，从此萧郎是路人。

The nobleman's gates are deep as the sea.

The mansions of nobility are inaccessible to the common people.


哀莫大於心死

ㄞ ㄇㄛˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄩˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄙˇ

ай мо даюй синь сы

/ˀaɪ̯⁵⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹ y³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɔːi̯⁵⁵ mɔːk̚² taːi̯²² jyː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ sei̯³⁵/

There is no sorrow to be compared with the death of the mind. The death of the body is of but secondary importance.

Fú āi mò dàyú xīn sǐ, ér rén sǐ yì cì zhī.

夫哀莫大於心死，而人死亦次之。

夫哀莫大于心死，而人死亦次之。

Nothing is more lamentable than a dead heart.

Despair is the greatest sorrow; Nothing gives greater cause for sorrow than despair; There is no grief so great as despair; There is no poverty like the poverty of spirit.


屋漏偏逢連夜雨

When the roof is leaking, that's when you'll get several continuous nights of rain.

ㄨ ㄌㄡˋ ㄆㄧㄢ ㄈㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄝˋ ㄩˇ

у лоу пянь фэн лянь е юй

/u⁵⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹ pʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ fɤŋ³⁵ li̯ɛn³⁵ jɛ⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

When it rains, it pours.
when it rains, it pours


春江水暖鴨先知

ㄔㄨㄣ ㄐㄧㄤ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄋㄨㄢˇ ㄧㄚ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄓ

chūn jiāng shuǐ nuǎn yā xiān zhī [Phonetic:chūnjiāngshuínuǎnyāxiānzhī]

chʻun¹ chiang¹ shui³ nuan³ ya¹ hsien¹ chih¹

чунь цзян шуй нуань я сянь чжи

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ nu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ jä⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɵn⁵⁵ kɔːŋ⁵⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ nyːn¹³ aːp̚³ siːn⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵/

Literally: If the waters of the spring river are warm, the ducks will be the first to know.

Professionals within an industry or profession will be the first to notice a change in circumstances.


head

en-au-a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.ogg

Calque of Latin plus valet in manibus avis unica quam dupla silvis (“a bird in the hands is worth more than two in the forest”), possibly deriving from sources as old as the ancient Middle East, with the 6th century BCE Proverbs of Ahiqar including "a sparrow in thy hand is better than a thousand sparrows flying".

bor

It is more sykyr a bryd in youre fyste
Than to have thre in the sky above

15th c., John Capgrave, Life of St Katherine, Bodleian MS Rawlinson poet. 118, Bk. II

May. No, but the Sides are going to be changed ; and Sir Harry is to be ſome very great Man ; and as ſoon as he is, I am to be made an Embaſſador of.
Mrs. May. Made an Aſs of! Will you never learn of me, that a Bird in the Hand is worth two in the Buſh ?

1737, Henry Fielding, Pasquin, Act II, Scene I, p. 27

[An] acquaintance ... proposed to pay a ... proportion of the cost of the cellar provided he should have as his own everything of value that might be found [excavating]. A bird in the hand, thought Bardolph, is worth two in the bush, so he ... accepted the proposal.

1864, William W. Story, “The Campagna”, in Roba Di Roma, volume II, page 8:

A sure thing is preferable to the mere chance at something more.

flaka të djeg, prushi të ngroh

small but certain advantage is preferable

ʕuṣfūrun fī l-yadi ʔafḍalu min ʕuṣfūrīna ʕalā š-šajarati

عُصْفُورٌ فِي ٱلْيَدِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عُصْفُورِينَ عَلَى ٱلشَّجَرَةِ

pʻorjvac tʻanə anpʻorj macuni het čʻen pʻoxi

փորձված թանը անփորձ մածունի հետ չեն փոխի

ljepš vjerabjej u ruce, čym žóraŭ pad njebam

лепш верабей у руцэ, чым жораў пад небам

по́-добре́ врабче́ в ръка́та, отко́лкото за́ек в гора́та (pó-dobré vrabčé v rǎkáta, otkólkoto záek v goráta, literally “better a sparrow in the hand than a rabbit in the forest”)

