一山不容二虎

ㄧ ㄕㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄦˋ ㄏㄨˇ

yī shān bùróng èr hǔ [Phonetic:yì shān bùróng èr hǔ]

и шань бужун эр ху

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐʊŋ³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ saːn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ jʊŋ²¹ jiː²² fuː³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ saːn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ jʊŋ²¹ jiː²² fuː³⁵/

Two strong people are incompatible and cannot coexist in the same place.

เสือสองตัวอยู่ถ้ำเดียวกันไม่ได้

sʉ̌ʉa sɔ̌ɔng dtuua yùu tâm diao-gan mâi-dâi


一分耕耘，一分收穫

一分耕耘，一分收获
一份耕耘，一份收穫

ㄧ ㄈㄣ ㄕㄡ ㄏㄨㄛˋ

jat¹ fan¹ gaang¹ wan⁴, jat¹ fan¹ sau¹ wok⁶

и фэнь гэнъюнь

и фэнь шоухо

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fən⁵⁵ kɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fən⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ⁵¹/

jat⁷ fan¹ gaang¹ wan⁴, jat⁷ fan¹ sau¹ wok⁹

yed¹ fen¹ gang¹ wen⁴, yed¹ fen¹ seo¹ wog⁶

/jɐt̚⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ kaːŋ⁵⁵ wɐn²¹ jɐt̚⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ sɐu̯⁵⁵ wɔːk̚²/

gets out what one puts in
get out what one puts in

One gets out what one puts in; The reward one reaps is proportional to the effort one puts in


一步錯，步步錯

ㄅㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄛˋ

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ pou̯²² t͡sʰɔː³³ pou̯²² pou̯²² t͡sʰɔː³³/

If the ones in front make a misstep, then all the ones following will likewise make a misstep.

One mistake triggers the next. (Used to advise people not to do the wrong thing.)


一枝草，一點露

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ti̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu⁵¹/

/t͡sit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ ki⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰau⁵³ t͡sit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔ²²/

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰau⁵³ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔ²²/

/t͡sit̚⁴³⁻²¹ ki⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰau⁴² t͡sit̚⁴³⁻²¹ tiam⁴²⁻²⁴ lɔ²²/

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰau⁵³ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔ³³/

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰau⁴¹ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² tiam⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lɔ³³/

/t͡sit̚²⁴⁻² ki³³ t͡sʰau⁵⁵⁴ t͡sit̚²⁴⁻² tiam⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lɔ⁴¹/

Literally: For every blade of grass, there is a drop of dew.

As long as one is still breathing, one has a chance to live.


一飲一啄，莫非前定

ㄧ ㄧㄣˇ ㄧ ㄓㄨㄛˊ

ㄇㄛˋ ㄈㄟ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄉㄧㄥˋ

jat¹ jam² jat¹ doek³, mok⁶ fei¹ cin⁴ ding⁶

мофэйцяньдин

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ in²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ tiŋ⁵¹/

jat⁷ jam² jat⁷ doek⁸, mok⁹ fei¹ tsin⁴ ding⁶

yed¹ yem² yed¹ dêg³, mog⁶ féi¹ qin⁴ ding⁶

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐm³⁵ jɐt̚⁵ tœːk̚³ mɔːk̚² fei̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn²¹ tɪŋ²²/

From every single drink to every single bite, there is nothing that is not preordained.


一醉解千愁

ㄧ ㄗㄨㄟˋ ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄔㄡˊ

yī zuì jiě qiān chóu [Phonetic:yí zuì jiě qiān chóu]

и цзуй цзе цянь чоу

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sɵy̯³³ kaːi̯³⁵ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ sɐu̯²¹/

One time getting drunk will cure a thousand worries.


人非聖賢，孰能無過

人非圣贤，孰能无过
人非聖賢，誰能無過

People are not sages, who can be without error?

ㄖㄣˊ ㄈㄟ ㄕㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄢˊ

ㄕㄨˊ ㄋㄥˊ ㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ

jan⁴ fei¹ sing³ jin⁴, suk⁶ nang⁴ mou⁴ gwo³

жэнь фэй шэнсянь

/ʐən³⁵ feɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ u³⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹/

jan⁴ fei¹ sing³ jin⁴, suk⁹ nang⁴ mou⁴ gwo³

yen⁴ féi¹ xing³ yin⁴, sug⁶ neng⁴ mou⁴ guo³

/jɐn²¹ fei̯⁵⁵ sɪŋ³³ jiːn²¹ sʊk̚² nɐŋ²¹ mou̯²¹ kʷɔː³³/

nobody is perfect; everyone makes mistakes


人心隔肚皮

ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄍㄜˊ ㄉㄨˋ ㄆㄧˊ

жэньсинь гэ дупи

/ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ kɤ³⁵ tu⁵¹ pʰi³⁵/

/jɐn²¹ sɐm⁵⁵ kaːk̚³ tʰou̯¹³ pʰei̯²¹/

/n̠ʲin²² ɕin³³ kaʔ⁴⁴ du²² bi⁴⁴/

/ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ kɤ³⁵ tu⁵¹ pʰi³⁵/

/jɐn²¹ sɐm⁵⁵ kaːk̚³ tʰou̯¹³ pʰei̯²¹/

/n̠ʲin²² ɕin³³ kaʔ⁴⁴ du²² bi⁴⁴/

someone else's heart is difficult to know


人外有人，天外有天

ㄖㄣˊ ㄨㄞˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨㄞˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄊㄧㄢ

jên² wai⁴ yu³ jên², tʻien¹ wai⁴ yu³ tʻien¹

жэнь вай ю жэнь

тянь вай ю тянь

/ʐən³⁵ waɪ̯⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ waɪ̯⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

Literally: There are people beyond (this) person, and skies beyond (this) sky.

No matter how good you think you are, there is always someone out there that is better.


人無遠慮，必有近憂

ㄖㄣˊ ㄨˊ ㄩㄢˇ ㄌㄩˋ

ㄅㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄧㄡ

jan⁴ mou⁴ jyun⁵ leoi⁶, bit¹ jau⁵ gan⁶ jau¹

жэнь у юаньлюй

/ʐən³⁵ u³⁵ ɥɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ ly⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵/

jan⁴ mou⁴ jyn⁵ loey⁶, bit⁷ jau⁵ gan⁶ jau¹

yen⁴ mou⁴ yun⁵ lêu⁶, bid¹ yeo⁵ gen⁶ yeo¹

/jɐn²¹ mou̯²¹ jyːn¹³ lɵy̯²² piːt̚⁵ jɐu̯¹³ kɐn²² jɐu̯⁵⁵/

The Master said, "If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand."

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

子曰：「人無遠慮，必有近憂。」

子曰：「人无远虑，必有近忧。」

He who gives no thought to problems of the future is sure to be beset by worries much closer at hand


人算不如天算

ㄖㄣˊ ㄙㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄙㄨㄢˋ

жэнь суань бужу тянь суань

/ʐən³⁵ su̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ su̯än⁵¹/

/jɐn²¹ syːn³³ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵ syːn³³/

the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry; no matter how much one plans things out, life always intervenes; man proposes but God disposes; God's plans supersede our own


一樣米養百樣人

One kind of rice provides for one hundred kinds of people.

ㄧ ㄧㄤˋ ㄇㄧˇ ㄧㄤˇ ㄅㄞˇ ㄧㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ

jat¹ joeng⁶ mai⁵ joeng⁵ baak³ joeng⁶ jan⁴

yī yàng mǐ yǎng bǎi yàng rén [Phonetic:yíyàngmǐyángbǎiyàngrén]

и ян ми ян бай ян жэнь

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ jɑŋ⁵¹ mi²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɑŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɑŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

jat⁷ joeng⁶ mai⁵ joeng⁵ baak⁸ joeng⁶ jan⁴

/jɐt̚⁵ jœːŋ²² mɐi̯¹³ jœːŋ¹³ paːk̚³ jœːŋ²² jɐn²¹/

/(j)it̚² (j)i̯oŋ⁵⁵ mi³¹ (j)i̯oŋ²⁴ pak̚² (j)i̯oŋ⁵⁵ ŋin¹¹/

Everybody thinks and acts a little differently even when we are in the same environment


十年河東，十年河西

Ten years on the east side of the river, ten years on the west side of the river.

ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄉㄨㄥ

ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄒㄧ

shih² nien² ho² tung¹, shih² nien² ho² hsi¹

ши нянь хэ дун

ши нянь хэ си

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ xɤ³⁵ tʊŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵/

/sɐp̚² niːn²¹ hɔː²¹ tʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐp̚² niːn²¹ hɔː²¹ sɐi̯⁵⁵/

prosperity and decline never last; everything in life is cyclical; life has its ups and downs


人逢喜事精神爽

ㄖㄣˊ ㄈㄥˊ ㄒㄧˇ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄕㄣˊ ㄕㄨㄤˇ

jên² fêng² hsi³-shih⁴ ching¹-shên² shuang³

жэнь фэн сиши цзиншэнь шуан

/ʐən³⁵ fɤŋ³⁵ ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʂən³⁵ ʂu̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

joy puts heart into a man; a joyful occasion boosts one's spirits


一日為師，終身為父

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (一日為師，終身為父):
* → Vietnamese: nhất nhật vi sư, chung thân vi phụ (一日為師，終身為父)

一日为师，终身为父
一日為師，終生為父

ㄓㄨㄥ ㄕㄣ ㄨㄟˊ ㄈㄨˋ

чжуншэнь вэй фу

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ fu⁵¹/

jat⁷ jat⁹ wai⁴ si¹, dzung¹ san¹ wai⁴ fu⁶

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² wɐi̯²¹ siː⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐn⁵⁵ wɐi̯²¹ fuː²²/

'jit nyit hjwe srij tsyuwng syin hjwe bjuX

Even if someone is your teacher for only a day, you should regard him like your father for the rest of your life.


三十年河東，三十年河西

Thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west side of the river.

ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄉㄨㄥ

ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄒㄧ

saam¹ sap⁶ nin⁴ ho⁴ dung¹, saam¹ sap⁶ nin⁴ ho⁴ sai¹

саньши нянь хэ дун

саньши нянь хэ си

/sän⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ xɤ³⁵ tʊŋ⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵/

sāam sahp nìhn hòh dūng, sāam sahp nìhn hòh sāi

saam¹ sap⁹ nin⁴ ho⁴ dung¹, saam¹ sap⁹ nin⁴ ho⁴ sai¹

sam¹ seb⁶ nin⁴ ho⁴ dung¹, sam¹ seb⁶ nin⁴ ho⁴ sei¹

/saːm⁵⁵ sɐp̚² niːn²¹ hɔː²¹ tʊŋ⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ sɐp̚² niːn²¹ hɔː²¹ sɐi̯⁵⁵/


人無千日好，花無百日紅

ㄖㄣˊ ㄨˊ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄖˋ ㄏㄠˇ

ㄏㄨㄚ ㄨˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄖˋ ㄏㄨㄥˊ

jan⁴ mou⁴ cin¹ jat⁶ hou², faa¹ mou⁴ baak³ jat⁶ hung⁴

rén wú cian rìh hǎo, hua wú bǎi rìh hóng

jên² wu² chʻien¹ jih⁴ hao³, hua¹ wu² pai³ jih⁴ hung²

rén wú chyān r̀ hǎu-, hwā wú bǎi r̀ húng

ren wu chian ryh hao, hua wu bae ryh horng

жэнь у цянь жи хао

хуа у бай жи хун

/ʐən³⁵ u³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ä⁵⁵ u³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐ̩⁵¹ xʊŋ³⁵/

yàhn mòuh chīn yaht hóu, fā mòuh baak yaht hùhng

jan⁴ mou⁴ tsin¹ jat⁹ hou², faa¹ mou⁴ baak⁸ jat⁹ hung⁴

yen⁴ mou⁴ qin¹ yed⁶ hou², fa¹ mou⁴ bag³ yed⁶ hung⁴

/jɐn²¹ mou̯²¹ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ jɐt̚² hou̯³⁵ faː⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ paːk̚³ jɐt̚² hʊŋ²¹/

Literally: There is no person that has 1000 good days (in a row), and no flower that stays red for 100 days.

Nothing good lasts forever; all good things must come to an end.


人生何處不相逢

ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄏㄜˊ ㄔㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄈㄥˊ

жэньшэн хэчу бу сянфэн

/ʐən³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ³⁵/

/jɐn²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵ hɔː²¹ t͡sʰyː³³ pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵ fʊŋ²¹/

From the poem 《金柅園》 attributed to Yan Shu (991–1055). The line was a tribute to (and reversal of) Li Shangyin's line 人生何處不離群 ("Where, in one's lifetime, can be spared the pain of parting?") from the poem 《杜工部蜀中離席》 (A Farewell Banquet in Shu, after the Style of Du Fu).

in life, where will you not run into other people?

even if you are separated from somebody by a great distance, there is always a chance that you may bump into them someday; it's a small world


人而無信，不知其可

ㄖㄣˊ ㄦˊ ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄣˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄑㄧˊ ㄎㄜˇ

jên² êrh² wu² hsin⁴, pu⁴ chih¹ chʻi² kʻo³

жэнь эр у синь

бу чжи ци кэ

/ʐən³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ u³⁵ ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

A quote from the Analects of Confucius.
: Literally: If a man has no honesty, it cannot be known what he can be suitable for.

A man without honesty is capable of nothing.


三日不讀書，面目可憎

ㄙㄢ ㄖˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨˊ ㄕㄨ

ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄗㄥ

saam¹ jat⁶ bat¹ duk⁶ syu¹, min⁶ muk⁶ ho² zang¹

сань жи бу душу

мяньмукэцзэн

/sän⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tu³⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ mu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sɤŋ⁵⁵/

sāam yaht bāt duhk syū, mihn muhk hó jāng

saam¹ jat⁹ bat⁷ duk⁹ sy¹, min⁶ muk⁹ ho² dzang¹

sam¹ yed⁶ bed¹ dug⁶ xu¹, min⁶ mug⁶ ho² zeng¹

/saːm⁵⁵ jɐt̚² pɐt̚⁵ tʊk̚² syː⁵⁵ miːn²² mʊk̚² hɔː³⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵/

Literally: If you don't read for three days, you will become unattractive.

If you are not diligent in your studies, you will remain ignorant, and nobody will be attracted to you.


大人不計小人過

A greater man does not make note of a lesser man's faults.

ㄉㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ

dàrén bùjì xiǎorén guò [Phonetic:dàrén bújì xiǎorén guò]

дажэнь буцзи сяожэнь го

/tä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹/


大人不記小人過

ㄉㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ

dàrén bù jì xiǎorén guò [Phonetic:dàrén bú jì xiǎorén guò]

дажэнь бу цзи сяожэнь го

/taːi̯²² jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ kei̯³³ siːu̯³⁵ jɐn²¹ kʷɔː³³/

Literally: A greater man does not make note of a lesser man's faults.


