古今多少事，都付笑談中

ㄍㄨˇ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄕㄠˇ ㄕˋ

ㄉㄡ ㄈㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄊㄢˊ ㄓㄨㄥ

гуцзинь дошао ши

доу фу сяотань чжун

/ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ʂɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ toʊ̯⁵⁵ fu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ tʰän³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵/

* From the last line of the opening poem of Romance of the Three Kingdoms
*: Literally: How many things from past and present have they laughed and talked about with each other?

It is better to keep an open mind with respect to right and wrong or success and failure when evaluating historical developments.


揚湯止沸，不如去薪

Lifting the soup to stop it from boiling is less effective than taking away the firewood.

ㄧㄤˊ ㄊㄤ ㄓˇ ㄈㄟˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄑㄩˋ ㄒㄧㄣ

бужу цюй синь

/jɑŋ³⁵ tʰɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕʰy⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14ᵗʰ century CE

Chén wén yángtāngzhǐfèi, bùrúqùxīn; kuì yōng suī tòng, shèng yú yǎng dú.

臣聞揚湯止沸，不如去薪；潰癰雖痛，勝於養毒。

臣闻扬汤止沸，不如去薪；溃痈虽痛，胜于养毒。

It is better to solve the root problem, rather than treating the symptoms.


欲加之罪，何患無詞

ㄩˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄓ ㄗㄨㄟˋ

ㄏㄜˊ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄨˊ ㄘˊ

yü⁴ chia¹ chih¹ tsui⁴, ho² huan⁴ wu² tzʻŭ²

юй цзя чжи цзуй

хэ хуань у цы

/y⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ u³⁵ t͡sʰz̩³⁵/

欲加之罪，何患無辭 欲加之罪，何患無辭#Chinese

欲加之罪，何患无辞 欲加之罪，何患无辞#Chinese

Alternative form of 欲加之罪，何患無辭／欲加之罪，何患无辞 (yù jiā zhī zuì, hé huàn wú cí)


家家有本難念的經

家家有本难念的经
家家有本難唸的經

every family has a text which is difficult to read

ㄐㄧㄚ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄣˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄋㄧㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄐㄧㄥ

gaa¹ gaa¹ jau⁵ bun² naan⁴ nim⁶ dik¹ ging¹

jiājiā yǒu běn nán niàn de jīng [Phonetic:jiājiāyóuběnnánniàndejīng]

chia¹-chia¹ yu³ pên³ nan² nien⁴ tê⁵ ching¹

цзяцзя ю бэнь нань нянь дэ цзин

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵ ni̯ɛn⁵¹ d̥ə¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

gaa¹ gaa¹ jau⁵ bun² naan⁴ nim⁶ dik⁷ ging¹

/kaː⁵⁵ kaː⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ puːn³⁵ naːn²¹ niːm²² tɪk̚⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵/

every family has a (sad or unpleasant) story; every family goes through its own problems


欲加之罪，何患無辭

ㄩˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄓ ㄗㄨㄟˋ

ㄏㄜˊ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄨˊ ㄘˊ

юй цзя чжи цзуй

хэ хуань у цы

In summer, in the 4th month, Jifu, duke of Zhou (w:zh:周公忌父), and Dang, son of king Xi(?), joined Xi Peng (w:zh:隰朋) of Qi in securing the establishment of the marquis of Jin, who put to death Li Ke (里克) to clear himself of any complicity with him in the murders which he had committed. When he was about to put him to death, he sent a message to him, saying, "But for you, I should not have attained to my present position; but considering that you murdered two marquises and one great officer, is it not a difficult thing to be your ruler?" Ke replied, "If others had not been removed, how could you have found room to rise? But if you wish to make out a man's guilt, there is no difficulty in finding ground to do so. I have heard your command." With this he cut his own throat, and died.

夏，四月，周公忌父、王子黨，會齊隰朋，立晉侯。晉侯殺里克以說。將殺里克，公使謂之曰：「微子則不及此。雖然，子弒二君與一大夫，為子君者，不亦難乎？」對曰：「不有廢也，君何以興？欲加之罪，其無辭乎

欲加之罪，何患无辞
欲加之罪，何患無詞

If you want to convict someone, there is no need to worry about making a suitable pretext.

If you want to find a fault of someone, there is no need to worry about making a suitable pretext.


寧為太平犬，不做亂世人

ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ

ning⁴ wai⁴ taai³ peng⁴ hyun², bat¹ zou⁶ lyun⁶ sai³ jan⁴

bù zuò luànshì rén [Phonetic:nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn

нин вэй тайпин цюань

бу цзо луаньши жэнь

/niŋ⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

bù zuò luànshì rén [Phonetic:níng wéi tàipíng quǎn

/niŋ³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

nìhng wàih taai pèhng hyún, bāt jouh lyuhn sai yàhn

ning⁴ wai⁴ taai³ peng⁴ hyn², bat⁷ dzou⁶ lyn⁶ sai³ jan⁴

ning⁴ wei⁴ tai³ péng⁴ hün², bed¹ zou⁶ lün⁶ sei³ yen⁴

/nɪŋ²¹ wɐi̯²¹ tʰaːi̯³³ pʰɛːŋ²¹ hyːn³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sou̯²² lyːn²² sɐi̯³³ jɐn²¹/

It’s better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.


三個臭皮匠，勝過諸葛亮

threeunskilled cobblers are superior to Zhuge Liang

ㄙㄢ ˙ㄍㄜ ㄔㄡˋ ㄆㄧˊ ㄐㄧㄤˋ

ㄕㄥˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄓㄨ ㄍㄜˇ ㄌㄧㄤˋ

ㄕㄥˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄓㄨ ㄍㄜˊ ㄌㄧㄤˋ

saam¹ go³ cau³ pei⁴ zoeng⁶, sing³ gwo³ zyu¹ got³ loeng⁶

сань гэ чоупицзян

шэнго Чжугэ Лян

/sän⁵⁵ g̊ə² ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯⁵¹ pʰi³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ kɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/sän⁵⁵ g̊ə² ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯⁵¹ pʰi³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ kɤ³⁵ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

sāam go chau pèih jeuhng, sing gwo jyū got leuhng

saam¹ go³ tsau³ pei⁴ dzoeng⁶, sing³ gwo³ dzy¹ got⁸ loeng⁶

sam¹ go³ ceo³ péi⁴ zêng⁶, xing³ guo³ ju¹ god³ lêng⁶

/saːm⁵⁵ kɔː³³ t͡sʰɐu̯³³ pʰei̯²¹ t͡sœːŋ²² sɪŋ³³ kʷɔː³³ t͡syː⁵⁵ kɔːt̚³ lœːŋ²²/

two heads are better than one
two heads are better than one

三個臭皮匠，勝過一個諸葛亮／三个臭皮匠，胜过一个诸葛亮

sān ge chòupíjiàng, shèngguò yīge Zhūgě Liàng


良禽擇木而棲

ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄑㄧㄣˊ ㄗㄜˊ ㄇㄨˋ ㄦˊ ㄑㄧ

лянцинь цзэ му эр ци

/li̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵ t͡sɤ³⁵ mu⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/

/lœːŋ²¹ kʰɐm²¹ t͡saːk̚² mʊk̚² jiː²¹ t͡sʰɐi̯⁵⁵/

A good bird chooses (for himself) the tree upon which to perch, the talented subject chooses (for himself) the lord that he shall serve.

Liángqín zémù ér qī, xiánchén zé zhǔ ér shì.

良禽擇木而棲，賢臣擇主而事。

良禽择木而栖，贤臣择主而事。

A talented person is free to choose his own boss.


說曹操，曹操到

/ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/syːt̚³ t͡sʰou̯²¹ t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰou̯²¹ t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵ tou̯³³/

speak of the devil and he shall appear
speak of the devil and he shall appear

(idiomatic) speak of the devil and he shall appear


燕雀安知鴻鵠志

ja-r

燕雀%安んぞ鴻鵠の志を知らんや

えんじゃく% いずくんぞ こうこく の こころざし を しらんや

→ Japanese: 燕雀(えんじゃく)安(いずく)んぞ鴻鵠(こうこく)の志(こころざし)を知(し)らんや (enjaku izukunzo kōkoku no kokorozashi o shiran'ya) (calque)

ㄧㄢˋ ㄑㄩㄝˋ ㄢ ㄓ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄏㄨˊ ㄓˋ

яньцюэ ань чжи хунху чжи

/jɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵¹ ˀän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ xʊŋ³⁵ xu³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/jiːn³³ t͡sœːk̚³ ɔːn⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ hʊk̚² t͡siː³³/

From Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian

When Chen She was young, he worked in the fields with other day laborers. One day, he stopped working and climbed to the top of a hill. He was sullen for quite some time, then said, "If I become rich, I will not forget you all." The other workers laughed, and responded, "You're a day labourer, what riches?" Chen She sighed, and said, "Alas, how can a little songbird understand the ambitions of a grand swan!"

The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Chén Shè shàoshí, cháng yǔ rén yōnggēng. Chuò gēng zhī lǒng shàng, chànghèn jiǔzhī, yuē: “Gǒu fùguì, wú xiàngwàng.” Yōng zhě xiào ér yìng yuē: “Ruò wèi yōnggēng, hé fùguì yě?” Chén Shè tàixī yuē: “Jiēhū, yànquè ān zhī hónghú zhī zhì zāi!”

陳涉少時，嘗與人傭耕。輟耕之壟上，悵恨久之，曰：「苟富貴，無相忘。」傭者笑而應曰：「若為傭耕，何富貴也？」陳涉太息曰：「嗟乎，燕雀安知鴻鵠之志哉！」

陈涉少时，尝与人佣耕。辍耕之垄上，怅恨久之，曰：「苟富贵，无相忘。」佣者笑而应曰：「若为佣耕，何富贵也？」陈涉太息曰：「嗟乎，燕雀安知鸿鹄之志哉！」

At midnight, the county governor ordered his personal aides to discreetly escort Cao Cao to the rear courtyard for questioning; he asked, "I have heard that the chancellor treats you very well, so why have you brought such trouble upon yourself?" Cao said, "'How can a little songbird understand the ambitions of a grand swan?' You have captured me, and now you can leisurely turn me over to the authorities and collect your reward. Why ask more questions!"

Zhì yèfēn, xiànlìng huàn qīnsuí rén àndì qǔ chū Cáo Cāo, qiě zhì hòuyuàn zhōng shěnjiū; wèn yuē: “Wǒ wén chéngxiàng dài rǔ bùbó, hégù zìqǔqíhuò?” Cāo yuē: “‘Yànquè ān zhī hónghú zhì zāi’? Rǔ jì ná zhù wǒ, biàndang jiě qù qǐngshǎng. Hébì duō wèn!”

至夜分，縣令喚親隨人暗地取出曹操，且至後院中審究；問曰：「我聞丞相待汝不薄，何故自取其禍？」操曰：「『燕雀安知鴻鵠志哉』？汝既拏住我，便當解去請賞。何必多問！」

至夜分，县令唤亲随人暗地取出曹操，且至后院中审究；问曰：「我闻丞相待汝不薄，何故自取其祸？」操曰：「『燕雀安知鸿鹄志哉』？汝既拿住我，便当解去请赏。何必多问！」

(figuratively) How can an ordinary person understand the ambitions of a great person?

Records of the Grand Historian
Sima Qian


寧教我負天下人，休教天下人負我

head

寧教我負天下人，休教天下人負我

ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄨㄛˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄒㄧㄡ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄨㄛˇ

ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄨㄛˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ

ning⁴ gaau¹ ngo⁵ fu⁶ tin¹ haa⁵ jan⁴, jau¹ gaau¹ tin¹ haa⁵ jan⁴ fu⁶ ngo⁵

нинцзяо во фу тянься жэнь

сю цзяо тянься жэнь фу во

/niŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ fu⁵¹ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/niŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ fu⁵¹ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

nìhng gāau ngóh fuh tīn háh yàhn, yāu gāau tīn háh yàhn fuh ngóh

ning⁴ gao¹ ngo⁵ fu⁶ tin¹ ha⁵ yen⁴, yeo¹ gao¹ tin¹ ha⁵ yen⁴ fu⁶ ngo⁵

/nɪŋ²¹ kaːu̯⁵⁵ ŋɔː¹³ fuː²² tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː¹³ jɐn²¹ jɐu̯⁵⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː¹³ jɐn²¹ fuː²² ŋɔː¹³/

From the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [circa 14th century AD].

Gōng yuē: ‘Zhī ér gùshā, dà bùyì yě!’ Cāo yuē: ‘Nìngjiàowǒfùtiānxiàrén, xiūjiàotiānxiàrénfùwǒ.’

宮曰：『知而故殺，大不義也！』操曰：『寧教我負天下人，休教天下人負我。』

宫曰：『知而故杀，大不义也！』操曰：『宁教我负天下人，休教天下人负我。』

宁教我负天下人，休教天下人负我

I would rather that everyone were betrayed by me, instead of me being betrayed by everyone.


割雞焉用牛刀

desc

鶏を割くに焉んぞ牛刀を用いん

→ Japanese: 鶏を割くに焉んぞ牛刀を用いん (niwatori o saku ni izukunzo/nanzo gyūtō o mochiin) (calque)

→ Vietnamese: giết gà dùng dao mổ trâu (calque)

ㄍㄜ ㄐㄧ ㄧㄢ ㄩㄥˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄉㄠ

гэцзи янь юн нюдао

/kɤ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ jɛn⁵⁵ jʊŋ⁵¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/kɔːt̚³ kɐi̯⁵⁵ jiːn⁵⁵ jʊŋ²² ŋɐu̯²¹ tou̯⁵⁵/

From the Analects, Book 17 (《論語·陽貨》):
:
In this passage, Confucius was joking with his disciple Yan Yan, suggesting that the ritual court music might be a bit over the top, when considering that Wucheng was such a lowly assignment.

The master went to Wucheng. When he heard the sound of ritual court music, the master smiled and said, "Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?" Ziyou replied, "In that past, I have heard you say, 'If a ruler learns the way, then he will love the people. If a person of low station learns the way, then it will be easier for him to serve.'" The master said, "Gentlemen! What Yan said is correct. As for my previous statement, I was only teasing him!"

The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, Wiktionary translation

Zǐ zhī Wǔchéng, wén xiángē zhī shēng, Fūzǐ wǎn'ěr ér xiào, yuē: “Gējī yān yòng niúdāo.” Zǐyóu duì yuē: “Xīzhě, Yǎn yě wén zhū Fūzǐ yuē: ‘Jūnzǐ xué dào zé ài rén, xiǎorén xué dào zé yì shǐ yě.’” Zǐ yuē: “Èrsānzǐ! Yǎn zhī yán shì yě, qiányán xì zhī ěr!”

子之武城，聞弦歌之聲，夫子莞爾而笑，曰：「割雞焉用牛刀。」子游對曰：「昔者，偃也聞諸夫子曰：『君子學道則愛人，小人學道則易使也。』」子曰：「二三子！偃之言是也，前言戲之耳！」

子之武城，闻弦歌之声，夫子莞尔而笑，曰：「割鸡焉用牛刀。」子游对曰：「昔者，偃也闻诸夫子曰：『君子学道则爱人，小人学道则易使也。』」子曰：「二三子！偃之言是也，前言戏之耳！」

He had not yet finished speaking, when a person standing behind Lü Bu said loudly, "'Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?' We shouldn't trouble the Marquis of Wen to go personally.

Yán wèi jué, Lǚ Bù bèihòu yīrén, gāoshēng chū yuē: ‘Gējī yān yòng niúdāo?’ Bùláo wēnhóu qīnwǎng.

言未絕，呂布背後一人，高聲出曰：『割雞焉用牛刀？』不勞溫侯親往。

言未绝，吕布背后一人，高声出曰：『割鸡焉用牛刀？』不劳温侯亲往。

use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
use a sledgehammer to crack a nut

(rhetorical question) something of a big calibre is not necessary to handle small or minor problems; why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut


殺雞焉用牛刀

ㄕㄚ ㄐㄧ ㄧㄢ ㄩㄥˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄉㄠ

ша цзи янь юн нюдао

/ʂä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ jɛn⁵⁵ jʊŋ⁵¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/saːt̚³ kɐi̯⁵⁵ jiːn⁵⁵ jʊŋ²² ŋɐu̯²¹ tou̯⁵⁵/

See 割雞焉用牛刀／割鸡焉用牛刀 (gējī yān yòng niúdāo).

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割雞焉用牛刀／割鸡焉用牛刀 (gējī yān yòng niúdāo)

Besides this, there are times when one creates a simple application in order to meet a special requirement. Perhaps the application will only be run once, or will never doing anything else but that one task. In such cases, why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken? In terms of shortening development time, hard coding would not be a bad strategy.

Chú cǐ zhī wài yǒu shíhòu yīn yìng mǒu xiē tèshū de xūqiú, zhìzuò chū jiǎndān de yìngyòngchéngshì, yìngyòngchéngshì kěnéng zhǐ huì zhíxíng yīcì, huòzhě yǒngyuǎn zhǐ yìngfù yī zhǒng xūqiú, shā jī yān yòng niúdāo, xiěsǐ lái suōduǎn kāifā de shíjiān, yě shì yī zhǒng bùcuò de juécè.

除此之外有時候因應某些特殊的需求，製作出簡單的應用程式，應用程式可能只會執行一次，或者永遠只應付一種需求，殺雞焉用牛刀，寫死來縮短開發的時間，也是一種不錯的決策。

除此之外有时候因应某些特殊的需求，制作出简单的应用程式，应用程式可能只会执行一次，或者永远只应付一种需求，杀鸡焉用牛刀，写死来缩短开发的时间，也是一种不错的决策。

割雞焉用牛刀 割雞焉用牛刀#Chinese

割鸡焉用牛刀 割鸡焉用牛刀#Chinese

(rhetorical question) Synonym of 割雞焉用牛刀／割鸡焉用牛刀 (gējī yān yòng niúdaō).


山不轉路轉

ㄕㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄢˇ ㄌㄨˋ ㄓㄨㄢˇ

шань бу чжуань лу чжуань

/ʂän⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

There's more than one way to skin a cat; There is always a workaround.


人比人，氣死人

жэнь би жэнь

žɛnʹ bi žɛnʹ

/ʐən³⁵ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵/

/ŋin¹¹ pi³¹ ŋin¹¹ hi⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sz̩³¹ ŋin¹¹/

/ŋin¹¹ pi³¹ ŋin¹¹ hi⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sz̩³¹ ŋin¹¹/

comparison is the thief of joy
comparison is the thief of joy

If you compare your lot to others, you will only torture yourself; comparison is the thief of joy.


死有重於泰山，輕於鴻毛

ㄙˇ ㄧㄡˇ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄩˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄕㄢ

ㄑㄧㄥ ㄩˊ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄇㄠˊ

sǐ yǒu zhòng yú Tàishān, qīng yú hóngmáo [Phonetic:síyǒuzhòngyútàishān,qīngyúhóngmáo]

сы ю чжун юй Тайшань

цин юй хунмао

/sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ xʊŋ³⁵ mɑʊ̯³⁵/

Some deaths are more weighty than Mount Tai, while others are lighter (and less significant) than a wild goose feather.


強龍不壓地頭蛇

Astrong dragon cannot suppress a local snake

ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄚ ㄉㄧˋ ㄊㄡˊ ㄕㄜˊ

цян лун бу я дитоушэ

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ lʊŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ jä⁵⁵ ti⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂɤ³⁵/

"Well, as the saying goes, even a powerful person cannot defeat a local bully."

Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16ᵗʰ century CE

“Yěbà, zhè zhèngshì ‘qiáng lóng bù yā dìtóushé’.”