一鸟在手胜于十鸟在林

yī niǎo zài shǒu shèngyú shí niǎo zài lín

lepší vrabec v hrsti, nežli holub na střeše

en fugl i hånden er bedre end ti på taget

beter een vogel in de hand dan tien in de lucht

parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla

un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras (a here-you-go is worth more than two you-can-have-it-laters)

a sparrow in hand is worth more than a flying crane

moineau à la main vaut mieux que grue qui vole

l'è miôr un ûf vuê che une gjaline doman

vale máis paxaro na man que cento voando

დღევანდელი კვერცხი ჯობია ხვალინდელ ქათამს (dɣevandeli ḳvercxi ǯobia xvalindel katams, literally “today's egg is better than tomorrow's children”)

Besser ein Spatz in der Hand als eine Taube auf dem Dach

rather hold five in hand than wait for ten to come

kállio pénte kai sto chéri pará déka kai kartérei

κάλλιο πέντε και στο χέρι παρά δέκα και καρτέρει

טוב ציפור אחת ביד משתיים על העץ

tov tzippór aḥát bayád mishtáim 'al ha'étz

jobb ma egy veréb, mint holnap egy túzok

betri er einn fugl í hendi en tveir í skógi

is fearr breac sa láimh ná bradán sa linn

is fearr áirithe na srathrach ná iasacht na diallaite

meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani

ចាបមួយនៅដៃប្រសើរក្រៃ ជាងចាបដប់នៅលើឈើ

chaap muəy nɨv day prɑsaə kray, jieng chaap dɑp nɨv ləə cʰəə

손안에 있는 새가 숲속에 있는 두 마리보다 낫다.

sonane inneun saega supsoge inneun du mariboda natda.

labāk zīle, kas man ir rokā, nekā mednis, kas vēl sēd kokā

labāk zīle rokā, nekā mednis kokā

rather the titmouse that is in my hand than a wood grouse that is still sitting in the tree/ rather a titmouse in hand than a wood grouse in a tree

l'è mej un üsèll in man che cent che vola

Léiwer e Spatz an der Hand wei eng Dauf um Daach

poarno vrapče na raka otkolku gulab na granka

поарно врапче на рака отколку гулаб на гранка

podobro vrapče na raka otkolku gulab na granka

подобро врапче на рака отколку гулаб на гранка

هارڤکن ݢوروه د لاڠيت, اءير د تمڤاين دچورهکن

yang kejar tak dapat, yang dikendong berciciran

harapkan guruh di langit, air di tempayan dicurahkan

én fugl i hånden er bedre enn ti på taket

ein fugl i handa er betre enn ti på taket

lepszy wróbel w garści niż gołąb na dachu

lepszy wróbel w ręku niż cietrzew na sęku

mais vale um pássaro na mão do que dois voando

nu da vrabia din mână pe cioara de pe gard

do not promise a crane in the sky, rather give a titmouse into my hands

ne sulí žuravljá v nébe, daj sinícu v rúki

не сули́ журавля́ в не́бе, дай сини́цу в ру́ки

's fhearr eun san làimh na deich air iteig

's fhearr iasg beag na bhith gun iasg idir

lepší vrabec v hrsti ako holub na streche

a bird in one hand is worth more than a hundred in flight

más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando

bättre en fågel i handen än tio i skogen

bir eldeki kuş çalıdakinin iki misli değerdir

krašče synycja v žmeni, niž žuravelʹ v nebi

краще синиця в жмені, ніж журавель в небі

một con chim trong tay có giá trị hơn hai con trong bụi cây

våt mî èn oujhea el mwin ki deus sol håye

the grass is always greener on the other side


為善不欲人知

ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄩˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ

wéi shàn bù yù rén zhī [Phonetic:wéi shàn bú yù rén zhī]

вэй шань бу юй жэнь чжи

/weɪ̯³⁵ ʂän⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ y⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

Those who do good deeds, should not do so out of a desire for others to know about it.


皇天不負苦心人

ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄎㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄖㄣˊ

huángtiān bù fù kǔxīn rén [Phonetic:huángtiān bú fù kǔxīn rén]

хуантянь бу фу кусинь жэнь

/xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ fu⁵¹ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/wɔːŋ²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ fuː²² fuː³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

/foŋ¹¹ tʰi̯en²⁴ put̚² fu⁵⁵ kʰu³¹ sim²⁴ ŋin¹¹/

Heaven helps those who help themselves
heaven helps those who help themselves

Heaven helps those who help themselves; Providence doesn't let down a man who does his best.