大事化小，小事化無

ㄉㄚˋ ㄕˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄨˊ

даши хуа сяо

/tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯ä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯ä⁵¹ u³⁵/

/taːi̯²² siː²² faː³³ siːu̯³⁵ siːu̯³⁵ siː²² faː³³ mou̯²¹/

Literally: Reduce major issues to minor ones, and minor ones to nothing.

Turn big problems into small ones, and small ones into no problems at all.


大魚吃小魚

ㄉㄚˋ ㄩˊ ㄔ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄩˊ

да юй чи сяо юй

/tä⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵/

/tä⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵/

大魚吃小魚，小魚吃蝦米 大魚吃小魚，小魚吃蝦米#Chinese

大鱼吃小鱼，小鱼吃虾米 大鱼吃小鱼，小鱼吃虾米#Chinese

Short for 大魚吃小魚，小魚吃蝦米／大鱼吃小鱼，小鱼吃虾米 (dàyú chī xiǎoyú, xiǎoyú chī xiāmi).


一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井繩

Bitten by a snake on one day, afraid of the rope by the well for ten years

yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng

ㄧ ㄓㄠ ㄅㄟˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄧㄠˇ

ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄆㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄥˇ ㄕㄥˊ

jat¹ ziu¹ bei⁶ se⁴ ngaau⁵, sap⁶ nin⁴ paa³ zeng² sing⁴

shí nián pà jǐng shéng [Phonetic:yì zhāo bèi shé yǎo

yi jhao bèi shé yǎo, shíh nián pà jǐng shéng

i¹ chao¹ pei⁴ shê² yao³, shih² nien² pʻa⁴ ching³ shêng²

yī jāu bèi shé yǎu-, shŕ nyán pà jǐng shéng

i jau bey sher yeau, shyr nian pah jiing sherng

и чжао бэй шэ яо

ши нянь па цзин шэн

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ pʰä⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤŋ³⁵/

yāt jīu beih sèh ngáauh, sahp nìhn pa jéng sìhng

jat⁷ dziu¹ bei⁶ se⁴ ngaau⁵, sap⁹ nin⁴ paa³ dzeng² sing⁴

yed¹ jiu¹ béi⁶ sé⁴ ngao⁵, seb⁶ nin⁴ pa³ zéng² xing⁴

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ pei̯²² sɛː²¹ ŋaːu̯¹³ sɐp̚² niːn²¹ pʰaː³³ t͡sɛːŋ³⁵ sɪŋ²¹/

一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩#Chinese

一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草绳 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草绳#Chinese

Synonym of 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩／一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草绳 (yīzhāo bèi shé yǎo, shínián pà cǎoshéng)


大難不死，必有後福

ㄉㄚˋ ㄋㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄙˇ

ㄅㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄡˋ ㄈㄨˊ

daai⁶ naan⁶ bat¹ sei², bit¹ jau⁵ hau⁶ fuk¹

данань бу сы

/tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ nän⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xoʊ̯⁵¹ fu³⁵/

daai⁶ naan⁶ bat⁷ sei², bit⁷ jau⁵ hau⁶ fuk⁷

dai⁶ nan⁶ bed¹ séi², bid¹ yeo⁵ heo⁶ fug¹

/taːi̯²² naːn²² pɐt̚⁵ sei̯³⁵ piːt̚⁵ jɐu̯¹³ hɐu̯²² fʊk̚⁵/

Those who survive a catastrophe are bound to have good fortune later on.


患難見真情

Adversity allows one to see the true feelings of others.

ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄋㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄣ ㄑㄧㄥˊ

хуаньнань цзянь чжэньцин

/xu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ nän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵/

/waːn²² naːn²² kiːn³³ t͡sɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɪŋ²¹/

/waːn²² naːn²² kiːn³³ t͡sɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɪŋ²¹/

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

患難見真心

one's true heart will be seen in disasters


物以類聚

things will be gathered together according to category

ㄨˋ ㄧˇ ㄌㄟˋ ㄐㄩˋ

/u⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ leɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy⁵¹/

/mɐt̚² jiː¹³ lɵy̯²² t͡sɵy̯²²/

/u⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ leɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy⁵¹/

/mɐt̚² jiː¹³ lɵy̯²² t͡sɵy̯²²/

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


冰凍三尺，非一日之寒

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄙㄢ ㄔˇ

ㄈㄟ ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄓ ㄏㄢˊ

bing¹ dung³ saam¹ cek³, fei¹ jat¹ jat⁶ zi¹ hon⁴

fēi yīrì zhī hán [Phonetic:bīngdòng sān chǐ

биндун сань чи

фэй ижи чжи хань

/piŋ⁵⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ xän³⁵/

bīng dung sāam chek, fēi yāt yaht jī hòhn

bing¹ dung³ saam¹ tsek⁸, fei¹ jat⁷ jat⁹ dzi¹ hon⁴

bing¹ dung³ sam¹ cég³, féi¹ yed¹ yed⁶ ji¹ hon⁴

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ tʊŋ³³ saːm⁵⁵ t͡sʰɛːk̚³ fei̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² t͡siː⁵⁵ hɔːn²¹/

A similar expression is found in Lunheng by Wang Chong

Therefore, ice forming in river is not [caused by] one day's coldness; earth gathering to form mountains is not [caused by] one moment's efforts.

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

Gù fú hé bīng jiéhé, fēi yīrì zhī hán, jī tǔ chéng shān, fēi sīxū zhī zuò.

故夫河冰結合，非一日之寒，積土成山，非斯須之作。

故夫河冰结合，非一日之寒，积土成山，非斯须之作。

three feet of ice is not the result of one cold day

Rome wasn't built in a day
Rome wasn't built in a day


花開堪折直須折

ㄏㄨㄚ ㄎㄞ ㄎㄢ ㄓㄜˊ ㄓˊ ㄒㄩ ㄓㄜˊ

хуа кай кань чжэ чжи сюй чжэ

/xu̯ä⁵⁵ kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ kʰän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵ ɕy⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵/

/faː⁵⁵ hɔːi̯⁵⁵ hɐm⁵⁵ t͡siːt̚³ t͡sɪk̚² sɵy̯⁵⁵ t͡siːt̚³/

From the poem “The Golden Dress” (《金縷衣》):
:
This is also the etymology for 莫待無花空折枝／莫待无花空折枝 (mò dài wú huā kōng zhé zhī).

zh-l

Love not your golden dress, I pray,
More than your youthful golden hours!
Gather sweet flowers while you may,
And not the twig devoid of flowers!

 Tang dynasty, author unknown, likely Du Qiuniang (杜秋娘), “The Golden Dress” (《金縷衣》)
Translation from 300 Tang Poems, A New Translation (edited by Xu Yuan-zhong, Loh Bei-yei and Wu Juntao, →ISBN)

Quàn jūn mò xī jīnlǚyī, quàn jūn xī qǔ shàonián shí. Huā kāi kān zhé zhí xū zhé, mò dài wú huā kōng zhé zhī.

勸君莫惜金縷衣，勸君惜取少年時。花開堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝。

劝君莫惜金缕衣，劝君惜取少年时。花开堪折直须折，莫待无花空折枝。

If aflower is blooming, and you can pluck it, go ahead and pluck it.

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

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

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

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

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


女人心，海底針

Awoman's heart (is like) a needle at the bottom of the sea.

nǚrén xīn, hǎidǐ zhēn [Phonetic:nǚrénxīn,háidǐzhēn]

нюйжэнь синь

/ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/

/nɵy̯¹³ jɐn²¹⁻³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵ tɐi̯³⁵ t͡sɐm⁵⁵/

a woman's thoughts are impossible to fathom


人非聖賢，誰能無過

ㄖㄣˊ ㄈㄟ ㄕㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄢˊ

ㄕㄟˊ ㄋㄥˊ ㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ

jan⁴ fei¹ sing³ jin⁴, seoi⁴ nang⁴ mou⁴ gwo³

жэнь фэй шэнсянь

/ʐən³⁵ feɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ ʂeɪ̯³⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ u³⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹/

yàhn fēi sing yìhn, sèuih nàhng mòuh gwo

jan⁴ fei¹ sing³ jin⁴, soey⁴ nang⁴ mou⁴ gwo³

yen⁴ féi¹ xing³ yin⁴, sêu⁴ neng⁴ mou⁴ guo³

/jɐn²¹ fei̯⁵⁵ sɪŋ³³ jiːn²¹ sɵy̯²¹ nɐŋ²¹ mou̯²¹ kʷɔː³³/

人非聖賢，孰能無過 人非聖賢，孰能無過#Chinese

人非圣贤，孰能无过 人非圣贤，孰能无过#Chinese

Alternative form of 人非聖賢，孰能無過／人非圣贤，孰能无过 (rén fēi shèngxián, shú néng wúguò)


女子無才便是德

ㄋㄩˇ ㄗˇ ㄨˊ ㄘㄞˊ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄉㄜˊ

nǚzǐ wú cái biàn shì dé [Phonetic:nǘzǐwúcáibiànshìdé]

нюйцзы у цай бянь ши дэ

/ny²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tɤ³⁵/

Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, mid-18ᵗʰ century CE

Zìgǔ dào: ‘Nǚ zǐ wú cái biàn shì dé.’ Zǒng yǐ zhēnjìng wèizhǔ, nǚgōng háishì dì'èr jiàn.

自古道：『女子無才便是德。』總以貞靜為主，女工還是第二件。

自古道：『女子无才便是德。』总以贞静为主，女工还是第二件。

A woman who lacks talent is virtuous; An old fashioned saying meaning that women should stay at home.


一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩

Bitten by a snake on one day, afraid of the straw rope for ten years

ㄧ ㄓㄠ ㄅㄟˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄧㄠˇ

ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄆㄚˋ ㄘㄠˇ ㄕㄥˊ

jat¹ ziu¹ bei⁶ se⁴ ngaau⁵, sap⁶ nin⁴ paa³ cou² sing⁴⁻²

shínián pà cǎoshéng [Phonetic:yìzhāo bèi shé yǎo

ичжао бэй шэ яо

шинянь па цаошэн

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ pʰä⁵¹ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤŋ³⁵/

yāt jīu beih sèh ngáauh, sahp nìhn pa chóu síng

jat⁷ dziu¹ bei⁶ se⁴ ngaau⁵, sap⁹ nin⁴ paa³ tsou² sing⁴⁻²

yed¹ jiu¹ béi⁶ sé⁴ ngao⁵, seb⁶ nin⁴ pa³ cou² xing⁴⁻²

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ pei̯²² sɛː²¹ ŋaːu̯¹³ sɐp̚² niːn²¹ pʰaː³³ t͡sʰou̯³⁵ sɪŋ²¹⁻³⁵/

once bitten, twice shy
once bitten, twice shy

一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井繩／一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳

yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng


大魚吃小魚，小魚吃蝦米

The big fish eat the little fish, and the little fish eat small shrimps.

ㄉㄚˋ ㄩˊ ㄔ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄩˊ

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄩˊ ㄔ ㄒㄧㄚ ˙ㄇㄧ

даюй чи сяоюй

сяоюй чи сями

/tä⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ mi²/

The big fish eat the little fish, the little fish eat small shrimps, and the shrimps eat sludge.

Dà yú chī xiǎo yú, xiǎo yú chī xiāmi, xiāmi chī lànní.

大魚吃小魚，小魚吃蝦米，蝦米吃爛泥。

大鱼吃小鱼，小鱼吃虾米，虾米吃烂泥。

The weak are the prey of the strong; might makes right


己立立人，己達達人

ㄐㄧˇ ㄌㄧˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄐㄧˇ ㄉㄚˊ ㄉㄚˊ ㄖㄣˊ

цзи ли ли жэнь

цзи да да жэнь

/t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä³⁵ tä³⁵ ʐən³⁵/

/kei̯³⁵ lɐp̚² lɐp̚² jɐn²¹ kei̯³⁵ taːt̚² taːt̚² jɐn²¹/

/kei̯³⁵ laːp̚² laːp̚² jɐn²¹ kei̯³⁵ taːt̚² taːt̚² jɐn²¹/

Zigong said, "Suppose the case of a man extensively conferring benefits on the people, and able to assist all, what would you say of him? Might he be called perfectly virtuous?" The Master said, "Why speak only of virtue in connection with him? Must he not have the qualities of a sage? Even Yao and Shun were still solicitous about this. Now the man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others. To be able to judge of others by what is nigh in ourselves - this may be called the art of virtue."

Zǐgòng yuē: “Rú yǒu bó shī yú mín ér néng jì zhòng, hérú? Kěwèi rén hū?” Zǐyuē: “Hé shì yú rén, bì yě shèng hū! YáoShùn qí yóu bìng zhū! Fú rén zhě, jǐ yù lì ér lì rén, jǐ yù dá ér dá rén. Néng jìn qǔ pì, kěwèi rén zhī fāng yě yǐ.”

子貢曰：「如有博施於民而能濟眾，何如？可謂仁乎？」子曰：「何事於仁，必也聖乎！堯舜其猶病諸！夫仁者，己欲立而立人，己欲達而達人。能近取譬，可謂仁之方也已。」

子贡曰：「如有博施于民而能济众，何如？可谓仁乎？」子曰：「何事于仁，必也圣乎！尧舜其犹病诸！夫仁者，己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人。能近取譬，可谓仁之方也已。」

Just as you would like to establish yourself in the world, so allow others to establish themselves. Just as you seek to understand things, so allow others the same opportunity.


不入虎穴，焉得虎子

ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˋ ㄏㄨˇ ㄒㄩㄝˊ

ㄧㄢ ㄉㄜˊ ㄏㄨˇ ㄗˇ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˋ ㄏㄨˇ ㄒㄩㄝˋ

bù rù hǔxué, yān dé hǔzǐ [Phonetic:búrùhǔxué,yāndéhúzǐ]

янь дэ хуцзы

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʐu⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ jɛn⁵⁵ tɤ³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

bù rù hǔxuè, yān dé hǔzǐ [Phonetic:búrùhǔxuè,yāndéhúzǐ]

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʐu⁵¹ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ jɛn⁵⁵ tɤ³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ jɐp̚² fuː³⁵ jyːt̚² jiːn⁵⁵ tɐk̚⁵ fuː³⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

(Ban) Chao said: "If you don't enter the tiger's den, you cannot get the tiger's cub. Now there is only one stratagem: we will use fire to attack the (Xiongnu) caitiffs, taking advantage of (the cover of) night and that they don't know how many of us there are; we surely can cause them great terror and kill them all. Once we'll have slain all these caitiffs, Shanshan's resolve shall be shattered, and our endeavor shall succeed."

