1. 百闻不如一见。
Bâi wén bù rú yí jiàn.
Seeing is believing. (Seeing once is worth hearing a hundred times.)
2. 冰冻三尺非一日之寒。
Bïng dòng sän chî fëi yí rì zhï hán.
Rome was not built in a day. (One day of cold can’t form three feet of ice.)
3. 病从口入，祸从口出。
Bìng cóng kôu rù, huò cóng kôu chü.
A closed mouth catches no flies and careful talk avoids trouble. (Diseases go into
the mouth and misfortunes come out of it.)
4. 不打不成交。
Bù dâ bù chéng jiäo.
No discord, no concord. (Conflicts make a companion.)
5. 初生牛犊不怕虎。
Chü shëng niúdú bú pà hû.
The less wit, the more courage. (A new-born calf is not afraid of the tiger.)
6. 大树底下好乘凉。
Dà shù dî xià hâo chéngliáng.
Good shade is found under a big tree.
7. 刀子嘴，豆腐心。
Däozi zuî, dòufu xïn.
His bark is worse than his bite. (A mouth as sharp as a knife and a heart as soft as
bean-curd.)
8. 防君子不防小人。
Fáng jünzî bù fáng xiâorén.
The devil lurks behind the cross. (It can only guard against the good but not the
bad.)
9. 功夫不负有心人。
Göngfu bú fù yôuxïnrén.
Efforts never fail the aspiring.
10. 好的开端是成功的一半。
Hâo de käiduän shì chénggöng de yíbàn.
Well begun is half done.
11. 好借好还，再借不难。
Hâo jiè hâo huán, zài jiè bù nán.
He who borrows to repay may borrow yet another day. (Return what you
borrowed before and you may borrow once more.)
12. 好事不出门，坏事传千里。
Hâo shì bù chümén, huài shì chuán qiän lî.
Bad news has wings. (Good deeds stay inside, and ill deeds travel far and wide.)
13. 患难见真情。
Huànnàn jiàn zhënqíng.
Adversity is the test of friendship. (A friend in need is a friend indeed.)
14. 机不可失，时不再来。
Jï bù kê shï, shí bú zài lái.
Opportunity seldom knocks twice. (A missed chance is missed for good.)
15. 家丑不可外扬。
Jiä chôu bù kê wài yáng.
Air your dirty linen at home. (A family stain is not to be aired.)
16. 家家有本难念的经。
Jiä jiä yôu bên nán niàn de jïng.
Every family has a skeleton in the closet. (Every family has its own sad story.)
17. 姜还是老的辣。
Jiäng háishi lâo de là.
The older, the wiser. (Ginger is spiciest when it matures.)
18. 来得早不如来得巧。
Lái de zâo bùrú lái de qiâo.
The hindmost dog may catch the hare. (Early is not as good as the right time.)
19. 来而不往非礼也。
Lái ér bù wâng fëi lî yê.
Mutuality is property.
20. 没有不透风的墙。
Méiyôu bú tòufëng de qiáng.
Walls have ears. (There’s no wall without a crack.)
21. 磨刀不误砍柴功。
Mó däo bú wù kân chái göng.
Sharpening your ax will not delay your job of cutting wood.
22. 强扭的瓜不甜。
Qiáng niû de guä bù tián.
Love cannot be forced. (A melon plucked too early is not sweet.)
23. 巧妇难为无米之炊。
Qiâo fù nán wéi wú mî zhï chuï.
Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook.
24. 亲兄弟，明算账。
Qïn xiöngdì, míng suànzhàng.
Even reckoning makes long friends. (The account must be clear even between
blood brothers.)
25. 清官难断家务事。
Qïngguän nán duàn jiäwùshì.
Family affairs often confuse the cleverest judge.
26. 人多力量大。
Rén duö lìliang dà.
The more people, the more power.
27. 身正不怕影子斜。
Shën zhèng bú pà yîngzi xié.
A clean wants no washing. (An upright man does not worry about his crooked
shadow.)
28. 胜败乃兵家常事。
Shèng bài nâi bïngjiä chángshì.
You win some, you lose some. (Winning and losing are commonplace in war.)
29. 树挪死，人挪活。
Shù nuó sî, rén nuó huó.
A tree dies if moved, a man lives by moving.
30. 说曹操，曹操到。
Shuö cáocäo, cáocäo dào.
Speak of the devil and the devil appears.
31. 贪多嚼不烂。
Tän duö jiáo bú làn.
Don’t try to do too much at once. (Greed for food causes indigestion.)
32. 贪小便宜吃大亏。
Tän xiâo piányi chï dà kuï.
Penny wise, pound foolish. (The greed for small favors results in the loss of big
benefits.)
33. 兔子不吃窝边草。
Tùzi bù chï wö biän câo.
A man won’t harm the people around his home. (A hare won’t eat the grass near
his hole.)
34. 无风不起浪。
Wú fëng bù qî làng.
There’s no smoke without fire. (There’s no wave without wind.)
35. 五十步笑百步。
Wûshí bù xiào bâi bù.
The pot calls the kettle black. (It’s like a fifty-step escaper laughing at a one
hundred-step escaper.)
36. 新官上任三把火。
Xïn guan shàngrèn sän bâ huô.
The new broom sweeps clean.
37. 羊毛出在羊身上。
Yángmáo chü zài yang shën shang.
Wool comes from sheep.
38. 一分钱一分货。
Yì fën qián yì fën huò.
Nothing for nothing and very little for a half penny. (One cent of price, one
element of quality.)
39. 一个巴掌拍不响。
Yí ge bäzhang päi bù xiâng.
When one will not, two cannot quarrel. (A single hand cannot clap.)
40. 一年之计在于春。
Yì nián zhï jì zài yú chün.
A year’s plan starts with spring. (Spring is the queen of the year.)
41. 有得必有失。
Yôu dé bì yôu shï.
Omelets are not made without breaking eggs. (No pain, no gain.)
42. 远水救不了近火。
Yuân shuî jiùbuliâo jìn huô.
The far water cannot quench the near fire.
43. 早睡早起身体好。
Zâo shuì zâo qî shëntî hâo.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
44. 真金不怕火炼。
Zhën jïn bú pà huô liàn.
Real gold stands the test of fire.
45. 知足者常乐。
Zhï zú zhê cháng lè.
Contentment is happiness. (Those who feel satisfied are forever blessed.)
46. 纸里包不住火。
Zhî li bäo bú zhù huô.
The truth always prevails. (Paper cannot wrap up the fire.)