英雄出少年

ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄔㄨ ㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ

инсюн чу шаонянь

/iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵/

/iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵/


英雄難過美人關

A brave hero will find it difficult to get past an outpost occupied by a beautiful woman.

ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄋㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄇㄟˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄢ

инсюн нань го мэйжэнь гуань

/iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ nän³⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵/

Even the strongest warrior can be seduced by a beautiful woman.


苛政猛於虎

ㄎㄜ ㄓㄥˋ ㄇㄥˇ ㄩˊ ㄏㄨˇ

кэчжэн мэн юй ху

/kʰɤ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ mɤŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/hɔː⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ maːŋ¹³ jyː⁵⁵ fuː³⁵/

/hɔː⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ maːŋ¹³ jyː⁵⁵ fuː³⁵/

From the Book of Rites, Book 4 (《禮記·檀弓下》)

In passing by the side of mount Tai, Confucius came on a woman who was wailing bitterly by a grave. The Master bowed forward to the cross-bar, and hastened to her; and then sent Zilu to question her. "Your wailing," said he, "is altogether like that of one who has suffered sorrow upon sorrow."
She replied, "It is so. Formerly, my husband's father was killed here by a tiger. My husband was also killed (by another), and now my son has died in the same way."
The Master said, "Why do you not leave the place?"
The answer was, "There is no oppressive government here."
The Master then said (to the disciples), "Remember this, my little children. Oppressive governments are more terrible than tigers."

Kǒngzǐ guò Tàishān cè, yǒu fùrén kū yú mù zhě ér āi, fūzǐ shì ér tīng zhī. Shǐ Zǐlù wèn zhī, yuē: “Zǐ zhī kū yě, yī sì chóng yǒu yōu zhě.”
Ér yuē: “Rán. Xī zhě wú jiù sǐ yú hǔ, wú fū yòu sǐ yān, jīn wú zǐ yòu sǐ yān.”
Fūzǐ yuē: “Héwèi bù qù yě?”
Yuē: “Wú kēzhèng.”
Fūzǐ yuē: “Xiǎozǐ zhì zhī: kēzhèng měng yú hǔ yě.”

孔子過泰山側，有婦人哭於墓者而哀，夫子式而聽之。使子路問之，曰：「子之哭也，壹似重有憂者。」
而曰：「然。昔者吾舅死於虎，吾夫又死焉，今吾子又死焉。」
夫子曰：「何為不去也？」
曰：「無苛政。」
夫子曰：「小子識之：苛政猛於虎也。」

孔子过泰山侧，有妇人哭于墓者而哀，夫子式而听之。使子路问之，曰：「子之哭也，壹似重有忧者。」
而曰：「然。昔者吾舅死于虎，吾夫又死焉，今吾子又死焉。」
夫子曰：「何为不去也？」
曰：「无苛政。」
夫子曰：「小子识之：苛政猛于虎也。」


重賞之下必有勇夫

under a (promise of a) big reward, there will be a man of bravery

ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄕㄤˇ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄩㄥˇ ㄈㄨ

cung⁵ soeng² zi¹ haa⁶ bit¹ jau⁵ jung⁵ fu¹

zhòngshǎng zhī xià bì yǒu yǒngfū [Phonetic:zhòngshǎngzhīxiàbìyóuyǒngfū]

chung⁴-shang³ chih¹ hsia⁴ pi⁴ yu³ yung³-fu¹

чжуншан чжи ся би ю юнфу

/ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹ ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵⁵/

tsung⁵ soeng² dzi¹ haa⁶ bit⁷ jau⁵ jung⁵ fu¹

/t͡sʰʊŋ¹³ sœːŋ³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ haː²² piːt̚⁵ jɐu̯¹³ jʊŋ¹³ fuː⁵⁵/

someone will always step forward if they think they will be rewarded; money talks


家書抵萬金

ㄐㄧㄚ ㄕㄨ ㄉㄧˇ ㄨㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄣ

цзяшу ди вань цзинь

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹ wän⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹ wän⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

A letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold.