超曰：「不入虎穴，不得虎子。[[當今#Chinese|]]當今

If you don't enter the tiger's den, how will you get the tiger's cub?

There is an old Chinese saying, “How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?” This saying holds true for human's practice and it also holds true for the theory of knowledge.

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

Zhōngguórén yǒu yī jù lǎohuà: “Bù rù hǔxué, yān dé hǔzǐ.” Zhè jù huà duìyú rénmen de shíjiàn shì zhēnlǐ, duìyú rènshilùn yě shì zhēnlǐ.

中國人有一句老話：「不入虎穴，焉得虎子。」這句話對於人們的實踐是真理，對於認識論也是真理。

中国人有一句老话：「不入虎穴，焉得虎子。」这句话对于人们的实践是真理，对于认识论也是真理。

nothing ventured, nothing gained
nothing ventured, nothing gained

(rhetorical question) No pain, no gain; no risk, no reward; nothing ventured, nothing gained.


不以成敗論英雄

ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˇ ㄔㄥˊ ㄅㄞˋ ㄌㄨㄣˋ ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ

бу и чэнбай лунь инсюн

/pu⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ən⁵¹ iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ jiː¹³ sɪŋ²¹ paːi̯²² lɵn²² jɪŋ⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹/

A person should not be deemed a hero merely on the basis of the success or failure of their endeavors.


不在其位，不謀其政

ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄨㄟˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄡˊ ㄑㄧˊ ㄓㄥˋ

bat¹ zoi⁶ kei⁴ wai⁶, bat¹ mau⁴ kei⁴ zing³

pu⁴ tsai⁴ chʻi² wei⁴, pu⁴ mou² chʻi² chêng⁴

бу цзай ци вэй

бу моу ци чжэн

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ moʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹/

bat⁷ dzoi⁶ kei⁴ wai⁶, bat⁷ mau⁴ kei⁴ dzing³

bed¹ zoi⁶ kéi⁴ wei⁶, bed¹ meo⁴ kéi⁴ jing³

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɔːi̯²² kʰei̯²¹ wɐi̯²² pɐt̚⁵ mɐu̯²¹ kʰei̯²¹ t͡sɪŋ³³/

The Master said, "He who is not in any particular office has nothing to do with plans for the administration of its duties."

子曰：「不在其位，不謀其政。」

子曰：「不在其位，不谋其政。」

If you do not hold the post, do not meddle in the affairs of that post.


不打不相識

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄕˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄕˋ

бу да бу сянши

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ taː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵/

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ taː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵/

Friends are often made after a fight; from an exchange of blows friendship grows; no acquaintance is made without a fight; no discord, no concord; out of blows friendship grows.


不打不成相識

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄕˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄕˋ

бу да бу чэн сянши

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/pu⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/


不自由毋寧死

不自由毋宁死
不自由無寧死

ㄅㄨˋ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˊ ㄨˊ ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄙˇ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˊ ㄨˊ ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄙˇ

bù zìyóu wúnìng sǐ [Phonetic:bú zìyóu wúnìng sǐ]

бу цзыю унин сы

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯³⁵ u³⁵ niŋ⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

bù zìyóu wúníng sǐ [Phonetic:bú zìyóu wúníng sǐ]

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯³⁵ u³⁵ niŋ³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː²² jɐu̯²¹ mou̯²¹ nɪŋ²¹ sei̯³⁵/

There is a saying that goes, “Give me liberty or give me death.” So even if one were to be free for one day and commit suicide by cutting their throat the next day, it would be desirable, let alone for thirty or forty years!

Yǔ yuē: “Bù zìyóu, wúnìng sǐ!” Ránzé zàn yǒu zìyóu zhī yīrì ér míngrì zìwěn qí hóu, yóu suǒ yuàn yě, kuàng miányán zhìyú sānsìshí nián hū!

語曰：「不自由，無寧死！」然則暫有自由之一日而明日自刎其喉，猶所願也，況綿延至於三四十年乎！

语曰：「不自由，无宁死！」然则暂有自由之一日而明日自刎其喉，犹所愿也，况绵延至于三四十年乎！

Give me liberty or give me death
give me liberty or give me death


不知者不罪

ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄓㄜˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄨㄟˋ

bùzhī zhě bù zuì [Phonetic:bùzhī zhě bú zuì]

бучжи чжэ бу цзуй

/pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡su̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɵy̯²²/

/pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɵy̯²²/

One who errs unknowingly need not be held responsible.


留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒

As long as the green mountains are there, one need not worry about firewood.

ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄉㄜˊ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄕㄢ ㄗㄞˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄆㄚˋ ㄇㄟˊ ㄔㄞˊ ㄕㄠ

bùpà méi chái shāo [Phonetic:liú dé qīngshān zài

лю дэ циншань цзай

бупа мэй чай шао

/li̯oʊ̯³⁵ tɤ³⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ pʰä⁵¹ meɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰaɪ̯³⁵ ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵/


不孝有三，無後為大

ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙㄢ

ㄨˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄉㄚˋ

bat¹ haau³ jau⁵ saam¹, mou⁴ hau⁶ wai⁴ daai⁶

бусяо ю сань

у хоу вэй да

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sän⁵⁵ u³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ tä⁵¹/

bāt haau yáuh sāam, mòuh hauh wàih daaih

bat⁷ haau³ jau⁵ saam¹, mou⁴ hau⁶ wai⁴ daai⁶

bed¹ hao³ yeo⁵ sam¹, mou⁴ heo⁶ wei⁴ dai⁶

/pɐt̚⁵ haːu̯³³ jɐu̯¹³ saːm⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ hɐu̯²² wɐi̯²¹ taːi̯²²/

Mencius said, 'There are three things which are unfilial, and to have no posterity is the greatest of them. Shun married without informing his parents because of this, lest he should have no posterity. Superior men consider that his doing so was the same as if he had informed them.'

Mèngzǐ yuē: “Bùxiào yǒu sān, wúhòu wéi dà. Shùn bù gào ér qǔ, wéi wúhòu yě, jūnzǐ yǐwèi yóu gào yě.”

孟子曰：「不孝有三，無後為大。舜不告而娶，為無後也，君子以為猶告也。」

孟子曰：「不孝有三，无后为大。舜不告而娶，为无后也，君子以为犹告也。」

I have seen too many cases of transgender people suffering domestic violence in Shandong… the notion that "there are three ways to be unfilial; the worst is to not produce offspring" has been deeply ingrained in the minds of many, but my sperms weren't active… my dad almost fell out with me about this.

2021 January 15, 张楠茜, 《拯救可橙： 被父母强送矫治的跨性别者》, in 《鳳凰週刊》 [Phoenix Weekly], →ISSN, issue 747, page 42

“Shāndōng wǒ jiàndào guò tài duō de jiābàodǎng de lìzi le...... Bùxiào yǒu sān, wú hòu wèi dà de guānniàn gēnshēndìgù, dànshì wǒ de jīngzǐ méiyǒu huóxìng...... Wèile zhè shì wǒ bà chādiǎn gēn wǒ nàofān le.”

「山東我見到過太多的家暴黨的例子了……不孝有三，無後為大的觀念根深蒂固，但是我的精子沒有活性……為了這事我爸差點跟我鬧翻了。」

「山东我见到过太多的家暴党的例子了……不孝有三，无后为大的观念根深蒂固，但是我的精子没有活性……为了这事我爸差点跟我闹翻了。」

There are three ways to be unfilial; the worst is to not produce offspring.


不是冤家不聚頭

不是冤家不聚头
勿是冤家勿碰頭

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˋ ㄩㄢ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄩˋ ㄊㄡˊ

bùshì yuānjiā bù jùtóu [Phonetic:búshì yuānjiā bú jùtóu]

буши юаньцзя бу цзюйтоу

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ɥɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ siː²² jyːn⁵⁵ kaː⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɵy̯²² tʰɐu̯²¹/

If you were not destined to be lovers, you would not be together. Those with some kind of connection will be brought together. (often said about lovers who have a disagreement)


不是一家人，不進一家門

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˋ ㄧ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄧ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄇㄣˊ

bat¹ si⁶ jat¹ gaa¹ jan⁴, bat¹ zeon³ jat¹ gaa¹ mun⁴

bù jìn yī jiā mén [Phonetic:búshì yì jiā rén

буши и цзя жэнь

бу цзинь и цзя мэнь

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ mən³⁵/

bāt sih yāt gā yàhn, bāt jeun yāt gā mùhn

bat⁷ si⁶ jat⁷ gaa¹ jan⁴, bat⁷ dzoen³ jat⁷ gaa¹ mun⁴

bed¹ xi⁶ yed¹ ga¹ yen⁴, bed¹ zên³ yed¹ ga¹ mun⁴

/pɐt̚⁵ siː²² jɐt̚⁵ kaː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɵn³³ jɐt̚⁵ kaː⁵⁵ muːn²¹/

If a bride were not meant to marry into a family, fate would not bring her in the door.


不患寡而患不均

ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄩㄣ

bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjūn [Phonetic:bú huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjūn]

бу хуань гуа эр хуань буцзюнь

/pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵/

/pɐt̚⁵ waːn²² kʷaː³⁵ jiː²¹ waːn²² pɐt̚⁵ kʷɐn⁵⁵/

Confucius said. "… I have heard that rulers of states and chiefs of families are not troubled lest their people should be few, but are troubled lest they should not keep their several places; that they are not troubled with fears of poverty, but are troubled with fears of a want of contented repose among the people in their several places. …"

Kǒng Zǐ yuē: “...... Qiū yě wén yǒu guó yǒu jiā zhě, bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjūn, bù huàn pín ér huàn bù'ān.......”

孔子曰：「……丘也聞有國有家者，不患寡而患不均，不患貧而患不安。……」

孔子曰：「……丘也闻有国有家者，不患寡而患不均，不患贫而患不安。……」

(of money, wealth etc.) Do not worry if there is not enough to go around, only worry if it is not evenly distributed (among the people).


不經一事，不長一智

ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄧ ㄕˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄤˇ ㄧ ㄓˋ

bat¹ ging¹ jat¹ si⁶, bat¹ zoeng² jat¹ zi³

bù zhǎng yī zhì [Phonetic:bù jīng yí shì

pu⁴ ching¹ i¹ shih⁴, pu⁴ chang³ i¹ chih⁴

бу цзин и ши

бу чжан и чжи

/pu⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

bat⁷ ging¹ jat⁷ si⁶, bat⁷ dzoeng² jat⁷ dzi³

bed¹ ging¹ yed¹ xi⁶, bed¹ zêng² yed¹ ji³

/pɐt̚⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ siː²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ³⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡siː³³/

one can't know about something unless one experiences it; wisdom comes from experience


仇人相見，分外眼紅

ㄔㄡˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

ㄈㄣˋ ㄨㄞˋ ㄧㄢˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ

sau⁴ jan⁴ soeng¹ gin³, fan⁶ ngoi⁶ ngaan⁵ hung⁴

чоужэнь сянцзянь

фэньвай яньхун

/ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ fən⁵¹⁻⁵³ waɪ̯⁵¹ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ xʊŋ³⁵/

sàuh yàhn sēung gin, fahn ngoih ngáahn hùhng

seo⁴ yen⁴ sêng¹ gin³, fen⁶ ngoi⁶ ngan⁵ hung⁴

/sɐu̯²¹ jɐn²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵ kiːn³³ fɐn²² ŋɔːi̯²² ŋaːn¹³ hʊŋ²¹/

When two enemies meet, their eyes are especially red; when enemies come face to face, their eyes blaze with hate.


分久必合，合久必分

ㄈㄣ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄧˋ ㄏㄜˊ

ㄏㄜˊ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄧˋ ㄈㄣ

/fən⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ xɤ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi⁵¹ fən⁵⁵/

From Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter One (first line after the opening poem).

(literal) That which is long divided must unify; that which is long unified must divide.

(figurative) worldly affairs are constantly changing


勿以惡小而為之

ㄨˋ ㄧˇ ㄜˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄦˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄓ

у и э сяо эр вэй чжи

/u⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

a quote from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Do not commit an evil act just because it is small in scale.


勿以善小而不為

ㄨˋ ㄧˇ ㄕㄢˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄟˊ

у и шань сяо эр бу вэй

/u⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂän⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵/

/mɐt̚² jiː¹³ siːn²² siːu̯³⁵ jiː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ wɐi̯²¹/

A quote from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Do not fail to carry out an act of kindness just because it is small in scale.


天不從人願

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄩㄢˋ

тянь бу цун жэнь юань

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ɥɛn⁵¹/

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ɥɛn⁵¹/

Heaven does not abide by the wishes of people.


天下興亡，匹夫有責

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄨㄤˊ

ㄆㄧˇ ㄈㄨ ㄧㄡˇ ㄗㄜˊ

tin¹ haa⁶ hing¹ mong⁴, pat¹ fu¹ jau⁵ zaak³

тянься синван

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ɕiŋ⁵⁵ wɑŋ³⁵ pʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sɤ³⁵/

tin¹ haa⁶ hing¹ mong⁴, pat⁷ fu¹ jau⁵ dzaak⁸

tin¹ ha⁶ hing¹ mong⁴, ped¹ fu¹ yeo⁵ zag³

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² hɪŋ⁵⁵ mɔːŋ²¹ pʰɐt̚⁵ fuː⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ t͡saːk̚³/

To preserve a regime, that is only for its ruler and ministers to be concerned about. To preserve a nation, even a lowly ordinary person bears responsibility.

Bǎo guó zhě, qí jūn qí chén, ròushízhě móu zhī. Bǎo tiānxià zhě, pǐfū zhī jiàn yǔ yǒu zé yān ěr yǐ.

保國者，其君其臣，肉食者謀之。保天下者，匹夫之賤與有責焉耳矣。

保国者，其君其臣，肉食者谋之。保天下者，匹夫之贱与有责焉耳矣。

whether a nation stands or falls depends on ordinary citizens


天行健，君子以自強不息

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄧˇ ㄗˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧ

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄧˇ ㄗˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧˊ

tin¹ hang⁴ gin⁶, gwan¹ zi² ji⁵ zi⁶ koeng⁴ bat¹ sik¹

jūnzǐ yǐ zìqiángbùxī [Phonetic:tiānxíngjiàn

тянь син цзянь

цзюньцзы и цзыцянбуси

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi⁵⁵/

jūnzǐ yǐ zìqiángbùxí [Phonetic:tiānxíngjiàn

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi³⁵/

tīn hàhng gihn, gwān jí yíh jih kèuhng bāt sīk

tin¹ hang⁴ gin⁶, gwan¹ dzi² ji⁵ dzi⁶ koeng⁴ bat⁷ sik⁷

tin¹ heng⁴ gin⁶, guen¹ ji² yi⁵ ji⁶ kêng⁴ bed¹ xig¹

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ hɐŋ²¹ kiːn²² kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ jiː¹³ t͡siː²² kʰœːŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚⁵/

Just as the celestial bodies never run out of energy to orbit round and round, so should we always strive to better ourselves.