「也罷，這正是『強龍不壓地頭蛇』。」

「也罢，这正是『强龙不压地头蛇』。」

Even a powerful person cannot defeat a local bully.


男大當婚，女大當嫁

ㄋㄢˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄤ ㄏㄨㄣ

ㄋㄩˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄤ ㄐㄧㄚˋ

naam⁴ daai⁶ dong¹ fan¹, neoi⁵ daai⁶ dong¹ gaa³

nan² ta⁴ tang¹ hun¹, nü³ ta⁴ tang¹ chia⁴

нань да дан хунь

нюй да дан цзя

/nän³⁵ tä⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ xu̯ən⁵⁵ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

nàahm daaih dōng fān, néuih daaih dōng ga

naam⁴ daai⁶ dong¹ fan¹, noey⁵ daai⁶ dong¹ gaa³

nam⁴ dai⁶ dong¹ fen¹, nêu⁵ dai⁶ dong¹ ga³

/naːm²¹ taːi̯²² tɔːŋ⁵⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ nɵy̯¹³ taːi̯²² tɔːŋ⁵⁵ kaː³³/

A man should get married on coming of age, and so should a girl.


人怕出名豬怕壯

ㄖㄣˊ ㄆㄚˋ ㄔㄨ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄓㄨ ㄆㄚˋ ㄓㄨㄤˋ

жэнь па чумин чжу па чжуан

/ʐən³⁵ pʰä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ pʰä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

jan⁴ paa³ tsoet⁷ meng⁴⁻² dzy¹ paa³ dzong³

/jɐn²¹ pʰaː³³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ mɛːŋ²¹⁻³⁵ t͡syː⁵⁵ pʰaː³³ t͡sɔːŋ³³/

fame portends trouble for men just as fattening does for pigs


人怕出名豬怕肥

ㄖㄣˊ ㄆㄚˋ ㄔㄨ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄓㄨ ㄆㄚˋ ㄈㄟˊ

жэнь па чумин чжу па фэй

/ʐən³⁵ pʰä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ pʰä⁵¹ feɪ̯³⁵/

/jɐn²¹ pʰaː³³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ mɛːŋ²¹⁻³⁵ t͡syː⁵⁵ pʰaː³³ fei̯²¹/


人多嘴雜

ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄗㄨㄟˇ ㄗㄚˊ

жэньдоцзуйцза

/ʐən³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sä³⁵/

/ʐən³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sä³⁵/

Agreement is difficult if there are too many people.

Secrecy is difficult if too many people share it.


人定勝天

ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄥˋ ㄊㄧㄢ

жэньдиншэнтянь

/ʐən³⁵ tiŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/jaːn²¹ tɪŋ²² sɪŋ³³ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

/ʐən³⁵ tiŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/jaːn²¹ tɪŋ²² sɪŋ³³ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

Man's determination will triumph over nature.


有奶便是娘

The person who feeds me with milk is my mother.

ㄧㄡˇ ㄋㄞˇ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄋㄧㄤˊ

yǒu nǎi biànshì niáng [Phonetic:yóunǎibiànshìniáng]

ю най бяньши нян

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ naɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ni̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/jɐu̯¹³ naːi̯¹³ piːn²² siː²² nœːŋ²¹/

/jɐu̯¹³ naːi̯¹³ piːn²² siː²² nœːŋ²¹/

One obeys those who give him money or power.


預防重於治療

预防重于治疗
預防勝於治療

ㄩˋ ㄈㄤˊ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄩˊ ㄓˋ ㄌㄧㄠˊ

юйфан чжун юй чжиляо

/y⁵¹ fɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵/

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


無信不立

ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˋ

/u³⁵ ɕin⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ li⁵¹/

/mou̯²¹ sɵn³³ pɐt̚⁵ lɐp̚²/

/mou̯²¹ sɵn³³ pɐt̚⁵ laːp̚²/

/u³⁵ ɕin⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ li⁵¹/

/mou̯²¹ sɵn³³ pɐt̚⁵ lɐp̚²/

/mou̯²¹ sɵn³³ pɐt̚⁵ laːp̚²/

From the Analects:
:
Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Zigong asked about government. The Master said, "The requisites of government are that there be sufficiency of food, sufficiency of military equipment, and the confidence of the people in their ruler." Zigong said, "If it cannot be helped, and one of these must be dispensed with, which of the three should be foregone first?" "The military equipment," said the Master. Zigong again asked, "If it cannot be helped, and one of the remaining two must be dispensed with, which of them should be foregone?" The Master answered, "Part with the food. From of old, death has been the lot of all men; but if the people have no faith in their rulers, there is no standing for the state."

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

Zǐgòng wèn “zhèng”. Zǐ yuē: “Zúshí, zúbīng, mín xìn zhī yǐ.” Zǐgòng yuē: “Bì bùdéyǐ ér qù, yú sī sān zhě hé xiān?” Yuē: “Qù bīng.” Zǐgòng yuē: “Bì bùdéyǐ ér qù, yú sī èr zhě hé xiān?” Yuē: “Qù shí. Zìgǔ jiē yǒu sǐ, mín wúxìnbùlì.”

子貢問「政」。子曰：「足食，足兵，民信之矣。」子貢曰：「必不得已而去，於斯三者何先？」曰：「去兵。」子貢曰：「必不得已而去，於斯二者何先？」曰：「去食。自古皆有死，民無信不立。」

子贡问「政」。子曰：「足食，足兵，民信之矣。」子贡曰：「必不得已而去，于斯三者何先？」曰：「去兵。」子贡曰：「必不得已而去，于斯二者何先？」曰：「去食。自古皆有死，民无信不立。」

From of old, death has been the lot of all men; but if people have no faith in a person, there is no standing for that person.

自古皆有死，人無信不立

自古皆有死，人无信不立

If people have no faith in a person, there is no standing for that person.


自古皆有死，人無信不立

ㄗˋ ㄍㄨˇ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙˇ

ㄖㄣˊ ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˋ

цзыгу цзе ю сы

жэнь усиньбули

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ u³⁵ ɕin⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ li⁵¹/

See 無信不立／无信不立 (wúxìnbùlì).

無信不立／无信不立 (wúxìnbùlì)

From of old, death has been the lot of all men; but if people have no faith in a person, there is no standing for that person.


自古皆有死，民無信不立

ㄗˋ ㄍㄨˇ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙˇ

ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˋ

цзыгу цзе ю сы

минь усиньбули

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ min³⁵ u³⁵ ɕin⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ li⁵¹/

See 無信不立／无信不立 (wúxìnbùlì).

無信不立／无信不立 (wúxìnbùlì)

Since ancient times, all men experience death; but if the people have no faith in their rulers, there is no standing for the state.


家醜不可外揚

family scandals cannot be spread to the outside

ㄐㄧㄚ ㄔㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄨㄞˋ ㄧㄤˊ

цзячоу букэ вайян

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ waɪ̯⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵/

what happens in the family stays in the family; don't wash your dirty linen in public


狗改不了吃屎

ㄍㄡˇ ㄍㄞˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄔ ㄕˇ

gǒu gǎi bùliǎo chī shǐ [Phonetic:góugǎibùliǎochīshǐ]

гоу гай буляо чи ши

/koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

a leopard cannot change its spots
a leopard cannot change its spots

(figurative, derogatory, low colloquial, idiomatic) a leopard cannot change its spots (said of bad habits or traits)

as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly


千里之行，始於足下

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→ English: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (calque)

→ Japanese: 千里の行も足下に始まる (senri no michi mo sokka ni hajimaru) (calque)

千里の道も一歩より始まる

→ Japanese: 千里の道も一歩より始まる (senri no michi mo ippo yori hajimaru) (partial calque)

→ Japanese: 千里の道も一歩から (senri no michi mo ippo kara) (partial calque)

→ Russian: путь в ты́сячу вёрст начина́ется с пе́рвого ша́га (putʹ v týsjaču vjorst načinájetsja s pérvovo šága) (calque)

ㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

ㄕˇ ㄩˊ ㄗㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

цяньли чжи син

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ t͡su³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

tsin¹ lei⁵ dzi¹ hang⁴, tsi² jy¹ dzuk⁷ haa⁶

/t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³ t͡siː⁵⁵ hɐŋ²¹ t͡sʰiː³⁵ jyː⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ haː²²/

The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a (small) heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.

Hébào zhī mù, shēng yú háomò; jiǔ céng zhī tái, qǐ yú lěi tǔ; qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zúxià.

合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。

合抱之木，生于毫末；九层之台，起于累土；千里之行，始于足下。


求人不如求己

ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄐㄧˇ

цюжэнь бужу цюцзи

/t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kʰɐu̯²¹ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ kʰɐu̯²¹ kei̯³⁵/

it's better to rely on yourself than on the help of others; if you want a thing done well, do it yourself


強賓不壓主

ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄚ ㄓㄨˇ

цян бинь бу я чжу

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ pin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ jä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

A guest should never try to put himself in a superior position to his host.


開弓沒有回頭箭

Thearrow that left the bow never returns

ㄎㄞ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄇㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

кайгун мэйю хуэйтоу цзянь

/kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ meɪ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/hɔːi̯⁵⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ muːt̚² jɐu̯¹³ wuːi̯²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹ t͡siːn³³/

there's no turning back after you make an important decision


吃人家的嘴軟，拿人家的手軟

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吃人家的嘴軟，拿人家的手軟

ㄔ ㄖㄣˊ ˙ㄐㄧㄚ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄗㄨㄟˇ ㄖㄨㄢˇ

ㄋㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ ˙ㄐㄧㄚ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄕㄡˇ ㄖㄨㄢˇ

chī rénjia de zuǐ ruǎn, nà rénjia de shǒu ruǎn [Phonetic:chīrénjiadezuíruǎn,nàrénjiadeshóuruǎn]

чи жэньцзя дэ цзуй жуань

на жэньцзя дэ шоу жуань

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ d͡ʑ̥i̯ä³ d̥ə¹ t͡su̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʐu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ nä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ d͡ʑ̥i̯ä³ d̥ə¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʐu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Literally, “the mouth that feeds from others is soft; the hand that takes from others is soft [as well]”.
In other words: “When eating dinner given by others, one should have a soft mouth; when taking bribes, one should have a soft hand.”

吃人家的嘴软，拿人家的手软

One may be bound to others because of the things they give you.


一人得道，雞犬升天

ㄧ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄜˊ ㄉㄠˋ

ㄐㄧ ㄑㄩㄢˇ ㄕㄥ ㄊㄧㄢ

jat¹ jan⁴ dak¹ dou⁶, gai¹ hyun² sing¹ tin¹

цзицюань шэнтянь

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ tɤ³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

jat⁷ jan⁴ dak⁷ dou⁶, gai¹ hyn² sing¹ tin¹

yed¹ yen⁴ deg¹ dou⁶, gei¹ hün² xing¹ tin¹

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐn²¹ tɐk̚⁵ tou̯²² kɐi̯⁵⁵ hyːn³⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

The idiom derives from an account of Liu An ascending to heaven in Lunheng

The king of Huainan studied Taoism, recruited Taoist people from all over the world, and gained the respect of the country. He also valued Taoist magicians, so the Taoist magicians gathered in Huainan, and developed strange prescriptions and magic, competing for favors. The king then attained enlightenment, his family ascended to heaven, his livestock all became immortals. The dogs barked in the sky, and the roosters crowed in the clouds.

Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE

Huáinán wáng xuédào, zhāohuì tiānxià yǒu dào zhī rén, qīng yī guó zhī zūn, xià dàoshù zhī shì, shì yǐ dàoshù zhī shì bìng huì Huáinán, qífāng yìshù, mò bù zhēng chū. Wáng suì dédào, jǔjiā shēngtiān, xùchǎn jiē xiān, quǎn fèi yú tiān shàng, jī míng yú yún zhōng.

淮南王學道，招會天下有道之人，傾一國之尊，下道術之士，是以道術之士並會淮南，奇方異術，莫不爭出。王遂得道，舉家升天，畜產皆仙，犬吠於天上，雞鳴於雲中。

淮南王学道，招会天下有道之人，倾一国之尊，下道术之士，是以道术之士并会淮南，奇方异术，莫不争出。王遂得道，举家升天，畜产皆仙，犬吠于天上，鸡鸣于云中。

When a man attains the Tao, even his pets ascend to heaven.

once a person gains power and influence (as an official), everyone associated with them also benefits


情人眼裡出西施

情人眼里出西施
情人眼裏出西施
情人眼裡有西施
情人眼中出西施

in the eyes of a lover,Xi Shi (one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China) appears

ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄢˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄔㄨ ㄒㄧ ㄕ

qíngrén yǎnlǐ chū Xīshī [Phonetic:qíngrényánlǐchūxīshī]

цинжэнь яньли чу Сиши

/t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

tsing⁴ jan⁴ ngaan⁵ loey⁵ tsoet⁷ sai¹ si¹

/t͡sʰɪŋ²¹ jɐn²¹ ŋaːn¹³ lɵy̯¹³ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ sɐi̯⁵⁵ siː⁵⁵/

/ʑin²² n̠ʲin⁵⁵ ŋe³³ li³³ t͡sʰəʔ⁴⁴ ɕi⁵⁵ sz̩²¹/

beauty is in the eye of the beholder
beauty is in the eye of the beholder

beauty is in the eye of the beholder; love is blind


得饒人處且饒人

ㄉㄜˊ ㄖㄠˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄔㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄝˇ ㄖㄠˊ ㄖㄣˊ

дэжаожэньчуцежаожэнь

dɛžaožɛnʹčucežaožɛnʹ

/tɤ³⁵ ʐɑʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐɑʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵/

(idiomatic) sometimes it's better to forgive someone than to persist on looking further into the mistake made by the said person


欲速則不達

yù sù zé bù dá

ㄩˋ ㄙㄨˋ ㄗㄜˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄚˊ

yù sù zé bù dá

yù sù zé bù dá

юй су цзэ бу да

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ su⁵¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ pu⁵¹ tä³⁵/

/jʊk̚² t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ t͡sɐk̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵ taːt̚²/

/iɔk̚⁴⁻³² sɔk̚³² t͡siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ put̚³²⁻⁴ tat̚⁴/

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ su⁵¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ pu⁵¹ tä³⁵/

/jʊk̚² t͡sʰʊk̚⁵ t͡sɐk̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵ taːt̚²/

The Master said, "Do not be desirous to have things done quickly; do not look at small advantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished."

Zǐyuē: “Wú yù sù, wú jiàn xiǎolì. Yù sù, zé bù dá; jiàn xiǎolì, zé dàshì bùchéng.”

子曰：「無欲速，無見小利。欲速，則不達；見小利，則大事不成。」

子曰：「无欲速，无见小利。欲速，则不达；见小利，则大事不成。」

slow and steady wins the race
slow and steady wins the race

haste makes waste; slow and steady wins the race


君辱臣死

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄖㄨˇ ㄔㄣˊ ㄙˇ

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄖㄨˋ ㄔㄣˊ ㄙˇ

цзюньжучэньсы

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ ʐu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ ʐu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ ʐu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

(literary) If the king is disgraced, the king's servant must die.


不打不成器

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄑㄧˋ

бу да бу чэн ци

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ taː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ hei̯³³/

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ taː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ hei̯³³/

spare the rod and spoil the child
spare the rod and spoil the child


要想富先修路

ㄧㄠ ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄡ ㄌㄨˋ

яо сян фу сянь сю лу

/jɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ lu⁵¹/

If you want to get rich, build a road (lit.: want to get rich, first build/repair road)


授人以魚不如授人以漁

ㄕㄡˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧˇ ㄩˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄡˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧˇ ㄩˊ

sau⁶ jan⁴ ji⁵ jyu⁴ bat¹ jyu⁴ sau⁶ jan⁴ ji⁵ jyu⁴

shou⁴ jên² i³ yü² pu⁴-ju² shou⁴ jên² i³ yü²

шоу жэнь и юй бужу шоу жэнь и юй

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵/

sauh yàhn yíh yùh bāt yùh sauh yàhn yíh yùh

sau⁶ jan⁴ ji⁵ jy⁴ bat⁷ jy⁴ sau⁶ jan⁴ ji⁵ jy⁴

seo⁶ yen⁴ yi⁵ yu⁴ bed¹ yu⁴ seo⁶ yen⁴ yi⁵ yu⁴

/sɐu̯²² jɐn²¹ jiː¹³ jyː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ sɐu̯²² jɐn²¹ jiː¹³ jyː²¹/

魚 (OC *ŋa, “fish”) and 漁 (OC *ŋa, “fishing”) have been homophonic since Old Chinese, both derived from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-ŋja (“fish”).

giving a person fish is not as good as teaching a person to fish

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime


天生我材必有用

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄕㄥ ㄨㄛˇ ㄘㄞˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄩㄥˋ

тянь шэн во цай би ю юн

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ jʊŋ⁵¹/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ ŋɔː¹³ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ piːt̚⁵ jɐu̯¹³ jʊŋ²²/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴ siɪŋ⁴⁴ ŋɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sai²⁴ pit̚³²⁻⁴ iu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ iɔŋ³³/

/tʰiɛn⁴⁴ siɪŋ⁴⁴ ŋɔ̃⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡sai²³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ iu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ iɔŋ³³/

Heaven has made us talents; we're not made in vain.
A thousand gold coins spent, more will turn up again.

Qiang Jin Jiu, Translated by Yang Xianyi

Tiān shēng wǒ cái bì yǒu yòng, qiānjīn sàn jìn huán fùlái.

天生我材必有用，千金散盡還復來。

天生我材必有用，千金散尽还复来。

Everybody has something that they were born to be good at; if you search hard enough, you will find your niche in life; everyone is put on this Earth to achieve something.


人走茶涼

the tea cools down as soon as the person is gone

ㄖㄣˊ ㄗㄡˇ ㄔㄚˊ ㄌㄧㄤˊ

жэньцзоучалян

/ʐən³⁵ t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰä³⁵ li̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/jɐn²¹ t͡sɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʰaː²¹ lœːŋ²¹/

/ʐən³⁵ t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰä³⁵ li̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/jɐn²¹ t͡sɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʰaː²¹ lœːŋ²¹/

When a man loses his power, he loses the praise, respect or flattering as well. / the superficiality of human relationships


酒後吐真言

ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄡˋ ㄊㄨˇ ㄓㄣ ㄧㄢˊ

цзю хоу ту чжэньянь

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xoʊ̯⁵¹ tʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵ jɛn³⁵/

/t͡sɐu̯³⁵ hɐu̯²² tʰou̯³³ t͡sɐn⁵⁵ jiːn²¹/

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


這山望著那山高

ㄓㄜˋ ㄕㄢ ㄨㄤˋ ˙ㄓㄜ ㄋㄚˋ ㄕㄢ ㄍㄠ

чжэ шань ван чжэ на шань гао

/ʈ͡ʂɤ⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ə¹ nä⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/t͡sɛː³⁵ saːn⁵⁵ mɔːŋ²² t͡sœːk̚² naː¹³ saːn⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵/

the grass is always greener on the other side


失敗乃成功之母

ㄕ ㄅㄞˋ ㄋㄞˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄓ ㄇㄨˇ

шибай най чэнгун чжи му

/ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹ naɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐt̚⁵ paːi̯²² naːi̯¹³ sɪŋ²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ mou̯¹³/


遠親不如近鄰

ㄩㄢˇ ㄑㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄌㄧㄣˊ

юаньцинь бужу цзиньлинь

/ɥɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹ lin³⁵/

/jyːn¹³ t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ kɐn²² lɵn²¹/

/uan⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡sʰin⁴⁴⁻³³ put̚³²⁻⁴ zu²³⁻³³ kin³³⁻²¹ lin²³/

/uan⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡sʰin³³ put̚⁵⁻²⁴ lu²⁴⁻²² kun³³⁻²² lin²⁴/

Probably from an opera from the Yuan dynasty:
:
Compare English better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off (Proverbs 27:10b KJV).

noncog

Yuan dynasty, 秦簡夫, 《東堂老勸破家子弟》, 第四折

Qǐ bù wén yuǎnqīn hē bùsì wǒ jìnlín, wǒ zěn gǎn zuò de ge yǒu kǒu piān wú xìn.

