Chinese Proverbs

A collection of authentic Chinese proverbs and sayings, written in Mandarin and translated into English. They were gathered in China during the 19th century by French-speaking missionaries, and they carry the plain, practical wisdom of the people who used them every day.

SOURCES:
The Chinese texts published on this site and their translations are the property of Chine Informations.
- Dictons et proverbes des Chinois habitant la Mongolie du sud-ouest - Joseph Van Oost (1918)
- Proverbes chinois, recueillis et mis en ordre par Paul Perny (1869)

ProverbTranslation
人生不满百，常怀千岁忧 A man's life does not reach a hundred years, yet he carries about with him the cares of a thousand.
光阴似箭，日月如梭 Time flies like an arrow, and the sun and moon pass like a weaver's shuttle.
祸从口出，病从口入 Calamity comes out of the mouth, and sickness goes in by it.
一言偾事，一人定国 A single word may ruin an affair, and a single man may secure the fate of an empire.
逢人且说三分话，未可全抛一片心 When you meet a man, say only three parts of what you think; you should not pour out your whole heart at once.
好言难得，恶语易施，一言既出驷马难退 A good word is hard to find and a harsh one comes easily; once a word is out, a team of four horses cannot bring it back.
成事莫说，覆水难收 Do not speak of what is already done; spilled water is hard to gather up.
守口如瓶，防意如城 Keep your mouth closed as you would close a bottle, and guard your thoughts as you would guard a city.
墙有缝，壁有耳 Walls have cracks, and partitions have ears.
呐呐寡言者未必愚，喋喋利口者未必智 He who speaks slowly and little is not necessarily a fool, and he who chatters glibly is not necessarily wise.
酒逢知己千杯少，话不投机半句多 With a bosom friend a thousand cups of wine are too few; with a man who does not share your mind, half a sentence is too much.
口是风，笔是踪 Spoken words are wind; written ones leave a trace.
家丑不可外扬 The shameful things of a household must not be spread abroad.
谁人后无人说，那人前不说人 Who is there of whom no one has spoken ill behind his back, and who is there who has never spoken ill of another to his face?
见官莫向前，做客莫在后 In the presence of an official do not put yourself forward, and as a guest do not hold yourself back.
知者不言，言者不知 He who knows does not speak, and he who speaks does not know.
要知心腹事，但听口中言 If you would know what lies in a man's heart, listen to the words that come out of his mouth.
先正自己，后正他人 Set yourself right first, and only then set others right.
其身不正如正人何？ If a man is not upright himself, how can he make others upright?
知己知彼，将心比心 To know yourself is to know others; you may take your own heart as the measure of your neighbor's.
善欲人见不是真善，恶恐人知更是大恶 Good done in the hope of being seen is not true goodness; evil hidden for fear of being known is greater evil still.
宁可正而不足，不可邪而有余 Better to be upright and want for something than crooked and have more than enough.
克己者君子，忌克者小人 He who masters himself is a superior man; he who is envious and overbearing is a mean one.
使口不如自走，求人不如求己 Giving an order is not worth going yourself; asking others is not worth asking yourself.
养子不教如养驴，养女不教如养猪 To feed sons without teaching them is to rear donkeys, and to feed daughters without teaching them is to rear pigs.
有田不耕仓廪虚，有书不教子孙愚 To have fields and not till them empties the granary; to have books and not teach one's children leaves a foolish posterity.
大家礼养教子弟，小家凶恶教儿郎 Great families teach their children courtesy and right dealing; low families teach their boys violence and spite.
惜钱莫教子，护短莫从师 He who grudges his money does not have his children taught, and he who covers up his faults takes no master.
养儿防老，积谷防饥 Rear sons against your old age, and store up grain against famine.
训子婴孩 A child must be taught from infancy.
以食愈饥，以学愈愚 Food cures hunger, and learning cures ignorance.
人多处，是非多 Where many people are gathered, there is much gossip.
是非终日有，不听自然无 Gossip goes on from morning to night; if no one listened to it, there would be none.
是非只为多开口，烦恼皆因强出头 There is gossip only because men open their mouths too readily, and vexation only because they push themselves forward.
平生只会说人短何不回头把自量 He who spends his life speaking of the failings of others would do better to turn around and take his own measure.
利刀割体疮在，恶语伤恨不消 The sharp edge of a blade makes a deep wound, but cruel words make one that is harder to heal.
头可斩，舌不可禁 A head may be cut off, but a tongue cannot be held in check.
害得性命，甜不得清明 You may take a man's life, but you cannot stain an unblemished name.
钢刀虽快不斩无罪 However keen the steel blade may be, it does not strike down the innocent.
一家养女，百家求 Let one family bring up a daughter, and a hundred families will come to ask for her hand.
红颜女子多薄命，聪明子弟少容颜 Women of remarkable beauty seldom have a happy lot, and young men of great ability are seldom handsome.
痴人畏婦，贤女敬夫 A foolish husband fears his wife; a prudent wife respects her husband.
青竹蛇儿口，黄蜂尾上针，两般不算毒，最毒嫂人心 The mouth of the green bamboo snake and the sting in the wasp's tail carry no true venom; the deadliest poison of all is the heart of a woman.
妻賢夫祸少，子孝父心宽 The husband of a virtuous wife has few misfortunes, and the father of dutiful children has a heart at ease.
娶妻娶德，娶妾的娶色。 In a wife one looks for virtue, in a concubine for beauty.
十个女人，九个妒 Of ten women, nine are eaten up with jealousy.
贤妻令夫贵，恶妻令夫贱 A worthy wife brings her husband honor; a bad wife brings him disgrace.
池塘积水因防早，田地深耗足养家 Keep water stored in your pond against drought, and till your fields deeply, and you will have enough to feed your family.
晴带雨伞，饱带饥粮 In fair weather carry your umbrella, and when you have eaten your fill carry provisions with you.
一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨 The plan of the whole year lies in the spring, and the plan of the whole day lies in the morning.
年年防饥，夜夜防盗 Year by year guard against famine, and night by night against thieves.
常将有日思无日，莫待无时想有时 In days of plenty always remember the days of want, and do not wait until you have nothing to recall the time when you had much.
安不可忘危，治不可忘乱 In safety do not forget danger, and in times of order do not forget the times of disorder.
富人思来年，贫人思日前 The rich man thinks of the year to come; the poor man thinks of the day before him.
人情莫道春光好，只怕秋来有冷时 Do not say that the spring of your fortune is fair; fear rather the cold that comes with autumn.
得宠思辱，安居虑危 He who is in favor should think of disgrace, and he who lives in peace should reckon with danger.
少年不努力，老来徒伤悲 If youth but knew, if age but could. (Literally) He who makes no effort in his youth grieves in vain in his old age.
验其前，便知其后 Examine attentively what has gone before, and you will know what is to come.
前事之不忘，后事之师也 Do not forget the lessons of the past; they are the teacher of what is to come.
富从升合起，贫因不算来 Wealth is built up measure by measure; poverty comes of keeping no account.

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