Chinese Proverbs

The Chinese language is well suited to the writing of short and snappy phrases and proverbs. Here is an index of a few examples. Each one links to a page giving its history and any similar proverbs in English.

Yu hu mou pi To negotiate with a tiger for its skin
Tuo mian zi gan If anyone spits in your face, let it drip dry
Liu de qing shan zai, bu pa mei chai shao Hold on to the blue mountain, there'll be no shortage of faggots for fire.
Gua yang tou mai gou rou Hanging out a sheep's head to sell dog meat.
Bu ru hu xue, yan de hu zi Without entering the tiger's lair, how can one catch the tiger's cub?
Ye chang meng duo The night is long and dreams are legion
Zui weng zhi yi bu zai jiu The drinker's heart is not in the drop
Ban jun ru ban hu Keeping the company of an emperor is like keeping the company of a tiger
Bai wen bu ru yi jian Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once
You peng zi yuan fang lai, bu yi le hu! To have friends coming in from afar, how delightful!
Tou ji bu cheng she ba mi Failing to steal chickens and losing a fistful of rice into the bargain.
Xin you ling xi yi dian tong Hearts meet on the dot in a unicorn's horn.
Bei jing yi chi shi quan kao tian Like the feeding of Peking Ducks - all a matter of stuffing.
Chu sheng zhi du bu wei hu A new-born calf fears no tiger.
Shui zhang chuan gao When the tide rises, boats float higher.
Ying mao chu zai yang sheng shang Sheep's wool comes off the sheep's back.
Dao ke dao, fei chang dao. Ming ke ming, fei chang ming The Way that can be expressed is not the everlasting way. Names that can be named are not changeless names.
Tong chuang yi meng Same bed, different dreams.
Jie ling hai xu ji ling ren Whoever tied the knot on the bell is the one to untie it.
Zhi xu zhou guan fang huo, bu xu bai xing dian deng While a County mandarin is at liberty to set houses on fire, a common man is not allowed to light a lamp (lantern).
Qi bu ru jie, jie bu ru tou, tou bu ru tou bu zhao A wife is not as good as a concubine.

Yu hu mou pi	To negotiate with a tiger for its skin
Tuo mian zi gan	If anyone spits in your face, let it drip dry
Liu de qing shan zai, bu pa mei chai shao	Hold on to the blue mountain, there'll be no shortage of faggots for fire.
Gua yang tou mai gou rou	Hanging out a sheep's head to sell dog meat.
Bu ru hu xue, yan de hu zi	Without entering the tiger's lair, how can one catch the tiger's cub?
Ye chang meng duo	The night is long and dreams are legion
Zui weng zhi yi bu zai jiu	The drinker's heart is not in the drop
Ban jun ru ban hu	Keeping the company of an emperor is like keeping the company of a tiger
Bai wen bu ru yi jian	Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once
You peng zi yuan fang lai, bu yi le hu!	To have friends coming in from afar, how delightful!
Tou ji bu cheng she ba mi	Failing to steal chickens and losing a fistful of rice into the bargain.
Xin you ling xi yi dian tong	Hearts meet on the dot in a unicorn's horn.
Bei jing yi chi shi quan kao tian	Like the feeding of Peking Ducks - all a matter of stuffing.
Chu sheng zhi du bu wei hu	A new-born calf fears no tiger.
Shui zhang chuan gao	When the tide rises, boats float higher.
Ying mao chu zai yang sheng shang	Sheep's wool comes off the sheep's back.
Dao ke dao, fei chang dao. Ming ke ming, fei chang ming	The Way that can be expressed is not the everlasting way. Names that can be named are not changeless names.
Tong chuang yi meng	Same bed, different dreams.
Jie ling hai xu ji ling ren	Whoever tied the knot on the bell is the one to untie it.
Zhi xu zhou guan fang huo, bu xu bai xing dian deng	While a County mandarin is at liberty to set houses on fire, a common man is not allowed to light a lamp (lantern).
Qi bu ru jie, jie bu ru tou, tou bu ru tou bu zhao	A wife is not as good as a concubine.