豈不聞遠親呵不似我近鄰，我怎敢做的個有口偏無信。

Yuan dynasty, 秦簡夫, 《東堂老勸破家子弟》, 第四折

岂不闻远亲呵不似我近邻，我怎敢做的个有口偏无信。

Shi Nai'an, Water Margin, circa 14ᵗʰ century CE

Nǐ míngrì tǎnghuò zài qù zuò shí, dài le xiē qián zài shēnbiān, yě mǎi xiē jiǔshí yǔ tā huílǐ. Chángyán dào: ‘Yuǎnqīn bùrú jìnlín’, xiū yào shī le rénqíng.

你明日倘或再去做時，帶了些錢在身邊，也買些酒食與他回禮。常言道：『遠親不如近鄰』，休要失了人情。

你明日倘或再去做时，带了些钱在身边，也买些酒食与他回礼。常言道：『远亲不如近邻』，休要失了人情。

Nearby neighbours are better than distant cousins (because they can help and take care of each other).


三思而後行

ㄙㄢ ㄙ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

ㄙㄢˋ ㄙ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

саньсы эр хоусин

/sän⁵⁵ sz̩⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵/

/sän⁵¹ sz̩⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵/

/saːm³³ siː⁵⁵ jiː²¹ hɐu̯²² hɐŋ²¹/

/sam²¹⁻⁴¹ su⁴⁴ zi²³⁻³³ hiɤ³³⁻²¹ hiɪŋ²³/

/sam¹¹⁻⁵³ su⁴⁴ li²⁴⁻¹¹ hio³³⁻¹¹ hiɪŋ²⁴/

/sän⁵⁵ sz̩⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵/

/sän⁵¹ sz̩⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵/

/saːm³³ siː⁵⁵ jiː²¹ hɐu̯²² hɐŋ²¹/

/sam²¹⁻⁴¹ su⁴⁴ zi²³⁻³³ hiɤ³³⁻²¹ hiɪŋ²³/

/sam¹¹⁻⁵³ su⁴⁴ li²⁴⁻¹¹ hio³³⁻¹¹ hiɪŋ²⁴/

Ji Wen thought thrice, and then acted. When the Master was informed of it, he said, "Twice may do."

Jì Wén Zǐ sānsī ér hòuxíng. Zǐ wén zhī, yuē: ‘Zài, sī kě yǐ.’

季文子三思而後行。子聞之，曰：『再，斯可矣。』

季文子三思而后行。子闻之，曰：『再，斯可矣。』

look before you leap
look before you leap


小別勝新婚

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄕㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄏㄨㄣ

сяобе шэн синьхунь

/ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛ³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵ xu̯ən⁵⁵/

/siːu̯³⁵ piːt̚² sɪŋ³³ sɐn⁵⁵ fɐn⁵⁵/

/siːu̯³⁵ piːt̚² sɪŋ³³ sɐn⁵⁵ fɐn⁵⁵/

absence makes the heart grow fonder
absence makes the heart grow fonder

absence makes the heart grow fonder (said of married couples)


沉默是金

ㄔㄣˊ ㄇㄛˋ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄣ

чэньмо ши цзинь

/ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɐm²¹ mɐk̚² siː²² kɐm⁵⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰɐm²¹ mɐk̚² siː²² kɐm⁵⁵/


鳥盡弓藏

ㄋㄧㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄘㄤˊ

няоцзиньгунцан

/ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ³⁵/

/niːu̯¹³ t͡sɵn²² kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ²¹/

/ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ³⁵/

/niːu̯¹³ t͡sɵn²² kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːŋ²¹/

to cast somebody or something aside when the purpose has been served


上樑不正下樑歪

上梁不正下梁歪
上梁不正下梁歪

If the top beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked

ㄕㄤˋ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄨㄞ

soeng⁶ loeng⁴ bat¹ zing³ haa⁶ loeng⁴ waai¹

shàngliáng bùzhèng xiàliáng wāi [Phonetic:shàngliáng búzhèng xiàliáng wāi]

shang⁴-liang² pu⁴-chêng⁴ hsia⁴-liang² wai¹

шанлян бучжэн сялян вай

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ³⁵ waɪ̯⁵⁵/

soeng⁶ loeng⁴ bat⁷ dzing³ haa⁶ loeng⁴ waai¹

/sœːŋ²² lœːŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ haː²² lœːŋ²¹ waːi̯⁵⁵/

/soŋ⁵⁵ li̯oŋ¹¹ put̚² t͡sɨn⁵⁵ ha²⁴ li̯oŋ¹¹ vai̯²⁴/

/sɔŋ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ liɔŋ¹¹ put̚¹ t͡saŋ⁵³ ha⁴⁴⁻³⁵ liɔŋ¹¹ ʋaɪ⁴⁴/

[Phonetic: shàngliáng búzhèng xiàliáng wāi]

(figurative) if leadership sets a bad example, their subordinates will follow suit


生是短暫死是永恆

ㄕㄥ ㄕˋ ㄉㄨㄢˇ ㄗㄢˋ ㄙˇ ㄕˋ ㄩㄥˇ ㄏㄥˊ

ㄕㄥ ㄕˋ ㄉㄨㄢˇ ㄓㄢˋ ㄙˇ ㄕˋ ㄩㄥˇ ㄏㄥˊ

sang¹ si⁶ dyun² zaam⁶ sei² si⁶ wing⁵ hang⁴

shêng¹ shih⁴ tuan³-tsan⁴ ssŭ³ shih⁴ yung³-hêng²

sheng shyh doantzann syy shyh yeongherng

шэн ши дуаньцзань сы ши юнхэн

/ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sän⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ jʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤŋ³⁵/

shêng¹ shih⁴ tuan³-chan⁴ ssŭ³ shih⁴ yung³-hêng²

шэн ши дуаньчжань сы ши юнхэн

/ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ jʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤŋ³⁵/

sang¹ si⁶ dyn² dzaam⁶ sei² si⁶ wing⁵ hang⁴

seng¹ xi⁶ dün² zam⁶ séi² xi⁶ wing⁵ heng⁴

/sɐŋ⁵⁵ siː²² tyːn³⁵ t͡saːm²² sei̯³⁵ siː²² wɪŋ¹³ hɐŋ²¹/


禮輕情意重

ㄌㄧˇ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄧˋ ㄓㄨㄥˋ

ли цин цинъи чжун

/li²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹/

it's the thought that counts
it's the thought that counts


懶人多屎尿

/laːn¹³ jɐn²¹ tɔː⁵⁵ siː³⁵ niːu̯²²/

/lan²⁴ ŋin¹¹ to²⁴ sɨ³¹ ŋi̯au̯⁵⁵/

/lan⁴⁴⁻³⁵ ŋin¹¹ to⁴⁴⁻³⁵ sz̩³¹ ŋiau⁵³/

/laːn¹³ jɐn²¹ tɔː⁵⁵ siː³⁵ niːu̯²²/

/lan²⁴ ŋin¹¹ to²⁴ sɨ³¹ ŋi̯au̯⁵⁵/

/lan⁴⁴⁻³⁵ ŋin¹¹ to⁴⁴⁻³⁵ sz̩³¹ ŋiau⁵³/

Someone who is slacking off may use "going to the bathroom" as an excuse for not working.

2008, 李雪熒、彭文, 態度決定孩子, Sing Tao Publishing, →ISBN, page 10:

"You're really troublesome! Laan⁵ jan⁴ do¹ si² niu⁶!"

“nei⁵ zan¹ maa⁴ faan⁴! laan⁵ jan⁴ do¹ si² niu⁶!”

「你真麻煩！懶人多屎尿！」

「你真麻烦！懒人多屎尿！」

(Cantonese, Hakka) used to refer to a lazy person or someone who makes a lot of excuses


血濃於水

ㄒㄩㄝˋ ㄋㄨㄥˊ ㄩˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

ㄒㄩㄝˇ ㄋㄨㄥˊ ㄩˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

ㄒㄧㄝˇ ㄋㄨㄥˊ ㄩˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

сюэнунъюйшуй

/ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ nʊŋ³⁵ y³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nʊŋ³⁵ y³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nʊŋ³⁵ y³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/hyːt̚³ nʊŋ²¹ jyː⁵⁵ sɵy̯³⁵/

/ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ nʊŋ³⁵ y³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nʊŋ³⁵ y³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nʊŋ³⁵ y³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/hyːt̚³ nʊŋ²¹ jyː⁵⁵ sɵy̯³⁵/

Calque of German Blut ist dicker als Wasser.

calque

blood is thicker than water
blood is thicker than water


天下沒有白吃的午餐

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄇㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄞˊ ㄔ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄨˇ ㄘㄢ

tin¹ haa⁶ mut⁶ jau⁵ baak⁶ hek³ dik¹ ng⁵ caan¹

tʻien¹-hsia⁴ mei²-yu³ pai²-chʻih¹ tê⁵ wu³-tsʻan¹

тянься мэйю байчи дэ уцань

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ meɪ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ paɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ d̥ə² u²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰän⁵⁵/

tīn hah muht yáuh baahk hek dīk ńgh chāan

tin¹ haa⁶ mut⁹ jau⁵ baak⁹ hek⁸ dik⁷ ng⁵ tsaan¹

tin¹ ha⁶ mud⁶ yeo⁵ bag⁶ hég³ dig¹ ng⁵ can¹

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² muːt̚² jɐu̯¹³ paːk̚² hɛːk̚³ tɪk̚⁵ ŋ̍¹³ t͡sʰaːn⁵⁵/

there's no such thing as a free lunch
there's no such thing as a free lunch


天下沒有不散的宴席

天下没有不散的宴席
天下沒有不散的筵席
天下無不散的筵席
天下無不散之筵席

There is no such thing in theworld as a never-ending banquet

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄇㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄙㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄧㄢˋ ㄒㄧˊ

tiānxià méiyǒu bùsàn de yànxí [Phonetic:tiānxià méiyǒu búsàn de yànxí]

tʻien¹-hsia⁴ mei²-yu³ pu⁴-san⁴ tê⁵ yen⁴-hsi²

тянься мэйю бусань дэ яньси

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ meɪ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ sän⁵¹ d̥ə¹ jɛn⁵¹ ɕi³⁵/

[Phonetic: tiānxià méiyǒu búsàn de yànxí]

All good things come to an end
all good things come to an end

Parting of people is inevitable; (by extension) All good things come to an end


禮多人不怪

ㄌㄧˇ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄨㄞˋ

lǐ duō rén bù guài [Phonetic:lǐ duō rén bú guài]

ли до жэнь бу гуай

/li²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹/

/lɐi̯¹³ tɔː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ kʷaːi̯³³/

/lɐi̯¹³ tɔː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ kʷaːi̯³³/

nobody will find fault with extra courtesy; courtesy costs nothing; you won't be blamed for being too polite


娶妻娶德

ㄑㄩˇ ㄑㄧ ㄑㄩˇ ㄉㄜˊ

/t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤ³⁵/

/t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤ³⁵/

marry a woman for her morality (rather than beauty)


金錢至上

ㄐㄧㄣ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄓˋ ㄕㄤˋ

цзиньцянь чжишан

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

/kɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn²¹ t͡siː³³ sœːŋ²²/

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

/kɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn²¹ t͡siː³³ sœːŋ²²/


學優而仕

ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄧㄡ ㄦˊ ㄕˋ

/ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/hɔːk̚² jɐu̯⁵⁵ jiː²¹ siː²²/

/ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/hɔːk̚² jɐu̯⁵⁵ jiː²¹ siː²²/

學而優則仕 學而優則仕#Chinese

学而优则仕 学而优则仕#Chinese

Synonym of 學而優則仕／学而优则仕 (xué ér yōu zé shì)


命裡有時終須有，命裡無時莫強求

head

命裡有時終須有，命裡無時莫強求

ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄒㄩ ㄧㄡˇ

ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄨˊ ㄕˊ ㄇㄛˋ ㄑㄧㄤˇ ㄑㄧㄡˊ

ming⁶ leoi⁵ jau⁵ si⁴ zung¹ seoi¹ jau⁵, ming⁶ leoi⁵ mou⁴ si⁴ mok⁶ koeng⁵ kau⁴

mìng lǐ yǒu shí zhōngxū yǒu, mìng lǐ wú shí mò qiǎngqiú [Phonetic:mìnglíyǒushízhōngxūyǒu,mìnglǐwúshímòqiǎngqiú]

мин ли ю ши чжунсюй ю

мин ли у ши мо цянцю

/miŋ⁵¹ li²¹⁴⁻³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕy⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ miŋ⁵¹ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵/

mihng léuih yáuh sìh jūng sēui yáuh, mihng léuih mòuh sìh mohk kéuhng kàuh

ming⁶ loey⁵ jau⁵ si⁴ dzung¹ soey¹ jau⁵, ming⁶ loey⁵ mou⁴ si⁴ mok⁹ koeng⁵ kau⁴

ming⁶ lêu⁵ yeo⁵ xi⁴ zung¹ sêu¹ yeo⁵, ming⁶ lêu⁵ mou⁴ xi⁴ mog⁶ kêng⁵ keo⁴

/mɪŋ²² lɵy̯¹³ jɐu̯¹³ siː²¹ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ sɵy̯⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ mɪŋ²² lɵy̯¹³ mou̯²¹ siː²¹ mɔːk̚² kʰœːŋ¹³ kʰɐu̯²¹/

From Chapter 14 of Jin Ping Mei:
:
The proverb also appeared in Zengguang Xianwen (《增廣賢文》).

The Plum in the Golden Vase, circa 1610 CE

Fùguì zì shì fú lái tóu, lìmíng hái yǒu lìmíng yōu. Mìng lǐ yǒu shí zhōngxū yǒu, mìng lǐ wú shí mò qiángqiú.

富貴自是福來投，利名還有利名憂。命裡有時終須有，命裡無時莫強求。

富贵自是福来投，利名还有利名忧。命里有时终须有，命里无时莫强求。

命里有时终须有，命里无时莫强求
命裏有時終須有，命裏無時莫強求

When you have it in your life, you eventually have it. When you do not, do not insist [on having it]

In one's life, when one's wish comes true, it finally comes true, but one is disappointed, one doesn't insist.

Jin Ping Mei
The Plum in the Golden Vase


不知者無罪

ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄓㄜˇ ㄨˊ ㄗㄨㄟˋ

бучжи чжэ уцзуй

/pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ mou̯²¹ t͡sɵy̯²²/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ mou̯²¹ t͡sɵy̯²²/

One who errs unknowingly need not be held responsible.


知人知面不知心

know the person, know the face, but not know the heart

ㄓ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ

чжи жэнь чжи мянь бу чжи синь

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ miːn²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/

/ti⁴⁴⁻³³ zin²³ ti⁴⁴⁻³³ biɛn³³ put̚³²⁻⁴ ti⁴⁴⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/

one may know a person from the outside but may not understand their true nature


事實勝於雄辯

ㄕˋ ㄕˊ ㄕㄥˋ ㄩˊ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧㄢˋ

шиши шэнъюй сюнбянь

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/siː²² sɐt̚² sɪŋ³³ jyː⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ piːn²²/

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/siː²² sɐt̚² sɪŋ³³ jyː⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ piːn²²/

facts speak louder than words; facts are stronger than rhetoric; facts are more convincing than eloquent theories


需要是發明之母

ㄒㄩ ㄧㄠˋ ㄕˋ ㄈㄚ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄓ ㄇㄨˇ

сюйяо ши фамин чжи му

/ɕy⁵⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ fä⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɵy̯⁵⁵ jiːu̯³³ siː²² faːt̚³ mɪŋ²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ mou̯¹³/

necessity is the mother of invention
necessity is the mother of invention


薑還是老的辣

It's the older ginger that is the spicy one.

ㄐㄧㄤ ㄏㄞˊ ㄕˋ ㄌㄠˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄌㄚˋ

цзян хайши лао дэ ла

/t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ xaɪ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ lä⁵¹/

/kœːŋ⁵⁵ waːn²¹ siː²² lou̯¹³ tɪk̚⁵ laːt̚²/

The older the person is, the more seasoned (wiser or more treacherous) they are.


一日一蘋果，醫生遠離我

ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄧ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄛˇ

ㄧ ㄕㄥ ㄩㄢˇ ㄌㄧˊ ㄨㄛˇ

jat¹ jat⁶ jat¹ ping⁴ gwo², ji¹ sang¹ jyun⁵ lei⁴ ngo⁵

yīshēng yuǎnlí wǒ [Phonetic:yírì yì píngguǒ

ишэн юаньли во

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ɥɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ li³⁵ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

yāt yaht yāt pìhng gwó, yī sāng yúhn lèih ngóh

jat⁷ jat⁹ jat⁷ ping⁴ gwo², ji¹ sang¹ jyn⁵ lei⁴ ngo⁵

yed¹ yed⁶ yed¹ ping⁴ guo², yi¹ seng¹ yun⁵ léi⁴ ngo⁵

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² jɐt̚⁵ pʰɪŋ²¹ kʷɔː³⁵ jiː⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyːn¹³ lei̯²¹ ŋɔː¹³/

Calque of English an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

calque

an apple a day keeps the doctor away
an apple a day keeps the doctor away


百年樹人

ㄅㄞˇ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ

байняньшужэнь

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

/paːk̚³ niːn²¹ syː²² jɐn²¹/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ liɛn²⁴⁻²² su²²⁻²¹ lin²⁴/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ liɛn²³⁻³³ su³³⁻²¹ zin²³/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ nĩ²⁴⁻²² su²²⁻²¹ lin²⁴/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ liɛn²³⁻³³ t͡sʰiu³³⁻²¹ zin²³/

/paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

/paːk̚³ niːn²¹ syː²² jɐn²¹/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ liɛn²⁴⁻²² su²²⁻²¹ lin²⁴/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ liɛn²³⁻³³ su³³⁻²¹ zin²³/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ nĩ²⁴⁻²² su²²⁻²¹ lin²⁴/

/piɪk̚³²⁻⁴ liɛn²³⁻³³ t͡sʰiu³³⁻²¹ zin²³/

十年樹木，百年樹人 十年樹木，百年樹人#Chinese

十年树木，百年树人 十年树木，百年树人#Chinese

Short for 十年樹木，百年樹人／十年树木，百年树人 (shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén, “it takes a long time for good education to bear fruit (i.e. to produce a competent person)”).


家和萬事興

ㄐㄧㄚ ㄏㄜˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄒㄧㄥ

цзя хэ ваньши син

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/kaː⁵⁵ wɔː²¹ maːn²² siː²² hɪŋ⁵⁵/

/ka⁴⁴⁻²² ho²⁴⁻²¹ ban²²⁻²¹ sɯ²²⁻²¹ heŋ⁴⁴/

/ka⁴⁴⁻²² ho²⁴⁻²¹ ban²²⁻²¹ su²²⁻²¹ heŋ⁴⁴/

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ɕiŋ⁵⁵/

/kaː⁵⁵ wɔː²¹ maːn²² siː²² hɪŋ⁵⁵/

harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all undertakings


巧婦難為無米之炊

the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice

ㄑㄧㄠˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄨˊ ㄇㄧˇ ㄓ ㄔㄨㄟ

haau² fu⁵ naan⁴ wai⁴ mou⁴ mai⁵ zi¹ ceoi¹

цяофу наньвэй умичжичуй

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ nän³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ u³⁵ mi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/

haau² fu⁵ naan⁴ wai⁴ mou⁴ mai⁵ dzi¹ tsoey¹

/haːu̯³⁵ fuː¹³ naːn²¹ wɐi̯²¹ mou̯²¹ mɐi̯¹³ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵy̯⁵⁵/

make bricks without straw
make bricks without straw


湖廣熟，天下足

ㄏㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄤˇ ㄕㄨˊ

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄗㄨˊ

/xu³⁵ ku̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ t͡su³⁵/

/wuː²¹ kʷɔːŋ³⁵ sʊk̚² tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² t͡sʊk̚⁵/

Used to refer to the fertility of land in Hunan and Hubei.


