Learn Chinese characters with Chinese ProverbsHome | Getting Started | Traditional Characters | Simplified Characters |
The following Chinese proverbs provide a small sample of the richness that awaits you in learning to read/write Chinese characters. |
A small spark can start a fire that burns the whole prairie:
English: | stars | of | fire | can | start prairie fire | |||
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 |
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 | |||||
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 | ||
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 |
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 | |
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 |
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 | |
Characters: | 人 | 不 | 可 | 貌 | 相 |
Temporary separation makes a couple better than newlyweds:
English: | long (time) | apart | win (better than) | newlywed | |
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 |
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 | ||
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 |
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 |
Characters: | 各 | 花 | 入 | 各 | 眼 |
Age and time wait not for people:
English: | years | month | not | stay/wait | people |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 | ||
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 |
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 | ||
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 | |
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 |
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 |
Simplified: | 病 | 从 | 口 | 入 | , | 祸 | 从 | 口 | 出 |
Traditional: | 病 | 從 | 口 | 入 | , | 禍 | 從 | 口 | 出 |