書到用時方恨少

ㄕㄨ ㄉㄠˋ ㄩㄥˋ ㄕˊ ㄈㄤ ㄏㄣˋ ㄕㄠˇ

шу дао юн ши фан хэнь шао

/ʂu⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ jʊŋ⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ fɑŋ⁵⁵ xən⁵¹ ʂɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/syː⁵⁵ tou̯³³ jʊŋ²² siː²¹ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɐn²² siːu̯³⁵/

It is only when it comes time to apply knowledge that you regret not acquiring enough of it.


書中自有黃金屋

ㄕㄨ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄨ

шу чжун цзы ю хуанцзинь у

/ʂu⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ u⁵⁵/

/syː⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː²² jɐu̯¹³ wɔːŋ²¹ kɐm⁵⁵ ʊk̚⁵/

If you study hard, you will become rich.


書中自有顏如玉

ㄕㄨ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄧㄢˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄩˋ

шу чжун цзы ю янь жу юй

/ʂu⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɛn³⁵ ʐu³⁵ y⁵¹/

Literally: A book holds a face as smooth as jade.

If you study hard, you will be successful, and a beautiful woman will want to marry you.


浪子回頭金不換

ㄌㄤˋ ㄗˇ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄢˋ

làngzǐ huítóu jīn bù huàn [Phonetic:làngzǐ huítóu jīn bú huàn]

ланцзы хуэйтоу цзинь бу хуань

/lɑŋ⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ xu̯än⁵¹/

/lɔːŋ²² t͡siː³⁵ wuːi̯²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹ kɐm⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ wuːn²²/

/lɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ t͡su⁵³ hue²⁴⁻¹¹ tʰio²⁴ kim⁴⁴ put̚³²⁻⁴ huan³³/

/lɔŋ³³⁻²¹ t͡su⁴¹ hue²³⁻³³ tʰiɤ²³ kim⁴⁴ put̚³²⁻⁴ huan³³/

/lɔŋ³³⁻²¹ t͡su⁴¹ hue²³⁻³³ tʰau²³ kim⁴⁴ put̚³²⁻⁴ uã³³/

/lɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ t͡su⁵³ hue²⁴⁻¹¹ tʰau²⁴ kim⁴⁴ put̚³²⁻⁴ uã³³/

From the novel 覺世名言十二樓 by Li Yu (1611–1680)

Súyǔ dào de hǎo: “Làngzǐ huítóu jīnbùhuàn.” Dànfán zǒu guò xiélù de rén, guī dào zhèngjīng lù shàng, gèng bǐ zìyòu xué hǎo de bùtóng, jiàozuò “dàwù zhīhòu, yǒng bù zài mí”, nǎlǐ hái kěn huítóu zuò nà bùduānbùzhèng de shì!

俗語道得好：「浪子回頭金不換。」但凡走過邪路的人，歸到正經路上，更比自幼學好的不同，叫做「大悟之後，永不再迷」，哪裡還肯回頭做那不端不正的事！

俗语道得好：「浪子回头金不换。」但凡走过邪路的人，归到正经路上，更比自幼学好的不同，叫做「大悟之后，永不再迷」，哪里还肯回头做那不端不正的事！

A wayward son who returns is more precious than gold.

It is rare when someone who has gone astray turns over a new leaf, so we should accept that person with open arms when the person does reform.


病來如山倒，病去如抽絲

bìng lái rú shān dǎo, bìng qù rú chōu sī

ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄞˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄢ ㄉㄠˇ

ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄑㄩˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄔㄡ ㄙ

beng⁶ loi⁴ jyu⁴ saan¹ dou², beng⁶ heoi³ jyu⁴ cau¹ si¹

bìng lái rú shan dǎo, bìng cyù rú chou sih

ping⁴ lai² ju² shan¹ tao³, ping⁴ chʻü⁴ ju² chʻou¹ ssŭ¹

bìng lái rú shān dǎu-, bìng chyù rú chōu sz̄

binq lai ru shan dao, binq chiuh ru chou sy

бин лай жу шань дао

бин цюй жу чоу сы

/piŋ⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵ ʐu³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰy⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯⁵⁵ sz̩⁵⁵/

behng lòih yùh sāan dóu, behng heui yùh chāu sī

beng⁶ loi⁴ jy⁴ saan¹ dou², beng⁶ hoey³ jy⁴ tsau¹ si¹

béng⁶ loi⁴ yu⁴ san¹ dou², béng⁶ hêu³ yu⁴ ceo¹ xi¹

/pɛːŋ²² lɔːi̯²¹ jyː²¹ saːn⁵⁵ tou̯³⁵ pɛːŋ²² hɵy̯³³ jyː²¹ t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵ siː⁵⁵/

Illness strikes like a landslide, recovery is as slow as reeling silk.


