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| About these Chinese proverbs: |
| •The proverb recordings below are in Mandarin. The slang
are in Cantonese. • If you don't see the audio links, or if they're not working, please click here for help. •If you're interested in learning how to write Chinese, here's a mini-tutorial. • You may also download a proverbs audio transcript for listening in your car. |
A small spark can start a fire that burns the whole prairie:
| English: | stars | of | fire | can | start prairie fire | |||
| Pinyin EZ: | seeng | seeng | jih | woh | kuh | ee | lee-au | yew-en |
| Listen: | ||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | xīng | xīng | zhī | huǒ | kě | yǐ | liáo | yuán |
| Characters: | 星 | 星 | 之 | 火 | 可 | 以 | 燎 | 原 |
When a person has ambition, things will get accomplished:
| English: | have | will | person | , | matter | indeed | accomplish |
| Pinyin EZ: | yoh | jih | jih | , | shih | jeeng | cheung |
| Listen: | |||||||
| Pinyin 2: | yǒu | zhì | zhe | , | shì | jìng | chéng |
| Characters: | 有 | 志 | 者 | , | 事 | 竟 | 成 |
I hear I forget - I see I remember - I do I understand:
| English: | I | hear (listen+see) | I | forget | , | I | see | I | remember | , | I | do | I | understand | |||||
| Pinyin EZ: | woh | teeng | djee-en | woh | wahng | jee | , | woh | kahn | djeen-en | woh | tchee | joh | , | woh | dzoh | woh | lee-au | djee-ay |
| Listen: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | wǒ | tīng | jiàn | wǒ | wàng | jì | , | wǒ | kàn | jiàn | wǒ | jì | zhù | , | wǒ | zuò | wǒ | liǎo | jiě |
| Simplified: | 我 | 听 | 见 | 我 | 忘 | 记 | , | 我 | 看 | 见 | 我 | 记 | 住 | , | 我 | 做 | 我 | 了 | 解 |
| Traditional: | 我 | 聽 | 見 | 我 | 忘 | 記 | , | 我 | 看 | 見 | 我 | 記 | 住 | , | 我 | 做 | 我 | 了 | 解 |
Water can float your boat; But it can also overturn it:
| English: | water | can | carry a boat | , | water | can | overturn boat | ||
| Pinyin EZ: | shway | nung | dzie | joh | , | shway | nung | foo | joh |
| Listen: | |||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | shuǐ | néng | zài | zhōu | , | shuǐ | néng | fù | zhōu |
| Simplified: | 水 | 能 | 载 | 舟 | , | 水 | 能 | 覆 | 舟 |
| Traditional: | 水 | 能 | 載 | 舟 | , | 水 | 能 | 覆 | 舟 |
One's true nature is revealed in times of emotion/crisis:
| English: | with | difficulty | see | real | situation |
| Pinyin EZ: | wahn | nahn | djee-en | jun | teeng |
| Listen: | |||||
| Pinyin 2: | huàn | nán | jiàn | zhēn | qíng |
| Simplified: | 患 | 难 | 见 | 真 | 情 |
| Traditional: | 患 | 難 | 見 | 真 | 情 |
A long road reveals the strength of your horse; A long time reveals the heart of your friends:
| English: | road | need go | know | horse | , | day | long | see | people | heart | |
| Pinyin EZ: | loo | yau | jih | mah | lee | , | rih | djee-oh | djee-en | ren | seen |
| Listen: | |||||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | lù | yáo | zhī | mǎ | lì | , | rì | jiǔ | jiàn) | rén | xīn |
| Simplified: | 路 | 遥 | 知 | 马 | 力 | , | 日 | 久 | 见 | 人 | 心 |
| Traditional: | 路 | 遙 | 知 | 馬 | 力 | , | 日 | 久 | 見 | 人 | 心 |
The winner of war becomes king; The loser is put into history books as the bad guy:
