Welcome to the largest Chinese proverbs colection. You will find here ancient Chinese proverbs, wise sayings, Chinese phrases and even funny Chinese proverbs. Click on the title to read it, think about it and then read it again. Chinese sayings have layer upon layer of wisdom, so don't hesitate to comment - share your opinion on the sayings, give some real life examples and even ask when you feel puzzled. And if you know some proverb that isn't listed here, don't hesitate to share it!

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A person with a bad name is already half-hanged

Where a chest lieth open, a righteous man may sin

A bad workman blames his tools

To persecute the unfortunate is like throwing stones on one fallen into a well

The best memory is not so firm as faded ink

Fortune and flowers do not last forever

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

Take a second look; it costs you nothing

The water that bears the ship is the same that engulfs it

Those who hear not the music think the dancers mad

You can’t clap with one hand only

Patience and the mulberry leaf become a silk robe

No melon-peddler cries

If his legs fail him, he fights on his knees

Sorrow is the child of too much joy

A jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-for-nothing until he is educated

Of a dead leopard we keep the skin, of man his reputation

Life isn’t all beer and skittles

Small winnings make a heavy purse

Going beyond is as bad as falling short

If a string has one end, then it has another end

Before you beat a dog, find out who its master is

Easy to run downhill, much puffing to run up

Easy to enroll a thousand soldiers But, ah, one general!

Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them

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