天涯何處無芳草

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄚˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄔㄨˋ ㄨˊ ㄈㄤ ㄘㄠˇ

тянья хэчу у фанцао

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ jä³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ u³⁵ fɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋaːi̯²¹ hɔː²¹ t͡sʰyː³³ mou̯²¹ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰou̯³⁵/

From 《離騷》 in the Chu Ci:
From “Butterflies Adore Flowers” (《蝶戀花》), by Su Shi

In what place are there not fragrant herbs? Why do you miss your old habitat?

The Verses of Chu, 4ᵗʰ century BCE – 2ⁿᵈ century CE

Hé suǒ dú wú fāngcǎo xī, ěr hé huái hū gù yǔ?

何所獨無芳草兮，爾何懷乎故宇？

何所独无芳草兮，尔何怀乎故宇？

Fuzzy catkins get sparser on willow branches after the wind
But where, within the corners of the world, cannot fragrant herbs be found?

Zhī shàng liǔmián chuī yòu shào, tiānyá héchù wú fāngcǎo?

枝上柳綿吹又少，天涯何處無芳草？

枝上柳绵吹又少，天涯何处无芳草？

Where in the world is there a lack of fragrant grass?

There is no need to be overly attached to one person or location, everything has something about it that is endearing.

there are plenty of fish in the sea
there are plenty of fish in the sea

(of lost love) there are plenty of fish in the sea


夫妻本是同林鳥

ㄈㄨ ㄑㄧ ㄅㄣˇ ㄕˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄋㄧㄠˇ

фуци бэнь ши тун линь няо

/fu⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ lin³⁵ ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/fuː⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐi̯⁵⁵ puːn³⁵ siː²² tʰʊŋ²¹ lɐm²¹ niːu̯¹³/

Even though a husband and wife were originally birds from the same forest (...when adversity strikes, they fly in separate directions).


心想事成

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄕˋ ㄔㄥˊ

синьсяншичэн

/ɕin⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ sœːŋ³⁵ siː²² sɪŋ²¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³⁵ siɔŋ³¹ sz̩⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sən¹¹/

/ɕin⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ sœːŋ³⁵ siː²² sɪŋ²¹/

/sim⁴⁴⁻³⁵ siɔŋ³¹ sz̩⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sən¹¹/

may your dreams come true, wish you the best!; to have one's wishes come true


心靜自然涼

ㄒㄧㄣ ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄗˋ ㄖㄢˊ ㄌㄧㄤˊ

синь цзин цзыжань лян

/ɕin⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐän³⁵ li̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/sɐm⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ²² t͡siː²² jiːn²¹ lœːŋ²¹/

/sɐm⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ²² t͡siː²² jiːn²¹ lœːŋ²¹/

A: “Why are you not feeling hot on such a hot day?” B: “When the mind is still, it will be cool.”

Jiǎ: “Zhème rè de tiān, nǐ zěnme yīdiǎn dōu bù xián rè?” Yǐ: “Xīn jìng zìrán liáng.”

甲：「這麼熱的天，你怎麼一點都不嫌熱？」乙：「心靜自然涼。」

甲：「这么热的天，你怎么一点都不嫌热？」乙：「心静自然凉。」

When the mind is still, you will be calm, cool and collected.


日有所思，夜有所夢

ㄖˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄙ

ㄧㄝˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄥˋ

/ʐ̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ sz̩⁵⁵ jɛ⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ mɤŋ⁵¹/

/jɐt̚² jɐu̯¹³ sɔː³⁵ siː⁵⁵ jɛː²² jɐu̯¹³ sɔː³⁵ mʊŋ²²/

That which one thinks about during the day, is what one dreams about at night.


水能載舟，亦能覆舟

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄋㄥˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄓㄡ

ㄧˋ ㄋㄥˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄓㄡ

seoi² nang⁴ zoi³ zau¹, jik⁶ nang⁴ fuk¹ zau¹

shui³ nêng² tsai⁴ chou¹, i⁴ nêng² fu⁴ chou¹

шуй нэн цзай чжоу

и нэн фу чжоу

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

soey² nang⁴ dzoi³ dzau¹, jik⁹ nang⁴ fuk⁷ dzau¹

sêu² neng⁴ zoi³ zeo¹, yig⁶ neng⁴ fug¹ zeo¹

/sɵy̯³⁵ nɐŋ²¹ t͡sɔːi̯³³ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ jɪk̚² nɐŋ²¹ fʊk̚⁵ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵/

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

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

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

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

水能载舟，亦能覆舟
水可載舟，亦可覆舟
水則載舟，水則覆舟

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

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

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


水滴石穿

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄉㄧ ㄕˊ ㄔㄨㄢ

шуйдишичуань

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än⁵⁵/

/sɵy̯³⁵ tɪk̚² sɛːk̚² t͡sʰyːn⁵⁵/

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än⁵⁵/

/sɵy̯³⁵ tɪk̚² sɛːk̚² t͡sʰyːn⁵⁵/

From Shizi:
Later popularized by the following story

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

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

水非石之鑽，繩非木之鋸。

水非石之钻，绳非木之锯。

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

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

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

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

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

little strokes fell great oaks
little strokes fell great oaks

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


失之東隅，收之桑榆

sat¹ zi¹ dung¹ jyu⁴, sau¹ zi¹ song¹ jyu⁴

ши чжи дунъюй

шоу чжи санъюй

/ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʊŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ sɑŋ⁵⁵ y³⁵/

sat⁷ dzi¹ dung¹ jy⁴, sau¹ dzi¹ song¹ jy⁴

/sɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ tʊŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ sɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹/

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

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

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

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

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

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


失敗是成功之母

ja-r

しっ%ぱい は せい%こう の はは

desc

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

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

ㄕ ㄅㄞˋ ㄕˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄓ ㄇㄨˇ

shih¹-pai⁴ shih⁴ chʻêng²-kung¹ chih¹ mu³

шибай ши чэнгун чжи му

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

/sɐt̚⁵ paːi̯²² siː²² sɪŋ²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ mou̯¹³/


平安就是福

ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄢ ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄕˋ ㄈㄨˊ

пинъань цзю ши фу

/pʰiŋ³⁵ ˀän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ fu³⁵/

/pʰiŋ³⁵ ˀän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ fu³⁵/

Peace and safety is the root of happiness.


弱肉強食

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

ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄖㄡˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄕˊ

/ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐoʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/jœːk̚² jʊk̚² kʰœːŋ²¹ sɪk̚²/

/ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐoʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/jœːk̚² jʊk̚² kʰœːŋ²¹ sɪk̚²/

survival of the fittest
survival of the fittest

survival of the fittest; law of the jungle


打是疼，罵是愛

打是疼，骂是爱
打是親，罵是愛

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

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

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


生不帶來，死不帶去

ㄕㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄞˋ ㄌㄞˊ

ㄙˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄞˋ ㄑㄩˋ

shêng¹ pu⁴ tai⁴ lai², ssŭ³ pu⁴ tai⁴ chʻü⁴

шэн бу дай лай

сы бу дай цюй

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

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

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


劣幣驅逐良幣

ㄌㄧㄝˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄑㄩ ㄓㄨˊ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ

леби цюйчжу лянби

/li̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu³⁵ li̯ɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹/

/lyːt̚² pɐi̯²² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚² lœːŋ²¹ pɐi̯²²/

Possibly a calque of English bad money drives out good.

bad money drives out good
bad money drives out good

bad money drives out good (Gresham's law)

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


名不正，則言不順

ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˋ

ㄗㄜˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄣˋ

цзэ янь бу шунь

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

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

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

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

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

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


光陰似箭

ja-r

こういん や の ごとし

CJKV/code

こういん や の ごとし

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

CJKV

こういん や の ごとし

ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ ㄙˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

гуанъинь сы цзянь

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵ sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː¹³ t͡siːn³³/

/ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵ sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː¹³ t͡siːn³³/

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

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

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

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

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

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

都知光陰似箭，我捱過這天，我過到這天，明日又有挑戰。

都知光阴似箭，我捱过这天，我过到这天，明日又有挑战。


在家靠父母，出外靠朋友

ㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄎㄠˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄇㄨˇ

ㄔㄨ ㄨㄞˋ ㄎㄠˋ ㄆㄥˊ ˙ㄧㄡ

ㄔㄨ ㄨㄞˋ ㄎㄠˋ ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡˇ

zoi⁶ gaa¹ kaau³ fu⁶ mou⁵, ceot¹ ngoi⁶ kaau³ pang⁴ jau⁵

цзайцзя као фуму

чувай као пэнъю

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

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

joih gā kaau fuh móuh, chēut ngoih kaau pàhng yáuh

dzoi⁶ gaa¹ kaau³ fu⁶ mou⁵, tsoet⁷ ngoi⁶ kaau³ pang⁴ jau⁵

zoi⁶ ga¹ kao³ fu⁶ mou⁵, cêd¹ ngoi⁶ kao³ peng⁴ yeo⁵

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

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


同是天涯淪落人

ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄕˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄚˊ ㄌㄨㄣˊ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄖㄣˊ

тун ши тянья луньложэнь

/tʰʊŋ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ jä³⁵ lu̯ən³⁵ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

/tʰʊŋ²¹ siː²² tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋaːi̯²¹ lɵn²¹ lɔːk̚² jɐn²¹/

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

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

Those who have the same misfortune sympathize with each other.


好漢不吃眼前虧

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

ㄏㄠˇ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔ ㄧㄢˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄎㄨㄟ

hao³-han⁴ pu⁴ chʻih¹ yen³-chʻien² kʻuei¹

хаохань бу чи яньцянь куй

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

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


好酒沉甕底

The best wine is at the bottom of the jug.

ㄏㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄔㄣˊ ㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄧˇ

hǎojiǔ chén wèngdǐ [Phonetic:háojiǔchénwèngdǐ]

хаоцзю чэнь вэнди

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

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

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

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


多行不義必自斃

ㄉㄨㄛ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄗˋ ㄅㄧˋ

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

до син буи би цзыби

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

/tɔː⁵⁵ hɐŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jiː²² piːt̚⁵ t͡siː²² pɐi̯²²/

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

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

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

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

公曰：「多行不義，必自斃，子姑待之。」

公曰：「多行不义，必自毙，子姑待之。」

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


好馬不吃回頭草

a good horse does not look back to eat grass

ㄏㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄘㄠˇ

hǎo mǎ bù chī huítóu cǎo [Phonetic:háomǎbùchīhuítóucǎo]

хао ма бу чи хуэйтоу цао

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

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


如人飲水，冷暖自知

ㄖㄨˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄣˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

ㄌㄥˇ ㄋㄨㄢˇ ㄗˋ ㄓ

jyu⁴ jan⁴ jam² seoi², laang⁵ nyun⁵ zi⁶ zi¹

жу жэнь иньшуй

лэннуань цзычжи

žu žɛnʹ inʹšuj

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

jy⁴ jan⁴ jam² soey², laang⁵ nyn⁵ dzi⁶ dzi¹

/jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ jɐm³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ laːŋ¹³ nyːn¹³ t͡siː²² t͡siː⁵⁵/

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

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

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


有子萬事足

ㄧㄡˇ ㄗˇ ㄨㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄗㄨˊ

yǒu zǐ wànshì zú [Phonetic:yóuzǐwànshìzú]

ю цзы ваньши цзу

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


有理走遍天下

ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄗㄡˇ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

yǒulǐ zǒu biàn tiānxià [Phonetic:yóulízǒubiàntiānxià]

юли цзоу бянь тянься

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

With justice on your side, you can go anywhere.


成者為王，敗者為寇

desc

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

ㄔㄥˊ ㄓㄜˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄨㄤˊ

ㄅㄞˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄎㄡˋ

sing⁴ ze² wai⁴ wong⁴, baai⁶ ze² wai⁴ kau³

chʻêng² chê³ wei² wang², pai⁴ chê³ wei² kʻou⁴

чэн чжэ вэй ван

бай чжэ вэй коу

čɛn čžɛ vɛj van

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

sing⁴ dze² wai⁴ wong⁴, baai⁶ dze² wai⁴ kau³

xing⁴ zé² wei⁴ wong⁴, bai⁶ zé² wei⁴ keo³

/sɪŋ²¹ t͡sɛː³⁵ wɐi̯²¹ wɔːŋ²¹ paːi̯²² t͡sɛː³⁵ wɐi̯²¹ kʰɐu̯³³/

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

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

Yuan Dynasty, Ji Junxiang, The Orphan of Zhao

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

我成則為王，敗則為虜。事已至此，惟求早死而已。

我成则为王，败则为虏。事已至此，惟求早死而已。

The victor becomes king, the defeated an outlaw.

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


朽木不可雕

ㄒㄧㄡˇ ㄇㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄉㄧㄠ

сюму букэ дяо

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

/nɐu̯³⁵ mʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ tiːu̯⁵⁵/

/nɐu̯³⁵ mʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ tiːu̯⁵⁵/

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

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

宰予晝寢。子曰：「朽木不可雕也，糞土之牆，不可杇也，於予與何誅。」

宰予昼寝。子曰：「朽木不可雕也，粪土之墙，不可杇也，于予与何诛。」

One cannot make a carving from rotten wood.

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


有錢能使鬼推磨

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

ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄋㄥˊ ㄕˇ ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄊㄨㄟ ㄇㄛˋ

yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuīmò [Phonetic:yǒuqiánnéngshíguǐtuīmò]

ю цянь нэн ши гуй туймо

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

/ɦiɤ²² ʑi³³ nən²² sz̩³³ t͡ɕy⁴⁴ tʰe⁴⁴ mo²³/

money makes the world go around; money talks


百尺竿頭，更進一步

ㄅㄞˇ ㄔˇ ㄍㄢ ㄊㄡˊ

ㄍㄥˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄧ ㄅㄨˋ

baak³ cek³ gon¹ tau⁴, gang³ zeon³ jat¹ bou⁶

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

бай чи ганьтоу

гэн цзинь ибу

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

baak⁸ tsek⁸ gon¹ tau⁴, gang³ dzoen³ jat⁷ bou⁶

bag³ cég³ gon¹ teo⁴, geng³ zên³ yed¹ bou⁶

/paːk̚³ t͡sʰɛːk̚³ kɔːn⁵⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ kɐŋ³³ t͡sɵn³³ jɐt̚⁵ pou̯²²/

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

百尺竿头，更进一步
百尺竿頭更進一步

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


百聞不如一見

백문불여일견(百聞不如一見)

CJKV/code

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

ja-r

ひゃくぶん は いっけん に しかず

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

desc

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

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

ㄅㄞˇ ㄨㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

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

бай вэнь бужу и цзянь

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

/paːk̚³ mɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ jɐt̚⁵ kiːn³³/

/paːk̚³ mɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ jɐt̚⁵ kiːn³³/

From the 69ᵗʰ chapter of the Book of Han

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

百聞不如一見。兵難隃度，臣願馳至金城，圖上方略。

百闻不如一见。兵难隃度，臣愿驰至金城，图上方略。

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

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


自古紅顏多薄命

ㄗˋ ㄍㄨˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄅㄛˊ ㄇㄧㄥˋ

цзыгу хунъянь до бомин

/t͡sz̩⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ xʊŋ³⁵ jɛn³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu̯ɔ³⁵ miŋ⁵¹/

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

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


伴君如伴虎

ㄅㄢˋ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄖㄨˊ ㄅㄢˋ ㄏㄨˇ

бань цзюнь жу бань ху

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

/puːn²² kʷɐn⁵⁵ jyː²¹ puːn²² fuː³⁵/

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

/puːn²² kʷɐn⁵⁵ jyː²¹ puːn²² fuː³⁵/

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

It can be dangerous to follow one's leader.


