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List of Chinese proverbs
[[fr:Proverbes chinois]]

These are the humble beginnings of a collection of [[China|Chinese]] [[Proverb|proverbs]] (&#27463;&#24460;&#35486; in [[pinyin]]: xie4 hou4 yu3; &#35578;&#35486; yan4 yu3) and idioms, given in (and sorted by) [[pinyin]] transcription. Formulaic saying/expression (&#25104;&#35486; cheng2 yu3) is the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese [[four-character idiom]].  

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:* Moral: Be virtuous not just in public, but in private as well.

:&#20320;&#26377;&#21021;&#19968;&#65292;&#25105;&#26377;&#21313;&#20116;
:* Literally: You have the first day of the month, I the fifteenth.
:* Moral: Everyone has their own talent that will be useful one day or another.
:* comment: (Similar to the English proverb of "Every dog has his day".)
:* comment: Similar to (Everyone gets) 15 minutes of Fame ([[Andy Warhol
l]]).
:&#22971;&#36066;&#23376;&#32918;&#29238;&#20043;&#23532;
:* Literally: Wife virtuous, son filial, father lenient.
:* Moral: The proper behavior of each family member to the others is determined by blood relationship.

:&#39135;&#20841;&#31890;&#40643;&#35910;&#20180;&#65292;&#23601;&#24819;&#35201;&#23416;&#20154;&#19978;&#35199;&#22825;
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:&#36938;&#36938;&#37326;&#37326;
:* Literally: Wander, wander; wild, wild.
:* Usage: someone has nothing to do and wanders around.
:* English: (perhaps) Footloose and fancy-free (without life commitments or lifestyle constraints).

:&#34277;&#26041;&#19977;&#25220;&#27602;&#27515;&#20154;
:* Literally: The medicine from a recipe that ha
ves been copied three times (one after another) can kill people. ''[http://www.1stblaze.com/search.phtml?srch=10666357481011207817&a_id=5977&creative_type=1&position=&kwd=recipe&sa_id=AA1VDw Link for more information about recipe]'' 
:* Moral: Excessive enthusiasm can be counterproductive despite its good intention.

:&#39449;&#39740;&#31359;&#31761;&#34915;
:* Literally: Cheat the [[ghost]]s by wearing clothes made of leaves.
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:* English (similar): "How sharper than a serpent's tooth is an ungrateful child" - Shakespeare.

: &#25171;&#34382;&#35242;&#20804;&#24351; (pa4 ho4 cin6 hiann6 di6.)
:* Literally: To club a [[tiger]], it takes [[blood]] [[brother]]s.
:* Usage: With [[family]], one can accomplish even the most difficult task.
:* Note: [[Hero]]es defeating ferocious tigers that eat livestock
s and even human beings is the theme to various Chinese literature, such as ''[[The Water Margin]]''.

: &#24806;&#24806;&#36611;&#20871;&#34427; (diam3 diam6 ka4 vr6 vang4)
:* Literally: Accompanied with silence is less [[mosquito]]es.
:* Usage: If what one wishes is little attention, talk little. To avoid getting into an unnecessary quarrels, do not speak more than you need to. Perseverance is productive.
:* English: A closed mouth gathers no flies.
:* English: Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (The Holy Bible: King James Version, The Proverbs 17:28)

: &#20570;&#30002;&#27969;&#27735; &#23244;&#30002;&#27969;&#28734; (zor4 ga4 lau6 guann6&#65292;hiam6 ga4 lau6 nuann6.)
:* Literally: It takes [[sweat]] to work on things, but it only takes [[saliva]] to criticize things.
:* Usage: Criticism of others' hard work should be considerate, constructive and limited, and not free-flowing, since by not physically doing it, one cannot appreciate the difficulty of a task.



See also:
* [[English proverbs]]
* [[French proverbs]]
* [[German proverbs]]
* [[Japanese proverbs]]
* [[Latin proverbs]]
* [[Polish proverbs]]
* [[Portuguese proverbs]]
* [[Spanish proverbs]]