| English: | succeed | person | to be | king | , | defeat | person | to be | bandit |
| Pinyin EZ: | chung | jih | way | wahng | , | bie | jih | way | koh |
| Listen: | |||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | chéng | zhe | wéi | wáng | , | bài | zhe | wéi | kòu |
| Simplified: | 成 | 者 | 为 | 王 | , | 败 | 者 | 为 | 寇 |
| Traditional: | 成 | 者 | 為 | 王 | , | 敗 | 者 | 為 | 寇 |
You cannot judge a person by their appearance:
| English: | people | not | can | profile | |
| Pinyin EZ: | ren | boo | kuh(ee) | mau | shee-ahng |
| Listen: | |||||
| Pinyin 2: | rén | bù | kě | mào | xiàng |
| Characters: | 人 | 不 | 可 | 貌 | 相 |
Temporary separation makes a couple better than newlyweds:
| English: | long (time) | apart | win (better than) | newlywed | |
| Pinyin EZ: | djee-oh | bee-ay | shung | seen | wun |
| Listen: | |||||
| Pinyin 2: | jiǔ | bié | shèng | xīn | hūn |
| Simplified: | 久 | 别 | 胜 | 新 | 婚 |
| Traditional: | 久 | 別 | 勝 | 新 | 婚 |
For one general to achieve his fame, thousands of people will/have died:
| English: | one | general | accomplishment | succeed | ten thousand | bones | dry up |
| Pinyin EZ: | ee | tchee-ahng | gohng | cheung | wahn | goo | koo |
| Listen: | |||||||
| Pinyin 2: | yí | jiàng | gōng | chéng | wàn | gǔ | kū |
| Simplified: | 一 | 將 | 功 | 成 | 萬 | 骨 | 枯 |
| Traditional: | 一 | 將 | 功 | 成 | 萬 | 骨 | 枯 |
You want your horse to be good, but also want him to not need to eat grass:
| English: | also | want | (little) horse | good | , | also | want | little horse | not | eat | hay | ||
| Pinyin EZ: | yeh | yau | mah | ar | hau | , | yeh | yau | mah | ar | boo | chih | tchau |
| Listen: | |||||||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | yě | yào | mǎ | ér | hǎo | , | yě | yào | mǎ | ér | bù | chī | cǎo |
| Simplified: | 也 | 要 | 马 | 儿 | 好 | , | 也 | 要 | 马 | 儿 | 不 | 吃 | 草 |
| Traditional: | 又 | 要 | 馬 | 兒 | 好 | , | 又 | 要 | 馬 | 兒 | 不 | 食 | 草 |
The participants perspectives are distorted (the bystanders views are correct):
| English: | on the spot | situation | person | lost, confused |
| Pinyin EZ: | dahng | joo | jih | mee |
| Listen: | ||||
| Pinyin 2: | dāng | jú | zhě | mí |
| Simplified: | 当 | 局 | 者 | 迷 |
| Traditional: | 當 | 局 | 者 | 迷 |
Each flower (beauty) is seen differently by each person (beauty is in the eye of the beholder):
| English: | each | flower | enter | each | eye |
| Pinyin EZ: | guh | wah | roo | guh | yen |
| Listen: | |||||
| Pinyin 2: | gè | huā | rù | gè | yǎn |
| Characters: | 各 | 花 | 入 | 各 | 眼 |
Age and time wait not for people:
| English: | years | month | not | stay/wait | people |
| Pinyin EZ: | sway | yew-eh | boo | lee-oh | ren |
| Listen: | |||||
| Pinyin 2: | suì | yuè | bù | liú | rén |
| Simplified: | 岁 | 月 | 不 | 留 | 人 |
| Traditional: | 歲 | 月 | 不 | 留 | 人 |
When you always rush, you never get to your desired destination/goal:
| English: | desire | speed | (expression of contrast) then | not | attain |
| Pinyin EZ: | yew | soo | dzoo | boo | dah |
| Listen: | |||||
| Pinyin 2: | yù | sù | zé | bù | dá |
| Simplified: | 欲 | 速 | 则 | 不 | 达 |
| Traditional: | 欲 | 速 | 則 | 不 | 達 |
If you don't go into the tiger's cave, how will you get the cub?