兵來將擋，水來土掩

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

ㄅㄧㄥ ㄌㄞˊ ㄐㄧㄤˋ ㄉㄤˇ

ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄌㄞˊ ㄊㄨˇ ㄧㄢˇ

bing¹ loi⁴ zoeng³ dong², seoi² loi⁴ tou² jim²

бинлайцзяндан

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

bing¹ loi⁴ dzoeng³ dong², soey² loi⁴ tou² jim²

bing¹ loi⁴ zêng³ dong², sêu² loi⁴ tou² yim²

/pɪŋ⁵⁵ lɔːi̯²¹ t͡sœːŋ³³ tɔːŋ³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ lɔːi̯²¹ tʰou̯³⁵ jiːm³⁵/

to take such measures as the situation calls for


君子一言，快馬一鞭

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄧ ㄧㄢˊ

ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄇㄚˇ ㄧ ㄅㄧㄢ

цзюньцзы и янь

куай ма и бянь

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

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


君子報仇，十年不晚

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

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

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄅㄠˋ ㄔㄡˊ

ㄕˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄢˇ

цзюньцзы баочоу

ши нянь бу вань

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

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

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

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

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

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


君子之交淡如水

君子の交わりは淡きこと水の如し

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

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄓ ㄐㄧㄠ ㄉㄢˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

цзюньцзы чжи цзяо дань жу шуй

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

/kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ taːm²² jyː²¹ sɵy̯³⁵/

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

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

且君子之交淡若水，小人之交甘若醴。

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


牡丹花下死，做鬼也風流

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

ㄇㄨˇ ㄉㄢ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄙˇ

ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄧㄝˇ ㄈㄥ ㄌㄧㄡˊ

zuòguǐ yě fēngliú [Phonetic:mǔdānhuāxiàsǐ

муданьхуа ся сы

цзогуй е фэнлю

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

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


男兒膝下有黃金

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

ㄋㄢˊ ㄦˊ ㄒㄧ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄐㄧㄣ

наньэр сися ю хуанцзинь

/nän³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ɕi⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/naːm²¹ jiː²¹ sɐt̚⁵ haː²² jɐu̯¹³ wɔːŋ²¹ kɐm⁵⁵/

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


男兒有淚不輕彈

ㄋㄢˊ ㄦˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄊㄢˊ

наньэр ю лэй бу цин тань

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

/naːm²¹ jiː²¹ jɐu̯¹³ lɵy̯²² pɐt̚⁵ hɪŋ⁵⁵ tʰaːn²¹/

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

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


男女授受不親

CJKV/code

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

ㄋㄢˊ ㄋㄩˇ ㄕㄡˋ ㄕㄡˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄣ

наньнюй шоушоубуцинь

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

/naːm²¹ nɵy̯¹³ sɐu̯²² sɐu̯²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵/

From Mencius:
:
Also from the Book of Rites

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

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

嫂溺不援，是豺狼也。男女授受不親，禮也；嫂溺援之以手者，權也。

嫂溺不援，是豺狼也。男女授受不亲，礼也；嫂溺援之以手者，权也。

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

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

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

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

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

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


秀才不出門，能知天下事

ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨ ㄇㄣˊ

ㄋㄥˊ ㄓ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄕˋ

сюцай бу чумэнь

нэн чжи тянься ши

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

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


言多必失

ㄧㄢˊ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄅㄧˋ ㄕ

/jɛn³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pi⁵¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/jiːn²¹ tɔː⁵⁵ piːt̚⁵ sɐt̚⁵/

/ɡiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ to⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

/ɡiɛn²³⁻³³ tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

/jɛn³⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pi⁵¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/jiːn²¹ tɔː⁵⁵ piːt̚⁵ sɐt̚⁵/

/ɡiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ to⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

/ɡiɛn²³⁻³³ tɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ pit̚³²⁻⁴ sit̚³²/

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


見面三分情

ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄙㄢ ㄈㄣ ㄑㄧㄥˊ

цзянь мянь сань фэнь цин

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ fən⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵/

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


防人之心不可無

ㄈㄤˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄨˊ

фан жэнь чжи синь букэ у

/fɑŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵/

/fɔːŋ²¹ jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ mou̯²¹/

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

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


一啖荔枝三把火

/jɐt̚⁵ taːm²² lɐi̯²² t͡siː⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ paː³⁵ fɔː³⁵/

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

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

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

日啖荔枝三百顆，不辭長作嶺南人。

日啖荔枝三百颗，不辞长作岭南人。

one bite oflychee [equals] three flaming torches

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


來而不往非禮也

ㄌㄞˊ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄤˇ ㄈㄟ ㄌㄧˇ ㄧㄝˇ

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

лай эр бу ван фэй ли е

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

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

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

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

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

太上貴德，其次務施報。禮尚往來。往而不來，非禮也；來而不往，亦非禮也。

太上贵德，其次务施报。礼尚往来。往而不来，非礼也；来而不往，亦非礼也。

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


兒孫自有兒孫福

ㄦˊ ㄙㄨㄣ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄦˊ ㄙㄨㄣ ㄈㄨˊ

эрсунь цзы ю эрсунь фу

/ˀɤɻ³⁵ su̯ən⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ su̯ən⁵⁵ fu³⁵/

/jiː²¹ syːn⁵⁵ t͡siː²² jɐu̯¹³ jiː²¹ syːn⁵⁵ fʊk̚⁵/

/i¹¹ sun²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰɨ⁵⁵ i̯u²⁴ i¹¹ sun²⁴ fuk̚²/

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

érsūn zì yǒu érsūn fú, mò wèi érsūn zuò mǎniú

兒孫自有兒孫福，莫為兒孫做馬牛

儿孙自有儿孙福，莫为儿孙做马牛

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


受人之託，忠人之事

ㄕㄡˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄊㄨㄛ

ㄓㄨㄥ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄕˋ

shou⁴ jên² chih¹ tʻo¹, chung¹ jên² chih¹ shih⁴

шоу жэнь чжи то

чжун жэнь чжи ши

šou žɛnʹ čži to

čžun žɛnʹ čži ši

/ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

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


其身不正，雖令不從

ㄑㄧˊ ㄕㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˋ

ㄙㄨㄟˊ ㄌㄧㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ

kei⁴ san¹ bat¹ zing³, seoi¹ ling⁶ bat¹ cung⁴

suí lìng bù cóng [Phonetic:qí shēn bú zhèng

chʻi² shên¹ pu⁴ chêng⁴, sui² ling⁴ pu⁴ tsʻung²

ци шэнь бу чжэн

суй лин бу цун

ci šɛnʹ bu čžɛn

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

kèih sān bāt jing, sēui lihng bāt chùhng

kei⁴ san¹ bat⁷ dzing³, soey¹ ling⁶ bat⁷ tsung⁴

kéi⁴ sen¹ bed¹ jing³, sêu¹ ling⁶ bed¹ cung⁴

/kʰei̯²¹ sɐn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ sɵy̯⁵⁵ lɪŋ²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹/

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

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

子曰：「其身正，不令而行；其身不正，雖令不從。」

子曰：「其身正，不令而行；其身不正，虽令不从。」

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


英雄所見略同

ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄌㄩㄝˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ

инсюн соцзяньлюэтун

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

/jɪŋ⁵⁵ hʊŋ²¹ sɔː³⁵ kiːn³³ lœːk̚² tʰʊŋ²¹/

Great minds think alike
great minds think alike


法網恢恢，疏而不漏

ㄈㄚˇ ㄨㄤˇ ㄏㄨㄟ ㄏㄨㄟ

ㄕㄨ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄡˋ

faat³ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ ji⁴ bat¹ lau⁶

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

фаван хуэйхуэй

шу эр бу лоу

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

faat⁸ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ ji⁴ bat⁷ lau⁶

/faːt̚³ mɔːŋ¹³ fuːi̯⁵⁵ fuːi̯⁵⁵ sɔː⁵⁵ jiː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lɐu̯²²/

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


鷸蚌相爭，漁人得利

ㄩˋ ㄅㄤˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄓㄥ

ㄩˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄜˊ ㄌㄧˋ

юйбан сянчжэн

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

/wɐt̚² pʰɔːŋ¹³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²²/

/lɵt̚² pʰɔːŋ¹³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²²/

/jyːt̚² pʰɔːŋ¹³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jɐn²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²²/

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

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

Zhanguo Ce, circa 5ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ centuries BCE

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

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

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

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

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

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


知之為知之，不知為不知

ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ

jhih jhih wéi jhih jhih, bù jhih wéi bù jhih

chih¹ chih¹ wei² chih¹ chih¹, pu⁴ chih¹ wei² pu⁴ chih¹

чжи чжи вэй чжи чжи

бу чжи вэй бу чжи

čži čži vɛj čži čži

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

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

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

子曰：「由！誨女知之乎？知之為知之，不知為不知，是知也。」

子曰：「由！诲女知之乎？知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。」

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


知恥近乎勇

ㄓ ㄔˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄏㄨ ㄩㄥˇ

чжи чи цзинь ху юн

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

/t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː³⁵ kɐn²² fuː²¹ jʊŋ¹³/

/t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sʰiː³⁵ kɐn²² fuː²¹ jʊŋ¹³/

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

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

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

子曰：「好學近乎知，力行近乎仁，知恥近乎勇。……

子曰：「好学近乎知，力行近乎仁，知耻近乎勇。……

Having a sense of shame is a form of bravery.


肥水不落外人田

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

ㄈㄟˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄨㄞˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄊㄧㄢˊ

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

фэйшуй бу ло вайжэнь тянь

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

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


有其父必有其子

ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄧˊ ㄗˇ

ю ци фу би ю ци цзы

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

/jɐu̯¹³ kʰei̯²¹ fuː²² piːt̚⁵ jɐu̯¹³ kʰei̯²¹ t͡siː³⁵/

like father, like child
like father, like son


初生之犢不畏虎

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.

ㄔㄨ ㄕㄥ ㄓ ㄉㄨˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄨˇ

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

чу шэн чжи ду бу вэй ху

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

/t͡sʰɔː⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ tʊk̚² pɐt̚⁵ wɐi̯³³ fuː³⁵/

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


虎父無犬子

a father tiger does not have a puppy for a son

ㄏㄨˇ ㄈㄨˋ ㄨˊ ㄑㄩㄢˇ ㄗˇ

хуфу у цюаньцзы

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

/fuː³⁵ fuː²² mou̯²¹ hyːn³⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

/fuː³⁵ fuː²² mou̯²¹ hyːn³⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

like father, like son
like father, like son


長痛不如短痛

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

ㄔㄤˊ ㄊㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄉㄨㄢˇ ㄊㄨㄥˋ

чан тун бужу дуань тун

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

/t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ tʰʊŋ³³ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ tyːn³⁵ tʰʊŋ³³/

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


侯門深似海

ㄏㄡˊ ㄇㄣˊ ㄕㄣ ㄙˋ ㄏㄞˇ

хоумэнь шэнь сы хай

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

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

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

侯門一入深如海，從此蕭郎是路人。

侯门一入深如海，从此萧郎是路人。

The nobleman's gates are deep as the sea.

The mansions of nobility are inaccessible to the common people.


哀莫大於心死

ㄞ ㄇㄛˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄩˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄙˇ

ай мо даюй синь сы

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

/ɔːi̯⁵⁵ mɔːk̚² taːi̯²² jyː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ sei̯³⁵/

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

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

夫哀莫大於心死，而人死亦次之。

夫哀莫大于心死，而人死亦次之。

Nothing is more lamentable than a dead heart.

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


屋漏偏逢連夜雨

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

ㄨ ㄌㄡˋ ㄆㄧㄢ ㄈㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄝˋ ㄩˇ

у лоу пянь фэн лянь е юй

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

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


春江水暖鴨先知

ㄔㄨㄣ ㄐㄧㄤ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄋㄨㄢˇ ㄧㄚ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄓ

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

chʻun¹ chiang¹ shui³ nuan³ ya¹ hsien¹ chih¹

чунь цзян шуй нуань я сянь чжи

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

/t͡sʰɵn⁵⁵ kɔːŋ⁵⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ nyːn¹³ aːp̚³ siːn⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵/

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

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


為善不欲人知

ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄩˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ

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

вэй шань бу юй жэнь чжи

/weɪ̯³⁵ ʂän⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ y⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

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


皇天不負苦心人

ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄎㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄖㄣˊ

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

хуантянь бу фу кусинь жэнь

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

/wɔːŋ²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ fuː²² fuː³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

/foŋ¹¹ tʰi̯en²⁴ put̚² fu⁵⁵ kʰu³¹ sim²⁴ ŋin¹¹/

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

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


英雄出少年

ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄔㄨ ㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ

инсюн чу шаонянь

/iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵/

/iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵/


英雄難過美人關

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

ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄋㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄇㄟˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄢ

инсюн нань го мэйжэнь гуань

/iŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ nän³⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵/

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


苛政猛於虎

ㄎㄜ ㄓㄥˋ ㄇㄥˇ ㄩˊ ㄏㄨˇ

кэчжэн мэн юй ху

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

/hɔː⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ maːŋ¹³ jyː⁵⁵ fuː³⁵/

/hɔː⁵⁵ t͡sɪŋ³³ maːŋ¹³ jyː⁵⁵ fuː³⁵/

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

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

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

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

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


重賞之下必有勇夫

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

ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄕㄤˇ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄧˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄩㄥˇ ㄈㄨ

cung⁵ soeng² zi¹ haa⁶ bit¹ jau⁵ jung⁵ fu¹

zhòngshǎng zhī xià bì yǒu yǒngfū [Phonetic:zhòngshǎngzhīxiàbìyóuyǒngfū]

chung⁴-shang³ chih¹ hsia⁴ pi⁴ yu³ yung³-fu¹

чжуншан чжи ся би ю юнфу

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

tsung⁵ soeng² dzi¹ haa⁶ bit⁷ jau⁵ jung⁵ fu¹

/t͡sʰʊŋ¹³ sœːŋ³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ haː²² piːt̚⁵ jɐu̯¹³ jʊŋ¹³ fuː⁵⁵/

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


家書抵萬金

ㄐㄧㄚ ㄕㄨ ㄉㄧˇ ㄨㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄣ

цзяшу ди вань цзинь

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹ wän⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹ wän⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵/

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


書到用時方恨少

ㄕㄨ ㄉㄠˋ ㄩㄥˋ ㄕˊ ㄈㄤ ㄏㄣˋ ㄕㄠˇ

шу дао юн ши фан хэнь шао

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

/syː⁵⁵ tou̯³³ jʊŋ²² siː²¹ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɐn²² siːu̯³⁵/

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


書中自有黃金屋

ㄕㄨ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄨ

шу чжун цзы ю хуанцзинь у

/ʂu⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ u⁵⁵/

/syː⁵⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː²² jɐu̯¹³ wɔːŋ²¹ kɐm⁵⁵ ʊk̚⁵/

If you study hard, you will become rich.


