All Proverbs

sài wēng shī mǎ, yān zhī fēi fú

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

shǒu zhū dài tù

to be conservative; to resist change and innovation; to sit around and wait; to ambush

huà shé tiān zú

to improve something unnecessarily; to gild the lily

hú jiǎ hǔ wēi

to use powerful connections to intimidate people

jǐng dǐ zhī wā

a person of very limited outlook and experience

sān rén chéng hǔ

What is told repeatedly becomes true; if something is repeated by many, it may be accepted as a universal truth.

yú gōng yí shān

to be resolute in one's endeavor, no matter what hardships one encounters

yǎn ěr dào líng

to fool oneself; to bury one's head in the sand

kè zhōu qiú jiàn

to not know how to adapt to changed conditions; to rigidly cling to an idea or approach without considering the reality of a situation

wáng yáng bǔ láo

to close the stable door after the horse has bolted; to act belatedly

wán bì guī Zhào

to return something to its owner in good condition

wàng méi zhǐ kě

to console oneself with illusions

cǎo mù jiē bīng

to apprehend danger in every sound; describes a state of extreme nervousness

Dōng Shī xiào pín

to imitate others only to make a fool of oneself; a crude and awkward imitation

mǎi dú huán zhū

to focus on the trivial and neglect the essential; to get one's priorities wrong

bēi gōng shé yǐng

unnecessary suspicion; a false alarm brought on by one's own imagination

Yè Gōng hào lóng

to pretend to like something one actually fears; a professed enthusiasm that doesn't survive contact with the real thing

yù bàng xiāng zhēng

when two parties fight without compromise, a third party benefits

Hán dān xué bù

to imitate others clumsily and lose one's own identity in the process

bá miáo zhù zhǎng

to spoil things through excessive enthusiasm; to ruin something by forcing it along too quickly

wò xīn cháng dǎn

to deliberately subject oneself to hardship in order to strengthen one's resolve and remember a past humiliation

pò fǔ chén zhōu

to commit to a course of action with no possibility of retreat; to burn one's boats

zhǐ lù wéi mǎ

to deliberately misrepresent something; to deliberately invert right and wrong

huà lóng diǎn jīng

to add the vital finishing touch; the detail that brings a whole work to life

làn yú chōng shù

to pad out a group with someone unqualified; to hold a position one isn't equipped for

duì niú tán qín

to address an argument to the wrong audience; to speak to someone who cannot appreciate or understand it

máng rén mō xiàng

to draw a mistaken conclusion from only partial understanding; unable to see the whole picture

nán yuán běi zhé

to act in a way that defeats one's own purpose; to work against one's own goal

zhāo sān mù sì

to be fickle or capricious; now more often used for someone easily placated by a superficial change

táng láng bǔ chán, huáng què zài hòu

to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger

zhǐ shàng tán bīng

to engage in theoretical discussion that is worse than useless in practice; armchair strategy

bèi shuǐ yī zhàn

to be forced to stand and fight; to make a desperate last stand

sì miàn Chǔ gē

besieged on all sides; facing hostility and difficulty with no way out

tú qióng bǐ xiàn

hidden, usually malicious intentions are exposed at the very end

Xiàng Zhuāng wǔ jiàn, yì zài Pèi gōng

an elaborate deception hiding malicious intent; a hidden motive behind an innocent-looking act

yuē fǎ sān zhāng

to agree on a few simple rules everyone will observe

yī míng jīng rén

to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat after years of apparent inactivity

fù jīng qǐng zuì

to offer someone a humble, sincere apology and submit to their judgment

lǎo mǎ shí tú

an experienced hand knows what to do; wisdom that comes from long experience

hòu lái jū shàng

a newcomer surpassing those who came before; the pupil outshining the master

páo dīng jiě niú

to be so skilled at something that it looks effortless

táng bì dāng chē

to overrate oneself and attempt something hopelessly beyond one's strength

péng chéng wàn lǐ

to have a bright future and brilliant prospects ahead

hé zhé zhī fù

someone in urgent, desperate need of immediate help

Zhuāng Zhōu mèng dié

the uncertain, shifting line between reality and illusion

wàng yáng xīng tàn

to lament one's own smallness before something vast; to feel powerless before an overwhelming task

dāi ruò mù jī

dumbstruck; a stillness so complete it looks lifeless

Qǐ rén yōu tiān

to have groundless, needless fears

chún wáng chǐ hán

two parties so interdependent that the fall of one endangers the other

bìng rù gāo huāng

a situation or illness so far gone it's beyond any cure

tuì bì sān shè

to give way and avoid conflict, out of gratitude or respect, even from a position of strength

jīng gōng zhī niǎo

someone so frightened by a past ordeal that even a faint echo of it sends them into panic

huì jí jì yī

to conceal a fault or problem out of fear of criticism, until it's too late to fix

qū tū xǐ xīn

to take preventive action before disaster strikes

zì xiāng máo dùn

to contradict oneself; a self-contradictory claim

Zhèng rén mǎi lǚ

rigidly trusting a rule or measurement over the reality right in front of you

yí lín dào fǔ

letting suspicion color everything you see, until the evidence disappears and so does the suspicion

wéi biān sān jué

to study with extraordinary diligence

xuán liáng cì gǔ

to study with extreme, even painful, self-discipline

náng yíng yìng xuě

to study diligently despite poverty, making use of whatever light is available

mén tíng ruò shì

flooded with visitors or petitioners

duō duō yì shàn

the more, the merrier; there's no such thing as too many

Luò yáng zhǐ guì

said of a literary work so popular that everyone rushes to get a copy

dōng shān zài qǐ

to make a comeback after retreat or failure

sān gù máo lú

to sincerely and persistently seek out someone talented, no matter how many attempts it takes

Yè láng zì dà

to be ignorant, provincial, and arrogant about it

míng luò Sūn Shān

a gentle way of saying someone has failed an exam or competition

dǎ cǎo jīng shé

to give away your position through a careless move, tipping off exactly the person you didn't want to alert

wén jī qǐ wǔ

disciplined, self-driven diligence, started before anyone asks

tiě chǔ mó zhēn

patience and persistence can accomplish even an impossible-seeming task

rù mù sān fēn

written or expressed with remarkable, penetrating force

cái gāo bā dǒu

extraordinary, almost excessive literary genius

záo bì tōu guāng

to study diligently despite poverty, by any means available

Chéng mén lì xuě

deep respect and patience shown toward a teacher

shú néng shēng qiǎo

practice makes perfect

shuǐ dī shí chuān

steady, patient effort will eventually overcome anything

bàn tú ér fèi

to give up on something before it's finished

wēn gù zhī xīn

reviewing what you already know is how you come to understand what's new

Jīng wèi tián hǎi

dogged, even hopeless, determination against an impossibly large loss

Kuā fù zhú rì

to pursue a goal past the point of possibility; reckless, all-consuming ambition

nǚ Wā bǔ tiān

repairing catastrophic damage through sheer determined effort

shàng shàn ruò shuǐ

true virtue benefits everything without competing or forcing its way

dà qì wǎn chéng

a person of great talent matures late; great things take time to come to fruition

qiān lǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zú xià

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

gāo shān liú shuǐ

a bond between two people who understand each other completely, without needing to explain