Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Chinese Proverbs

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"A mind enlightened is heaven; a mind darkened is hell."

"A man of great wisdom often appears slow-witted."

"Be firm in your acts, but easy in your heart; be strict with yourself, but gentle with your fellowmen."

"Distance tests a horse’s strength, time reveals a man’s character."

"A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it."

"A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month's study of books."

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

"All the universe is an inn; search not specially for a retreat of peace: all the people are your relatives; expect therefore troubles from them."

"Endure a small insult and be safe from a big insult; suffer some small loss and be safe from a big loss. When you miss an advantage in a deal, you gain an advantage."

"Avoid the mean person, but do not make him your personal enemy; get close to the cultivated person, but do not always say yes to him."

"Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes."

"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

"He who cannot agree with his enemies is controlled by them."

"How can one obtain tiger cubs without entering the tiger’s lair?"

"If a person’s face does not show a little sadness his thoughts are not deep."

"If Heaven made him - earth can find some use for him. "

"If we don’t change the direction we’re going, we’re likely to end up where we’re headed."

"If you don't want anyone to know it, don't do it."

"In our actions we should accord with the will of Heaven; in our words we should accord with the hearts of men."

"It is not what life does to you that is important but what you do with what life does to you."

"Chinese proverb"

"Once you have spoken, even the swiftest horses cannot retract your words."

"Money sometimes prevents trouble; too much money breeds it."

"Make happy those who are near, and those who are far away will come."

"Talk not of your personal success to one who has failed; forget not your failures in the moment of success."

"One should not miss the flavor of being sick, nor miss the experience of being destitute."

"One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade."

"People in the same boat should help each other."

"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."

"The torment of envy is like a grain of sand in the eye."

"There is great man who makes every man feel small. But the really great man is the man who makes every man feel great."

"To be elated at success and disappointed at failure is to be the child of circumstances; how can such a one be called master of himself?"

"The net of Heaven is large and wide, but it lets nothing through."

"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

"Trust only those you don't need to trust."

"Virtue in a rich person is the ability to give, in a poor man it is the refusal to beg, in a man of high position it is a humble attitude towards fellowmen, and in a man of low position it is the ability to see through life."

"To see through fame and wealth is to gain a little rest; to see through life and death is to gain a big rest."

"When you see a good man, think of emulating him; when you see a bad man, examine your heart."

"Whenever you do a thing, act so that it will give your friends no occasion for regret and your foes no cause for joy."

"What I hear I forget. What I see I remember. What I do, I know."

"Who give me goods hurts my spirit; who gives me fame injures my life."

"You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair."

"Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend's forehead."

"A man's fortune must first be changed from within."

"A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses."

"A tiger never returns to his prey he did not finish off."

"Contentment is happiness, pleasure has a sting in its tail."

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."