書中自有顏如玉

ㄕㄨ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄧㄢˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄩˋ

шу чжун цзы ю янь жу юй

/ʂu⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɛn³⁵ ʐu³⁵ y⁵¹/

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

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


浪子回頭金不換

ㄌㄤˋ ㄗˇ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄢˋ

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

ланцзы хуэйтоу цзинь бу хуань

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

/lɔːŋ²² t͡siː³⁵ wuːi̯²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹ kɐm⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ wuːn²²/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A wayward son who returns is more precious than gold.

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


病來如山倒，病去如抽絲

bìng lái rú shān dǎo, bìng qù rú chōu sī

ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄞˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄕㄢ ㄉㄠˇ

ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄑㄩˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄔㄡ ㄙ

beng⁶ loi⁴ jyu⁴ saan¹ dou², beng⁶ heoi³ jyu⁴ cau¹ si¹

bìng lái rú shan dǎo, bìng cyù rú chou sih

ping⁴ lai² ju² shan¹ tao³, ping⁴ chʻü⁴ ju² chʻou¹ ssŭ¹

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

binq lai ru shan dao, binq chiuh ru chou sy

бин лай жу шань дао

бин цюй жу чоу сы

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

behng lòih yùh sāan dóu, behng heui yùh chāu sī

beng⁶ loi⁴ jy⁴ saan¹ dou², beng⁶ hoey³ jy⁴ tsau¹ si¹

béng⁶ loi⁴ yu⁴ san¹ dou², béng⁶ hêu³ yu⁴ ceo¹ xi¹

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

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


病從口入，禍從口出

CJKV/code

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

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

ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄎㄡˇ ㄖㄨˋ

ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄎㄡˇ ㄔㄨ

beng⁶ cung⁴ hau² jap⁶, wo⁶ cung⁴ hau² ceot¹

ping⁴ tsʻung² kʻou³ ju⁴, huo⁴ tsʻung² kʻou³ chʻu¹

binq tsorng koou ruh, huoh tsorng koou chu

бин цун коу жу

хо цун коу чу

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

behng chùhng háu yahp, woh chùhng háu chēut

beng⁶ tsung⁴ hau² jap⁹, wo⁶ tsung⁴ hau² tsoet⁷

béng⁶ cung⁴ heo² yeb⁶, wo⁶ cung⁴ heo² cêd¹

/pɛːŋ²² t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ hɐu̯³⁵ jɐp̚² wɔː²² t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ hɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵/

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


真人不露相

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

ㄓㄣ ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄡˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ

zhēnrén bù lòuxiàng [Phonetic:zhēnrén bú lòuxiàng]

чжэньжэнь бу лоусян

/ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/

/t͡sɐn⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² sœːŋ³³/

/t͡sɐn⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² sœːŋ³³/

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


送君千里，終須一別

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

ㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˇ

ㄓㄨㄥ ㄒㄩ ㄧ ㄅㄧㄝˊ

sung³ gwan¹ cin¹ lei⁵, zung¹ seoi¹ jat¹ bit⁶

zhōng xū yī bié [Phonetic:sòng jūn qiān lǐ

sung⁴ chün¹ chʻien¹ li³, chung¹ hsü¹ i¹ pieh²

сун цзюнь цянь ли

чжун сюй и бе

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

sung³ gwan¹ tsin¹ lei⁵, dzung¹ soey¹ jat⁷ bit⁹

sung³ guen¹ qin¹ léi⁵, zung¹ sêu¹ yed¹ bid⁶

/sʊŋ³³ kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵ lei̯¹³ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ sɵy̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ piːt̚²/

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

/soŋ³³ t͡ɕyn³³ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ li³³ t͡soŋ⁵⁵ ɕy³³ iɪʔ³³ biɪʔ⁴⁴/


退一步海闊天空

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

ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄞˇ ㄎㄨㄛˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄎㄨㄥ

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

туй и бу хайкотянькун

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

/tʰɵy̯³³ jɐt̚⁵ pou̯²² hɔːi̯³⁵ fuːt̚³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ hʊŋ⁵⁵/

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


高處不勝寒

ㄍㄠ ㄔㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄥˋ ㄏㄢˊ

ㄍㄠ ㄔㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄥ ㄏㄢˊ

gāochù bùshèng hán [Phonetic:gāochù búshèng hán]

гаочу бушэн хань

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ xän³⁵/

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xän³⁵/

/kou̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː³³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ hɔːn²¹/

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ xän³⁵/

/kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xän³⁵/

/kou̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰyː³³ pɐt̚⁵ sɪŋ⁵⁵ hɔːn²¹/

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

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

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


斬草不除根，春風吹又生

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

ㄓㄢˇ ㄘㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨˊ ㄍㄣ

ㄔㄨㄣ ㄈㄥ ㄔㄨㄟ ㄧㄡˋ ㄕㄥ

zaam² cou² bat¹ ceoi⁴ gan¹, ceon¹ fung¹ ceoi¹ jau⁶ sang¹

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

чжань цао бу чугэнь

чуньфэн чуй ю шэн

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

jáam chóu bāt chèuih gān, chēun fūng chēui yauh sāng

dzaam² tsou² bat⁷ tsoey⁴ gan¹, tsoen¹ fung¹ tsoey¹ jau⁶ sang¹

zam² cou² bed¹ cêu⁴ gen¹, cên¹ fung¹ cêu¹ yeo⁶ seng¹

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

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


清官難斷家務事

ㄑㄧㄥ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄋㄢˊ ㄉㄨㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄨˋ ㄕˋ

chʻing¹-kuan¹ nan² tuan⁴ chia¹-wu⁴ shih⁴

цингуань нань дуань цзяу ши

/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵ nän³⁵ tu̯än⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ u⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

even upright officials find it hard to settle family quarrels


習慣成自然

ㄒㄧˊ ㄍㄨㄢˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄗˋ ㄖㄢˊ

сигуань чэн цзыжань

/ɕi³⁵ ku̯än⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐän³⁵/

/t͡saːp̚² kʷaːn³³ sɪŋ²¹ t͡siː²² jiːn²¹/

/ɕi³⁵ ku̯än⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐän³⁵/

/t͡saːp̚² kʷaːn³³ sɪŋ²¹ t͡siː²² jiːn²¹/

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


船到橋頭自然直

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

ㄔㄨㄢˊ ㄉㄠˋ ㄑㄧㄠˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄗˋ ㄖㄢˊ ㄓˊ

chʻuan² tao⁴ chʻiao²-tʻou² tzŭ⁴-jan² chih²

чуань дао цяотоу цзыжань чжи

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʐän³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/syːn²¹ tou̯³³ kʰiːu̯²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹ t͡siː²² jiːn²¹ t͡sɪk̚²/

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


莫待無花空折枝

ㄇㄛˋ ㄉㄞˋ ㄨˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄓㄜˊ ㄓ

мо дай у хуа кун чжэ чжи

/mu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ taɪ̯⁵¹ u³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

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

zh-l

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

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

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

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


貨比三家不吃虧

ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄙㄢ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔ ㄎㄨㄟ

хобисаньцзя бу чикуй

/xu̯ɔ⁵¹ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/

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


魚與熊掌不可兼得

ㄩˊ ㄩˇ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄓㄤˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄐㄧㄢ ㄉㄜˊ

jyu⁴ jyu⁵ hung⁴ zoeng² bat¹ ho² gim¹ dak¹

yü² yü³ hsiung²-chang³ pu⁴-kʻo³ chien¹ tê²

юй юй сюнчжан букэ цзянь дэ

/y³⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tɤ³⁵/

jy⁴ jy⁵ hung⁴ dzoeng² bat⁷ ho² gim¹ dak⁷

/jyː²¹ jyː¹³ hʊŋ²¹ t͡sœːŋ³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ kiːm⁵⁵ tɐk̚⁵/

Mencius said, 'I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness.'

Mèngzǐ yuē: “Yú, wǒ suǒ yù yě; xióngzhǎng, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě, èr zhě bùkě dé jiān, shě yú ér qǔ xióngzhǎng zhě yě. Shēng, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě; yì, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě, èr zhě bùkě dé jiān, shě shēng ér qǔ yì zhě yě.”

孟子曰：「魚，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍魚而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；義，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取義者也。」

孟子曰：「鱼，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍鱼而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；义，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取义者也。」

One cannot get fish and bear's paw at the same time.

have one's cake and eat it, too
have one's cake and eat it, too

One can't have one's cake and eat it, too.

捨生取義

Another idiom derived from the same paragraph in Mencius.


幾家歡樂幾家愁

ㄐㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄏㄨㄢ ㄌㄜˋ ㄐㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄔㄡˊ

цзи цзя хуаньлэ цзи цзя чоу

/t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ xu̯än⁵⁵ lɤ⁵¹ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵/

Literally: Some families are happy, some families have worries.


朝聞道，夕死可矣

desc

朝に道を聞かば夕べに死すとも可なり

→ Japanese: 朝に道を聞かば夕べに死すとも可なり (ashita ni michi o kikaba yūbe ni shisu tomo ka nari) (calque)

ㄒㄧ ㄙˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ

ㄒㄧˋ ㄙˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ

чжао вэнь дао

/ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ wən³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɕi⁵⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ wən³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ mɐn²¹ tou̯²² t͡sɪk̚² sei̯³⁵ hɔː³⁵ jiː¹³/

The Master said, "If a man in the morning hear the right way, he may die in the evening without regret."

子曰：「朝聞道，夕死可矣。[[#Chinese|]]

if in the morning I were to gain knowledge of the correct path in life, I would be able to die at sunset without regrets


傻人有傻福

ㄕㄚˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕㄚˇ ㄈㄨˊ

shǎ rén yǒu shǎ fú [Phonetic:shǎrényóushǎfú]

ша жэнь ю ша фу

/ʂä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂä²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu³⁵/

/sɔː²¹ jɐn²¹ jɐu̯¹³ sɔː²¹ fʊk̚⁵/

/sɔː²¹ jɐn²¹ jɐu̯¹³ sɔː²¹ fʊk̚⁵/


媳婦熬成婆

Adaughter-in-law who suffers will one day become a mother-in-law.

ㄒㄧˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄠˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄆㄛˊ

сифу ао чэн по

/ɕi³⁵ fu⁵¹ ˀɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ pʰu̯ɔ³⁵/

/ɕi³⁵ fu⁵¹ ˀɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ pʰu̯ɔ³⁵/

What goes around comes around
what goes around comes around

Those who suffer, will one day get their chance; What goes around comes around.


愛之欲其生，惡之欲其死

ㄞˋ ㄓ ㄩˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄕㄥ

ㄨˋ ㄓ ㄩˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄙˇ

oi³ zi¹ juk⁶ kei⁴ sang¹, wu³ zi¹ juk⁶ kei⁴ sei²

ai⁴ chih¹ yü⁴ chʻi² shêng¹, wu⁴ chih¹ yü⁴ chʻi² ssŭ³

ay jy yuh chyi sheng, wuh jy yuh chyi syy

ай чжи юй ци шэн

у чжи юй ци сы

/ˀaɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ y⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ u⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ y⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

oi jī yuhk kèih sāng, wu jī yuhk kèih séi

oi³ dzi¹ juk⁹ kei⁴ sang¹, wu³ dzi¹ juk⁹ kei⁴ sei²

oi³ ji¹ yug⁶ kéi⁴ seng¹, wu³ ji¹ yug⁶ kéi⁴ séi²

/ɔːi̯³³ t͡siː⁵⁵ jʊk̚² kʰei̯²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵ wuː³³ t͡siː⁵⁵ jʊk̚² kʰei̯²¹ sei̯³⁵/

You love a man and wish him to live; you hate him and wish him to die. Having wished him to live, you also wish him to die. This is a case of delusion.

Ài zhī yù qí shēng, è zhī yù qí sǐ, jì yù qí shēng, yòu yù qí sǐ, shì huò yě.

愛之欲其生，惡之欲其死，既欲其生，又欲其死，是惑也。

爱之欲其生，恶之欲其死，既欲其生，又欲其死，是惑也。

If you love somebody, you want them to live forever, but if you hate somebody, you want them dead.


萬變不離其宗

ㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˊ ㄑㄧˊ ㄗㄨㄥ

вань бянь бу ли ци цзун

/wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ li³⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

/maːn²² piːn²² pɐt̚⁵ lei̯²¹ kʰei̯²¹ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵/

No matter how much something changes, it will still retain its essence.


萬惡淫為首

ㄨㄢˋ ㄜˋ ㄧㄣˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄡˇ

ваньэ инь вэйшоу

/wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɤ⁵¹ in³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/maːn²² ɔːk̚³ jɐm²¹ wɐi̯²¹ sɐu̯³⁵/

/maːn²² ɔːk̚³ jɐm²¹ wɐi̯²¹ sɐu̯³⁵/

Of all bad traits, licentiousness is the worst.


當局者迷，旁觀者清

ㄉㄤ ㄐㄩˊ ㄓㄜˇ ㄇㄧˊ

ㄆㄤˊ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄓㄜˇ ㄑㄧㄥ

dong¹ guk⁶ ze² mai⁴, pong⁴ gun¹ ze² cing¹

данцзюйчжэ ми

пангуаньчжэ цин

/tɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕy³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ mi³⁵ pʰɑŋ³⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵/

dong¹ guk⁹ dze² mai⁴, pong⁴ gun¹ dze² tsing¹

dong¹ gug⁶ zé² mei⁴, pong⁴ gun¹ zé² qing¹

/tɔːŋ⁵⁵ kʊk̚² t͡sɛː³⁵ mɐi̯²¹ pʰɔːŋ²¹ kuːn⁵⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ t͡sʰɪŋ⁵⁵/

Those involved in the matter are easily blinded to the truth, and those not involved can see things clearly.