搬起石頭砸自己的腳

ㄅㄢ ㄑㄧˇ ㄕˊ ˙ㄊㄡ ㄗㄚˊ ㄗˋ ㄐㄧˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄐㄧㄠˇ

pan¹ chʻi³ shih²-tʻou⁵ tsa² tzŭ⁴-chi³ tê⁵ chiao³

бань ци шитоу цза цзыцзи дэ цзяо

/pän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³ t͡sä³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

搬石頭砸自己的腳 搬石頭砸自己的腳#Chinese

搬石头砸自己的脚 搬石头砸自己的脚#Chinese

Synonym of 搬石頭砸自己的腳／搬石头砸自己的脚 (bān shítou zá zìjǐ de jiǎo)


一年之計在於春

the whole year's planning lies in the spring

ㄧ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄓ ㄐㄧˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄩˊ ㄔㄨㄣ

yī nián zhī jì zàiyú chūn [Phonetic:yì nián zhī jì zàiyú chūn]

и нянь чжи цзи цзайюй чунь

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ niːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ kɐi̯³³ t͡sɔːi̯²² jyː⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵn⁵⁵/

一年之計在於春，一日之計在於晨 一年之計在於春，一日之計在於晨#Chinese

一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨 一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨#Chinese

Short for 一年之計在於春，一日之計在於晨／一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨 (yī nián zhī jì zàiyú chūn, yī rì zhī jì zàiyú chén, “early planning is the key to success”).


知識就是力量

ㄓ ˙ㄕ ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄕˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄌㄧㄤˋ

ㄓ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄕˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄌㄧㄤˋ

чжиши цзюши лилян

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩² t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵ t͡sɐu̯²² siː²² lɪk̚² lœːŋ²²/


食飯皇帝大

/t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ pŋ̍³³ hɔŋ²³⁻³³ te²¹⁻⁴¹ tua³³/

/t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ pŋ̍²² hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te²¹⁻⁵³ tua²²/

/t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ pŋ̍³³ hɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ te¹¹⁻⁵³ tua³³/

/t͡sia(ʔ)²⁴⁻² pŋ̍⁴¹ hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tua⁴¹/

/t͡sia(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ puĩ²² hɔŋ¹³⁻²² te²¹⁻⁵³ tua²²/


民以食為天

ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄧˇ ㄕˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄧㄢ

минь и ши вэй тянь

/min³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/mɐn²¹ jiː¹³ sɪk̚² wɐi̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

/miŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ĩ⁵²⁻³⁵ t͡siaʔ⁴⁻² ui⁵⁵⁻¹¹ tʰĩ³³/

/min³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/mɐn²¹ jiː¹³ sɪk̚² wɐi̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

Identically from the Book of Han, whose earlier version in the Records of the Grand Historian goes as follows

To the king the people are "heaven," and to the people food is "heaven" (which is to say, a sine qua non).

Wángzhě yǐ mínrén wèi tiān, ér mínrén yǐ shí wèi tiān.

王者以民人為天，而民人以食為天。

王者以民人为天，而民人以食为天。


打者愛也

ㄉㄚˇ ㄓㄜˇ ㄞˋ ㄧㄝˇ

/tä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀaɪ̯⁵¹ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/taː³⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ ɔːi̯³³ jaː¹³/

/taː³⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ ɔːi̯³³ jaː¹³/


臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網

Rather than long for fish next to a pool, it would be better to go home and weave a net.

ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄩㄢ ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄩˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄦˊ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄨㄤˇ

lín yuan siàn yú, bù rú tuèi ér jié wǎng

lin² yüan¹ hsien⁴ yü², pu⁴ ju² tʻui⁴ êrh² chieh² wang³

lín ywān syàn yú-, bù rú twèi ér jyé wǎng

lin iuan shiann yu, bu ru tuey erl jye woang

линь юань сянь юй

бу жу туй эр цзе ван

/lin³⁵ ɥɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ y³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

One should take practical steps to achieve one's aim.


條條大路通羅馬

ㄊㄧㄠˊ ㄊㄧㄠˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄌㄨˋ ㄊㄨㄥ ㄌㄨㄛˊ ㄇㄚˇ

тяотяо далу тун Лома

/tʰi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ tʰi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰiːu̯²¹ tʰiːu̯²¹ taːi̯²² lou̯²² tʰʊŋ⁵⁵ lɔː²¹ maː¹³/

Calque of English all roads lead to Rome.

all roads lead to Rome
all roads lead to Rome


水可載舟，亦可覆舟

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄗㄞˋ ㄓㄡ

ㄧˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄓㄡ

shui³ kʻo³ tsai⁴ chou¹, i⁴ kʻo³ fu⁴ chou¹

шуй кэ цзай чжоу

и кэ фу чжоу

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ i⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵/

soey² ho² dzoi³ dzau¹, jik⁹ ho² fuk⁷ dzau¹

/sɵy̯³⁵ hɔː³⁵ t͡sɔːi̯³³ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ jɪk̚² hɔː³⁵ fʊk̚⁵ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵/

水能載舟，亦能覆舟 水能載舟，亦能覆舟#Chinese

水能载舟，亦能覆舟 水能载舟，亦能覆舟#Chinese

Alternative form of 水能載舟，亦能覆舟／水能载舟，亦能覆舟 (shuǐ néng zài zhōu, yì néng fù zhōu)


有志者事竟成

ㄧㄡˇ ㄓˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄔㄥˊ

ю чжи чжэ ши цзин чэн

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵/

/jɐu̯¹³ t͡siː³³ t͡sɛː³⁵ siː²² kɪŋ³⁵ sɪŋ²¹/


天無絕人之路

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨˊ ㄐㄩㄝˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄌㄨˋ

тянь у цзюэ жэнь чжи лу

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ u³⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ lu⁵¹/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ t͡syːt̚² jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ lou̯²²/

/tʰĩ⁴⁴ bɤ²³⁻³³ t͡suat̚⁴⁻³² zin²³ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ lɔ³³/

/tʰĩ⁴⁴ bo²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡suat̚⁴⁻³² lin²⁴ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ lɔ³³/

/tʰi⁵⁵ ɦu³³ ʑiɪʔ¹¹ n̠ʲin²² t͡sz̩²² lu²³/

Heaven never bars one's way; there is always a way out.


生於憂患，死於安樂

ㄕㄥ ㄩˊ ㄧㄡ ㄏㄨㄢˋ

sang¹ jyu¹ jau¹ waan⁶, sei² jyu¹ on¹ lok⁶

ssŭ³ yü² an¹-lê⁴

шэн юй юхуань

/ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ ˀän⁵⁵ lɤ⁵¹/

/sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyː⁵⁵ jɐu̯⁵⁵ waːn²² sei̯³⁵ jyː⁵⁵ ɔːn⁵⁵ lɔːk̚²/

… Men for the most part err, and are afterwards able to reform. They are distressed in mind and perplexed in their thoughts, and then they arise to vigorous reformation. When things have been evidenced in men's looks, and set forth in their words, then they understand them. If a prince have not about his court families attached to the laws and worthy counsellors, and if abroad there are not hostile States or other external calamities, his kingdom will generally come to ruin. From these things we see how life springs from sorrow and calamity, and death from ease and pleasure.

Mencius, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

...... Rén héng guò, ránhòu néng gǎi. Kùn yú xīn, héng yú lǜ, érhòu zuò. Zhēng yú sè, fā yú shēng, érhòu yù. Rù zé wú fǎjiā bìshì, chū zé wú díguó wàihuàn zhě, guó héng wáng. Ránhòu zhī shēng yú yōuhuàn, ér sǐ yú ānyuè yě.

……人恒過，然後能改。困於心，衡於慮，而後作。徵於色，發於聲，而後喻。入則無法家拂士、出則無敵國外患者，國恒亡。然後知生於憂患，而死於安樂也。

……人恒过，然后能改。困于心，衡于虑，而后作。征于色，发于声，而后喻。入则无法家拂士、出则无敌国外患者，国恒亡。然后知生于忧患，而死于安乐也。

Life springs from sorrow and calamity; death comes from ease and pleasure.


預防勝於治療

ㄩˋ ㄈㄤˊ ㄕㄥˋ ㄩˊ ㄓˋ ㄌㄧㄠˊ

юйфан шэнъюй чжиляо

/y⁵¹ fɑŋ³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵/

/jyː²² fɔːŋ²¹ sɪŋ³³ jyː⁵⁵ t͡siː²² liːu̯²¹/

/y⁵¹ fɑŋ³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵/

prevention is better than cure
prevention is better than cure


不聽老人言，吃虧在眼前

if one doesn't listen to elders' words, losses come before his or her eyes

ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄧㄥ ㄌㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄢˊ

ㄔ ㄎㄨㄟ ㄗㄞˋ ㄧㄢˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ

bat¹ ting³ lou⁵ jan⁴ jin⁴, hek³ kwai¹ zoi⁶ ngaan⁵ cin⁴

бутин лаожэнь янь

чикуй цзай яньцянь

/pu⁵¹ tʰiŋ⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ jɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵/

bāt ting lóuh yàhn yìhn, hek kwāi joih ngáahn chìhn

bat⁷ ting³ lou⁵ jan⁴ jin⁴, hek⁸ kwai¹ dzoi⁶ ngaan⁵ tsin⁴

bed¹ ting³ lou⁵ yen⁴ yin⁴, hég³ kuei¹ zoi⁶ ngan⁵ qin⁴

/pɐt̚⁵ tʰɪŋ³³ lou̯¹³ jɐn²¹ jiːn²¹ hɛːk̚³ kʷʰɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯²² ŋaːn¹³ t͡sʰiːn²¹/


牛唔飲水唔撳得牛頭低

牛唔饮水唔揿得牛头低
牛唔飲水唔㩒得牛頭低

If a cow does not drink water, one cannot press its head down

ngau⁴ m⁴ jam² seoi² m⁴ gam⁶ dak¹ ngau⁴ tau⁴ dai¹

ngàuh m̀h yám séui m̀h gahm dāk ngàuh tàuh dāi

ngau⁴ m⁴ jam² soey² m⁴ gam⁶ dak⁷ ngau⁴ tau⁴ dai¹

ngeo⁴ m⁴ yem² sêu² m⁴ gem⁶ deg¹ ngeo⁴ teo⁴ dei¹

/ŋɐu̯²¹ m̩²¹ jɐm³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ m̩²¹ kɐm²² tɐk̚⁵ ŋɐu̯²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹ tɐi̯⁵⁵/

(Cantonese) you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink; you cannot force someone to do something


滿招損，謙受益

мань чжаосунь

/män²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ su̯ən²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹/

/muːn¹³ t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ syːn³⁵ hiːm⁵⁵ sɐu̯²² jɪk̚⁵/

It is virtue that moves Heaven; there is no distance to which it does not reach. Pride brings loss, and humility receives increase - this is the way of Heaven.

The Book of Documents, circa 4ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ century BCE

Wéi dé dòng tiān, wú yuǎn fú jiè, mǎn zhāosǔn, qiān shòuyì, shí nǎi tiāndào.

惟德動天，無遠弗屆，滿招損，謙受益，時乃天道。

惟德动天，无远弗届，满招损，谦受益，时乃天道。

pride comes before a fall
pride comes before a fall

A conceited person receives failure, whereas a modest person receives benefits; pride comes before a fall


學如逆水行舟，不進則退

ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄋㄧˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄓㄡ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄗㄜˊ ㄊㄨㄟˋ

hok⁶ jyu⁴ jik⁶ seoi² hang⁴ zau¹, bat¹ zeon³ zak¹ teoi³

сюэ жу нишуйсинчжоу

буцзиньцзэтуй

/ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ ʐu³⁵ ni⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕiŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

hohk yùh yihk séui hàhng jāu, bāt jeun jāk teui

hok⁹ jy⁴ jik⁹ soey² hang⁴ dzau¹, bat⁷ dzoen³ dzak⁷ toey³

hog⁶ yu⁴ yig⁶ sêu² heng⁴ zeo¹, bed¹ zên³ zeg¹ têu³

/hɔːk̚² jyː²¹ jɪk̚² sɵy̯³⁵ hɐŋ²¹ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɵn³³ t͡sɐk̚⁵ tʰɵy̯³³/

Learning is like making the boat go against the current; if you stop moving forward, you will go back.


人心齊，泰山移

When people's thoughts are even, they can moveMount Tai

/ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ i³⁵/

/ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ i³⁵/

When people are united in their determination, they can work miracles


江山易改，本性難移

江山易改，本性难移
江山易改，稟性難移

Therivers and mountains are easily altered, but one's inherent nature is difficult to change

ㄐㄧㄤ ㄕㄢ ㄧˋ ㄍㄞˇ

ㄅㄣˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄧˊ

gong¹ saan¹ ji⁶ goi², bun² sing³ naan⁴ ji⁴

цзяншань и гай

бэньсин нань и

/t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ i⁵¹ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕiŋ⁵¹ nän³⁵ i³⁵/

gong¹ san¹ yi⁶ goi², bun² xing³ nan⁴ yi⁴

/kɔːŋ⁵⁵ saːn⁵⁵ jiː²² kɔːi̯³⁵ puːn³⁵ sɪŋ³³ naːn²¹ jiː²¹/

/kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ san⁴⁴ i³³⁻²¹ kai²¹ pun⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ²¹ lan²³⁻³³ i²³/

/kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ san⁴⁴ i³³⁻¹¹ kai¹¹ pun⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ¹¹ lan²⁴⁻¹¹ i²⁴/

[Though] things change any moment / But I’m still the same person / Love you always, till the end

2021 March 14, 愛情你比我想的閣較偉大 (Oh Love, You Are Much Greater Than I Imagined), wrttien by 黃奇斌 (Ki-pin N̂g), performed by 茄子蛋 (EggPlantEgg)

sui-jiân Kang-san ī-kài tān pún-sèng lân-î ài lí ài kah pe̍h ba̍k-bâi

雖然江山易改但本性難移愛你愛甲白目眉

虽然江山易改但本性难移爱你爱甲白目眉

a leopard can't change its spots
a leopard can't change its spots


十年樹木，百年樹人

ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄇㄨˋ

ㄅㄞˇ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ

sap⁶ nin⁴ syu⁶ muk⁶, baak³ nin⁴ syu⁶ jan⁴

байнянь шужэнь

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

sahp nìhn syuh muhk, baak nìhn syuh yàhn

/sɐp̚² niːn²¹ syː²² mʊk̚² paːk̚³ niːn²¹ syː²² jɐn²¹/

/t͡sap̚⁴⁻² ni⁵⁵ su³⁵⁻¹¹ bak̚⁴ peʔ²⁻⁴ ni⁵⁵ su³⁵⁻¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵/

The proverb likely originates as a paraphrase of a quotation from Records of the Grand Historian (《史記·貨殖列傳》):
:
The 16th-century politician Sun Jigao (孫繼皐) wrote

lang

《又贈郡大夫河南錢公應覲敘》

《又贈郡大夫河南錢公應覲敘》

To plan for the next year, grow grains. For the next decade, plant trees. For the next century, cultivate the humanity that people admire. By humanity, we refer to what is in humans.

Jū zhī yī suì, zhǒng zhī yǐ gǔ; shí suì, shù zhī yǐ mù; bǎi suì, lái zhī yǐ dé. Dé zhě, rénwù zhī wèi yě.

居之一歲，種之以穀；十歲，樹之以木；百歲，來之以德。德者，人物之謂也。

居之一岁，种之以谷；十岁，树之以木；百岁，来之以德。德者，人物之谓也。

That it takes one year to grow grains, one decade to grow trees, and one century to grow humans — this is what we say about education.

c. 16th century, Sun Jigao (孫繼皐), 《又贈郡大夫河南錢公應覲敘》, in 《宗伯集》

Fú yī nián shùgǔ, shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén, yán yùcái yě.

夫一年樹榖，十年樹木，百年樹人，言育材也。

夫一年树榖，十年树木，百年树人，言育材也。

Being glad to hear that it had been twenty years since CWAE was founded, I automatically remembered that old saying, "it takes a long time to produce a competent person". Many feelings welled up inside my mind. If I change its way of expression, then could it be "How many 'twenty years' are there in a person's life?"

2011 November 1, 凌鼎年, 《同心同德、互學互幫》, from 《迤邐文林二十年：歐華作協二十華誕紀念文集》, page 23

Xīnwén Ōuzhōu huáwén zuòjiā xiéhuì chénglì èrshí nián le, wǒ zìrán'érrán xiǎngqǐ le “shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén” de lǎohuà, pōduō gǎnkǎi. Rúguǒ huàn yīzhǒng biǎoshù fāngshì, nà shìfǒu kěyǐ shuō: rénshēng jǐgè èrshí nián?

欣聞歐洲華文作家協會成立二十年了，我自然而然想起了「十年樹木，百年樹人」的老話，頗多感慨。如果換一種表述方式，那是否可以說：人生幾個二十年？

欣闻欧洲华文作家协会成立二十年了，我自然而然想起了「十年树木，百年树人」的老话，颇多感慨。如果换一种表述方式，那是否可以说：人生几个二十年？

"It takes a long time to produce a competent person." Education is a long-term project so don't expect your children to change much or make clear progress after only one to two months

2011 October 3, 盧靜文, 《一生不能不懂的教育學故事》, page 190

“Shínián shùmù, bǎinián shùrén”, jiàoyù shì chángqī gōngchéng, bùyào zhǐwàng háizǐ yīliǎnggè yuè jiù huì fāshēng duōdà biànhuà, jìnbù duōme míngxiǎn

「十年樹木，百年樹人」，教育是長期工程，不要指望孩子一兩個月就會發生多大變化、進步多麼明顯

「十年树木，百年树人」，教育是长期工程，不要指望孩子一两个月就会发生多大变化、进步多么明显

(figurative) it takes a long time for good education to bear fruit (i.e. to produce a competent person)


玉不琢，不成器

/y⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

/jʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ tœːk̚³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ hei̯³³/

/ɡiɔk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kʰi²¹/

/ɡiɔk̚²⁴⁻² put̚⁵⁻²⁴ tɔk̚⁵ put̚⁵⁻²⁴ siɪŋ²⁴⁻²² kʰi⁴¹/

/ɡiɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁵ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁵ siɪŋ¹³⁻²² kʰi²¹/

/ɡiɔk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ kʰi¹¹/

/ɡiɔk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔk̚³² put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪŋ²³⁻³³ kʰi²¹/

/ɡek̚⁴⁻² puk̚²⁻⁴ tok̚² puk̚²⁻⁴ seŋ³³⁻²³ kʰi²¹³/

/jʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ tœːk̚³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ²¹ hei̯³³/

From the Book of Rites, Book 18 (《禮記·學記》)

The jade uncut will not form a vessel for use; and if men do not learn, they do not know the way (in which they should go). On this account the ancient kings, when establishing states and governing the people, made instruction and schools a primary object.

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

Yù bù zhuó, bù chéng qì; rén bù xué, bù zhī dào. Shìgù gǔ zhī wáng zhě jiàn guó jūn mín, jiào xué wèi xiān.