病從口入，禍從口出

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (病從口入，禍從口出):
* → Vietnamese: bệnh tòng khẩu nhập, hoạ tòng khẩu xuất (病從口入，禍從口出)

Disease goes in by the mouth and trouble comes out of the mouth.

ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄎㄡˇ ㄖㄨˋ

ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄎㄡˇ ㄔㄨ

beng⁶ cung⁴ hau² jap⁶, wo⁶ cung⁴ hau² ceot¹

ping⁴ tsʻung² kʻou³ ju⁴, huo⁴ tsʻung² kʻou³ chʻu¹

binq tsorng koou ruh, huoh tsorng koou chu

бин цун коу жу

хо цун коу чу

/piŋ⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/

behng chùhng háu yahp, woh chùhng háu chēut

beng⁶ tsung⁴ hau² jap⁹, wo⁶ tsung⁴ hau² tsoet⁷

béng⁶ cung⁴ heo² yeb⁶, wo⁶ cung⁴ heo² cêd¹

/pɛːŋ²² t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ hɐu̯³⁵ jɐp̚² wɔː²² t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ hɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵/

illness comes in via the mouth because of food and trouble goes out via the mouth because of words; carefulness is required in one's diet and speech


真人不露相

a true person (of talent) does not show his face

ㄓㄣ ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄡˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ

zhēnrén bù lòuxiàng [Phonetic:zhēnrén bú lòuxiàng]

чжэньжэнь бу лоусян

/ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/t͡sɐn⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² sœːŋ³³/

/t͡sɐn⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² sœːŋ³³/

A truly talented individual does not vie for attention by showing off his skills.


life is not all beer and skittles

beer and skittles refers to the carefree, indulgent bar life, skittles being a British pub game.

(UK) Not everything about life is pleasurable.

人生不是吃喝玩乐

life's not (all) eat, drink and be merry

la vie n’est pas toujours une partie de plaisir

das Leben ist nicht nur eitel Sonnenschein

elloo tulloo kaikkia, a kaikkia pittää terppiä

人生はおもしろおかしいことばかりではない

jinsei wa omoshirookashii koto bakari de wa nai

ne vsjo kotú máslenica, búdet i velíkij post

не всё коту́ ма́сленица, бу́дет и вели́кий пост


nid aur yw popeth melyn

Literally “everything yellow is not gold”.

all that glitters is not gold
all that glitters is not gold


two heads are better than one

"Mr. Francis Osbaldistone is an innocent man, Rashleigh," said Miss Vernon, "and he demands an investigation of the charge against him, and I intend to support him in it."
"You do, my pretty cousin?—I should think, now, Mr. Francis Osbaldistone was likely to be as effectually, and rather more delicately, supported by my presence than by yours."
"Oh, certainly; but two heads are better than one, you know."

1818, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 8, in Rob Roy:

On the principle that two heads are better than one, he resolved to take his companion, Jones, into his confidence and ask him to make a suggestion.

1882, Horatio Alger, chapter 23, in Ben's Nugget:

Two heads are better than one, sir. We will prosecute our investigations together.

1906, Arthur Quiller-Couch, chapter 17, in The Mayor of Troy:

Collaboration is great for screenwriting. It's not as simple as two heads are better than one, but if you find the right person, you can feed off each other.

2003 November 9, Nancy Meyers as told to Amy Barrett, “Sex and the Single Older Woman”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-02-25:

Some tasks may be accomplished more easily by two (or more) people working together than by one working alone.