Lookers-on see most of the game
lookers-on see most of the game


萬事起頭難

ㄨㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄑㄧˇ ㄊㄡˊ ㄋㄢˊ

ваньши цитоу нань

/wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ nän³⁵/

/maːn²² siː²² hei̯³⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ naːn²¹/

/ʋan⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sz̩⁵³⁻⁵⁵ hi³¹ tʰeu¹¹ nan¹¹/

/ban³³⁻²¹ su³³ kʰi⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tʰau²³⁻³³ lan²³/

/ban³³⁻¹¹ su³³ kʰi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰau²⁴⁻¹¹ lan²⁴/

/ban²²⁻²¹ su²² kʰi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰau²⁴⁻²² lan²⁴/

/ban²²⁻²¹ su²² kʰi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰau¹³⁻²² lan¹³/

/ban⁴¹⁻²² sɯ⁴¹ kʰi⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tʰau²⁴⁻²² lan²⁴/

/maːn²² siː²² hei̯³⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ naːn²¹/

/ʋan⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sz̩⁵³⁻⁵⁵ hi³¹ tʰeu¹¹ nan¹¹/

getting started is always the hardest part


好心沒好報

ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄇㄟˊ ㄏㄠˇ ㄅㄠˋ

хаосинь мэй хаобао

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵ meɪ̯³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pɑʊ̯⁵¹/

no good deed goes unpunished
no good deed goes unpunished

no good deed goes unpunished; those who help often end up being resented by those whom they help


話不說不明

ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄧㄥˊ

хуа бу шо бумин

/xu̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ miŋ³⁵/

/xu̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ miŋ³⁵/

people won't understand you unless you explain things clearly


話不投機半句多

ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄡˊ ㄐㄧ ㄅㄢˋ ㄐㄩˋ ㄉㄨㄛ

хуабутоуцзи бань цзюй до

/xu̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ pän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy⁵¹ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵/

/waː²² pɐt̚⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ kei̯⁵⁵ puːn³³ kɵy̯³³ tɔː⁵⁵/

When the conversation is not congenial, to say even half a sentence is too much.


道高一尺，魔高一丈

As virtue rises one foot, vice rises ten

ㄇㄛˊ ㄍㄠ ㄧ ㄓㄤˋ

dou⁶ gou¹ jat¹ cek³, mo¹ gou¹ jat¹ zoeng⁶

mó gāo yī zhàng [Phonetic:dào gāo yì chǐ

дао гао и чи

мо гао и чжан

/tɑʊ̯⁵¹ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ³⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

dou⁶ gou¹ jat⁷ tsek⁸, mo¹ gou¹ jat⁷ dzoeng⁶

dou⁶ gou¹ yed¹ cég³, mo¹ gou¹ yed¹ zêng⁶

/tou̯²² kou̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɛːk̚³ mɔː⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ²²/

The more illumination, the more temptation; People will always find an end-run around the rules.


道不同，不相為謀

ㄉㄠˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄨㄟˊ ㄇㄡˊ

бу сян вэй моу

/tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ moʊ̯³⁵/

/tou̯²² pɐt̚⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ⁵⁵ wɐi̯²¹ mɐu̯²¹/

The Master said, "Those whose courses are different cannot lay plans for one another."

子曰：「道不同，不相為謀。」

子曰：「道不同，不相为谋。」

people of different aspirations or principles cannot get along together


飽暖思淫慾

ㄅㄠˇ ㄋㄨㄢˇ ㄙ ㄧㄣˊ ㄩˋ

bǎonuǎn sī yínyù [Phonetic:báonuǎnsīyínyù]

баонуань сы иньюй

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ nu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ sz̩⁵⁵ in³⁵ y⁵¹/

/paːu̯³⁵ nyːn¹³ siː⁵⁵ jɐm²¹ jʊk̚²/

/pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ nu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ sz̩⁵⁵ in³⁵ y⁵¹/

/paːu̯³⁵ nyːn¹³ siː⁵⁵ jɐm²¹ jʊk̚²/

If one is warm and well fed, one will think about lust.


疑心生暗鬼

ㄧˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄕㄥ ㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄟˇ

исинь шэн ань гуй

/i³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ˀän⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jiː²¹ sɐm⁵⁵ saːŋ⁵⁵ ɐm³³ kʷɐi̯³⁵/

/i³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ˀän⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jiː²¹ sɐm⁵⁵ saːŋ⁵⁵ ɐm³³ kʷɐi̯³⁵/

suspicions create imaginary fears; a suspicious heart will see imaginary ghosts; fear takes molehills for mountains


聞名不如見面

ㄨㄣˊ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ

вэньмин бужу цзяньмянь

/wən³⁵ miŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛn⁵¹/

/mɐn²¹ mɪŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ kiːn³³ miːn²²/

/mɐn²¹ mɪŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ kiːn³³ miːn²²/

to know someone by reputation is not as good as meeting face to face


與人方便，自己方便

ㄩˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄈㄤ ㄅㄧㄢˋ

ㄗˋ ㄐㄧˇ ㄈㄤ ㄅㄧㄢˋ

юй жэнь фанбянь

цзыцзи фанбянь

/y²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ fɑŋ⁵⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/

If you make things easy for others, others will make things easy for you.


憂道不憂貧

ㄧㄡ ㄉㄠˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄡ ㄆㄧㄣˊ

ю дао бу ю пинь

/joʊ̯⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵ pʰin³⁵/

/joʊ̯⁵⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵ pʰin³⁵/

The Master said, "The object of the superior man is truth. Food is not his object. There is plowing ― even in that there is sometimes want. So with learning ― emolument may be found in it. The superior man is anxious lest he should not get truth; he is not anxious lest poverty should come upon him."

Zǐ yuē: “Jūnzǐ móu dào bù móu shí. Gēng yě, něi zài qízhōng yǐ; xué yě, lù zài qízhōng yǐ. Jūnzǐ yōu dào bù yōu pín.”

子曰：「君子謀道不謀食。耕也，餒在其中矣；學也，祿在其中矣。君子憂道不憂貧。」

子曰：「君子谋道不谋食。耕也，馁在其中矣；学也，禄在其中矣。君子忧道不忧贫。」

Worry about seeking the proper path, do not worry about being poor.


請神容易送神難

It's easy to invite a god, but not so easy to get rid of a god.

ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄕㄣˊ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄧˋ ㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄕㄣˊ ㄋㄢˊ

цин шэнь жунъи сун шэнь нань

/t͡ɕʰiŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂən³⁵ ʐʊŋ³⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ sʊŋ⁵¹ ʂən³⁵ nän³⁵/

It is easy to invite some people to come and help you but difficult to get them to leave afterwards.


學而優則仕

ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄦˊ ㄧㄡ ㄗㄜˊ ㄕˋ

сюэ эр ю цзэ ши

/ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡sɤ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/hɔːk̚² jiː²¹ jɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡sɐk̚⁵ siː²²/

/ɕy̯ɛ³⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡sɤ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

/hɔːk̚² jiː²¹ jɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡sɐk̚⁵ siː²²/

Zixia said, "The officer, having discharged all his duties, should devote his leisure to learning. The student, having completed his learning, should apply himself to be an officer."

Zǐxià yuē: ‘Shì ér yōu zé xué, xué ér yōu zé shì.’

子夏曰：『仕而優則學，學而優則仕。』

子夏曰：『仕而优则学，学而优则仕。』

The student, having completed his studies, should enter into government service.


樹欲靜而風不止

ㄕㄨˋ ㄩˋ ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄦˊ ㄈㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓˇ

шу юй цзин эр фэн бу чжи

/ʂu⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Literally: The tree may prefer calm but the wind keeps blowing.

The objective laws often go counter to man's desires.


樹倒猢猻散

ㄕㄨˋ ㄉㄠˇ ㄏㄨˊ ㄙㄨㄣ ㄙㄢˋ

шу дао хусунь сань

/ʂu⁵¹ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu³⁵ su̯ən⁵⁵ sän⁵¹/

/syː²² tou̯³⁵ wuː²¹ syːn⁵⁵ saːn³³/

/ʂu⁵¹ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu³⁵ su̯ən⁵⁵ sän⁵¹/

/syː²² tou̯³⁵ wuː²¹ syːn⁵⁵ saːn³³/

(figurative) When a leader loses power, his/her followers disperse.


機不可失，時不再來

ㄐㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄕ

ㄕˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄌㄞˊ

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵/

/kei̯⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ sɐt̚⁵ siː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sɔːi̯³³ lɔːi̯²¹/

Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
opportunity seldom knocks twice


親者痛，仇者快

ㄑㄧㄣ ㄓㄜˇ ㄊㄨㄥˋ

ㄔㄡˊ ㄓㄜˇ ㄎㄨㄞˋ

цинь чжэ тун

чоу чжэ куай

/t͡ɕʰin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰʊŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ kʰu̯aɪ̯⁵¹/

/t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ tʰʊŋ³³ sɐu̯²¹ t͡sɛː³⁵ faːi̯³³/

That which brings pain to one's friends and brings joy to one's enemies (should not be done).


聰明一世，糊塗一時

ㄘㄨㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄧ ㄕˋ

ㄏㄨˊ ㄊㄨˊ ㄧ ㄕˊ

cung¹ ming⁴ jat¹ sai³, wu⁴ tou⁴ jat¹ si⁴

cōngmíng yīshì, hútú yīshí [Phonetic:cōngmíng yíshì, hútú yìshí]

cōngmíng yīshì, hútuyīshí (toneless variant)

ㄘㄨㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄧ ㄕˋ , ㄏㄨˊ ㄊㄨˊ ㄧ ㄕˊ

ㄘㄨㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄧ ㄕˋ , ㄏㄨˊ ˙ㄊㄨ ㄧ ㄕˊ (toneless variant)

/t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ xu³⁵ tʰu³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ xu³⁵ tʰu³ i⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

tsung¹ ming⁴ jat⁷ sai³, wu⁴ tou⁴ jat⁷ si⁴

cung¹ ming⁴ yed¹ sei³, wu⁴ tou⁴ yed¹ xi⁴

/t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹ jɐt̚⁵ sɐi̯³³ wuː²¹ tʰou̯²¹ jɐt̚⁵ siː²¹/

even smart people can have a momentary lapse in judgement; even Homer nods


聰明反被聰明誤

ㄘㄨㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄈㄢˇ ㄅㄟˋ ㄘㄨㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨˋ

tsʻung¹-ming² fan³ pei⁴ tsʻung¹-ming² wu⁴

цунмин фань бэй цунмин у

/t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ peɪ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵ u⁵¹/

tsung¹ ming⁴ faan² bei⁶ tsung¹ ming⁴ ng⁶

/t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹ faːn³⁵ pei̯²² t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²¹ ŋ̍²²/

Cleverness may overreach itself; A wise man can be ruined by his own wisdom; Clever people may be victims of their own cleverness; Every man has a fool in his sleeve.


舉頭三尺有神明

There are gods three feet above your head

ㄐㄩˇ ㄊㄡˊ ㄙㄢ ㄔˇ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕㄣˊ ㄇㄧㄥˊ

jǔtóu sān chǐ yǒu shénmíng [Phonetic:jǔtóusānchíyǒushénmíng]

цзюйтоу сань чи ю шэньмин

/t͡ɕy²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ sän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂən³⁵ miŋ³⁵/

/kɵy̯³⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ saːm⁵⁵ t͡sʰɛːk̚³ jɐu̯¹³ sɐn²¹ mɪŋ²¹/

The gods are watching, so don't think you can get away with anything.


禮之用，和為貴

ㄏㄜˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄍㄨㄟˋ

/li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ jʊŋ⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

The philosopher You said, "In practicing the rules of propriety, a natural ease is to be prized. In the ways prescribed by the ancient kings, this is the excellent quality, and in things small and great we follow them. Yet it is not to be observed in all cases. If one, knowing how such ease should be prized, manifests it, without regulating it by the rules of propriety, this likewise is not to be done."

Yǒuzǐ yuē: “Lǐ zhī yòng, hé wéi guì. Xiānwáng zhī dào sī wéi měi, xiǎo dà yóu zhī. Yǒu suǒ bù xíng, zhī hé ér hé, bù yǐ lǐ jié zhī, yì bùkě xíng yě.”

有子曰：「禮之用，和為貴。先王之道斯為美，小大由之。有所不行，知和而和，不以禮節之，亦不可行也。」

有子曰：「礼之用，和为贵。先王之道斯为美，小大由之。有所不行，知和而和，不以礼节之，亦不可行也。」

In carrying out the rules of propriety, ease of manner is to be prized.


讀萬卷書，行萬里路

ㄉㄨˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄐㄩㄢˋ ㄕㄨ

ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄌㄨˋ

duk⁶ maan⁶ gyun² syu¹, haang⁴ maan⁶ lei⁵ lou⁶

tu² wan⁴ chüan⁴ shu¹, hsing² wan⁴ li³ lu⁴

ду вань цзюань шу

син вань ли лу

/tu³⁵ wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy̯ɛn⁵¹ ʂu⁵⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵ wän⁵¹ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu⁵¹/

duhk maahn gyún syū, hàahng maahn léih louh

duk⁹ maan⁶ gyn² sy¹, haang⁴ maan⁶ lei⁵ lou⁶

dug⁶ man⁶ gün² xu¹, hang⁴ man⁶ léi⁵ lou⁶

/tʊk̚² maːn²² kyːn³⁵ syː⁵⁵ haːŋ²¹ maːn²² lei̯¹³ lou̯²²/

In order to attain wisdom, it is not enough merely to read books, you must be well-travelled as well.


工欲善其事，必先利其器

ㄍㄨㄥ ㄩˋ ㄕㄢˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄕˋ

ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄌㄧˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄑㄧˋ

gung¹ juk⁶ sin⁶ kei⁴ si⁶, bit¹ sin¹ lei⁶ kei⁴ hei³

kung¹ yü⁴ shan⁴ chʻi² shih⁴, pi⁴ hsien¹ li⁴ chʻi² chʻi⁴

gūng yù shàn chí shr̀-, bì syān lì chí chì

gong yuh shann chyi shyh, bih shian lih chyi chih

гун юй шань ци ши

би сянь ли ци ци

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂän⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ li⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

gūng yuhk sihn kèih sih, bīt sīn leih kèih hei

gung¹ juk⁹ sin⁶ kei⁴ si⁶, bit⁷ sin¹ lei⁶ kei⁴ hei³

gung¹ yug⁶ xin⁶ kéi⁴ xi⁶, bid¹ xin¹ léi⁶ kéi⁴ héi³

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ jʊk̚² siːn²² kʰei̯²¹ siː²² piːt̚⁵ siːn⁵⁵ lei̯²² kʰei̯²¹ hei̯³³/

Zigong asked about the practice of virtue.
The Master said, "The mechanic, who wishes to do his work well, must first sharpen his tools. When you are living in any state, take service with the most worthy among its great officers, and make friends of the most virtuous among its scholars."

