Chinese proverbs

[sarpesius]

I would be interested to know any Chinese proverbs or folk wisdom. These are often things that parents will tell their children.

Below is a short list of Euro-American proverbs. It would be interesting to know if Chinese culture has similar sayings.

If the shoe fits, wear it.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Better late than never.

Better to be safe than sorry.

No pain, no gain.

Curiosity killed the cat.

The early bird gets the worm.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

He who laughs last laughs best.

What goes around, comes around.

What goes up must come down.

Revenge is sweet.

[Boris]

"It is better to give than receive " translates to the Chinese " It is better to be given the feather of a goose from afar than a water melon from nearby "

Maybe also a Chines proverb should be - why use one world when 10 will do. Explains the Chinese governmental system also !

[Katanga]

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

Loads more here with the meaning explained....

http://www.wku.edu/%7Eyuanh/China/proverb.html

[Boris]

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

Moaisms , not traditional proverbs.

[timklip]

Moaisms , not traditional proverbs.

No, first one is a proverb from LaoZhu (sp?) prob. borowed by Mao, second is a Japanese proverb, similar to the western "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"

Google is your friend

[Boris]

Maybe so.
What I was trying to convey is that they are not used in general speech but are famous to Mao for a) the little red book - his view of the class struggle b) a famous comment made during the cultural revolution and used as a rallying call by the red gaurds. That why I used the phrase " not as traditional proverb "

Deng also had them. " It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white , only that it catches mice " etc. This was modified later to a shorter version. " Its OK to be rich "

Most famous sayings and philosophy throughout history has been knicked from someone else. Marx, Engles, Mao, Hitler all stole from those more educated than themselves and passed it on as their own.

[sarpesius]

Most famous sayings and philosophy throughout history has been knicked from someone else. Marx, Engles, Mao, Hitler all stole from those more educated than themselves and passed it on as their own.

Karl Marx had a doctorate from the University of Jena.

[beachball]

No, first one is a proverb from LaoZhu (sp?) prob. borowed by Mao, second is a Japanese proverb, similar to the western "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"

Google is your friend

Actually, the second one (while indeed Japanese) means pretty much the opposite of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"...