| English: | not | into | tiger | cave | , | where/how | obtain | tiger | son |
| Pinyin EZ: | boo | roo | woo | shway | , | yen | duh | woo | dzih |
| Listen: | |||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | bù | rù | hǔ | xué | , | yān | dé | hǔ | zǐ |
| Characters: | 不 | 入 | 虎 | 穴 | , | 焉 | 得 | 虎 | 子 |
Make yourself an example (lead by example):
| English: | to use | body | to make/regard as | principle |
| Pinyin EZ: | ee | shun | dzoh | dzih |
| Listen: | ||||
| Pinyin 2: | yǐ | shēn | zuò | zé |
| Simplified: | 以 | 身 | 作 | 则 |
| Traditional: | 以 | 身 | 作 | 則 |
Other people's wives (always seem to) look prettier than yours:
| English: | wife | is not | compared to | people | pretty | ||
| Pinyin EZ: | lau | poh | shih | bee | ren | duh | lee-ahng |
| Listen: | |||||||
| Pinyin 2: | lǎo | pó | shì | bié | rén | de | liàng |
| Simplified: | 老 | 婆 | 是 | 别 | 人 | 的 | 靓 |
| Traditional: | 老 | 婆 | 是 | 別 | 人 | 的 | 靚 |
If you go up the mountain too often, sooner or later you'll meet the tiger:
| English: | to climb/go up | (particle) | mountain | often | in the end | meet with | tiger |
| Pinyin EZ: | shang | duh | shahn | doh | johng | yoo | woo |
| Listen: | |||||||
| Pinyin 2: | shàng | de | shān | duō | zhōng | yù | hǔ |
| Simplified: | 上 | 得 | 山 | 多 | 终 | 遇 | 虎 |
| Traditional: | 上 | 得 | 山 | 多 | 終 | 遇 | 虎 |
The person who comes to gossip (judge others) is himself a person to be judged:
| English: | to come | speak | right+wrong | person | , | so | is | right+wrong | person | ||
| Pinyin EZ: | lie | shoh | shih | fay | jih | , | bee-en | shih | shih | fay | ren |
| Listen: | |||||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | lái | shuō | shì | fēi | zhě | , | biàn | shì | shì | fēi | rén |
| Simplified: | 来 | 说 | 是 | 非 | 者 | , | 便 | 是 | 是 | 非 | 人 |
| Traditional: | 來 | 說 | 是 | 非 | 者 | , | 便 | 是 | 是 | 非 | 人 |
You cannot push a cow's head down to drink water (one must drink of his own will):
| English: | cow | not | drink | water | , | cannot | press/push | cow | head | low | |
| Pinyin EZ: | new | boo | yeen | shway | , | boo | nung | ahn | new | toh | dee |
| Listen: | |||||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | niú | bù | yǐn | shuǐ | , | bù | néng | àn | niú | tóu | dī |
| Simplified: | 牛 | 不 | 饮 | 水 | , | 不 | 能 | 按 | 牛 | 头 | 低 |
| Traditional: | 牛 | 不 | 飲 | 水 | , | 不 | 能 | 按 | 牛 | 頭 | 低 |
Over-confident soldiers will certainly be defeated:
| English: | arrogant | soldier | certainly | be defeated |
| Pinyin EZ: | tchee-au | beeng | bee | bie |
| Listen: | ||||
| Pinyin 2: | jiāo | bīng | bì | bài |
| Simplified: | 骄 | 兵 | 必 | 败 |
| Traditional: | 驕 | 兵 | 必 | 敗 |
Sickness enters through the mouth; Troubles come out of it:
| English: | sickness | from | mouth | enter | , | disaster | from | mouth | come out |
| Pinyin EZ: | beeng | tchohng | koh | roo | , | woh | tchohng | koh | choo |
| Listen: | |||||||||
| Pinyin 2: | bìng | cóng | kǒu | rù | , | huò | cóng | kǒu | chū |
| Simplified: | 病 | 从 | 口 | 入 | , | 祸 | 从 | 口 | 出 |
| Traditional: | 病 | 從 | 口 | 入 | , | 禍 | 從 | 口 | 出 |