Zǐgòng wèn wéi rén. Zǐ yuē: “Gōng yù shàn qí shì, bì xiān lì qí qì. Jū shì bāng yě, shì qí dàfū zhī xián zhě, yǒu qí shì zhī rén zhě.”

子貢問為仁。子曰：「工欲善其事，必先利其器。居是邦也，事其大夫之賢者，友其士之仁者。」

子贡问为仁。子曰：「工欲善其事，必先利其器。居是邦也，事其大夫之贤者，友其士之仁者。」

If a workman wishes to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools.

One must have good tools in order to do a good job.


三人成虎

→ Japanese: 三人虎を成す

ㄙㄢ ㄖㄣˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄏㄨˇ

саньжэньчэнху

/sän⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/saːm⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ sɪŋ²¹ fuː³⁵/

/sän⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/saːm⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ sɪŋ²¹ fuː³⁵/

Pang Cong (the minister to the king of Wei) and the crown prince were to become hostages at Handan. He asked the king of Wei, "Now if one person said that there was a tiger in the market, would Your Majesty believe it?" The king said, "No." "If two people said that there was a tiger in the market, would Your Majesty believe it?" The king responded, "I would be suspicious about it." "If three people said that there was a tiger in the market, would Your Majesty believe it?" The king replied, "I would believe it." Pang Cong said, "Though it is clear that there is no tiger in the market, nevertheless three people saying so produces the tiger. Now then, Handan is further away from Daliang (the capital of Wei) than the market, and the number of people that will slander me will be more than three. I hope that Your Majesty sees that!" The king said, "I already know." Thus, he bid the king farewell, but the slander had already started. Later on, the crown prince was released, but Pang Cong was not granted an audience the king.

Páng Cōng yǔ tàizǐ zhì yú Hándān, wèi Wèi wáng yuē: “Jīn yī rén yán shì yǒu hǔ, wáng xìn zhī hū?” Wáng yuē: “Fǒu.” “èr rén yán shì yǒu hǔ, wáng xìn zhī hū?” Wáng yuē: “Guǎrén yí zhī yǐ.” “sān rén yán shì yǒu hǔ, wáng xìn zhī hū?” Wáng yuē: “Guǎrén xìn zhī yǐ.” Páng Cōng yuē: “Fú shì zhī wú hǔ míng yǐ, rán'ér sānrén yán ér chénghǔ. Jīn Hándān qù Dàliáng yě yuǎn yú shì, ér yì chén zhě guò yú sān rén yǐ. Yuàn wáng chá zhī yǐ.” Wáng yuē: “Guǎrén zì wéi zhī.” Yúshì cíxíng, ér chányán xiān zhì. Hòu tàizǐ bà zhì, guǒ bùdé jiàn.

龐葱與太子質於邯鄲，謂魏王曰：「今一人言市有虎，王信之乎？」王曰：「否。」「二人言市有虎，王信之乎？」王曰：「寡人疑之矣。」「三人言市有虎，王信之乎？」王曰：「寡人信之矣。」龐葱曰：「夫市之無虎明矣，然而三人言而成虎。今邯鄲去大梁也遠於市，而議臣者過於三人矣。願王察之矣。」王曰：「寡人自為知。」於是辭行，而讒言先至。後太子罷質，果不得見。

庞葱与太子质于邯郸，谓魏王曰：「今一人言市有虎，王信之乎？」王曰：「否。」「二人言市有虎，王信之乎？」王曰：「寡人疑之矣。」「三人言市有虎，王信之乎？」王曰：「寡人信之矣。」庞葱曰：「夫市之无虎明矣，然而三人言而成虎。今邯郸去大梁也远于市，而议臣者过于三人矣。愿王察之矣。」王曰：「寡人自为知。」于是辞行，而谗言先至。后太子罢质，果不得见。

What you are told three times is true. If something is repeated by many individuals, it will be accepted as truth.


上有天堂，下有蘇杭

ㄕㄤˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄊㄤˊ

ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄙㄨ ㄏㄤˊ

soeng⁶ jau⁵ tin¹ tong⁴, haa⁶ jau⁵ sou¹ hong⁴

⁶zaon ⁶yeu ¹thi-daon ⁶gho ⁶yeu ¹su-ghaon

шан ю тяньтан

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tʰɑŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ su⁵⁵ xɑŋ³⁵/

seuhng yáuh tīn tòhng, hah yáuh sōu hòhng

sêng⁶ yeo⁵ tin¹ tong⁴, ha⁶ yeo⁵ sou¹ hong⁴

/sœːŋ²² jɐu̯¹³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ tʰɔːŋ²¹ haː²² jɐu̯¹³ sou̯⁵⁵ hɔːŋ²¹/

zaon^去 yeu^去 thi^平 daon gho^去 yeu^去 su^平 ghaon

³zaan ³hhieu ¹thi-daan ³hho ³hhieu ¹su-hhaan

/zɑ̃³³ ɦiɤ²³ tʰi⁵⁵ dɑ̃²¹ ɦo³³ ɦiɤ²³ su⁵⁵ ɦɑ̃²¹/

There is heaven above, and there are Suzhou and Hangzhou below. This phrase praises the virtues of these two cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang province, respectively.


牛仔毋捌虎

牛仔不八虎
牛仔呣捌虎
牛仔伓別虎

/ɡu²⁴⁻²¹ a⁴² m̩²²⁻²¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁴²/

/ɡu²⁴⁻²² a⁵⁵⁴ m̩⁴¹⁻²² pat̚⁵⁻²⁴ hɔ⁵⁵⁴/

/ɡu²⁴⁻²² a⁵³ m̩²²⁻²¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁵³/

/ɡu²⁴⁻³³ a⁵³ m̩³³⁻¹¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁵³/

/ɡu²³⁻³³ a⁴¹ m̩³³⁻²¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁴¹/

/ɡu²⁴⁻³³ a⁵³ m̩³³⁻¹¹ bat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁵³/

/ɡu²³⁻³³ a⁴¹ m̩³³⁻²¹ bat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁴¹/

/ɡu¹³⁻²² a⁵³ m̩²²⁻²¹ bat̚³²⁻⁵ hɔ⁵³/

/ɡu²⁴⁻²¹ a⁴² m̩²²⁻²¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁴²/

/ɡu²⁴⁻²² a⁵⁵⁴ m̩⁴¹⁻²² pat̚⁵⁻²⁴ hɔ⁵⁵⁴/

/ɡu²⁴⁻²² a⁵³ m̩²²⁻²¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁵³/

/ɡu²⁴⁻³³ a⁵³ m̩³³⁻¹¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁵³/

/ɡu²³⁻³³ a⁴¹ m̩³³⁻²¹ pat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁴¹/

/ɡu²⁴⁻³³ a⁵³ m̩³³⁻¹¹ bat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁵³/

/ɡu²³⁻³³ a⁴¹ m̩³³⁻²¹ bat̚³²⁻⁴ hɔ⁴¹/

/ɡu¹³⁻²² a⁵³ m̩²²⁻²¹ bat̚³²⁻⁵ hɔ⁵³/

(Southern Min) a young person is often willing to take risks


一分錢一分貨

ㄧ ㄈㄣ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄧ ㄈㄣ ㄏㄨㄛˋ

yī fēn qián yī fēn huò [Phonetic:yì fēn qián yì fēn huò]

и фэнь цянь и фэнь хо

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fən⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ fən⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn²¹ jɐt̚⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ fɔː³³/

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² hun⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sĩ²³⁻³³ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² hun⁴⁴⁻³³ hue²¹/

/t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² hun⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sĩ²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² hun⁴⁴⁻³³ he¹¹/

you get what you pay for
you get what you pay for


今日事，今日畢

/t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/

don't put off until tomorrow what can be done today


聊勝於無

ㄌㄧㄠˊ ㄕㄥˋ ㄩˊ ㄨˊ

/li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ u³⁵/

/liːu̯²¹ sɪŋ³³ jyː⁵⁵ mou̯²¹/

/li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵¹ y³⁵ u³⁵/

/liːu̯²¹ sɪŋ³³ jyː⁵⁵ mou̯²¹/

Something is better than nothing; A little is better than nothing.


紙包不住火

纸包不住火
紙裡包不住火

ㄓˇ ㄅㄠ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄛˇ

zhǐ bāo bùzhù huǒ [Phonetic:zhǐ bāo búzhù huǒ]

чжи бао бучжу хо

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

/t͡siː³⁵ paːu̯⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡syː²² fɔː³⁵/

/t͡siː³⁵ paːu̯⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ t͡syː²² fɔː³⁵/

(figurative) there is no concealing the truth; the truth will come out; murder will out


明槍易躲，暗箭難防

A spear (thrown in) daylight is easy to dodge, (but) an arrow (shot in the) dark is difficult to defend against.

ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄧㄤ ㄧˋ ㄉㄨㄛˇ

ㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄈㄤˊ

ming⁴ coeng¹ ji⁶ do² am³ zin³ naan⁴ fong⁴

аньцзянь нань фан

/miŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ i⁵¹ tu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ nän³⁵ fɑŋ³⁵/

ming⁴ tsoeng¹ ji⁶ do² am³ dzin³ naan⁴ fong⁴

/mɪŋ²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ⁵⁵ jiː²² tɔː³⁵ ɐm³³ t͡siːn³³ naːn²¹ fɔːŋ²¹/

It is easy to dodge an open attack, but difficult to defend against a concealed one.


麻雀雖小，五臟俱全

Asparrow may be small, but it has all its vital organs.

ㄇㄚˊ ㄑㄩㄝˋ ㄙㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄠˇ

ㄨˇ ㄗㄤˋ ㄐㄩˋ ㄑㄩㄢˊ

maa⁴ zoek³ seoi¹ siu², ng⁵ zong⁶ keoi¹ cyun⁴

мацюэ суй сяо

уцзан цзюйцюань

/mä³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵¹ su̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕy⁵¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/

màh jeuk sēui síu, ńgh johng kēui chyùhn

maa⁴ dzoek⁸ soey¹ siu², ng⁵ dzong⁶ koey¹ tsyn⁴

/maː²¹ t͡sœːk̚³ sɵy̯⁵⁵ siːu̯³⁵ ŋ̍¹³ t͡sɔːŋ²² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn²¹/


塞翁失馬，焉知非福

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (塞翁失馬，焉知非福):
* → Vietnamese: tái ông thất mã, yên tri phi phúc (塞翁失馬，焉知非福)

ㄙㄞˋ ㄨㄥ ㄕ ㄇㄚˇ

coi³ jung¹ sat¹ maa⁵, jin¹ zi¹ fei¹ fuk¹

сайвэн ши ма

яньчжи фэй фу

/saɪ̯⁵¹ wəŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ feɪ̯⁵⁵ fu³⁵/

tsoi³ jung¹ sat⁷ maa⁵, jin¹ dzi¹ fei¹ fuk⁷

/t͡sʰɔːi̯³³ jʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐt̚⁵ maː¹³ jiːn⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ fei̯⁵⁵ fʊk̚⁵/

It can be difficult to foresee the twists and turns which compel misfortune to beget fortune, and vice versa.
There once was a (father), skilled in divination, who lived close to the frontier (with his son). One of his horses accidentally strayed into the lands of the Xiongnu, so everyone consoled him.
(But) the father said, “Why should I hastily (conclude) that this is not fortunate?”
After several months, the horse came back from the land of the Xiongnu, accompanied by another fine horse, so everyone congratulated him.
(But) the father said, “Why should I hastily (conclude) that this can not be unfortunate?”
His family had a wealth of fine horses, and his son loved riding them. One day (the son) fell off the horse, and broke his leg, so everyone consoled (the father).
(But) the father said, “Why should I hastily (conclude) that this is not fortunate?”
One year later, the Xiongnu invaded the frontier, and all able-bodied men took up arms and went to war. Of the men from the frontier (who volunteered), nine out of ten men perished (from the fighting). It was only because of (the son's) broken leg, that the father and son were spared (this tragedy).
Therefore, misfortune begets fortune, and fortune begets misfortune. This goes on without end, and its depths can not be measured. (Wiktionary translation)

Fú huòfú zhī zhuǎn ér xiāngshēng, qí biàn nán jiàn yě.
Jìn sài shàng zhī rén yǒu shàn shù zhě, mǎ wúgù wáng ér rù hú. Rén jiē diào zhī.
Qí fù yuē: “Cǐ hé jù bù wéi fú hū?”
Jū shù yuè, qí mǎ jiāng hú jùnmǎ ér guī. Rén jiē hè zhī.
Qí fù yuē: “Cǐ hé jù bùnéng wéi huò hū?”
Jiā fù liáng mǎ, qí zǐ hǎo qí, duò ér zhé qí bì. Rén jiē diào zhī.
Qí fù yuē: “Cǐ hé jù bù wéi fú hū?”
Jū yī nián, húrén dà rù sài, dīngzhuàng zhě yǐn xián ér zhàn, jìn sài zhī rén, sǐ zhě shí jiǔ, cǐ dú yǐ bǒ zhī gù, fù zǐ xiāng bǎo.
Gù fú zhī wéi huò, huò zhī wéi fú, huà bùkě jí, shēn bùkě cè yě.

夫禍福之轉而相生，其變難見也。
近塞上之人有善術者，馬無故亡而入胡。人皆吊之。
其父曰：「此何遽不為福乎？」
居數月，其馬將胡駿馬而歸。人皆賀之。
其父曰：「此何遽不能為禍乎？」
家富良馬，其子好騎，墮而折其髀。人皆吊之。
其父曰：「此何遽不為福乎？」
居一年，胡人大入塞，丁壯者引弦而戰，近塞之人，死者十九，此獨以跛之故，父子相保。
故福之為禍，禍之為福，化不可極，深不可測也。

夫祸福之转而相生，其变难见也。
近塞上之人有善术者，马无故亡而入胡。人皆吊之。
其父曰：「此何遽不为福乎？」
居数月，其马将胡骏马而归。人皆贺之。
其父曰：「此何遽不能为祸乎？」
家富良马，其子好骑，堕而折其髀。人皆吊之。
其父曰：「此何遽不为福乎？」
居一年，胡人大入塞，丁壮者引弦而战，近塞之人，死者十九，此独以跛之故，父子相保。
故福之为祸，祸之为福，化不可极，深不可测也。

When the old man from thefrontier lost his horse, how could one have known that it would not be fortuitous?

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

blessing in disguise
blessing in disguise

Every cloud has a silver lining. / A setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.