胜过诸葛亮

sān ge chòupíjiàng shèng guò Zhūgé Liàng

il y a plus dans deux têtes que dans une

三人寄れば文珠の知恵

three people together have the wisdom of a Buddha

одна́ голова́ — хорошо́, а две — лу́чше (odná golová — xorošó, a dve — lúčše)

một cây làm chẳng nên non, ba cây chụm lại nên hòn núi cao


God works in mysterious ways

Perhaps literally from a poem by William Cowper (who lived 1731–1800), whose first stanza reads, “God moves in a mysterious way / His wonders to perform; / He plants His footsteps in the sea / And rides upon the storm.”
Despite common belief, not from dismissive folk illiteracy, but captures some essence of theology and Scripture.

Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.

Person A: It seems that I'm about to be fired from my job.

Person B: Well, God works in mysterious ways — maybe it'll be the kick you need to apply to university...

Commenting that a seemingly unfortunate or unfavourable situation or change may be beneficial later or in the long run.

les voies du Seigneur sont impénétrables

ईश्वर रहस्यमयी तरीकों से काम करता है

īśvar rahasyamyī tarīkõ se kām kartā hai

神は独特で奇妙なやり方をする

kami wa dokutoku de kimyō na yarikata o suru

The way God guides us in and through our lives may seem illogical and beyond our understanding, but at the end it ultimately leads us to what our hearts truly desire.


送君千里，終須一別

Even if you see a friend off for a thousandli, in the end you still have to part.

ㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ

ㄓㄨㄥ ㄒㄩ ㄧ ㄅㄧㄝˊ

sung³ gwan¹ cin¹ lei⁵, zung¹ seoi¹ jat¹ bit⁶

zhōng xū yī bié [Phonetic:sòng jūn qiān lǐ

sung⁴ chün¹ chʻien¹ li³, chung¹ hsü¹ i¹ pieh²

сун цзюнь цянь ли

чжун сюй и бе

/sʊŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕy⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pi̯ɛ³⁵/

sung³ gwan¹ tsin¹ lei⁵, dzung¹ soey¹ jat⁷ bit⁹

sung³ guen¹ qin¹ léi⁵, zung¹ sêu¹ yed¹ bid⁶

/sʊŋ³³ kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ sɵy̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ piːt̚²/

son^去 ciuin chi^平 li tson^平 shiu ih^入 bih

/soŋ³³ t͡ɕyn³³ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ li³³ t͡soŋ⁵⁵ ɕy³³ iɪʔ³³ biɪʔ⁴⁴/


退一步海闊天空

Take one step back, (and you will see) the vastness of the sea and sky

ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄞˇ ㄎㄨㄛˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄎㄨㄥ

tuì yī bù hǎikuòtiānkōng [Phonetic:tuì yí bù hǎikuòtiānkōng]

туй и бу хайкотянькун

/tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pu⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ kʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰɵy̯³³ jɐt̚⁵ pou̯²² hɔːi̯³⁵ fuːt̚³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ hʊŋ⁵⁵/

Yielding (taking a step back) to someone else may make life much easier.


高處不勝寒

ㄍㄠ ㄔㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄥˋ ㄏㄢˊ

ㄍㄠ ㄔㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄥ ㄏㄢˊ

gāochù bùshèng hán [Phonetic:gāochù búshèng hán]

гаочу бушэн хань

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ xän³⁵/

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xän³⁵/

/kou̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː³³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ hɔːn²¹/

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ xän³⁵/

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xän³⁵/

/kou̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː³³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ hɔːn²¹/

From "Shuidiao Getou—Mid-Autumn of Bingchen" (《水調歌頭·丙辰中秋》) by Su Shi.

One can't withstand the cold when in high places.

it's lonely at the top
it's lonely at the top


斬草不除根，春風吹又生

When cutting down weeds, you must get at the roots. Otherwise, the weeds will return with the spring breeze.