玉不琢，不成器；人不學，不知道。是故古之王者建國君民，教學為先。

玉不琢，不成器；人不学，不知道。是故古之王者建国君民，教学为先。

One must be educated and endure trials to succeed.


善有善報，惡有惡報

ㄕㄢˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕㄢˋ ㄅㄠˋ

ㄜˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄜˋ ㄅㄠˋ

шань ю шаньбао

/ʂän⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ pɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɤ⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/siːn²² jɐu̯¹³ siːn²² pou̯³³ ɔːk̚³ jɐu̯¹³ ɔːk̚³ pou̯³³/

what goes around comes around
what goes around comes around


種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆

Plantmelons and you get melons, plant beans and you get beans

ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄍㄨㄚ ㄉㄜˊ ㄍㄨㄚ

ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄡˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄉㄡˋ

zung³ gwaa¹ dak¹ gwaa¹, zung³ dau⁶⁻² dak¹ dau⁶⁻²

чжунгуадэгуа

чжундоудэдоу

/ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹ ku̯ä⁵⁵ tɤ³⁵ ku̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ toʊ̯⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ toʊ̯⁵¹/

dzung³ gwaa¹ dak⁷ gwaa¹, dzung³ dau⁶⁻² dak⁷ dau⁶⁻²

zung³ gua¹ deg¹ gua¹, zung³ deo⁶⁻² deg¹ deo⁶⁻²

/t͡sʊŋ³³ kʷaː⁵⁵ tɐk̚⁵ kʷaː⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ³³ tɐu̯²²⁻³⁵ tɐk̚⁵ tɐu̯²²⁻³⁵/

as you sow, so shall you reap
as you sow, so shall you reap

as you sow, so shall you reap; you reap what you sow


瓜田不納履，李下不整冠

ja-r

李下 に 冠 を 正さず

りか に かんむり を たださず

瓜%田に履を納れず、李下に冠を正さず

か%でん に くつ を いれず、 りか に かんむり を たださず

→ Japanese: (calque) 李下(りか)に冠(かんむり)を正(ただ)さず (rika ni kanmuri o tadasazu), 瓜(か)田(でん)に履(くつ)を納(い)れず、李下(りか)に冠(かんむり)を正(ただ)さず (kaden ni kutsu o irezu, rika ni kanmuri o tadasazu)

→ Korean: 과전불납리 (瓜田不納履, gwajeonbullamni), 이하부정관 (李下不整冠, ihabujeonggwan)

ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄚˋ ㄌㄩˇ

ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˇ ㄍㄨㄢ

lǐxià bù zhěng guān [Phonetic:guātián bú nà lǚ

гуатянь бу на люй

лися бу чжэн гуань

/ku̯ä⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ nä⁵¹ ly²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯än⁵⁵/

from Cao Zhi's poem Jūnzǐ Xíng (《君子行》, Three Kingdoms period).

do not put onshoes in a melon patch; do not adjust a hat under a plum tree.

to avoid suspicion, don't put yourself in suspicious situations


人不可貌相

ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄇㄠˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ

жэнь букэ маосян

/ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ mɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ maːu̯²² sœːŋ³³/

/jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ maːu̯²² sœːŋ³³/

you can’t judge a book by its cover
you can’t judge a book by its cover

one cannot judge someone by his or her appearance; you can’t judge a book by its cover


前事不忘，後事之師

ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄕˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄤˋ

hòushì zhī shī [Phonetic:qiánshì bú wàng

цяньши бу ван

хоуши чжи ши

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰiːn²¹ siː²² pɐt̚⁵ mɔːŋ²¹ hɐu̯²² siː²² t͡siː⁵⁵ siː⁵⁵/

/t͡sõĩ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ sɯ¹¹ puk̚²⁻⁴ buaŋ⁵⁵ au³⁵⁻¹¹ sɯ¹¹ t͡sɯ³³⁻²³ sɯ³³/

don't forget past events as they can guide you in the future; benefit from past experience


救人一命，勝造七級浮屠

ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄥˋ ㄗㄠˋ ㄑㄧ ㄐㄧˊ ㄈㄨˊ ㄊㄨˊ

gau³ jan⁴ jat¹ meng⁶ sing³ zou⁶ cat¹ kap¹ fau⁴ tou⁴

jiùrén yīmìng shèng zào qī jí fútú [Phonetic:jiùrén yímìng shèng zào qī jí fútú]

chiu⁴-jên² i¹-ming⁴ shêng⁴ tsao⁴ chʻi¹ chi² fu²-tʻu²

jyòu-rén yī-mìng shèng dzàu chī jí fú-tú

цзюжэнь имин шэн цзао ци цзи футу

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ miŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵ fu³⁵ tʰu³⁵/

gau yàhn yāt mehng sing jouh chāt kāp fàuh tòuh

gau³ jan⁴ jat⁷ meng⁶ sing³ dzou⁶ tsat⁷ kap⁷ fau⁴ tou⁴

geo³ yen⁴ yed¹ méng⁶ xing³ zou⁶ ced¹ keb¹ feo⁴ tou⁴

/kɐu̯³³ jɐn²¹ jɐt̚⁵ mɛːŋ²² sɪŋ³³ t͡sou̯²² t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ kʰɐp̚⁵ fɐu̯²¹ tʰou̯²¹/

[Phonetic: jiùrén yímìng shèng zào qī jí fútú]

Based on ultimately a line in 《佛說罵意經》 (“The Buddha Speaks of Thoughts about Scolding Sūtra”), as translated by An Shigao:
*

Building one hundred Buddhist temples cannot compare to saving just one human life.

作百佛寺，不如活一人。

saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda

The Tang Monk replied, “The way she called me makes a lot of sense. She said, ‘If you a living human passed by and refused to free, What Buddha or scriptures could such blindness hope to see?’ As the proverb also puts the matter, ‘Saving one life is better than building a seven-tiered stūpa’. Let’s go quickly and rescue her. It’ll be as good as fetching scriptures and worshipping Buddha.”

唐僧道：「他叫得有理。說道：『活人性命還不救，昧心拜佛取何經？』『救人一命，勝造七級浮屠。[[#Chinese|]]

saving a life is of boundless beneficence


瘦死的駱駝比馬大

瘦死的骆驼比马大
餓死的駱駝比馬大

a camel starved to death is (still) bigger than a (living) horse

ㄕㄡˋ ㄙˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ˙ㄊㄨㄛ ㄅㄧˇ ㄇㄚˇ ㄉㄚˋ

shòu sǐ de luòtuo bǐ mǎ dà [Phonetic:shòusǐdeluòtuobímǎdà]

шоу сы дэ лото би ма да

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰu̯ɔ¹ pi²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹/

(figurative) Although a rich family has become less rich than previous, they are still richer than a poor family.

(figurative) Although someone/something is inferior compared with oneself's past or fellows, the one is still better than people/things of one's inferior rank.


落水的鳳凰不如雞

ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄈㄥˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄐㄧ

лошуй дэ фэнхуан бужу цзи

/lu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ fɤŋ⁵¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/

an important person that has lost their power or has become down-and-out is even more inferior than common folk.


嘴上沒毛，辦事不牢

ㄗㄨㄟˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄇㄟˊ ㄇㄠˊ

ㄅㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄠˊ

tsui³ shang⁴ mei² mao², pan⁴ shih⁴ pu⁴ lao²

цзуй шан мэй мао

бань ши бу лао

/t͡su̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ meɪ̯³⁵ mɑʊ̯³⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ lɑʊ̯³⁵/

a young person is unreliable to do things.


垃圾進，垃圾出

ㄌㄜˋ ㄙㄜˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ

/lä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹ lä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/

lê⁴-sê⁴ chʻu¹

/lɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ sɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ sɤ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/

information technology
information technology

garbage in, garbage out
garbage in, garbage out

(computing, information technology, translation studies) garbage in, garbage out


青出於藍，而勝於藍

thecolor blue is made out of indigo, but is better than indigo

ㄑㄧㄥ ㄔㄨ ㄩˊ ㄌㄢˊ

ㄦˊ ㄕㄥˋ ㄩˊ ㄌㄢˊ

cing¹ ceot¹ jyu¹ laam⁴, ji⁴ sing³ jyu¹ laam⁴

chʻing¹ chʻu¹ yü² lan², êrh² shêng⁴ yü² lan²

цин чу юй лань

эр шэн юй лань

/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ y³⁵ län³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ län³⁵/

tsing¹ tsoet⁷ jy¹ laam⁴, ji⁴ sing³ jy¹ laam⁴

/t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ jyː⁵⁵ laːm²¹ jiː²¹ sɪŋ³³ jyː⁵⁵ laːm²¹/

青出於藍，而青於藍 青出於藍，而青於藍#Chinese

青出于蓝，而青于蓝 青出于蓝，而青于蓝#Chinese

Synonym of 青出於藍，而青於藍／青出于蓝，而青于蓝 (qīng chū yú lán, ér qīng yú lán)


槍打出頭鳥

ㄑㄧㄤ ㄉㄚˇ ㄔㄨ ㄊㄡˊ ㄋㄧㄠˇ

цян да чутоуняо

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵ taː³⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ niːu̯¹³/

/t͡ɕʰiã⁵⁵ tã³³ t͡sʰəʔ³³ dɤ⁵⁵ n̠ʲiɔ²¹/

/t͡ɕʰiã⁵⁵ tã³³ t͡sʰəʔ³³ dɤ⁵⁵ n̠ʲiɔ²¹/

the nail that sticks out gets hammered down

One who is in the forefront will be attacked first. / The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.


星星之火，可以燎原

ㄒㄧㄥ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄓ ㄏㄨㄛˇ

ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄌㄧㄠˊ ㄩㄢˊ

синсин чжи хо

/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ɥɛn³⁵/

/sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ fɔː³⁵ hɔː³⁵ jiː¹³ liːu̯²¹ jyːn²¹/

From the Book of Documents:
Later popularized through a letter from Mao Zedong to Lin Biao (see 星星之火，可以燎原 on the Chinese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ᶻʰ).

pedia

When fire is burning the grassland, one (already) cannot stay near it, then how can one put it out?

Ruò huǒ zhī liáo yú yuán, bùkě xiàng'ěr, qí yóu kě pūmiè?

若火之燎于原，不可嚮邇，其猶可撲滅？

若火之燎于原，不可向迩，其犹可扑灭？

an insignificant cause can have a massive effect


山中無老虎，猴子稱大王

山中无老虎，猴子称大王
山上無老虎，猴子稱大王
山中無老虎，猴子也稱王

the monkeys reign when there are no tigers in the mountain

ㄕㄢ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨˊ ㄌㄠˇ ㄏㄨˇ

ㄏㄡˊ ˙ㄗ ㄔㄥ ㄉㄚˋ ㄨㄤˊ

ㄏㄡˊ ˙ㄗ ㄔㄥ ㄉㄞˋ ㄨㄤˊ

saan¹ zung¹ mou⁴ lou⁵ fu², hau⁴ zi² cing¹ daai⁶ wong⁴

hóuzi chēng dàwáng [Phonetic:shānzhōngwúláohǔ

шань чжун у лаоху

хоуцзы чэн даван

/ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ u³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ xoʊ̯³⁵ d͡z̥z̩³ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ⁵⁵ tä⁵¹ wɑŋ³⁵/

hóuzi chēng dàiwáng [Phonetic:shānzhōngwúláohǔ

хоуцзы чэн дайван

/ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ u³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ xoʊ̯³⁵ d͡z̥z̩³ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ⁵⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹ wɑŋ³⁵/

sāan jūng mòuh lóuh fú, hàuh jí chīng daaih wòhng

saan¹ dzung¹ mou⁴ lou⁵ fu², hau⁴ dzi² tsing¹ daai⁶ wong⁴

san¹ zung¹ mou⁴ lou⁵ fu², heo⁴ ji² qing¹ dai⁶ wong⁴

/saːn⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ lou̯¹³ fuː³⁵ hɐu̯²¹ t͡siː³⁵ t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵ taːi̯²² wɔːŋ²¹/

when the cat's away the mice will play
when the cat's away the mice will play

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king; when the cat's away the mice will play

蜀中無大將，廖化作先鋒／蜀中无大将，廖化作先锋

Shǔ zhōng wú dàjiàng, Liào Huà zuò xiānfēng


嘴饞屄浪，早晚上當

嘴馋屄浪，早晚上当
嘴饞逼浪，早晚上當

ㄗㄨㄟˇ ㄔㄢˊ ㄅㄧ ㄌㄤˋ

ㄗㄠˇ ㄨㄢˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄉㄤˋ

zuǐ chán bī làng, zǎowǎn shàngdàng [Phonetic:zuǐchánbīlàng,záowǎnshàngdàng]

цзуй чань би лан

цзаовань шандан

/t͡su̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰän³⁵ pi⁵⁵ lɑŋ⁵¹ t͡sɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ wän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑŋ⁵¹/

(vulgar) one who cannot control their desire gets taken in sooner or later.


半大小子，吃死老子

ㄅㄢˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ˙ㄗ

баньда сяоцзы

чи сы лаоцзы

/pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴ d͡z̥z̩⁴ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴ d͡z̥z̩⁴/


不塞不流，不止不行

ㄅㄨˋ ㄙㄜˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄓˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

bat¹ sak¹ bat¹ lau⁴, bat¹ zi² bat¹ hang⁴

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ sɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵/

bat⁷ sak⁷ bat⁷ lau⁴, bat⁷ dzi² bat⁷ hang⁴

bed¹ seg¹ bed¹ leo⁴, bed¹ ji² bed¹ heng⁴

/pɐt̚⁵ sɐk̚⁵ pɐt̚⁵ lɐu̯²¹ pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɐŋ²¹/

There is no flowing without damming and no motion without rest.


不怕慢，就怕站

ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄆㄚˋ ㄓㄢˋ

цзю па чжань

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ pʰä⁵¹⁻⁵³ män⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pʰä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹/

slow and steady wins the race
slow and steady wins the race

it's better to move ahead slowly than just to mark time; any movement is better than none; slow and steady wins the race


新官上任三把火

a new official has three fires when he takes up the new post

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄕㄤˋ ㄖㄣˋ ㄙㄢ ㄅㄚˇ ㄏㄨㄛˇ

xīn guān shàngrèn sān bǎ huǒ [Phonetic:xīnguānshàngrènsānbáhuǒ]

синь гуань шанжэнь сань ба хо

/ɕin⁵⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐən⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ pä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn⁵⁵ kuːn⁵⁵ sœːŋ¹³ jɐm²² saːm⁵⁵ paː³⁵ fɔː³⁵/

a new broom sweeps clean
a new broom sweeps clean


人要面，樹要皮

/jɐn²¹ jiːu̯³³ miːn²²⁻³⁵ syː²² jiːu̯³³ pʰei̯²¹/

(Cantonese) dignity is important to people


今時唔同往日

/kɐm⁵⁵ siː²¹ m̩²¹ tʰʊŋ²¹ wɔːŋ¹³ jɐt̚²/

/kɐm⁵⁵ siː²¹ m̩²¹ tʰʊŋ²¹ wɔːŋ¹³ jɐt̚²/


色字頭上一把刀

a刀 (dāo, “knife”) lies at the top of the 色 (“feminine charm; beauty”) character

ㄙㄜˋ ㄗˋ ㄊㄡˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄧ ㄅㄚˇ ㄉㄠ

sè zì tóushàng yī bǎ dāo [Phonetic:sè zì tóushàng yì bǎ dāo]

сэ цзы тоушан и ба дао

/sɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pä²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/sɪk̚⁵ t͡siː²² tʰɐu̯²¹ sœːŋ²² jɐt̚⁵ paː³⁵ tou̯⁵⁵/


殺人償命，欠債還錢

ㄕㄚ ㄖㄣˊ ㄔㄤˊ ㄇㄧㄥˋ

ㄑㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄞˋ ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄑㄧㄢˊ

шажэнь чанмин

цяньчжай хуаньцянь

/ʂä⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ miŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂaɪ̯⁵¹ xu̯än³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵/

a murderer must pay with his life as a debtor pays with money


一個巴掌拍不響

ㄧ ㄍㄜˋ ㄅㄚ ˙ㄓㄤ ㄆㄞ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˇ

yī gè bāzhang pāi bù xiǎng [Phonetic:yí gè bāzhang pāi bù xiǎng]

и гэ бачжан пай бу сян

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kɤ⁵¹ pä⁵⁵ ɖ͡ʐ̥ɑŋ² pʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ kɔː³³ paː⁵⁵ t͡sœːŋ³⁵ pʰaːk̚³ pɐt̚⁵ hœːŋ³⁵/

it takes two to tango
it takes two to tango


蒼蠅不叮無縫的蛋

ㄘㄤ ˙ㄧㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄧㄥ ㄨˊ ㄈㄥˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄉㄢˋ

tsʻang¹-ying⁵ pu⁴ ting¹ wu² fêng⁴ tê⁵ tan⁴

цанъин бу дин у фэн дэ дань

/t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ iŋ² pu⁵¹ tiŋ⁵⁵ u³⁵ fɤŋ⁵¹ d̥ə¹ tän⁵¹/

ㄘㄤ ˙ㄧㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄧㄥ ㄨˊ ㄈㄥˋㄦ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄉㄢˋ

цанъинбудинъуфэнрдэдань

/t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ iŋ² pu⁵¹ tiŋ⁵⁵ u³⁵ fɤ̃ɻ⁵¹ d̥ə¹ tän⁵¹/


虎落平陽被犬欺

ㄏㄨˇ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄟˋ ㄑㄩㄢˇ ㄑㄧ

ху ло пинъян бэй цюань ци

/xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ jɑŋ³⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/

/fuː³⁵ lɔːk̚² pʰɪŋ²¹ jœːŋ²¹ pei̯²² hyːn³⁵ hei̯⁵⁵/

a man who loses position and influence may be subjected to much indignity


只要目的正當，可以不擇手段

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只要目的正當，可以不擇手段

只要目的正当，可以不择手段

ㄓˇ ㄧㄠˋ ㄇㄨˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄓㄥˋ ㄉㄤˋ

ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄜˊ ㄕㄡˇ ㄉㄨㄢˋ

zi² jiu³ muk⁶ dik¹ zing³ dong³, ho² ji⁵ bat¹ zaak⁶ sau² dyun⁶

чжияо муди чжэндан

кэи буцзэшоудуань

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑŋ⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu̯än⁵¹/

jí yiu muhk dīk jing dong, hó yíh bāt jaahk sáu dyuhn

dzi² jiu³ muk⁹ dik⁷ dzing³ dong³, ho² ji⁵ bat⁷ dzaak⁹ sau² dyn⁶

ji² yiu³ mug⁶ dig¹ jing³ dong³, ho² yi⁵ bed¹ zag⁶ seo² dün⁶

/t͡siː³⁵ jiːu̯³³ mʊk̚² tɪk̚⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ tɔːŋ³³ hɔː³⁵ jiː¹³ pɐt̚⁵ t͡saːk̚² sɐu̯³⁵ tyːn²²/

The end justifies the means
the end justifies the means

all's fair in love and war
all's fair in love and war

The end justifies the means; all's fair in love and war.


沒有金剛鑽，別攬瓷器活

If you don't have adiamond, stay out of the porcelain business.

ㄇㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄍㄤ ㄗㄨㄢˋ

ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄌㄢˇ ㄘˊ ㄑㄧˋ ㄏㄨㄛˊ

мэйю цзиньганцзуань

бе лань цыцихо

/meɪ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ kɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡su̯än⁵¹ pi̯ɛ³⁵ län²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ xu̯ɔ³⁵/

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


兄弟如手足，妻子如衣服

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→ Vietnamese: anh em như tay chân, vợ con như quần áo (calque) (and numerous similar expressions)

ㄒㄩㄥ ㄉㄧˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄡˇ ㄗㄨˊ

ㄑㄧ ㄗˇ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧ ˙ㄈㄨ

hing¹ dai⁶ jyu⁴ sau² zuk¹, cai¹ zi² jyu⁴ ji¹ fuk⁶

сюнди жу шоуцзу

цицзы жу ифу

/ɕi̯ʊŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ i⁵⁵ fu²/

hīng daih yùh sáu jūk, chāi jí yùh yī fuhk

hing¹ dai⁶ jy⁴ sau² dzuk⁷, tsai¹ dzi² jy⁴ ji¹ fuk⁹

hing¹ dei⁶ yu⁴ seo² zug¹, cei¹ ji² yu⁴ yi¹ fug⁶

/hɪŋ⁵⁵ tɐi̯²² jyː²¹ sɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ t͡sʰɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ jyː²¹ jiː⁵⁵ fʊk̚²/

Popularised by Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 15, where this ancient saying was quoted by Liu Bei. The concept of brethren being limb-like was preexisting; compare 兄弟手足.

兄弟如手足，妻子似衣服
兄弟如手足，女人如衣服
兄弟如手足，女人似衣服
兄弟如手足，老婆如衣服
兄弟如手足，老婆似衣服

Brothers are like one's arms and legs, but wives and children (or women) are only like one's apparel (i.e. readily replaceable).


朋友妻不可欺

ㄆㄥˊ ˙ㄧㄡ ㄑㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄑㄧ

ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄑㄧ

пэнъю ци букэ ци

/pʰɤŋ³⁵ joʊ̯³ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/

/pʰɤŋ³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/

/pʰɐŋ²¹ jɐu̯¹³ t͡sʰɐi̯⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ hei̯⁵⁵/

朋友之妻不可欺
朋友之妻不可戲
朋友妻不可戲
朋友妻，不可欺
朋友之妻，不可欺

A man should not covet his friend's wife. / A friend's wife is not to be flirted with.


謀事在人，成事在天

ㄇㄡˊ ㄕˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄔㄥˊ ㄕˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄊㄧㄢ

моуши цзай жэнь

чэнши цзай тянь

/moʊ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

mau⁴ si⁶ dzoi⁶ jan⁴, sing⁴ si⁶ dzoi⁶ tin¹

/mɐu̯²¹ siː²² t͡sɔːi̯²² jɐn²¹ sɪŋ²¹ siː²² t͡sɔːi̯²² tʰiːn⁵⁵/

man proposes, God disposes
man proposes, God disposes


盡信書不如無書

ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄕㄨ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄨˊ ㄕㄨ

цзинь синь шу бужу у шу

/t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕin⁵¹ ʂu⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ u³⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

/t͡sɵn²² sɵn³³ syː⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ mou̯²¹ syː⁵⁵/

Mencius said, "It would be better to be without the Book of Documents than to give entire credit to it. In the 'Completion of the War', I select two or three passages only, which I believe. The benevolent man has no enemy under heaven. When the prince the most benevolent was engaged against him who was the most the opposite, how could the blood of the people have flowed till it floated the pestles of the mortars?"

Mèngzǐ yuē: “Jìn xìn “shū”, zé bùrú wú “shū”. Wú yú “Wǔchéng”, qǔ èrsān cè éryǐ yǐ. Rénrén wúdí yú tiānxià. Yǐ zhì rén fá zhì bùrén, ér héqí xuè zhī liú chǔ yě?”

孟子曰：「盡信《書》，則不如無《書》。吾於《武成》，取二三策而已矣。仁人無敵於天下。以至仁伐至不仁，而何其血之流杵也？」

孟子曰：「尽信《书》，则不如无《书》。吾于《武成》，取二三策而已矣。仁人无敌于天下。以至仁伐至不仁，而何其血之流杵也？」

Believing everything in the Book of Documents is worse than without that book.

Do not blindly believe everything written in books


飯後百步走，活到九十九

ㄈㄢˋ ㄏㄡˋ ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄡˇ

ㄏㄨㄛˊ ㄉㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄕˊ ㄐㄧㄡˇ

faan⁶ hau⁶ baak³ bou⁶ zau², wut⁶ dou³ gau² sap⁶ gu²

фаньхоубайбуцзоу

ходаоцзюшицзю

/fän⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɔ³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

faahn hauh baak bouh jáu, wuht dou gáu sahp gú

faan⁶ hau⁶ baak⁸ bou⁶ dzau², wut⁹ dou³ gau² sap⁹ gu²

fan⁶ heo⁶ bag³ bou⁶ zeo², wud⁶ dou³ geo² seb⁶ gu²

/faːn²² hɐu̯²² paːk̚³ pou̯²² t͡sɐu̯³⁵ wuːt̚² tou̯³³ kɐu̯³⁵ sɐp̚² kuː³⁵/

Walk a hundred steps after each meal and you will live a long life.


只要功夫深，鐵杵磨成針

→ Vietnamese: có công mài sắt có ngày nên kim (calque)

ㄓˇ ㄧㄠˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄈㄨ ㄕㄣ

ㄊㄧㄝˇ ㄔㄨˇ ㄇㄛˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄣ

zi² jiu³ gung¹ fu¹ sam¹, tit³ cyu⁵ mo⁴ sing⁴ zam¹

tiěchǔ mó chéng zhēn [Phonetic:zhǐyàogōngfushēn

чжияо гунфу шэнь

течу мо чэн чжэнь

teču mo čɛn čžɛnʹ

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu² ʂən⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

jí yiu gūng fū sām, tit chyúh mòh sìhng jām

dzi² jiu³ gung¹ fu¹ sam¹, tit⁸ tsy⁵ mo⁴ sing⁴ dzam¹

ji² yiu³ gung¹ fu¹ sem¹, tid³ qu⁵ mo⁴ xing⁴ zem¹

/t͡siː³⁵ jiːu̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ tʰiːt̚³ t͡sʰyː¹³ mɔː²¹ sɪŋ²¹ t͡sɐm⁵⁵/

From a story about poet Li Bai, recorded in Fangyu Shenglan (《方輿勝覽》).

只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针
只要工夫深，鐵杵磨成針
只要有恆心，鐵杵磨成針
只要功夫深鐵杵磨成針
只要工夫深鐵杵磨成針
只要有恆心鐵杵磨成針
鐵杵磨成針
鐵杵磨針
鐵杵成針

If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.

Diligence is the mother of success.
diligence is the mother of success

Practice makes perfect.
practice makes perfect

Diligence is the mother of success. / Practice makes perfect.


一個蘿蔔一個坑

ㄧ ㄍㄜˋ ㄌㄨㄛˊ ˙ㄅㄛ ㄧ ㄍㄜˋ ㄎㄥ

yī gè luóbo yī gè kēng [Phonetic:yí gè luóbo yí gè kēng]

и гэ лобо и гэ кэн

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kɤ⁵¹ lu̯ɔ³⁵ b̥u̯ɔ³ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kɤ⁵¹ kʰɤŋ⁵⁵/

ㄧ ㄍㄜˋ ㄌㄨㄛˊ ˙ㄅㄛ ㄧ ㄍㄜˋ ㄎㄥㄦ

игэлобоигэкэнр

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kɤ⁵¹ lu̯ɔ³⁵ b̥u̯ɔ³ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ kɤ⁵¹ kʰɤ̃ɻ⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ kɔː³³ lɔː²¹ paːk̚² jɐt̚⁵ kɔː³³ haːŋ⁵⁵/

(figurative) each has his or her own task, and there is nobody to spare


裡面的人想出去，外面的人想進來

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裡面的人想出去，外面的人想進來

ㄌㄧˇ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄔㄨ ㄑㄩˋ

ㄨㄞˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄌㄞˊ

leoi⁵ min⁶ dik¹ jan⁴ soeng² ceot¹ heoi³, ngoi⁶ min⁶ dik¹ jan⁴ soeng² zeon³ loi⁴

лимянь дэ жэнь сян чуцюй

ваймянь дэ жэнь сян цзиньлай

/li²¹⁴⁻²¹ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ d̥ə¹ ʐən³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy⁵¹⁻⁵³ waɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ d̥ə¹ ʐən³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵/

léuih mihn dīk yàhn séung chēut heui, ngoih mihn dīk yàhn séung jeun lòih

loey⁵ min⁶ dik⁷ jan⁴ soeng² tsoet⁷ hoey³, ngoi⁶ min⁶ dik⁷ jan⁴ soeng² dzoen³ loi⁴

lêu⁵ min⁶ dig¹ yen⁴ sêng² cêd¹ hêu³, ngoi⁶ min⁶ dig¹ yen⁴ sêng² zên³ loi⁴

/lɵy̯¹³ miːn²² tɪk̚⁵ jɐn²¹ sœːŋ³⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ hɵy̯³³ ŋɔːi̯²² miːn²² tɪk̚⁵ jɐn²¹ sœːŋ³⁵ t͡sɵn³³ lɔːi̯²¹/

A phrase attributed to Qian Zhongshu's novel Fortress Besieged, although similar proverbs appeared to have existed in 17th-century Europe (cf. John Davies).

里面的人想出去，外面的人想进来

People inside want to get out, and people outside want to get in. (often said of marriage)


做一天和尚撞一天鐘

to toll the bell for as long as one is a monk

ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄧ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄏㄜˊ ˙ㄕㄤ ㄓㄨㄤˋ ㄧ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄓㄨㄥ

zou⁶ jat¹ tin¹ wo⁴ soeng⁶⁻² zong⁶ jat¹ tin¹ zung¹

zuò yītiān héshang zhuàng yītiān zhōng [Phonetic:zuò yìtiān héshang zhuàng yìtiān zhōng]

tso⁴ i¹-tʻien¹ ho²-shang⁵ chuang⁴ i¹-tʻien¹ chung¹

dzwò yī-tyān hé-shang jwàng yī-tyān jūng

цзо итянь хэшан чжуан итянь чжун

/t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʂɑŋ³ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵/

jouh yāt tīn wòh séung johng yāt tīn jūng

dzou⁶ jat⁷ tin¹ wo⁴ soeng⁶⁻² dzong⁶ jat⁷ tin¹ dzung¹

zou⁶ yed¹ tin¹ wo⁴ sêng⁶⁻² zong⁶ yed¹ tin¹ zung¹

/t͡sou̯²² jɐt̚⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ wɔː²¹ sœːŋ²²⁻³⁵ t͡sɔːŋ²² jɐt̚⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

[Phonetic: zuò yìtiān héshang zhuàng yìtiān zhōng]

to do the least that is expected; to do the absolute minimum; to not put oneself out


床頭吵架床尾和

床头吵架床尾和
牀頭吵架牀尾和

ㄔㄨㄤˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄔㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄚˋ ㄔㄨㄤˊ ㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄜˊ

chʻuang²-tʻou² chʻao³-chia⁴ chʻuang²-wei³ ho²

чуантоу чаоцзя чуанвэй хэ

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ɑŋ³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ɑŋ³⁵ weɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵/

(of a married couple) to quarrel with each other at the head of the bed and compromise at the end of it; to fight getting into bed and make up before falling asleep; to quickly make up after a quarrel; (sometimes specifically) to end an intense argument with make-up sex


每日一蘋果，醫生遠離我

ㄇㄟˇ ㄖˋ ㄧ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄛˇ

ㄧ ㄕㄥ ㄩㄢˇ ㄌㄧˊ ㄨㄛˇ

yīshēng yuǎnlí wǒ [Phonetic:měirì yì píngguǒ

мэйжи и пинго

ишэн юаньли во

/meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ pʰiŋ³⁵ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ɥɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ li³⁵ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

an apple a day keeps the doctor away
an apple a day keeps the doctor away


見人說人話，見鬼說鬼話

speaking the language of humans when seeing a human, and speaking the language of devils when seeing a devil

ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄖㄣˊ ㄏㄨㄚˋ

ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄨㄚˋ

цзянь жэнь шо жэньхуа

цзянь гуй шо гуйхуа

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ xu̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ä⁵¹/

(figurative) to be flexible and know what to say in different situations and to different people; (derogatory) to be crafty and two-faced

見人講人話，見鬼講鬼話／见人讲人话，见鬼讲鬼话

jiàn rén jiǎng rénhuà, jiàn guǐ jiǎng guǐhuà


女大三抱金磚

woman older [by] three [years] carries gold bricks

ㄋㄩˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄙㄢ ㄅㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄓㄨㄢ

нюй да сань бао цзиньчжуань

/ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ pɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯än⁵⁵/

A wife three years older than the husband ensures a richer life. (rhyming saying)


仔大仔世界

/t͡sɐi̯³⁵ taːi̯²² t͡sɐi̯³⁵ sɐi̯³³ kaːi̯³³/

(Cantonese) when children grow up, they have their own way of living and make their own decisions (and parents should not impose their ideas on them)


好漢架不住三泡稀

ㄏㄠˇ ㄏㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨˋ ㄙㄢ ㄆㄠ ㄒㄧ

hǎohàn jiàbùzhù sān pāo xī [Phonetic:hǎohàn jiàbúzhù sān pāo xī]

hao³-han⁴ chia⁴-pu⁴-chu⁴ san¹ pʻao¹ hsi¹

хаохань цзябучжу сань пао си

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ pʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕi⁵⁵/

even a manly man cannot withstand three bouts of diarrhea


人之將死，其言也善

ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄐㄧㄤ ㄙˇ

ㄑㄧˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄝˇ ㄕㄢˋ

jan⁴ zi¹ zoeng¹ sei², kei⁴ jin⁴ jaa⁵ sin⁶

jên² chih¹ chiang¹ ssŭ³, chʻi² yen² yeh³ shan⁴

жэнь чжи цзян сы

ци янь е шань

/ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ jɛn³⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂän⁵¹/

jan⁴ dzi¹ dzoeng¹ sei², kei⁴ jin⁴ jaa⁵ sin⁶

/jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sœːŋ⁵⁵ sei̯³⁵ kʰei̯²¹ jiːn²¹ jaː¹³ siːn²²/

The philosopher Zeng being ill, Meng Jing went to ask how he was. Zeng said to him, "When a bird is about to die, its notes are mournful; when a man is about to die, his words are good."

「曾子有疾，孟敬子問之。曾子言曰：『鳥之將死，其鳴也哀；人之將死，其言也善。[[#Chinese|]]

A person's words are kind when death is near.


人不為己，天誅地滅

desc

→ Vietnamese: người không vì mình, trời tru đất diệt (calque)

ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄟˋ ㄐㄧˇ

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄓㄨ ㄉㄧˋ ㄇㄧㄝˋ

jan⁴ bat¹ wai⁶ gei², tin¹ zyu¹ dei⁶ mit⁶

jên² pu⁴ wei⁴ chi³, tʻien¹ chu¹ ti⁴ mieh⁴

жэнь бу вэй цзи

тянь чжу ди ме

/ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛ⁵¹/

jan⁴ bat⁷ wai⁶ gei², tin¹ dzy¹ dei⁶ mit⁹

/jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ wɐi̯²² kei̯³⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡syː⁵⁵ tei̯²² miːt̚²/

Attested earliest in Liu Shaoqi's How to be a Good Communist (《論共產黨員的修養》)

They want to grab all the good things of life, but when it comes to the "unpleasant things", they think these are for others. The heads of such people are stuffed with the ideology of the exploiting classes. They believe that "every man is for himself or that Heaven and Earth will destroy him", man is a "selfish animal", and "no one in the world is genuinely unselfish, unless he is a simpleton or an idiot". They even use such exploiting class rubbish to justify their own selfishness and individualism. There are such people in our Party.

1939, Liu Shaoqi (劉少奇), How to be a Good Communist 《論共產黨員的修養》, translation from 1984, Selected Works of Liu Shaoqi, Volume I

Yīqiè hǎo de shìqíng tā dōu qǐtú bàzhàn, dànshì, yīqiè “dǎoméi” de shìqíng, zǒng xiǎng shì méiyǒu tā. Zhè zhǒng rén de nǎojīn, jìntòu zhuó bōxuējiējí de sīxiǎngyìshí. Tā xiàngxìn zhèyàng de huà: “Rén bù wèi jǐ, tiān zhū dì miè”, “rén shì zìsīzìlì de dòngwù”, “shìjièshàng bùhuì yǒu zhēnzhèng dàgōngwúsī de rén, rúguǒ yǒu, nà yě shì chǔncái hé shǎguā”. Tā shènzhì yòng zhè yī dà tào bōxuējiējí de huà, lái wèi tā de zìsīzìlì hé gerénzhǔyì biànhù. Zài wǒmen dǎngnèi shì yǒu zhè zhǒng rén de.

一切好的事情他都企圖霸佔，但是，一切「倒霉」的事情，總想是沒有他。這種人的腦筋，浸透着剝削階級的思想意識。他相信這樣的話：「人不為己，天誅地滅」，「人是自私自利的動物」，「世界上不會有真正大公無私的人，如果有，那也是蠢才和傻瓜」。他甚至用這一大套剝削階級的話，來為他的自私自利和個人主義辯護。在我們黨內是有這種人的。

一切好的事情他都企图霸占，但是，一切「倒霉」的事情，总想是没有他。这种人的脑筋，浸透着剥削阶级的思想意识。他相信这样的话：「人不为己，天诛地灭」，「人是自私自利的动物」，「世界上不会有真正大公无私的人，如果有，那也是蠢才和傻瓜」。他甚至用这一大套剥削阶级的话，来为他的自私自利和个人主义辩护。在我们党内是有这种人的。

When I was interviewed on ATV Hong Kong, [the host] once said: “‘Every person serves themself or Heaven and Earth will destroy them’, as a proverb goes. Which person isn't selfish? Being selfish is reasonable.” I immediately explained to him that this proverb is wrong, is not the correct view, [and] has misled too many people. What is the correct view? People ought to serve society and be altruistic, that is the correct view and correct mindfulness. Don't be selfish!

2000, Chin Kung (淨空), “[Lectures on] ‘The Sutra Spoken by Buddha on the Way of Ten Meritorious Deeds’ (《佛說十善業道經》)”, Episode 24 (第二十四集)

Wǒ zhècì zài Xiānggǎng Yàshì fǎngwèn de shíhòu, céngjīng shuō le yī jù huà. Tā shuō: yànyǔ jiǎng “rén bù wèi jǐ, tiān zhū dì miè”, nǎge bù wèi zìjǐ? Tā shuō wèi zìjǐ shì zhèngdāng de. Wǒ dāngshí jiù gēn tā shuōmíng, zhè yī jù huà shì cuòwù de, zhè jù huà bùshì zhèngjiàn, wùdǎo le xǔxǔduōduō de zhòngshēng. Shénme shì zhèngjiàn? Rén yìngdāng wèi shèhuì, yìngdāng wèi zhòngshēng, zhè shì zhèngzhī zhèngjiàn, bùyào wèi zìjǐ.

我這次在香港亞視訪問的時候，曾經說了一句話。他說：諺語講「人不為己，天誅地滅」，哪個不為自己？他說為自己是正當的。我當時就跟他說明，這一句話是錯誤的，這句話不是正見，誤導了許許多多的眾生。什麼是正見？人應當為社會，應當為眾生，這是正知正見，不要為自己。

我这次在香港亚视访问的时候，曾经说了一句话。他说：谚语讲「人不为己，天诛地灭」，哪个不为自己？他说为自己是正当的。我当时就跟他说明，这一句话是错误的，这句话不是正见，误导了许许多多的众生。什么是正见？人应当为社会，应当为众生，这是正知正见，不要为自己。

devil take the hindmost
devil take the hindmost

unless a person looks out for themselves, Heaven and Earth will destroy them; everyone for themselves and the devil take the hindmost


酒壯慫人膽

ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄓㄨㄤˋ ㄙㄨㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄢˇ

цзю чжуан сун жэнь дань

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵¹ sʊŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ tän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄓㄨㄤˋ ㄙㄨㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄢˇㄦ

цзючжуансунжэньданьр

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵¹ sʊŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ tɑɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


磨刀不誤砍柴工

Sharpening the axe will not hold up the work of chopping firewood

ㄇㄛˊ ㄉㄠ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨˋ ㄎㄢˇ ㄔㄞˊ ㄍㄨㄥ

módāo bù wù kǎnchái gōng [Phonetic:módāo bú wù kǎnchái gōng]

модао бу у каньчай гун

/mu̯ɔ³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ u⁵¹ kʰän²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰaɪ̯³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵/

Making full preparation will not delay your job but quicken the process.