ㄓㄢˇ ㄘㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨˊ ㄍㄣ

ㄔㄨㄣ ㄈㄥ ㄔㄨㄟ ㄧㄡˋ ㄕㄥ

zaam² cou² bat¹ ceoi⁴ gan¹, ceon¹ fung¹ ceoi¹ jau⁶ sang¹

zhǎn cǎo bù chúgēn, chūnfēng chuī yòu shēng [Phonetic:zháncǎobùchúgēn,chūnfēngchuīyòushēng]

чжань цао бу чугэнь

чуньфэн чуй ю шэн

/ʈ͡ʂän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu³⁵ kən⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ joʊ̯⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

jáam chóu bāt chèuih gān, chēun fūng chēui yauh sāng

dzaam² tsou² bat⁷ tsoey⁴ gan¹, tsoen¹ fung¹ tsoey¹ jau⁶ sang¹

zam² cou² bed¹ cêu⁴ gen¹, cên¹ fung¹ cêu¹ yeo⁶ seng¹

/t͡saːm³⁵ t͡sʰou̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯²¹ kɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵn⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯⁵⁵ jɐu̯²² sɐŋ⁵⁵/

One should tackle the root of a problem and solve the problem completely. Otherwise, the problem will resurge.


清官難斷家務事

ㄑㄧㄥ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄋㄢˊ ㄉㄨㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄨˋ ㄕˋ

chʻing¹-kuan¹ nan² tuan⁴ chia¹-wu⁴ shih⁴

цингуань нань дуань цзяу ши

/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵ nän³⁵ tu̯än⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ u⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

even upright officials find it hard to settle family quarrels


習慣成自然

ㄒㄧˊ ㄍㄨㄢˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄗˋ ㄖㄢˊ

сигуань чэн цзыжань

/ɕi³⁵ ku̯än⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐän³⁵/

/t͡saːp̚² kʷaːn³³ sɪŋ²¹ t͡siː²² jiːn²¹/

/ɕi³⁵ ku̯än⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐän³⁵/

/t͡saːp̚² kʷaːn³³ sɪŋ²¹ t͡siː²² jiːn²¹/

When you make it a habit, it will become second nature.


船到橋頭自然直

When theboat gets to the bridgehead, it will naturally straighten itself out.

ㄔㄨㄢˊ ㄉㄠˋ ㄑㄧㄠˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄗˋ ㄖㄢˊ ㄓˊ

chʻuan² tao⁴ chʻiao²-tʻou² tzŭ⁴-jan² chih²

чуань дао цяотоу цзыжань чжи

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐän³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/syːn²¹ tou̯³³ kʰiːu̯²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹ t͡siː²² jiːn²¹ t͡sɪk̚²/

(figurative) we'll cross that bridge when we come to it; everything will eventually be settled in the end


莫待無花空折枝

ㄇㄛˋ ㄉㄞˋ ㄨˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄓㄜˊ ㄓ

мо дай у хуа кун чжэ чжи

/mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ taɪ̯⁵¹ u³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

See 花開堪折直須折／花开堪折直须折 (huā kāi kān zhé zhí xū zhé).

zh-l

No one is to blame but me for this. I was so casual and unwilling to commit to love. Then, when I did fall in love, I was unwilling to casually let it go. People always say things like carpe diem and gather ye rosebuds while ye may. But, when it comes to enjoying the rosebuds of love, even if you gather them, then what? Isn't the result the same, that we can never be married?

2005, 安妮玫瑰 (Anne Rose), 翡翠护身符 (Excerpt from "The Jadeite Amulet")

Zhè shéi yě bùnéng guài, zhǐ néng guài zìjǐ, qīngyì bùkěn àishàng, ài le yòu bùkěn qīngyì fàngxià, suī shuō huā kāi kān zhé zhí xū zhé, mò dài wú huā kōng zhé zhī, dànshì xiǎngshòu zhe àiqíng zhī huā de shíhòu, jíshǐ zhé le, yòu zěnyàng? Bù háishì yīyàng jié bù chū hūnyīn zhī guǒ ma.

這誰也不能怪，只能怪自己，輕易不肯愛上，愛了又不肯輕易放下，雖說花開堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝，但是享受著愛情之花的時候，即使折了，又怎樣？不還是一樣結不出婚姻之果嗎。

这谁也不能怪，只能怪自己，轻易不肯爱上，爱了又不肯轻易放下，虽说花开堪折直须折，莫待无花空折枝，但是享受着爱情之花的时候，即使折了，又怎样？不还是一样结不出婚姻之果吗。


貨比三家不吃虧

ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄙㄢ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔ ㄎㄨㄟ

хобисаньцзя бу чикуй

/xu̯ɔ⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/

if you compare the price of something at three different locations, you'll never be ripped off