大事化小，小事化了

ㄉㄚˋ ㄕˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄠˇ

даши хуа сяо

сяоши хуа ляо

/tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯ä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯ä⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/taːi̯²² siː²² faː³³ siːu̯³⁵ siːu̯³⁵ siː²² faː³³ liːu̯¹³/

大事化小，小事化無 大事化小，小事化無#Chinese

大事化小，小事化无 大事化小，小事化无#Chinese

Synonym of 大事化小，小事化無／大事化小，小事化无 (dàshì huà xiǎo, xiǎoshì huà wú, “Turn big problems into small ones, and small ones into no problems at all.”)


自助者天助之

ㄗˋ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓ

цзычжу чжэ тянь чжу чжи

czyčžu čžɛ tjanʹ čžu čži

/t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/t͡siː²² t͡sɔː²² t͡sɛː³⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sɔː²² t͡siː⁵⁵/

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


自助者天助

ㄗˋ ㄓㄨˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄓㄨˋ

цзычжу чжэ тянь чжу

/t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹/

/t͡siː²² t͡sɔː²² t͡sɛː³⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sɔː²²/


不怕慢，只怕站

чжи па чжань

čži pa čžanʹ

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ pʰä⁵¹⁻⁵³ män⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ pʰaː³³ maːn²² t͡siː³⁵ pʰaː³³ t͡saːm²²/

it's better to move ahead slowly than just to mark time; any movement is better than none; slow and steady wins the race


一子失著，滿盤皆輸

ㄇㄢˇ ㄆㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄕㄨ

и цзы шичжао

маньпань цзе шу

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

一著不慎，滿盤皆輸 一著不慎，滿盤皆輸#Chinese

一着不慎，满盘皆输 一着不慎，满盘皆输#Chinese

Synonym of 一著不慎，滿盤皆輸／一着不慎，满盘皆输 (“one careless move and the whole game is lost”)


棋錯一著，滿盤皆輸

one wrong move and the whole game is lost

ㄑㄧˊ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄧ ㄓㄠ

ㄇㄢˇ ㄆㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄕㄨ

ㄑㄧˊ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄧ ㄓㄨㄛˊ

маньпань цзе шу

/t͡ɕʰi³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕʰi³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

A big failure is caused by a small mistake.


一著不慎，全盤皆輸

ㄧ ㄓㄠ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄣˋ

ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄆㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄕㄨ

ㄧ ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄣˋ

ичжао бушэнь

цюаньпань цзе шу

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂən⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂən⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

一著不慎，滿盤皆輸 一著不慎，滿盤皆輸#Chinese

一着不慎，满盘皆输 一着不慎，满盘皆输#Chinese


一著錯，滿盤俱是空

ㄇㄢˇ ㄆㄢˊ ㄐㄩˋ ㄕˋ ㄎㄨㄥ

маньпань цзюй ши кун

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵/

一著不慎，滿盤皆輸 一著不慎，滿盤皆輸#Chinese

一着不慎，满盘皆输 一着不慎，满盘皆输#Chinese


一著不慎，滿盤皆輸

ㄧ ㄓㄠ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄣˋ

ㄇㄢˇ ㄆㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄕㄨ

ㄧ ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄣˋ

jat¹ zoek⁶ bat¹ san⁶, mun⁵ pun⁴ gaai¹ syu¹

ичжао бушэнь

маньпань цзе шу

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂən⁵¹ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂən⁵¹ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰän³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/

jat⁷ dzoek⁹ bat⁷ san⁶, mun⁵ pun⁴ gaai¹ sy¹

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sœːk̚² pɐt̚⁵ sɐn²² muːn¹³ pʰuːn²¹ kaːi̯⁵⁵ syː⁵⁵/

one careless move and the whole game is lost


龍生龍，鳳生鳳，老鼠的兒子會打洞

head

龍生龍，鳳生鳳，老鼠的兒子會打洞

龙生龙，凤生凤，老鼠的儿子会打洞

ㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄕㄥ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

ㄌㄠˇ ㄕㄨˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄦˊ ˙ㄗ ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄉㄨㄥˋ

lǎoshǔ de érzi huì dǎ dòng [Phonetic:lóngshēnglóng

лаошу дэ эрцзы хуэй да дун

/lʊŋ³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ³⁵ fɤŋ⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵¹ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ ˀɤɻ³⁵ d͡z̥z̩³ xu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʊŋ⁵¹/

like father, like son
like father, like son

(of behavior, etc) like father, like son


紙裡包不住火

ㄓˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄠ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄛˇ

zhǐ lǐ bāo bùzhù huǒ [Phonetic:zhílǐbāobúzhùhuǒ]

чжи ли бао бучжу хо

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

紙包不住火 紙包不住火#Chinese

纸包不住火 纸包不住火#Chinese

Alternative form of 紙包不住火／纸包不住火 (zhǐ bāo bùzhù huǒ, “there is no concealing the truth; the truth will come out”)


一樣米飼百樣人

一样米饲百样人
一樣米飼百樣儂

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² iũ²²⁻²¹ bi⁵³ t͡sʰi²²⁻²¹ pa(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ iũ²²⁻²¹ laŋ²⁴/

/t͡sit̚²⁴⁻² iũ⁴¹⁻²² bi⁵⁵⁴ t͡sʰi⁴¹⁻²² pa(ʔ)⁵ iũ⁴¹⁻²² laŋ²⁴/

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² iũ³³⁻²¹ bi⁴¹ t͡sʰi³³⁻²¹ pa(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ iũ³³⁻²¹ laŋ²³/

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² iũ³³⁻¹¹ bi⁵³ t͡sʰi³³⁻¹¹ pa(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ iũ³³⁻¹¹ laŋ²⁴/

/t͡sit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ iɔ̃²²⁻²¹ bi⁵³ t͡sʰi²²⁻²¹ pɛ(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ iɔ̃²²⁻²¹ laŋ¹³/

(Southern Min) Everybody thinks and acts a little differently.


有理走遍天下，無理寸步難行

有理走遍天下，無理寸步難行

有理走遍天下，无理寸步难行

ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄗㄡˇ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

ㄨˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

jau⁵ lei⁵ zau² pin³ tin¹ haa⁶, mou⁴ lei⁵ cyun³ bou⁶ naan⁴ haang⁴

юли цзоу бянь тянься

ули цуньбунаньсин

/joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛn⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ u³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ nän³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵/

yáuh léih jáu pin tīn hah, mòuh léih chyun bouh nàahn hàahng

jau⁵ lei⁵ dzau² pin³ tin¹ haa⁶, mou⁴ lei⁵ tsyn³ bou⁶ naan⁴ haang⁴

yeo⁵ léi⁵ zeo² pin³ tin¹ ha⁶, mou⁴ léi⁵ qun³ bou⁶ nan⁴ hang⁴

/jɐu̯¹³ lei̯¹³ t͡sɐu̯³⁵ pʰiːn³³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² mou̯²¹ lei̯¹³ t͡sʰyːn³³ pou̯²² naːn²¹ haːŋ²¹/

With justice on your side, you can go anywhere; without it, you can't take a step.


無風不起浪

ㄨˊ ㄈㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˇ ㄌㄤˋ

у фэн бу ци лан

/u³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑŋ⁵¹/

/mou̯²¹ fʊŋ⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hei̯³⁵ lɔːŋ²²/

/u³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑŋ⁵¹/

/mou̯²¹ fʊŋ⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hei̯³⁵ lɔːŋ²²/

No smoke without fire
no smoke without fire


言必信，行必果

ㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄣˋ

ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄍㄨㄛˇ

/jɛn³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕin⁵¹ ɕiŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jiːn²¹ piːt̚⁵ sɵn³³ hɐŋ²¹ piːt̚⁵ kʷɔː³⁵/

Zigong asked, saying, "What qualities must a man possess to entitle him to be called an officer? The Master said, "He who in his conduct of himself maintains a sense of shame, and when sent to any quarter will not disgrace his prince's commission, deserves to be called an officer."
Zigong pursued, "I venture to ask who may be placed in the next lower rank?" And he was told, "He whom the circle of his relatives pronounce to be filial, whom his fellow villagers and neighbors pronounce to be fraternal."
Again the disciple asked, "I venture to ask about the class still next in order." The Master said, "They are determined to be sincere in what they say, and to carry out what they do. They are obstinate little men. Yet perhaps they may make the next class."

Zǐgòng wèn yuē: “Hérú sī kě wèi zhī ‘shì’ yǐ?” Zǐyuē: “Xíng jǐ yǒu chǐ, shǐ yú sìfāng, bù rǔ jūn mìng; kěwèi ‘shì’ yǐ.”
Yuē: “Gǎnwèn qícì.” Yuē: “Zōngzú chēng xiào yān, xiāngdǎng chēng tì yān.”
Yuē: “Gǎnwèn qícì.” Yuē: “Yán bì xìn, xíng bì guǒ, kēngkēng rán, xiǎorén zāi, yì yì kěyǐ wèi cì yǐ.”

子貢問曰：「何如斯可謂之『士』矣？」子曰：「行己有恥，使於四方，不辱君命；可謂『士』矣。」
曰：「敢問其次。」曰：「宗族稱孝焉，鄉黨稱弟焉。」
曰：「敢問其次。」曰：「言必信，行必果，硜硜然，小人哉，抑亦可以為次矣。」

子贡问曰：「何如斯可谓之『士』矣？」子曰：「行己有耻，使于四方，不辱君命；可谓『士』矣。」
曰：「敢问其次。」曰：「宗族称孝焉，乡党称弟焉。」
曰：「敢问其次。」曰：「言必信，行必果，硁硁然，小人哉，抑亦可以为次矣。」

Suppose they are sincere in word and decisive in deed so that their word and deed are made to agree like the two parts of a tally, and that there is no word but what is realized in deed.

Mozi, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE, translated based on Y. P. Mei's version

Dāngshǐ ruò èr shì zhě, yán bì xìn, xíng bì guǒ, shǐ yánxíng zhī hé yóu hé fújié yě, wú yán ér bù xíng yě.

當使若二士者，言必信，行必果，使言行之合猶合符節也，無言而不行也。

当使若二士者，言必信，行必果，使言行之合犹合符节也，无言而不行也。

In their relations with friendly parties and armies, Communists should take a firm stand of unity for resistance to Japan, uphold the programme of the united front and set an example in carrying out the tasks of resistance; they should be true in word and resolute in deed, free from arrogance and sincere in consulting and co-operating with the friendly parties and armies, and they should be models in inter-party relations within the united front.

1938, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《中國共產黨在民族戰爭中的地位》 (The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War), 《毛澤東選集》 (Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung), English translation based on the Foreign Language Press edition

Gòngchǎndǎngyuán zài hé yǒudǎng yǒujūn fāshēng guānxì de shíhou, yīnggāi jiānchí tuánjié kàngrì de lìchǎng, jiānchí tǒngyī zhànxiàn de gānglǐng, chéngwéi shíxíng kàngzhàn rènwù de mófàn; yīnggāi yánbìxìn, xíngbìguǒ, bù àomàn, chéngxīnchéngyì de hé yǒudǎng yǒujūn shāngliang wèntí, xiétóng gōngzuò, chéngwéi tǒngyī zhànxiàn zhōng gè dǎng xiānghù guānxì de mófàn.

共產黨員在和友黨友軍發生關係的時候，應該堅持團結抗日的立場，堅持統一戰線的綱領，成為實行抗戰任務的模範；應該言必信，行必果，不傲慢，誠心誠意地和友黨友軍商量問題，協同工作，成為統一戰線中各黨相互關係的模範。

共产党员在和友党友军发生关系的时候，应该坚持团结抗日的立场，坚持统一战线的纲领，成为实行抗战任务的模范；应该言必信，行必果，不傲慢，诚心诚意地和友党友军商量问题，协同工作，成为统一战线中各党相互关系的模范。

Promises must be kept and action must be resolute. / Always be true in word and resolute in deed.


知己知彼，百戰不殆

ㄅㄞˇ ㄓㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄞˋ

байчжаньбудай

/ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ pi²¹⁴⁻³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹/

dzi¹ gei² dzi¹ bei², baak⁸ dzin³ bat⁷ toi⁵

/t͡siː⁵⁵ kei̯³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ pei̯³⁵ paːk̚³ t͡siːn³³ pɐt̚⁵ tʰɔːi̯¹³/

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

The Art of War, circa 5ᵗʰ century BCE, translated based on Lionel Giles's version

Zhī bǐ zhī jǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài; bù zhī bǐ ér zhī jǐ, yī shèng yī fù; bù zhī bǐ, bù zhī jǐ, měi zhàn bì bài.

知彼知己，百戰不殆；不知彼而知己，一勝一負；不知彼，不知己，每戰必敗。

知彼知己，百战不殆；不知彼而知己，一胜一负；不知彼，不知己，每战必败。

Know yourself and know the enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.


先撩者賤，打死無怨

sin¹ liu⁴ ze² zin⁶, daa² sei² mou⁴ jyun³

sin¹ liu⁴ dze² dzin⁶, daa² sei² mou⁴ jyn³

/siːn⁵⁵ liːu̯²¹ t͡sɛː³⁵ t͡siːn²² taː³⁵ sei̯³⁵ mou̯²¹ jyːn³³/

(chiefly Cantonese) The person who provokes or fights first is always wrong; there should be no grievances if he or she is beaten to death.


先撩者賤

ㄒㄧㄢ ㄌㄧㄠˊ ㄓㄜˇ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

сяньляочжэцзянь

/ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/siːn⁵⁵ liːu̯²¹ t͡sɛː³⁵ t͡siːn²²/

/ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/siːn⁵⁵ liːu̯²¹ t͡sɛː³⁵ t͡siːn²²/

The first line of the Cantonese proverb 先撩者賤，打死無怨.

The person who provokes or fights first is always wrong.


行百里者半於九十

ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄓㄜˇ ㄅㄢˋ ㄩˊ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄕˊ

hang⁴ baak³ lei⁵ ze² bun³ jyu¹ gau² sap⁶

xíng bǎilǐ zhě bàn yú jiǔshí [Phonetic:xíngbáilízhěbànyújiǔshí]

hsing² pai³-li³ chê³ pan⁴ yü² chiu³-shih²

син байли чжэ бань юй цзюши

/ɕiŋ³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵¹ y³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

hang⁴ baak⁸ lei⁵ dze² bun³ jy¹ gau² sap⁹

/hɐŋ²¹ paːk̚³ lei̯¹³ t͡sɛː³⁵ puːn³³ jyː⁵⁵ kɐu̯³⁵ sɐp̚²/

Shijing said, "In a hundred-li journey, the first ninety li is merely half of it." This describes the difficulty towards the end of the journey.

Zhanguo Ce, circa 5ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ centuries BCE

“shī” yún: ‘Xíngbǎilǐzhěbànyújiǔshí’, cǐ yán mòlù zhī nán yě.

《詩》云：『行百里者半於九十』，此言末路之難也。

《诗》云：『行百里者半于九十』，此言末路之难也。

行百里者半九十 行百里者半九十#Chinese

Alternative form of 行百里者半九十 (xíng bǎilǐ zhě bàn jiǔshí, “Things become more difficult when we approach closer to success”)


行百里者半九十

ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄓㄜˇ ㄅㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄕˊ

xíng bǎilǐ zhě bàn jiǔshí [Phonetic:xíngbáilízhěbànjiǔshí]

син байли чжэ бань цзюши

/ɕiŋ³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/hɐŋ²¹ paːk̚³ lei̯¹³ t͡sɛː³⁵ puːn³³ kɐu̯³⁵ sɐp̚²/

《詩》云：『行百里者半於九十』，此言末路之難也。

《诗》云：『行百里者半于九十』，此言末路之难也。

Things become more difficult when we approach closer to success


三個女人一臺戲

三个女人一台戏
三個女人一台戲

ㄙㄢ ㄍㄜˋ ㄋㄩˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧ ㄊㄞˊ ㄒㄧˋ

sān gè nǚrén yī tái xì [Phonetic:sān gè nǚrén yì tái xì]

сань гэ нюйжэнь и тай си

/sän⁵⁵ kɤ⁵¹ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tʰaɪ̯³⁵ ɕi⁵¹/

/saːm⁵⁵ kɔː³³ nɵy̯¹³ jɐn²¹⁻³⁵ jɐt̚⁵ tʰɔːi̯²¹ hei̯³³/

when women get together they are bound to start chatting and cause a scene


窮山惡水出刁民

ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄕㄢ ㄜˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄔㄨ ㄉㄧㄠ ㄇㄧㄣˊ

цюншаньэшуй чу дяоминь

/t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ ˀɤ⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ min³⁵/

/kʰʊŋ²¹ saːn⁵⁵ ɔːk̚³ sɵy̯³⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ tiːu̯⁵⁵ maːn²¹/

very poor and adverse natural environments produce crafty and malevolent people


羊毛出在羊身上

ㄧㄤˊ ㄇㄠˊ ㄔㄨ ㄗㄞˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄣ ˙ㄕㄤ

joeng⁴ mou⁴ ceot¹ zoi⁶ joeng⁴ san¹ soeng⁶

yang²-mao² chʻu¹ tsai⁴ yang² shên¹-shang⁵

янмао чу цзай ян шэньшан

/jɑŋ³⁵ mɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ²/

yèuhng mòuh chēut joih yèuhng sān seuhng

joeng⁴ mou⁴ tsoet⁷ dzoi⁶ joeng⁴ san¹ soeng⁶

/jœːŋ²¹ mou̯²¹ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ t͡sɔːi̯²² jœːŋ²¹ sɐn⁵⁵ sœːŋ²²/

there's no such thing as a free lunch
there's no such thing as a free lunch

the benefits come from oneself; there's no such thing as a free lunch


沒有不透風的牆

ㄇㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄡˋ ㄈㄥ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄑㄧㄤˊ

méiyǒu bù tòufēng de qiáng [Phonetic:méiyǒu bú tòufēng de qiáng]

мэйю бу тоуфэн дэ цян

/meɪ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ tʰoʊ̯⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ d̥ə² t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/muːt̚² jɐu̯¹³ pɐt̚⁵ tʰɐu̯³³ fʊŋ⁵⁵ tɪk̚⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

(figurative) no secret can be kept forever


好事不出門，壞事傳千里

desc

好事門を出でず、悪事千里を行く

→ Japanese: 好事門を出でず、悪事千里を行く

→ Japanese: 好事門を出でず、悪事千里を行く (calque)

好事不出门，坏事传千里
好事不出門，惡事傳千里
好事不出門，惡事行千里
好事毋出門，壞事傳千里
好事毋出門，歹事傳千里

ㄏㄠˇ ㄕˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨ ㄇㄣˊ

ㄏㄨㄞˋ ㄕˋ ㄔㄨㄢˊ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ

hou² si⁶ bat¹ ceot¹ mun⁴, waai⁶ si⁶ cyun⁴ cin¹ lei⁵

хаоши бу чумэнь

хуайши чуань цяньли

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ mən³⁵ xu̯aɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

hóu sih bāt chēut mùhn, waaih sih chyùhn chīn léih

hou² si⁶ bat⁷ tsoet⁷ mun⁴, waai⁶ si⁶ tsyn⁴ tsin¹ lei⁵

hou² xi⁶ bed¹ cêd¹ mun⁴, wai⁶ xi⁶ qun⁴ qin¹ léi⁵

/hou̯³⁵ siː²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ muːn²¹ waːi̯²² siː²² t͡sʰyːn²¹ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³/

bad news travels fast
bad news travels fast

good news goes on crutches, but bad news travels fast


一方水土養一方人

ㄧ ㄈㄤ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄊㄨˇ ㄧㄤˇ ㄧ ㄈㄤ ㄖㄣˊ

jat¹ fong¹ seoi² tou² joeng⁵ jat¹ fong¹ jan⁴

yīfāng shuǐtǔ yǎng yīfāng rén [Phonetic:yìfāngshuítǔyǎngyìfāngrén]

ифан шуйту ян ифан жэнь

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/

jat⁷ fong¹ soey² tou² joeng⁵ jat⁷ fong¹ jan⁴

yed¹ fong¹ sêu² tou² yêng⁵ yed¹ fong¹ yen⁴

/jɐt̚⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ tʰou̯³⁵ jœːŋ¹³ jɐt̚⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

people are a reflection of their environment; each place nurtures its own inhabitants


見者易，學者難

easy for the observer, difficult for the learner

ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄓㄜˇ ㄋㄢˊ

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵/

easier said than done
easier said than done


寧鳴而死，不默而生

ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄦˊ ㄙˇ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄛˋ ㄦˊ ㄕㄥ

ning⁴ ming⁴ ji⁴ sei², bat¹ mak⁶ ji⁴ sang¹

/niŋ³⁵ miŋ³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

ning⁴ ming⁴ ji⁴ sei², bat⁷ mak⁹ ji⁴ sang¹

ning⁴ ming⁴ yi⁴ séi², bed¹ meg⁶ yi⁴ seng¹

/nɪŋ²¹ mɪŋ²¹ jiː²¹ sei̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ mɐk̚² jiː²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

to rather speak up for justice and die than live in silence


是金子總會發光的

ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄣ ˙ㄗ ㄗㄨㄥˇ ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄈㄚ ㄍㄨㄤ ˙ㄉㄜ

shih⁴ chin¹-tzŭ⁵ tsung³-hui⁴ fa¹-kuang¹ tê⁵

ши цзиньцзы цзунхуэй фагуан дэ

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩² t͡sʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ fä⁵⁵ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ d̥ə²/

an individual with ability will eventually be discovered; a talented person's day will come


落後就要挨打

ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄡˋ ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄧㄠˋ ㄞˊ ㄉㄚˇ

ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄡˋ ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄧㄠˋ ㄞ ㄉㄚˇ

лохоу цзю яо айда

/lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ ˀaɪ̯³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ ˀaɪ̯⁵⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

From Russian Отсталых бьют (Otstalyx bʹjut), quoted from Joseph Stalin's speech The Tasks of Business Executives (О задачах хозяйственников).

bor

Отсталых бьют

lang

О задачах хозяйственников

О задачах хозяйственников


到什麼山上唱什麼歌

到什么山上唱什么歌
到甚麼山上唱甚麼歌

ㄉㄠˋ ㄕㄣˊ ˙ㄇㄜ ㄕㄢ ㄕㄤˋ ㄔㄤˋ ㄕㄣˊ ˙ㄇㄜ ㄍㄜ

dou³ sam⁶ mo¹ saan¹ soeng⁶ coeng³ sam⁶ mo¹ go¹

tao⁴ shên²-mê⁵ shan¹-shang⁴ chʻang⁴ shên²-mê⁵ ko¹

daw shern.me shanshanq chanq shern.me ge

дао шэньмэ шаньшан чан шэньмэ гэ

/tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ʂən³⁵ mə³ ʂän⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ⁵¹ ʂən³⁵ mə³ kɤ⁵⁵/

dou sahm mō sāan seuhng cheung sahm mō gō

dou³ sam⁶ mo¹ saan¹ soeng⁶ tsoeng³ sam⁶ mo¹ go¹

dou³ sem⁶ mo¹ san¹ sêng⁶ cêng³ sem⁶ mo¹ go¹

/tou̯³³ sɐm²² mɔː⁵⁵ saːn⁵⁵ sœːŋ²² t͡sʰœːŋ³³ sɐm²² mɔː⁵⁵ kɔː⁵⁵/

when in Rome, do as the Romans do
when in Rome, do as the Romans do

when in Rome, do as the Romans do; to adapt oneself to an occasion


不見棺材不落淚

ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄘㄞˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄟˋ

bùjiàn guāncái bù luòlèi [Phonetic:bújiàn guāncái bú luòlèi]

буцзянь гуаньцай бу лолэй

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ku̯än⁵⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ leɪ̯⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ kiːn³³ kuːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lɔːk̚² lɵy̯²²/

不見棺材不掉淚 不見棺材不掉淚#Chinese

不见棺材不掉泪 不见棺材不掉泪#Chinese

Synonym of 不見棺材不掉淚／不见棺材不掉泪 (bùjiàn guāncai bù diàolèi, “to refuse to be convinced until one is faced with the grim reality; tenacious, resolute or pertinacious in one's pursuit of a goal despite of obstacles or advice”)


唔見棺材唔流眼淚

to not shed tears until one sees one's coffin

/m̩²¹ kiːn³³ kuːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ m̩²¹ lɐu̯²¹ ŋaːn¹³ lɵy̯²²/

(Cantonese) to refuse to be convinced until one is faced with the grim reality


君子動口不動手

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄎㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄕㄡˇ

jūnzǐ dòngkǒu bùdòngshǒu [Phonetic:jūnzǐ dòngkǒu búdòngshǒu]

цзюньцзы дункоу будуншоу

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʊŋ⁵¹ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ tʊŋ²² hɐu̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ tʊŋ²² sɐu̯³⁵/

a gentleman settles a dispute through communication instead of a fight; a gentleman uses his mouth and not his fist


人為財死，鳥為食亡

人为财死，鸟为食亡
人爲財死，鳥爲食亡

ㄖㄣˊ ㄨㄟˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄙˇ

ㄋㄧㄠˇ ㄨㄟˋ ㄕˊ ㄨㄤˊ

jan⁴ wai⁶ coi⁴ sei², niu⁵ wai⁶ sik⁶ mong⁴

jên² wei⁴ tsʻai² ssŭ³, niao³ wei⁴ shih² wang²

жэнь вэй цай сы

няо вэй ши ван

/ʐən³⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ wɑŋ³⁵/

yàhn waih chòih séi, níuh waih sihk mòhng

jan⁴ wai⁶ tsoi⁴ sei², niu⁵ wai⁶ sik⁹ mong⁴

yen⁴ wei⁶ coi⁴ séi², niu⁵ wei⁶ xig⁶ mong⁴

/jɐn²¹ wɐi̯²² t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ sei̯³⁵ niːu̯¹³ wɐi̯²² sɪk̚² mɔːŋ²¹/

/zin²³ ui³³⁻²¹ t͡sai²³ su⁴¹ niãu⁴¹ ui³³⁻²¹ sit̚⁴ bɔŋ²³/

men would die in pursuit of wealth just like how birds would die in pursuit for food; human beings would sacrifice even their lives in pursuit of wealth


失敗者成功之母

ㄕ ㄅㄞˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄓ ㄇㄨˇ

шибай чжэ чэнгун чжи му

/ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

After they fail, they draw their lessons, correct their ideas to make them correspond to the laws of the external world, and can thus turn failure into success; this is what is meant by “failure is the mother of success” and “a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit”.

1937, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《實踐論》 (On Practice), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

Rénmen jīngguò shībài zhīhòu, yě jiù cóng shībài qǔdé jiàoxùn, gǎizhèng zìjǐ de sīxiǎng shǐ zhī shìhé yú wàijiè de guīlǜxìng, rénmen jiù néng biàn shībài wéi shènglì, suǒwèi “shībài zhě chénggōng zhī mǔ”, “chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì”, jiùshì zhège dàolǐ.

人們經過失敗之後，也就從失敗取得教訓，改正自己的思想使之適合於外界的規律性，人們就能變失敗為勝利，所謂「失敗者成功之母」，「吃一塹長一智」，就是這個道理。

人们经过失败之后，也就从失败取得教训，改正自己的思想使之适合于外界的规律性，人们就能变失败为胜利，所谓「失败者成功之母」，「吃一堑长一智」，就是这个道理。


秀才不出門，全知天下事

ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨ ㄇㄣˊ

ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄓ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄕˋ

sau³ coi⁴ bat¹ ceot¹ mun⁴, cyun⁴ zi¹ tin¹ haa⁶ si⁶

сюцай бу чумэнь

цюань чжи тянься ши

/ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ mən³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

sau chòih bāt chēut mùhn, chyùhn jī tīn hah sih

sau³ tsoi⁴ bat⁷ tsoet⁷ mun⁴, tsyn⁴ dzi¹ tin¹ haa⁶ si⁶

seo³ coi⁴ bed¹ cêd¹ mun⁴, qun⁴ ji¹ tin¹ ha⁶ xi⁶

/sɐu̯³³ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ muːn²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² siː²²/

The saying, “without stepping outside his gate the scholar knows all the wide world's affairs”, was mere empty talk in past times when technology was undeveloped. Even though this saying can be valid in the present age of developed technology, the people with real personal knowledge are those engaged in practice the wide world over. And it is only when these people have come to “know” through their practice and when their knowledge has reached him through writing and technical media that the “scholar” can indirectly “know all the wide world's affairs”.

“Xiùcái bù chūmén, quán zhī tiānxià shì”, zài jìshù bù fādá de gǔdài zhǐshì yī jù kōnghuà, zài jìshù fādá de xiàndài suīrán kěyǐ shíxiàn zhè jù huà, rán'ér zhēnzhèng qīnzhī de shì tiānxià shíjiànzhe de rén, nàxiē rén zài tāmen de shíjiàn zhōngjiān qǔdé le “zhī”, jīngguò wénzì hé jìshù de chuándá ér dàodá yú “xiùcái” zhī shǒu, xiùcái nǎi néng jiànjiē de “zhī tiānxià shì”.

「秀才不出門，全知天下事」，在技術不發達的古代只是一句空話，在技術發達的現代雖然可以實現這句話，然而真正親知的是天下實踐著的人，那些人在他們的實踐中間取得了「知」，經過文字和技術的傳達而到達於「秀才」之手，秀才乃能間接地「知天下事」。

「秀才不出门，全知天下事」，在技术不发达的古代只是一句空话，在技术发达的现代虽然可以实现这句话，然而真正亲知的是天下实践着的人，那些人在他们的实践中间取得了「知」，经过文字和技术的传达而到达于「秀才」之手，秀才乃能间接地「知天下事」。

秀才不出門，能知天下事 秀才不出門，能知天下事#Chinese

秀才不出门，能知天下事 秀才不出门，能知天下事#Chinese

Synonym of 秀才不出門，能知天下事／秀才不出门，能知天下事 (xiùcái bù chūmén, néng zhī tiānxià shì)


跌個跤子，買個明白

ㄉㄧㄝ ˙ㄍㄜ ㄐㄧㄠ ˙ㄗ

ㄇㄞˇ ˙ㄍㄜ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ˙ㄅㄞ

ㄉㄧㄝˊ ˙ㄍㄜ ㄐㄧㄠ ˙ㄗ

де гэ цзяоцзы

май гэ минбай

/ti̯ɛ⁵⁵ g̊ə² t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩² maɪ̯²¹⁴ g̊ə⁴ miŋ³⁵ b̥aɪ̯³/

/ti̯ɛ³⁵ g̊ə³ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩² maɪ̯²¹⁴ g̊ə⁴ miŋ³⁵ b̥aɪ̯³/

吃一塹，長一智 吃一塹，長一智#Chinese

吃一堑，长一智 吃一堑，长一智#Chinese

Synonym of 吃一塹，長一智／吃一堑，长一智 (chī yī qiàn, zhǎng yī zhì, “a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit”)


蜉蝣在世

ㄈㄨˊ ㄧㄡˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄕˋ

/fu³⁵ joʊ̯³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/fɐu̯²¹ jɐu̯²¹ t͡sɔːi̯²² sɐi̯³³/

/fu³⁵ joʊ̯³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/fɐu̯²¹ jɐu̯²¹ t͡sɔːi̯²² sɐi̯³³/


倉廩實而知禮節，衣食足而知榮辱

head

倉廩實而知禮節，衣食足而知榮辱

ㄘㄤ ㄌㄧㄣˇ ㄕˊ ㄦˊ ㄓ ㄌㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄝˊ

ㄧ ㄕˊ ㄗㄨˊ ㄦˊ ㄓ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄖㄨˇ

ㄧ ㄕˊ ㄗㄨˊ ㄦˊ ㄓ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄖㄨˋ

cong¹ lam⁵ sat⁶ ji⁴ zi¹ lai⁵ zit³, ji¹ sik⁶ zuk¹ ji⁴ zi¹ wing⁴ juk⁶

tsʻang¹-lin³ shih² êrh² chih¹ li³-chieh²

цанлинь ши эр чжи лицзе

иши цзу эр чжи жунжу

/t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ lin²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡su³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐʊŋ³⁵ ʐu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ lin²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡su³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐʊŋ³⁵ ʐu⁵¹/

chōng láhm saht yìh jī láih jit, yī sihk jūk yìh jī wìhng yuhk

tsong¹ lam⁵ sat⁹ ji⁴ dzi¹ lai⁵ dzit⁸, ji¹ sik⁹ dzuk⁷ ji⁴ dzi¹ wing⁴ juk⁹

cong¹ lem⁵ sed⁶ yi⁴ ji¹ lei⁵ jid³, yi¹ xig⁶ zug¹ yi⁴ ji¹ wing⁴ yug⁶

/t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ lɐm¹³ sɐt̚² jiː²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ lɐi̯¹³ t͡siːt̚³ jiː⁵⁵ sɪk̚² t͡sʊk̚⁵ jiː²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ wɪŋ²¹ jʊk̚²/

When the granary becomes filled, people observe etiquette; when people become well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame.

Cānglǐn shí zé zhī lǐjié; yīshí zú zé zhī róngrǔ.

倉廩實則知禮節；衣食足則知榮辱。

仓廪实则知礼节；衣食足则知荣辱。

仓廪实而知礼节，衣食足而知荣辱

people observe etiquette and know honor and shame only after they are well-fed and clothed


隔行如隔山

ㄍㄜˊ ㄏㄤˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄍㄜˊ ㄕㄢ

гэ хан жу гэ шань

/kɤ³⁵ xɑŋ³⁵ ʐu³⁵ kɤ³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵/

/kaːk̚³ hɔːŋ²¹ jyː²¹ kaːk̚³ saːn⁵⁵/

/kɤ³⁵ xɑŋ³⁵ ʐu³⁵ kɤ³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵/

/kaːk̚³ hɔːŋ²¹ jyː²¹ kaːk̚³ saːn⁵⁵/

different trades are worlds apart; to someone outside the profession, it is a closed book


一山還有一山高

for every high mountain there is an even higher mountain

ㄧ ㄕㄢ ㄏㄞˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄧ ㄕㄢ ㄍㄠ

yī shān háiyǒu yī shān gāo [Phonetic:yì shān háiyǒu yì shān gāo]

и шань хайю и шань гао

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ xaɪ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ saːn⁵⁵ waːn²¹ jɐu̯¹³ jɐt̚⁵ saːn⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵/

There is always someone or something that is better. / Do not be smug about your achievements.


時窮節乃見

ㄕˊ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄋㄞˇ ㄒㄧㄢˋ

шицюнцзенайсянь

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ naɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/siː²¹ kʰʊŋ²¹ t͡siːt̚³ naːi̯¹³ jiːn²²/

/siː²¹ kʰʊŋ²¹ t͡siːt̚³ naːi̯¹³ jiːn²²/

From The Song of Righteousness by 文天祥 (Wen Tianxiang)

Only when times are extreme will one's integrity be manifested, and go down in history case after case.

時窮節乃見，一一垂丹青。

时穷节乃见，一一垂丹青。

only at perilous times will one's integrity be tested and manifested


愛之深責之切

/ˀaɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ t͡sɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ⁵¹/

/ɔːi̯³³ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ t͡saːk̚³ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːt̚³/

tough love; to criticize or reproach out of love


識人好過識字

It is better to know more people than to know more words

/sɪk̚⁵ jɐn²¹ hou̯³⁵ kʷɔː³³ sɪk̚⁵ t͡siː²²/

(Cantonese) having connections is more important than having good academic credentials


兼聽則明，偏信則暗

ㄐㄧㄢ ㄊㄧㄥ ㄗㄜˊ ㄇㄧㄥˊ

ㄆㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄗㄜˊ ㄢˋ

gim¹ ting³ zak¹ ming⁴, pin¹ seon³ zak¹ am³

цзяньтин цзэ мин

пяньсинь цзэ ань

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tʰiŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɤ³⁵ miŋ³⁵ pʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕin⁵¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ ˀän⁵¹/

gim¹ ting³ dzak⁷ ming⁴, pin¹ soen³ dzak⁷ am³

gim¹ ting³ zeg¹ ming⁴, pin¹ sên³ zeg¹ em³

/kiːm⁵⁵ tʰɪŋ³³ t͡sɐk̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵ sɵn³³ t͡sɐk̚⁵ ɐm³³/

Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened, heed only one side and you will be benighted.


業精於勤而荒於嬉

ㄧㄝˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄩˊ ㄑㄧㄣˊ ㄦˊ ㄏㄨㄤ ㄩˊ ㄒㄧ

jip⁶ zing¹ jyu¹ kan⁴ ji⁴ fong¹ jyu¹ hei¹

yeh⁴ ching¹ yü² chʻin² êrh² huang¹ yü² hsi¹

е цзин юй цинь эр хуан юй си

/jɛ⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵/

/jiːp̚² t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵ jyː⁵⁵ kʰɐn²¹ jiː²¹ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ jyː⁵⁵ hei̯⁵⁵/

業精於勤，荒於嬉 業精於勤，荒於嬉#Chinese

业精于勤，荒于嬉 业精于勤，荒于嬉#Chinese

Synonym of 業精於勤，荒於嬉／业精于勤，荒于嬉 (yè jīng yú qín, huāng yú xī, “academic excellence is achieved through diligence, while studies are neglected and deteriorate when one frolics”)


業精於勤，荒於嬉

ㄧㄝˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄩˊ ㄑㄧㄣˊ

е цзин юй цинь

/jɛ⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵/

/jiːp̚² t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵ jyː⁵⁵ kʰɐn²¹ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ jyː⁵⁵ hei̯⁵⁵/

Yè jīng yú qín, huāng yú xī; xíng chéng yú sī, huǐ yú suí.

業精於勤，荒於嬉；行成於思，毀於隨。

业精于勤，荒于嬉；行成于思，毁于随。

业精于勤，荒于嬉
業精於勤而荒於嬉

academic excellence is achieved through diligence, while studies are neglected and deteriorate when one frolics


養不教，父之過

ㄧㄤˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄠˋ

/jɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ fu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹/

/jœːŋ¹³ pɐt̚⁵ kaːu̯³³ fuː²² t͡siː⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³/

To feed without teaching is the father's fault; To teach, without severity, is the teacher's laziness.

Three Character Classic, circa 13ᵗʰ century CE

Yǎng bù jiào, fù zhī guò. Jiào bù yán, shī zhī duò.

養不教，父之過。教不嚴，師之惰。

养不教，父之过。教不严，师之惰。

it is wrong for a father to only feed but not teach his child